Betty, Dupree & Me

 

I have a series of cards available from splendid new stationary folk Betty & Dupree. Pop over and have a look- there's also some great illustrated tape by Gemma Correll and some beautiful cards by Tom Frost. 

I've got some work in this show curated by unstoppable doodle machine Amy Blackwell at the Malt Cross Gallery in Nottingham alongside some very talented ladies. If you're in that neck o'the woods I suggest you check it out after it opens on Saturday! 

There's a wee interview with me over at Ventricular Projects. I am not especially interesting though. Sorry!

Paintings That I Did Not Paint

 I thought I'd share some more of my most recent zine, as I feel its one that needs a bit of explaining. I'm really interested in why we draw and how people learn to draw so I thought I'd go back and try and re-create how I developed my drawing skills as a child. In the UK at least, Schools teach you to draw by telling you to copy other artworks and so that's what I did for this zine. Copying teaches you to look, it tells you how good images are composed, how to use colour and how to tell stories with images. Its a tried and tested method and it seems to work. But once you've made you're copy what are you left with? This was what I was really interested in. Is the image mine or theirs? The components were dreamt up by someone else but the image as whole is from my hand, filtered through my eye so can I claim that I am the author? When I draw Millais' Ophelia (bottom image) the result is something different from the original and that, to me is interesting. Anyway I don't want to ramble. There's some more writing in the zine if you're interested. Here are some pictures! 

New Things

 Thought I better share some of the new work I did for Loop. Hopefully I'll have photos of the event to show you guys soon. Above is a new screenprint (A2) of a fantasy houseboat. If anyone can build me this in real life I'd be pretty excited! The print is on etsy now.

This is one of the images from Toska only with a bit o' colour worked in. Available as an A4 giclee print. 

 I did a zine of drawings based on paintings I love. This was a bit of an experiment and an investigation into drawing and copying and learning.

 

 I also made some tentative steps towards doing more work in 3D. Don't get me wrong- I love paper based things but it was nice to work on some solid objects. Above, a family of Norwegian knitwear fans and below a little wooden town. For prices email me directly.

LOOP- this weekend

So this week Jez and I head down to Leeds to take part in Loop Arts Fair at Marshalls Mill. Whilst there we'll be launching a new Sing Statistics Book as well as exhibiting some of our own work (lots new) in our space (which will function as a studio while we're there. We're also both doing talks which you can reserve spaces if you buy advance tickets. I'm talking on Friday at 3pm! I heartily recommend getting a full weekend ticket as there's a tonne of amazing stuff going on and it'll be good to be able to pop in and out at your leisure! I've not done a talk for a while and I was wondering- if you're planning on coming along what do you want to hear about? And if you're not coming- what kind of thing would you like to hear at a talk by an illustrator? I want to make sure I don't just ramble my way through it!


p.s if you are in Leeds and free on Friday afternoon please consider stopping by for my talk! I'm having horrible visions of talking to an empty room!

Art Fusion- Sunday 12th

If you're in Glasgow this Sunday head down to Gibson St to check out Art Fusion at the Gibson St Gala. I'm going to be exhibiting and selling work in the outdoor gallery alongside a tonne of other artists (including Fiona Purves and Libby Walker). We'll be there from 12pm-6pm and it'd be pretty great if any of you Glasgow residents would come and say hello!

One of the things I'll have on show is this new poster print. Which is available now in my shop.

Swim

Friday was sunny and warm. I think that was it- the Scottish summer over and done with already! On the rare occasions that the weather is good all I can ever think of is being near water. I grew up just outside Plymouth, in South Devon, in close proximity to myriad rivers and beaches; perfect for summery afternoons. I miss dibbling my toes, wading through ankle high waves, avoiding seaweed, getting the guts to put my shoulders under the cold, clear water. Hopefully, at some point this summer, the sun will come back and we'll find somewhere to mess about by the river. In the meantime I'll have to make do with drawings.

The Shipping News (continued)

 

I've recently complete a short project based on the novel 'The Shipping News'. You can see the full set of illustrations on my website. Below are some progress images of the set's most bleakly epic image! 

You can also read a post about my current inspiration on the new Easting Blog.