Dinosaurs can be festive

Yeah, so various projects remain in progress. And I can't blame it on seasonal festivities because I'm feeling quite the opposite in summery sunny NZ. I simply got distracted by drawing my new pet.. 

 .. And then by cutting and sticking lovely bits of paper into and around the shapes that my pencil makes..

It's not festive but it brings joy. Merry Christmas :)

Life drawing on the other side of the world

Found a class to attend in NZ within 5 days of arriving and it certainly helped in making me feel more grounded. Here's a drawing of a contemplative pose to which I later added some collage-y bits.

Capturing home in New Zealand

So this month I've gone and relocated to Auckland, and I've been trying to make myself feel at home. This has partly involved getting a new pet. But I've also spent time admiring and pondering the traditional kiwi home. Here's a not very well photographed example:

White, wooden, single storey (aka a bungalow!), with decorative trellis-y bits (I'm yet to learn what these are actually called..), a corrugated roof, and the all important deck. (They also seem to be single glazed, although mentioning this makes me feel like a right diva, so ignore that..).

They've got a certain charm that I tried to capture in a couple of drawings (from a stealth position in my car), but I'm not quite there yet. 

I think it might be something to do with the amount of lines.. But I'll persevere into November and see if I can find my feet a bit more, both visually and physically..

Tiles

I've spent some quality time drawing some lovely Lisbon tile patterns, inspired by recent trips and this excellent collection. Here is one of many little sketches, of which there will be many more. I feel a project coming on...

Dino party times

This is absolutely, totally, factually what a dinosaur party would look like..

Work on show

My Leeds-scape (below) has been selected as one of 18 in the latest installment of the 'Imaginary Museum' series - Monuments and Landmarks.  This is on show at the University of Leeds School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies until the end of the month. Go along to pick you favourite postcards from the collection and start your own 'imaginary museum'..

Bridges

So a friend asked me to come up with a logo for his freelance consultancy work in the heritage / library / archiving world, incorporating the bridges that span the Tyne in Newcastle. Little did I know there were 5 bridges, but indeed there are! And so... I came up with the idea to arrange said bridges in a stacked formation, as if on a bookcase, drawing on relevant connotations around cataloguing, organisation and structure. Here's a neat and not so neat version, plus one with some colour and texture for added aesthetic appeal.

 

Abacaxi

Became a bit obsessed with this word during my (ongoing) attempt to learn Portuguese. And now I keep spotting them all over. So I had to join the club and draw one - in continuous line and digital collage - conveniently completed in time for a special person's birthday. Happy pineapple. 

Time for an adventure?

This month is full of up chartered territory. Tomorrow I'll find myself meeting the parents in Lisbon :/ Then in two weeks, I'll be taking my first steps in the African continent by visiting Morocco :) Inspired illustrations will follow from both! - But in the meantime, here's a collection of essential adventure gear for all trips..

This has been drawn for a close friend who is taking an expedition into the wilderness at the end of the month, for the dawning of his 30th year . I'm unable to attend, which is causing me to have a sad face, (Gilles is my immovable excuse), but here's hoping they have as much fun as I did drawing all the vital components..

Inspired Goodbyes

Came across the excellent inspired goodbyes this month, who offer thoughtful cards for bereavement that far out do the typical 'with sympathy' message. They are brilliant. Click here to browse further and buy...

Talking of goodbyes, I also saw this delightful print by an Inuit named Joseph Pootoogook at The Power of Paper exhibition mentioned in the previous post. 

Although it might look like a wave goodbye (or hello), it's actually entitled 'Joyfully I see Ten Caribou', which just goes to show that endings can turn out to be beginnings...

Inspiration

I've been running a little short on time and energy for drawing lately due to full time OT-ing. But ideas for illustration projects are accumulating, in part helped by visiting various exhibitions such as Paula Rego and Honore Daumier at the House of Illustration where there were some incredibly powerful illustrations. I particularly liked a Rego pencil drawing entitled 'envy' which shows a woman loaded with emotion, fists and jaw clenched looking sideways toward an unknown trigger... Here's a sneaky snap I took, which doesn't do it justice but at least gives an impression...

I've also been looking through old scrapbooks, which have become a little redundant since I started using Pinterest, but nothing beats leafing through a physical collection of things I love visually... 

Hoping to go to this print exhibition next week too -> http://maa.cam.ac.uk/maa/power-of-paper/

And then I promise to get on some drawing. Promise.

And breathe...

Recently done a series of little character drawings for patient information leaflets.  They demonstrate positions to help manage feelings of breathlessness.  Here are a few examples...