pretty little horses

This is a half-step repeat pattern I created by hand a little while ago. I am fascinated by making pattern tiles which fit beautifully when you put them together, it feels a bit like magic. Creating a physical picture tile is such a different process to creating a repeat pattern tile on the computer which, in my case, relies on a certain amount of trial and error! This horses tile repeats in a half step which means that tiles are put together like bricks in a wall rather than tiles in a bathroom. One day I’d like to make this design into a linocut, once I have figured out how to make linocuts that is…

October 13, 2022 0

Summer holidays are at an end and it is time to get back into the studio! I am working on a new series of patterns at the moment and here is a snapshot from some of the artwork. These blue cats are inspired by the fabulous tale of Dougal and the Blue Cat, a story I loved as a child. “Blue is beautiful, blue is best, I’M blue, I’M beautiful, I’M BEST!”

September 14, 2022 1

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

swift start to inktober

It’s Inktober again! I haven’t done a great deal of drawing lately as I have had a bit of a disruptive time moving house, so the start of October and the Inktober initiative comes at just the right time to galvanise me and get me inking again. Here is the drawing I did for day one, the prompt was “swift” so I took it literally and drew a swift… They are my favourite birds though so I think it’s allowed!

October 4, 2017 0

Lady Christmas

Happy Christmas everybody! Here is my card for this year, I wanted to make a picture that has the feel of Christmas about it but without the tinsel. So here is Lady Christmas who takes care of the stars and reminds us that it really is all about the magic and not just the mince pies. Have a wonderful Christmas.

December 25, 2016 0

Christmas cards

I was excited when this year’s Christmas cards arrived from the printers and I’m getting ready to send them all out today. But it’s been making me think of Christmases past so I had a ferret about and found some scans of previous years’ cards. My cards are never very traditional but I love making them – for now here are some from the last few years and I will post this year’s effort soon.

December 12, 2016 2

Boo!

Here’s a little scaredy-ghost I painted with some FW inks – Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2016 0

bookworms

I’ve been focussing on creating new black and white work recently but when these guys came along I realised they needed a little colour. They are bookworms discussing the merits of “Maisie Hitchins -The Case of the Stolen Sixpence” and the Victorian era in general when lots of people (and worms) really enjoyed wearing top hats. This picture is put together using drawing and collage and features a Marion wallpaper design in the background.

August 17, 2016 0

inky quadrupeds

Here are some inky drawings featuring creatures that don’t have an awful lot more in common than the number of feet they possess and the fact that I like drawing them! Above is a wingless dragon and below a couple of horses and…well I’m not altogether certain what the one at the bottom is. I made these with my favourite exhausted 1 cm wedge brush and black acrylic ink. I think these creatures are trying to get me to write them a story…

July 8, 2016 1

Zoey and Sassafras

I’m working away on a new and exciting series of chapter books at the moment and here is the first cover! Dragons and Marshmallows is the first of three titles in the Zoey and Sassafras series written by multitalented superlady Asia Citro of Fun At Home With Kids fame. All three books will be coming out in March 2017 from American publishing house The Innovation Press. It’s a bit of a dream illustrating these books – not only do I get to draw pictures of Zoey and her constantly entertaining cat Sassafras, but I also get to draw monsters and dragons – perfect! Here is a sneak peek at some of the interior illustrations from book 1:

June 30, 2016 4