Mince Pies, Ink, Wrapping Paper and Treacle

I have wrapped pretty, little presents and spent the afternoon making some sweet, felt decorations for the tree. Tomorrow is mince pie making day but i'll opt for a modern recipe, rather than a nostalgic 1940s one! Wartime baking had restrictions due to rationing so substitutions were made. My latest illustrated recipe, a wartime Christmas cake, for They Draw They Cook is featured on The Dig for Victory Show Blog. Merry Christmas to you all!

Births, Baptisms and Beyond....

I love creating artwork for a new baby!

Christmas Carols, Mulled Wine and Mince Pies…in Brighton

It's December, it's colder and it's getting nearer to Christmas! I have ordered my turkey, made the Christmas pudding and I have a new hat with ears on that bounce as I walk. 

Here is the Community Christmas poster that I produced for Exeter Street Hall, Prestonville Community Association and St. Luke's Prestonville. The community-owned hall is a wonderful local asset and I am looking forward to the party! 

Take your time… but you only have a week : 'The Tortoise and the Hare'

This week MATS has been all about children's book illustration. It was the section of the course that I had been most looking forward to. 

Having said that, by the time I had read all the literature that was provided I felt somewhat numb. It was enormously helpful and indeed inspiring, but also quite overwhelming in its sheer quantity! I did not initially feel hugely inspired to draw a tortoise; however, once I started sketching, a small girl character evolved, riding a micro-scooter and called Tilly. 

Benedict on Zaffy

Soon enough, Tilly had won me over and I regained my earlier excitement as her race with Horace the Hare began to take shape.

I have put a lot of hours in this week and I feel I've learnt a lot about the industry and about my own technique.

The Hare is depicted riding our much loved orange Vespa, Zaffy. The words were kindly composed by Benedict Protheroe.

Anyway, here is my double page spread of The Tortoise and the Hare. 

It's my Birthday and I'll Cook if I want to...

I have gone back to school. I signed up for Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells to build my portfolio, strengthen my illustration skills and learn about a variety of different art markets. 

The first week is now coming to an end, and I am thrilled to have completed my first assignment: my 'vintage kitchen' bolt fabric design includes cheerful root vegetables, kitschy casseroles and a pair of long-eared bunnies...

Line layout

Watercolour and pen sketches

MATS Part A - BOLT FABRIC - Week 1 Assignment 

P.S. Today is my birthday.

Autumn is here

I have a cold. Autumn is playing with the leaves outside. This calls for hot honey and lemon, a sugar hit and a quick sketch or two in between sneezes. Right now I have a pumpkin on my desk, surrounded by an assortment of skulls and my favourite Lyle's Trick or Treacle tin.  Along with the autumnal drawbacks of colds, shortening days and the like, come the fast-approaching twin delights of Halloween and Guy Fawkes' Night...

Beetle Bookworms : Beauty and the Beetle, A Cockroach Orange, and Lawrence of Scarabia

I had such fun drawing these intellectual little beetles and creating a repeating pattern. Hopefully the book titles will make you smile! 

Grazia Road Trip: The Map

Back in February of this year, I went on a press road trip as part of team Grazia. Our challenge was to drive the new Ford Tourneo Connect aka 'The Beast' from Folkestone to Courmayeur in Italy and to retain a sense of humour. We succeeded, and once we had completed our hilarious journey we had champagne and a weekend of skiing to recover! Here's a little map I drew to show our route. The lovely article on the trip, written by Grazia's divine Chrissy Quinn, can be read here.

Illustrated Ford Road Trip Map

Granny's Ginger Cake - They Draw They Cook

My Granny was hugely important to me and of great creative support. As an artist, she was very encouraging when I was small to draw, and paint and experiment with art. Sadly, we lost her last year, but I am pleased that I got to show her my first few illustrations. 

One very fond memory is of making a ginger cake with her and my mother at Halloween. We crafted a recipe that was a mixture of several from 'the books', drank tea, and pondered over if the recipe would turn out well. It did, and a few weeks ago I made the ginger cake and decided to illustrate our 'family' recipe. It is a delicious sticky cake using black treacle, and is especially yummy after a few days of sitting and thinking about itself.

It is featured on the glorious website They Draw They Cook, which is awash with beautiful artwork and food inspiration.

Happy Birthday!

I really enjoy creating personalised birthday presents, and below are three examples. The first was made for a 5th birthday, the next for a 40th and the final one for a 65th! A lovely spectrum of ages!

The four-year-old had created an imaginary superhero character for himself, with his cat as his sidekick. It was a joy to bring this pair to life! As far as I know, the image was put onto a t-shirt for the child.

The Incredible Adventures of XO Man and Furball

40th birthday artwork

65th Birthday Artwork

Vegas Baby! A Showgirl's Wedding

This wedding gift was created for a wonderfully eccentric sounding couple!

Bryn and Rebecca got married in Las Vegas, and the bride's showgirl outfit was made by the incredible designer and dressmaker Gilly Woo. 

I am hoping to see some photos from the ceremony appear on Facebook at some point!

I do not know the significance of the Wookie and the Ewok… but I now feel that no wedding would be complete without an Ewok.

Halloween Preparations Begin!

Unexpectedly, I have found myself in the UK for several weeks, and the last few days have been an incredible mixture of crisp sunny days and intense thunder and lightening storms. 

It is Autumn. 

It is nearly H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N !

...and I am really excited! 

I love Halloween. The colours, the creativity, the dressing up, the special effects make-up, the cooking, the planning. It takes over my mind far more than Christmas does. If i'm honest, I have been thinking about it for months!

Last year we were in Istanbul for Halloween and, although, we found a fantastic party to go to I couldn't find any pumpkins to carve - so I took the knife to a small round courgette. It was remarkably easy, and pretty effective once glowing spookily on the dining room table. 

Today, I have sat down with a cup of tea and started to plan my Halloween meal for this year. We are having friends over and I want everyone to really enjoy the evening and the morbid black food colouring! I'm going to make some decorations and, hopefully, i'll have time to drive to a small village in Kent that fills one of it's barns with pumpkins and gourds - an amazing array of goodies for cooking and carving. Anyway, I digress, as well as the party planning I am enjoying sketching out autumnal and halloween inspired illustrations….i'll post about them soon.

Halloween Frankie in his pumpkin hot- air balloon

Invitation to a Wedding at the Movies

I was so flattered to be asked to create a wedding invitation for some lovely friends - what an honour! 

The front of the invitation shows the bride and groom at the wedding venue, the historic Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton. Inside the invitation feature some treasured or sentimental items from their life together, such as their beloved camper van, Mabel.

Sightseeing in Istanbul by Road and Water

Istanbul has a unique and privileged location, straddling as it does both Europe and Asia; which are separated by the vast marine strait of the Bosphorus. That magnificent waterway and the majestic inlet of the Golden Horn make for a truly beautiful city. I was tasked with creating a simple map to show tourists taking a boat tour with Big Bus Istanbul where the trip would take them, and illustrate a few of the highlights that they would see from the water. 

Pirates of Penzance - Rebooted! at Brighton Fringe 2014

The City Theatre Co. were putting on a production during the Brighton Fringe -  The Pirates of Penzance, a 'Rebooted' version. It was a dream poster to work on and I had a lovely time drawing, amongst other things, an irate parrot, a friendly mermaid and a surprised octopus. The programmes were printed up in a variety of colours and were specifically designed so that the audience could easily fold them into pirate hats to wear during the show!

 

Represented in Istanbul by 101 Production

Sketching children and sweets

So… I am represented by an agency in Istanbul! I am thrilled to be one of only three illustrators on their books, and the only one to be based in Turkey.

101 Production is located in an industrial area of Istanbul; amongst recycling workshops, garages and beaten up buildings. They have an incredible studio space and very a cool office, with a work space on a raised platform in the middle of the expansive room. The atmosphere is chilled and friendly and several dogs potter around. I am now on their books as an illustrator and make-up artist.

My first task for them was to illustrate a piece of work for the upcoming holiday, to celebrate the festival of the breaking of the fast after Ramadan. The holiday (or bayram) is also known as The Sugar Festival or the Sweet Feast.

My inspiration for the piece was children and all things sweet! I incorporated the Turkish star and crescent, directly referencing to the Turkish flag and also in order to highlight the moon, which plays an important part in the timings of the daily fast during Ramadan. I also included some pomegranates as they are symbolic of Turkey and adorn countless street stalls throughout the country. I had great fun animating various confectionery and I think my favourite character is the chocolate milkshake. 

A square version for Instagram 

The extended illustration to be sent the clients