nice monsters

Just lately I have been writing new stories and polishing up old ones which is something I love to do every once in a while. I often find that I’ll have an idea for the beginning of a story which gets scribbled down somewhere and forgotten about. Later I come back to it and have new thoughts which lead it in different directions. After much of this back and forth it might one day get finished! Other times stories arrive all at once and fully formed and you wonder where they came from. Here is a new image from an old idea which I have recently been tinkering with – the monster is a friendly one even though it is large and does have quite sharp teeth. Biscuits and hot chocolate anyone?

June 9, 2022 0

wishypoofs and hiccups

Wishypoofs and Hiccups is book 9 in the series Zoey and Sassafras written by Asia Citro. The first of these books came out in 2017 which feels simultaneously like quite a long time and only five minutes ago! The books are such fun and I love illustrating them. Asia has a way of coming up with the most brilliant magical creatures for me to draw. This story is all about a “wishypoof” which is a creature who was originally based on a floating seedhead, one of those ones with long floaty arms. She is one of my favourites.

Recently I held an raffle to raise money for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and the prize was the original front cover I made for this book. Here it is above, soon to be in the hands of its new owner 🙂

March 31, 2022 0

more cats!

I have been a bit quiet on the posting front for a while but I’m back now with a detail from a book I’m working on at the moment. It’s still early days so I won’t say very much other than… it’s about cats! Who would have thought? Here is a little sneak-peak of my lovely green 70s kitchen!

September 1, 2019 1

into the unknown

I’ve been working on new colour images for my portfolio over the last few days but so far it is looking suspiciously like a black and white portfolio that I’ve coloured in… hey ho! Here is one of the things I’ve been working on; this is Gnat, a brave little fellow flying all alone into the deep dark forest.

September 1, 2016 2

To His Coy Mistress

A little while ago I was asked to create a piece of artwork inspired by and featuring the poem “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell which was to become a print. An unusual job for me and a challenging one too! I wanted to create a piece that was somewhere between a pattern and an illustration and it was also important to keep the background fairly neutral to allow the poem to be read. I used the motif from a pattern I had previously made because this “Queen of Diamonds” just felt like the right character to me. I gave the image a completely different background pattern and overall colour, and placed the poem over the top. Below is the finished result – the print is 50cm high so it’s a bit easier to read!

April 27, 2016 0

scruffy garden dog

I like scruffy dogs, they are the best kind if you ask me. Here is one that’s been padding around the garden lately, sniffing everything and contemplating life. I think he might be looking for a friend…

November 21, 2015 0

Bear and Cat

Here’s a little something I just did just for fun. I’m not sure how these two became friends, I guess they just are…

August 7, 2015 0

Print and Pattern!

I am over the moon to find that my work has been featured on both Print and Pattern and the Make it in Design blog today! Earlier in the year I submitted work for the “student showcase” after graduating from Rachael Taylor’s e-course The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design and they chose to show my rainy sky pattern alongside the beautiful patterns created by some of my fellow students! I’m thrilled to bits and it just makes me want to make more patterns – in fact here are some below…

August 3, 2015 0

interview

I recently had a visit at my studio from Karen Jinks and Mandy Knapp who are the creative force behind Cambridge Creative Network. Karen and Mandy have been doing a series of artist interviews in advance of Cambridge Open Studios and they chose me! It was fantastic to meet artists who are so dedicated to helping people in the creative arts link up as well as promote what they do. Have a look at their website to see my interview and to find out more about Cambridge Creative Network and other Cambridge artists.

July 7, 2015 0

cats and dogs

I’m rather enjoying playing with putting patterns and drawings together at the moment. Here are a couple of creatures who have come into being of late who definitely need to find homes…

July 3, 2015 0