Untitled 004

Issue 4 of Untitled Magazine (put out by Mike Perry and Anna Wolf) is out now and features some work by uh...me! Available here.

Dress up in you

I haven't done a 'lovely clothes' post in ages but on this cold autumn evening I find myself aimlessly browsing shops that I cant afford online and thinking of cosy knitwear and other treats....Everything from Dutch store 'Humanoid' looks so simple and comfy!

There's a tonne of stuff I would love to own at Frances May but this crazily cute blouse is the winner!
argh! Dream gloves at Need Supply! (also ace necklace and great boots)

Paris (finished illustration)

Managed to forget to take screenshots as I worked through the second part of this image and now its all done. Oops! Failed abysmally there. Decided to go for a dusky evening in the French capital and I think I quite like it. Doesnt quite live up to the real thing though (got a bad case of wanderlust right now...craving a holiday!).

(click to view full size!)

Work In Progress

Thought I'd maybe try out charting the progression of a drawing on this here blog. I don't know if anyone will be interested but anyway. I started this today; a piece of editorial practice I guess...much like my edinburgh/glasgow images I did for the list I thought I'd try and rack up a few more cities to bulk out the portfolio. I began with Paris...because..well it's Paris and seems like a pretty nice place to begin (also I saw the wonderful 'An Education' the other day and sort of have Paris on the brain). So first is the pencil drawing...which is actually made up a tonne of separate drawings of buildings that are fitted together like a jigsaw on photoshop (geographic accuracy is thrown to the wind). After that I add some tasty old paper textures as a basis to colour over. I dont like things to look overwhelmingly digital so I find textures like this give a nice ephemeral quality that I really rather like. And uh...thats as far as I got today...more soon I guess (if anyone is interested).

(p.s you need to click on these and see them big for them to look even remotely alright)

A Word Of Advice

If you are anywhere near London between now and December please please please venture to Primrose Hill to visit 'The Museum of Everything'. I visited last week and it is surely the most exciting and inspiring gallery I have been to in a very long time. A beautiful, awkward and often heartbreaking selection of work by artists working on the outskirts of society is displayed the museum's rabbit warren building (an old dairy) in a way that celebrates rather than exploits the notion of 'outsider art'. The image above is from Nek Chand's collection of figures constructed out of broken ceramics and fabric bears near Chandigarh and below from (my favourite) Alexandre P Lobanov; a deaf mute from Russia whose work features endless portraits of himself as a hero of the Russian Revolution.

Field Work

I'm heading down to London tomorrow for the Field Work pop up shop launch (among other things). If you're around Hanbury St (near Brick Lane) on Thursday night you should pop by the opening (and say hello if you spot me). There'll be a selection of my stuff on sale including the 'Dead Landscapes' zine pictured above. When in London I shall also be undoubtedly paying a visit to the new anthropologie store, i'm filled with excitement just thinking about it.

I have been bad at blogging recently. I hereby promise to be better in future. Honest.

Shopping!

Spent today with the lovely Lindsay Grime at Marche Marche (an edinburgh craft fair) selling my wares. You might be able to spot some new stuff in this picture which is now (finally) for sale in my etsy shop. See below to check out what has been added

I'm doing an exhibition at Leeds College of Art next March (ages away I know) and this is the very first drawing I've done for it. Will post more along the way I'm sure.

Don't forget to come by Marche Marche this saturday if you're in Edinburgh. I have a tonne of new stuff on sale, it's going to be ace!

AND if you're in London next weekend you MUST pay a visit to Field Work at 65 Hanbury St (off Brick Lane), a lovely pop up shop featuring work by inumerable talented types. I'll be at the opening on Thursday 28th...if you can make it come and say hi!

Marche Marche @ the Bowery

Just a quick note for those of you who'll be in and around edinburgh next weekend. I'll be manning a stall at the rather excellent Marche Marche on Saturday 24th from 12am -pm at the Bowery. There's going to be a tonne of lovely stuff for sale from some of Edinburgh's finest so be sure to come by and say hello!

Race For The Prize

Its the Flaming Lips! Hurrah! Balloons!

Panorama-orama

Jez got a lovely Horizon Perfekt camera which we took to try out at the beautiful beach at Alnmouth. Here I am looking windswept in panorama. You can see a couple more of his nice long photos on his flickr.

Every time I listen to '100 years' by Dr Dog I always think that the line 'I'll marry you out of common sense' is incredibly lovely. This drawing doesn't really do it justice.

Dress Up

Sometimes I just want to draw girls in nice clothes. For no reason at all.

A Handful Of Treats

Every now and again I pop by the Lizzie Fortunato site to eye up what I would buy if I had a tonne of money. Ideally I'd buy everything but on this visit I think I'd happily plump for this beautiful statement bib necklace.

Absolutely besotted with this image by Melissa Castrillon based on the story of Sarah Henley who, in 1855, attempted to kill herself by jumping from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. As she fell the large skirt of her dress blew up like a parachute and she glided safely the 225ft to land. I have always loved this story and this image is the perfect treatment for it. I love that nude pink too!

Really impressed with this album cover by Anna Hurley

Peculiar Julia

Today is my Mum's birthday and as part of her present I made her a 24 page children's book (that rhymed). This seemed like an amazing idea at the start but was actually a bit of a huge undertaking (24 pages...silly me!). Anyway she seems pretty happy with it so I thought I'd share a couple of the illustrations. Its about my Mum and her sister when they were young.

Oh and this is the very last page...its my family!

New Stuff!

This is Thisbe. She's beautiful. Only not in this drawing. She's a bit wonky here. Oops!

I've just added two different postcard packs to my etsy shop. The print quality is pretty nice so if you didn't want to send them they could double as mini prints perfect for framing!

This is beautiful. Can I have it please?

Art Walk

I did a thing in the window of Analogue for Art Walk 09. That is all.

Seraphima Astafiena and her cabaret, 1922

Adore this new image by one of my very favourite artists (if not my absolute favourite) Carson Ellis. (via her blog).

Anticipation Stations

I am actively excited for the Anthropologie store that is opening in London next month. I have a long standing anthroplogie crush which is only exacerbated by the fact that I can't buy anything from their site as the customs/tax/whatever is so extortionate. Everything is so pretty and girly and luxurious which is about a thousand miles from my current state sat on the sofa in a hoodie and my boyfriends pyjama bottoms (so much comfier than my own) sporting the ugliest slippers ever (fact. there was a poll and everything). Anyway when it opens I'll be seeking out these things for sure...love love love the colour of that skirt (with mustard tights...yes please!)

p.s I'm doing this for these very fine folk. Photos on Friday when it all starts.

Lovely things!

I really love all of these pieces by Australian Jeweller/Silversmith David Neale. The flower brooch above especially. Those colours make me swoon! And how sweet is that wee stag? Lovely stuff.

London Calling

Last Wednesday I made a quick trip down to London for the opening of an exhibition put together by the agency who represent me, Eastwing. The show was great and it was nice to meet a few of the other illustrators on Eastwing. I haven't really mentioned the whole agency thing on here yet (its still very early days for me!) but here is my page on their site. There's some new work on there to peruse including this bear who was made into a rather nice giclee print for the show and will soon feature on tshirts by Scotland's own Oddities.
If you're in London go and take a look at the show! Its on till Thursday at the Framers Gallery on Windmill St (round the corner from Goodge St tube station.)

Richard Sanderson

Not content with being a thoroughly nice chap with an eye for a good stationary shop Richard Sanderson is also a top notch illustrator with some mean pencil skills. Check out his website for more awesome work.

Student Guide

I did some illustrations for the List's Student Guide 2009 which is now out! If you're not a scottish fresher then you can see them online here. Above is Edinburgh and below is Glasgow.

I did a quick drawing today whilst watching a slightly mediocre BBC drama called Land Girls. The show might be a bit dull but the high waisted trousers, pin curls and head scarves are not! Hurrah! If I had a better knowledge of WWII I'd love to write a kid's story about the Land Army Girls. Maybe I should do some researchin'.

Another What I Wore Today drawing. Today I was feeling girly and summery (its september! Edinburgh is a bit slow on the sunshine uptake!).


We're off to Salisbury tomorrow in preparation for End of the Road festival this weekend. Very excited (especially as the weather looks like it might hold out and stay warm and sunny) and looking forward to seeing bands like Shearwater, David Thomas Broughton, Alela Diane, Okkervil River, Blitzen Trapper, Neko Case, Magnolia Electric Co., The Dodos and a fair few more. Camping! Trees! The SOUTH! Yeah!
(I might be a little over excited about getting out of Scotland for a bit!)