Collage brooches.

These are three brooches I've made. Once my etsy shop is up and running I'll be selling these designs (not these exact brooches) along with three other designs, a toad, a squirrel and a cat.
The brooches are each handmade individual collages on wooden circles which are then sealed and then resined to make them waterproof.

These are the brooches before the resin.

And here they are after!

Battersea dogs home sketchbook.

Sorry for the distinct lack of regular updates. I've been slightly manic recently (Interning at Penguin Children's books, illustration stuff and more) which I will in time... hopefully soon... update this blog with.

For now, here is some older work which I don't think I ever got round to posting. A few select pages from when I went to Battersea dogs home for  a few days for reportage drawing. The final result of the project is here.

"Do you know your A B C yet?" (It's the week of the exhibition!)

"Do you know your A B C yet?"

-Sylvie and Buno, by Lewis Carroll

If not you better get yourself down to the Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition and learn them!

From the 24th to the 30th at the Curious Duke Gallery. 

Come take a look! 

Only a week to go! Curiouser and Curiouser at the Curious Duke.

Time has flown by and it's only a week until the start of the exhibition I'm in. It's very exciting and, based on all the work of the other artists that I've seen, it looks like it's going to be wonderful!

Here are two images I've done (one you've already seen before...) based on "Sylvie and Bruno go to Dogland" and modelled on the beautiful Alfie and Billy! 

 If you would like to visit the exhibition (and I really hope you do!) it runs from the 24th of January until the 30th. It is on at the Curious Duke Gallery and there is a private view on the evening of the 24th, with Mad Hatter's tea party and talk from Mark Richards from the lovely Lewis Carroll society.

For more details on the exhibition you can look at the website or RSVP at the Facebook event page.

More artwork previews to come over the week...

Sneak peak at laser cut christmas decorations.

Some decorations I designed for christmas of a reindeer in a christmas jumper... the laser cutter didn't really work on the red felt I'm using so a lot of this is hand cut. They still have a bit of work to do on them...

(Pics are from my friends mobile so aren't that great. Will update with some camera pics soon!)

Lewis Carroll show... dates for your diary.

I promised you more info so here it! The official invitation for the show. A combined effort of Eileen, Alex and I, with beautiful front artwork courtesy of Maj Abrahamsson. The back artwork show a variety of artists images (can you spot my dodo?) which are also going to be in the gallery window. O yes, it's all coming together!

The show runs from the 24th of January until the 30th at the Curious Duke Gallery. We are also having a private view on the evening of the 24th, complete with Mad Hatter's tea party. I really hope to see you all there (but don't worry I'll be dropping plenty of reminders before the big event.)
For more information you can check out the website or the Facebook event page.

Lewis Carroll show window.

Last week was a gryphon and now I bring you... a swimming dodo! Enjoy! 

I have to say the images we are getting from everyone for this window display are absolutely wonderful...
Looking forward to putting it all together for the show!

Lewis Carroll show!

This is something I wanted to bring you over the weekend but my scanner has been playing up again (I think it may have a disliking for me, everyone else insists it works fine!)
At the moment I am working on some stuff for a show a few of us are putting on in January. It's called "Curiouser and Curiouser"; An illustrative re-imagining of the life and works of Lewis Carroll. More details and stuff to follow soon!

One of the things we are organising is a window display to showcase everyones styles...

I'll keep the whole concept under my hat until a bit nearer the time but I will show you the Gryphon I've lino printed for it!

E17 softies!

A while ago I was at the E17 fair. Here are a couple of cuddly toys I made for the occasion!

Costumes in the jungle.

My plan now I'm back is to attempt to keep up a weekly update of this blog... we'll see how it goes!
While I was away it was one of the girl's in my group's birthday, the lovely Juliet! We decided to throw here a surprise 'jungle themed' fancy dress party. We all made costumes and arranged food (I made a chocolate birthday cake... with a microwave! But that's another story...). I set out to make Juliet her costume as well, without her knowing.

I paper cut some butterfly wings and then filled the gaps with sweet wrappers to give the wing effect.

And this was the result!

Here they are before the wrappers were added...

And once the wrappers were added!

Here a very dark pic of everyone in their costumes!

My costume was a bit of a disappointment. Not up to my usual standard at all... I just didn't leave enough time to make it after Juliet's (although I suppose it was ok for being made in the middle of the jungle!). I was a crocodile, and here is a picture of my mini-group, Miriam the leech and Nat the firefly!

Monkey Business (although orang-utans aren't technically monkeys!)

I'm back from Borneo! It was an amazing experience and I was so lucky to get such close contact with the orang-utans and have such a lovely group of girls to share the experience with. I miss them all so much. The orang-utans are incredible creatures, so clever and so naughty. If you take anything away they literally beat their hands on the floor, scream and throw a mega tantrum... just like children.

I didn't forget, while I was way, to take my trusty moleskin and do a bit of sketching... it's been a while!

Here is my lovely group!

Me and Chiquita.

Me working hard while Tomtom (in quarantine) relaxes!

The end... or the beginning....

It's all over. The degree show has been and gone and now all there is to do is wait and see what happens!
It went pretty well and there seems to be some interest in my work, which is always lovely! I had my two walls and a little plinths and after a bit of hassle with how and what I was going to put up it ended up looking quite good... if I do say so myself! I also made some little temporary tattoos (of the birds from christmas and of the battersea dogs) which I gave out with my business card and they all disappeared really quickly. I have a few more around so feel free to contact me for one if you missed out!
The Truman looked great and there was tonnes of fab work up from the other Middlesex illustrators (to check a few out take a look here: http://www.boxsetmdx.com/)

I also found out after that I'd been featured here:

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/?NewsID=3362918

and also here,

http://emmablock.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/middlesex-degree-show-illustration/
and finally here,
http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/art/free-range-graduate-shows-2012-middlesex-university-illustration-ba-hons-review/2012/06/30/#.T_QsOFE9Xdk

which is really flattering! Thanks guys!

Lastly, I just wanted to add, at the risk of being ridiculously slushy and sentimental, how much I've enjoyed the last few years. I'll miss the course and the tutors, particularly Martin and Andrew who have really influenced me over the years. The other illustrators on the course are all really talented individuals and I hope they all get the success they so truly deserve! They are lovely people and I couldn't imagine these past three years without them.

Battersea dogs home!

One of my four projects (along with the Spike Milligan stuff) was to create postcards advertising Battersea dogs home in lino.
The idea I had was based on a conversation with someone in which they said that they wouldn't want a dog from Battersea as "they wouldn't know what the dog had done to be put there."
I felt people lump rescue dogs with 'problem' dogs when in reality this isn't always the case! My strap line on the back of the cards was: We are not Criminals!