Sale!

 

This week you can get 15% off in my shop with the coupon code AutumnOffer. Just type it in at the checkout to receive your discount! Hurrah!

The Tigers Wife

I drew this a while back after reading 'the Tiger's Wife' by Tea Obreht. I was hooked by the idea of a giant tiger wrapped up with a strange, dark haired woman. Admittedly my tiger is much happier and friendlier than your average big cat might be if you tried to hug it!

Solo

I've embarked on a bit of a fun wee side project . 'Solo' is an illustrated diary (hopefully more or less daily) about my experiences in London. Its called Solo as I'm doing a lot of stuff on my own at the moment (I don't mean in a sad, lonely way but a more independent/curious way). Anyway you can follow the blog here.

Etsy Update! Long overdue.

FINALLY! I've managed to add new stuff to my shop (which is now re-opened). Hurrah! Here's a quick run down of whats newly available......

 My planner for Little Otsu came out recently. Its illustrated throughout and incredibly useful to have in your bag! If you're in the US i recommend you buy direct from Little Otsu, UK/Europe folk should go to my listing instead (as postage will be kind to you).

A4 giclee print of my dinner table drawing. This is a summery one to bring colour to the gloomy winter months! 

 A4 grid 'Evening' drawing print. Wintery and dusky in greys and pinks.

 

 Pack of three 'Bookish Girl' blank greetings cards. For the literate lady in your life!

A motivational message for someone you believe in in the form of a blank greetings card. Yay!

Plus all the prints and things that were in my shop before. I'm out of zines at present but I'm hoping to add some more again soon. 

Also- if cards are your thing I did another six for Betty & Dupree recently. On sale now.

I've been in London just over two weeks now and have managed to stumble through my first week at university unscathed! Now that things are beginning to settle down hopefully I can get into the swing of things with blogging again (although we still dont have an internet connection so it depends when my local coffee shop gets fed up of me!). 

  Next week my shop will open for business once again so be on the lookout for that! 


Above is me and Jez at the beach in South Devon last weekend. So glad we got to take advantage of the brief indian summer we got in the UK. He's got an exciting announcement over on his site. Its all change for us at the moment!

Auld Reekie I'm yours....

Yesterday I left Edinburgh, after six years of living there, with a heavy heart (and heavier bags). Whilst it must be said that I am incredibly excited for what London holds for me, going back to University and the prospect of spending more time with a couple of my favourite people I feel a few words need to be said about the city that I have loved and left. Apologies. This could get heartfelt and gross...

Beyond the beautiful architecture (and it is beautiful), the cold weather (and it is bloody cold) and the fringe festival is a city full of hidden gems. The things Edinburgh is famed for don't fail to disappoint but down quiet alleyways, in unassuming church halls and nestled behind hills are myriad treats unique to Embra. We discovered music that takes you out of the city to windswept northern islands, played by the friendliest people in wooden halls across the city. We found a secret wild west town a street away from our house, a wonderful garden woodland behind Blackford Hill, we climbed mountains, walked along rivers, published books, rowed boats, ate well, and bought more books and prints than we knew what to do with! 
  I love Edinburgh the way I love no other place I've ever been. Even through the cold, dark winters and a time when I was very sad there were things in Edinburgh that never failed to pull me through (predominantly coffee and a vanilla fruit bun from Peter's Yard.) There is something in the air perhaps, or a way of being in the people that live there, that propels you forward. The right yellow-y autumn light on a tall Edinburgh building and your heart soars. Its a fact. 


Finally, and this is dull for most of you but in case the relevant people are reading, I shall miss my friends. The people who put up with me being socially useless, who joined the silly book club I set up and revealed themselves to be wonderful opinionated and eloquent, who accompanied me on trips to the coffee shop on a weekly basis and who dressed up 1960s style to quench my need for a Mad Men birthday party. Its hard not to sound smug but the people that I've met over the past few years are some of the warmest, funniest, wisest and most talented people I could ever have dreamt of calling my friends. Having never really been a person with hundreds of friends, I have been happy to have found a tidy handful to spend my time with. In them I have found a way to be more myself (urgh, this is getting schmaltzy) and have been constantly amazed by their creativity, noble endeavours, bravery and baking skills! Leaving them behind has been the biggest wrench and one that will pull me back to Edinburgh again and again. Here's to you gang! You're all splendid.


So now to the future! I start my masters soon, and I have one or two schemes in the offing that should be revealed soon. I hope you folk continue to follow this blog whilst I settle into life here. Hopefully there'll be lots of  posts in the future as I get to grips with big city life!

Last Day of Drawings

Today is the last day to buy drawings from my shop. This bear fella (who you may recognise from my giant bear in a tiny village print) is one of the works in need of a new place to live!

Desk Job

There are a handful of new pieces in the editorial and bookcover sections of my website. Packing to move is draining me of all joy so I'm paying flagrant disregard to responsibility and drawing instead. 

By the by my etsy shop is now closed till next month but the my drawing pop-up shop is still open for a little while. There are some drawings left and a few t-shirts (sold out everywhere else) all in need of a new home!

Drawing Shop

So as not to clog up my blog with drawings, i've thrown together a Big Cartel to sell some drawings that are in need of a new home. I'm attempting to raise some money for my move to London and this seems like a good way of doing so! There are drawings to suite every budget and I'll be adding a few more soon.

  While I'm here I should say that my etsy shop is due to close for a month in the next couple of days- time to get your order in!

Zine Update

There are healthy handful of new & reprinted zines in my shop as of right now! Above is 'Thursday' a zine about finding a way out of yourself (you'll have to buy it to see what i mean by that) which I did in a day and a half a couple of weeks back.

And this is 'In an Art Gallery' which is a zine version of this comic type thing I did a while ago (in b&w i'm afraid).

ALSO! This is a zine I threw together this afternoon as part of a one and a half hour zine challenge. Its not great but I finished it so I should get points for that!

I've Zine You

This Sunday & Monday I'm going to be at this with some zines and books and other printed things for sale. It all takes place at the Book Trust, 55 High Street, Edinburgh between 10am-6pm. As well as myself you'll also be able to pick up treats by the incomparable Eleni Kalorkoti, the unstoppable Robbie Porter and the unmatched Louise Smurthwaite- all good folk deserving of your hard-earned pennies. I promise. 

  This is going to be my last Edinburgh event for a long time so please come by and say hello!

Swim Poster

There's now a poster print version of my 'swim' comic in my etsy store- a bargain at £6!

My shop will be closing at the end of August whilst I re-locate to London. Hopefully it'll reopen in October!

The National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh re-opened recently after a lengthy refurbishment and it was more than worth the wait. The main hall has been beautifully updated whilst retaining the Victorian charm that makes it one of the most beautiful public spaces I've been in. I heartily recommend a visit (and not just to the showstopping natural history room that seems to be getting all the attention, the ancient egypt room is great too!). Below are some (very basic) wee sketches I did on a visit a couple of weeks back.

Festival frivolities

I have been horrifically neglectful on the blog front this past week. I had grand plans. I should have known I couldn't live up to them! Here in Edinburgh we're a week into the festival (the biggest arts festival in the world for those that don't know) and I'm already shattered. I've been to eleven shows so far (top three being Thom Tuck, David O' Doherty and Tim Key, oh wait and Josie Long, and Humphrey Kerr, thats five. I've become a stand-up comedy addict.) and have a load more to come over the next three weeks. This being my last full month in Edinburgh it feels good to be cramming it full of fun activities. 

   Above is an illustration for the Eastwing blog about living in Edinburgh during the festivals. Every spare square inch of space is turned into a venue or exhibition space and many locals rent out their flats to tourists and performers for the month. As a result you can find yourself living next door to an experimental theatre group, a gaggle of student comedians or perhaps a dance troupe keen on late night rehearsals! (see it up close on flickr)

Next week the goal is do some posts on my favourite Edinburgh things. I'm sorry that this might be quite dull but I don't have time for much drawing at the moment so it's all i've got! Sorry!

The sea, the sea

My sister and I had an amazing time camping in Cornwall a week ago.  We even managed to find some sunshine! I felt all rejuvenated after a couple of days by the sea (there's nothing like plunging your feet into fresh, clear water to jolt you back into being) and grateful to have had even the tiniest of summer holidays (even if the mist did set in on our last evening).

(this is my sister, Jess)