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