I Spy With My Little Eye

Koala's, Love and Pinatas.

2012-02-27T23:06:00.000Z

A little round up of the past week or two:

A slightly macabre Koala on a stick spotted at DISCOVER, Stratford

A lovely selection of Valentines gifts from the cream of the crop

A road marking truck splodging it's guts out on Balls Pond Road

A little detail from a double page spread I made recently for the forever wonderful ANORAK magazine. It went to print today and is out March 12th. Pinata's are bloody hard to get right though... this one looked like a deformed little dog with udders for quite a few attempts. Thank the lord for layout paper!

I went to catch the James Jarvis show at Beach Gallery at the weekend. It was absolutely brilliant, I'm so glad I went.

Life is good, 2012 you are being kind.

A Borrowed Post

2012-02-18T15:21:00.001Z

My dad's camping kettle..

..I can't believe I didn't post this up here but there are four things you should know about my father's camping kettle:

it was originally bright red
my parents forgot they'd put it on
my father replaced the melted plastic handle with this rather chic wood n' bolt addition
they retail at around £6.00

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post courtesy of www.lucyharvey.blogspot.com

My sister's post about my dad's re-designed camping kettle made me laugh; it's absolutely my dad in a nutshell. There are lots of weird inventions and items like this around my parents house... a sleigh-bell and string 'door knocker' that runs from the living room to the attic bedroom and a little wooden staircase leading up to the cat flap from when our old cat grew too granny-esque to hop through it. Actually, we grew up with this kitchen knife lovingly called 'the black knife' which had a stump of a handle with bolts poking out. I had no idea that knives didn't normally look like this until I was about 10 and saw one at my friend's house.

I went on a welding course last week with work, it was largely a group of bewildered adults clanging around a workshop looking like Robocop. It made me think: where have all the people that can fix shit gone? The old codger running the Welding workshop had trained for seven years in the army to learn how to weld the way he could. I tip my hat, it's impressive and he's a dying breed.

I need to learn to fix more shit.

2012-02-11T00:36:00.002Z

A water bottle design.

Are We There Yet?

2012-02-11T00:27:00.001Z

I realised the other day how little I draw boys and girls anymore.. it used to be all I bloody drew. So, here's a painting to commemorate a brief period of last year where I irrationally fell in and straight back out of love with a man who dangled from helicopters for a living. Needless to say, it looked absolutely nothing like the above image and more like a slow motion train crash with a Destiny's Child soundtrack.

A Pie Chart

2012-01-20T16:01:00.002Z

I bloody love Adele.

New Toys

2012-01-10T16:29:00.000Z

Amazing egg cup. Gift from my friend Cadence

Sausage Dog Pull Toy. Another amazing gift from my friend Cadence. (Prints behind by Ben Newman and Noodoll)

Ceramic Owl Money Box. Gift from my sister Lucyowl.

Leather Horse Bag - Gift from my sister, Lucyowl.

Some new charity shop finds from my wonderful friends. My collection of beautiful junk really grew over 2011 and I love my friends for knowing exactly what I'll lose my shit for. Absolutely in love with the Pinoccio egg cup, I laughed my head off on Christmas day.

Eric

2012-01-06T16:36:00.000Z

Frozen Dreams

2011-12-21T11:32:00.002Z

Anxiety dreams and sleep paralysis have become a fairly regular thing since I moved down to London. Once you get past the initial horror, they're actually pretty fun.

My usual paralysis dream is that rats are crawling all over my back and there's nothing I can do about it.... I also have dreams about watching myself have this dream and not being able to help my dreaming self by picking the rats off. My usual anxiety dream is not being able to bounce up and down on a trampoline without falling off. I used to be a competitive trampolinist, so as silly as this dream is, it really bugs the crap out of me.

2012 - I pray you are less stressful / give me a new sleep paralysis experience of a beautiful man spoon feeding me melted chocolate.

Less Is More

2011-12-16T15:15:00.000Z

A new illustration, a private commission for a little one year old girl's bedroom. I wanted to play around with something a little more bold and stripped back so that it could be appreciated from a little person's low view point, but still have some nice detail that could be seen once older and taller. Sometimes I get so bogged down with tiny details and picture's with about 300 photoshop layers, I thought I'd try make something a bit cleaner. Jesus, the stress of having so little on a page has made me sprout premature greys... I did try taking out my usual grey background but I had to have a little panic-breathe into a brown paper bag. Maybe save that til next time...

Saint Vitus

2011-12-13T18:25:00.003Z

A few months back two good friends of mine opened a new metal bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn called Saint Vitus. It looks amazing from the photographs, seriously bummed I haven't made it out there this year.

Painted this little one as a gift... based on a shitty joke about trying to pick someone up at a bar by vacantly staring at them whilst licking bar snacks off the palms of your hands. It had a zero success rate, I really don't recommend.

Dear Santa

2011-12-06T17:07:00.003Z

My Christmas card design for 2011 now for sale.... HERE!

A little doodle done at The Last Post asking Santa for a few bits and bobs (a whole life-overhaul).

Can't wait to go eat chocolate santas in a single bed at my mum's house.

It Just So Happens I Have Many Concerns

2011-11-26T16:23:00.002Z

I could spend hours watching Damien Jurado youtube clips. This one is a real heart breaker.

Seen and Unseen

2011-11-14T13:37:00.002Z

I was kindly asked to take part in this exhibition. It's a collection of illustrators and designers drawing processes and usually unseen drawings. I love looking through people's sketchbooks but find it a totally stressful when people look through mine. They're a bit of a window to your soul. Please excuse my shopping lists and failed diet plans...

Image by Mike O’Shaughnessy

Private View: Thursday 17th November 
5 pm - 8 pm
And then until 8th December

ADA Gallery, Liverpool School of Art
L3 5RD

Curated by Illustration lecturer, Mike O’Shaughnessy, SEEN & UNSEEN is an exhibition of drawing and sketchbooks within Illustration and Design practice at Liverpool School of Art & Design, including commissioned work, preparatory drawings,  authorial concepts and research ideas from alumni and staff.

Contributors include:

DAVID HAND   / SAM WIEHL /   WILL DAW   / ADAM PAXMAN   / GILL SMITH /   KATEY-JEAN HARVEY   / ERIN PETSON /   PETER BAILEY   / MAISIE PLATTS /   PAUL DAVIDSON / IAIN FOXALL /  ROB LATIMER   / CHRIS RODENHURST / CHRISTOPHER BROWN   / LUCY McLAUGHLAN /   JONATHAN HITCHEN   / CRAIG ROBSON /   JULIA MIDGELY   / EMILY ALSTON /   KENN GOODALL /   ANDREW WIGHTMAN   / WILL SWEENEY /   AL MURPHY   / JON SPENCER   / IAN MITCHELL /   CECILIA GARSIDE / MICHAEL O’SHAUGHNESSY

The Laundry Room

2011-11-13T23:10:00.005Z

I recently designed the logo for an amazing pop-up shop project called The Laundry Room that's happening on the first weekend in December down by Spitalfields, East London. Lots of other designers and makers will be there selling their bits and bobs including the brilliant Dan Hillier. Come do a little Christmas shopping and support local makers.

The Hackney Doula

2011-11-13T13:16:00.006Z

A while back the very lovely Rebecca aka The Hackney Doula asked me to do a bit of branding for her website and some postcards for her services. As they went down so well, I was asked to do another. The idea was to have a slightly tongue-in-cheek and categorically un-hippy take on home birthing.

Beautiful Friends

2011-11-01T13:18:00.002Z

For the lovely Katie Coward of Shake Up Make Up fame. I highly recommend this lady, she does wonderful hair nails and makeup.. and isn't bright orange and intimidating. If you're based in North/East London... take a look at her beautiful site www.katiecoward.co.uk or come see her this Saturday at the Vintage Charity Fete over at Hunbury Hall by Spitalfields Market. Details here

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T17:35:00.002Z

Me and my sister have been threatening to dress up as a pair of tits for halloween for years now, we should just bloody do it.. another year has slipped by. Anyway, here's me and a massive walking arse on the NYC Halloween parade a couple of years ago. A for effort and attention to detail.. Happy Halloween everyone x

Pickin' Beans

2011-10-28T14:12:00.001+01:00

Limited Colours

2011-10-25T13:10:00.004+01:00

This is a little doodle of Benedict Cumberbatch and his first experience of being on stage (holding a spear in an empty auditorium). In hindsight, it looks a little bit like the Haribo Kid surrounded by an army of ants, getting ready to stab someone in the head...

I Cant Stand Standing Here Like This

2011-10-25T13:03:00.003+01:00

...and I cant take taking any of your talk serious

x

The Lonely Country Dancer

2011-10-24T20:43:00.001+01:00

New York, New York: A Tale of Unrequited Love

2011-10-06T01:12:00.008+01:00

Made a little short story/comic thingy today. Quite quick and silly and also sad but true. I miss new york more than anything at this time of year. I have been trying to do more fast paced drawings lately as I've been working on some larger scale paintings and they're driving me nuts ...Anyway here it is. Not some of the best drawing I've ever done but you get the point:

Needle of Death

2011-10-05T13:26:00.000+01:00

Sad news x

Train Boredom

2011-09-29T13:05:00.002+01:00

A couple of pages out of my sketchbook. Quick doodles I did on the train last week.

Square Peg In A Round Hole

2011-09-28T15:23:00.003+01:00

Damn you, team hand and pencil of twee useless bullshit.

Happy 20th Birthday, Nevermind.

2011-09-24T14:18:00.001+01:00

Push Cycles

2011-09-21T14:14:00.005+01:00

A while ago I made this 3 colour screen print about getting a popped tyre in the rain for the lovely Push Cycles to sell in their shop on Newington Green... and here it is in all its screen printed glory. They're 50cm x 70cm and there's 30 of them for £30.. with half of the profits going to the Brain Tumour Trust. Hands and legs not included.

A big thank you to anyone who voted for my poster to be made in real life, if anyone wants one, you can buy them from their site or inside the shop (which, if you live locally you should pay a visit to anyway as the shop's amazing and the staff are dead friendly and not at all intimidating even for total bike-morons like myself who can't even change an inner tube)

x

The Male Nanny

2011-09-21T12:30:00.003+01:00

The Male Nanny recently asked me to do a drawing of him and 'the five year old' to celebrate his blog's move over to ivillage. Anyone that knows me, will know that this is a subject close to my withered grey heart... and to any of you who have ever worked in childcare or in fact have children of your own, I urge you to follow this guy.

Thou Shalt Have a Fishy..

2011-09-14T17:27:00.004+01:00

Fish and Chips, a painting for an exhibition about food.. Not sure this is quite done, it feels like it needs some tweaking but I'm not sure what.

I think I have been looking at it for too long.

Edit - here's the tweaked version:

x

I Wrote a Four Word Letter

2011-09-12T16:50:00.006+01:00

I designed a letter head for my lovely friend Tabitha who runs the letter writing club The Last Post ... She's amazing and is doing an event as part of Domestic Sluterry's Paper and Penmanship day in London on September 18th. Go, pen your love to a stranger, cry over your regrets and eat ten packs of love hearts to make yourself feel better.

Farewell, Meow Land.

2011-09-10T14:59:00.005+01:00

To Meow Land and Beyond - a portrait of my favourite family aside from my own.

Girl Crush.

Little rhubarb claw-feet. Mine and Audrey's favourite discovery of the year.

Rose Among The Thorns

2011-08-23T19:46:00.003+01:00

Another little painting I have to send away. I'd like to do another version of this actually, think it'd look better with more negative space.

In other news, I've been applying for 'normal' jobs (boo hiss), went to Barcelona and saw lots of people walking about wearing MASSIVE heads... I also saw a crayfish in a river, in real life. I liked that bit.

I have also been to The Museum of Childhood to see The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition THREE times now and urge you all to go before it closes. Lots of Judith Kerr's wonderful drawings, total inspiration.

Weight For The Anchor To Keep Your Ship Here.

2011-08-23T19:35:00.002+01:00

Based on Rocky Votolato's 'Mixtapes/Cellmates'. A small painting I had an idea for a long time ago and have finally put it on paper. I'm a little sad to have to send this away actually, I liked how it turned out.

My Dad Can Do a Front Flip

2011-06-25T11:17:00.004+01:00

My sister recently found this old picture of our dad. Best guy.

I remember one holiday turning around to see my dad hurtling across the garden of Beaumaris Castle and doing a front flip. It totally blew my mind. I think it totally blew his vertebrae too but It was probably the best gymnastics lessons I ever received, seeing that old codger* doing a front flip before I could.

I could front flip by the end of the week.

*sorry dad, you were actually only 43 but in a child's eye that's almost dead.

A Tale To Tell

2011-06-23T18:28:00.002+01:00

Illustration for A Tale To Tell.

A Few Of My Favourite Things

2011-06-21T20:54:00.011+01:00

School book print, postcard shop, Brighton

Bell Punch Calculator, carboot, London

Spice jars, second hand shop in Tilburg

Mr Squeezy, second hand shop, Tilburg

Creepy Happy Apple, flee market, Barcelona

Creepy stuffed doll, antique shop, Tilburg

Drawstring Jumping Jack, second hand shop, Tilburg

Bonkers cross-stitch, second hand shop, Tilburg

I realised recently that my collection of weird and wonderful shit has expanded pretty rapidly over the past year or so. I guess it's down to having a little more space these days / having realised that London will be my home for the unforeseeable future. Here's a few of my latest finds, my trip to Tilburg this weekend was pretty fruitful. My friend showed me some of the best thrift stores I have ever seen, I cried tacky tears of joy.

I am so in love with the jumping jack, his eyes are too cheeky.

Countless Stars, Worn Out Wish.

2011-05-20T15:54:00.006+01:00

A beauty.

The Babysitter.

2011-05-09T19:39:00.003+01:00

Summer Lovin'

2011-05-07T09:22:00.005+01:00

Yesterday it was really sunny and I wanted to do this, but now it's raining so I take it all back. This is my first shot at using pencil crayons since I was doing my GCSE's and everything was coloured hot pink and black. .

My Happy Cycling colouring in books for ANORAK magazine are out and ready to be bought:
go buy one and get the old crayolas out. Big thanks to Cathy and the Anorak team for being the absolute best.

Photos courtesy of Anorak Magazine

Goodbye and Welcome

2011-04-21T16:51:00.002+01:00

Working up a larger painting based on a drawing I did when I first moved to London, probably not my favourite year ever recorded, but I liked the sentiment of the drawing either way. Working on heavy watercolour is a revelation. Bonnie Prince Billy, you continue to soothe my soul.

Went to Brighton last week, bought this awesome print from one of the many stamp and post card shops they seem to love so much. Me and Alex enjoying a day by the water:

Working on some childrens book things. Trying to pretend the sun's not there.

x

Star II

2011-04-15T11:59:00.002+01:00

Another draft for a book a friend of mine has written. Needs a bit of work but thought I'd post it at this stage anyway. In other news, I picked up a great original 50's kitchen cabinet outa someone's front yard last week. It's in dire need of some TLC and is currently covered in blossom in the corner of my bedroom, but I think it's going to look cute once I've restored it. I'll post up the progress.

Bonce Tower.

2011-04-12T14:14:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I got stuck on a train in the Midlands for two hours. I drew this string of heads to pass the time..

Look What We Can Do Mimmeaarr,

2011-04-03T11:17:00.003+01:00

This is what me and my mum looked like 20 years ago. In fact, I think this is pretty much what every 80's mum and daughter looked like. Massive brown glasses and leggings sets.

I remember years of following her endlessly round the house saying things like: 'Mimmmeey, look what I can do mimmmeeeey.'... 'Mimmeeeaaaay, I love you Mimmeeaaay.' Bloody hell, how annoying. I have a really strong memory of being about 8 and my mum flipping out one day and coming out to the back yard where me and my sister were sunbathing and drenching us with a bucket of cold water for absolutely no reason at all. She laughed her head off in the kitchen for about half an hour after.. I'm recently beginning to see why this happened.

Anyway, hats off to my mum. She's known the answer to every broken heart, failed exam, teary phone call and spot on my bum for the past 24 years. Thank god for Sue Harvey.

x

Home Birth.

2011-04-01T12:35:00.002+01:00

A marriage of two weird career paths.

Not To Put Too Fine A Point On It..

2011-03-29T12:13:00.002+01:00

A Bedtime doodle.

Ham & Cheese

2011-03-22T11:14:00.002Z

Here's a drawing a did for ANORAK online for the wonderful packed lunch series they have running. My illustration accompanied Gary Rhodes' fancy pants cheese and ham sandwich. Check out their latest book .. Food Is Fun too, packed with lots of kid friendly recipes.

I just had a flash back to that moment of horror as a kid, when you realise your Mutant Ninja Turtles flask has leaked it's guts all over your jam sandwiches and the mean moustached dinner lady makes you eat them despite them tasting of vomit and orange squash.

x

Hearts Will Never Be Practical Until They Can Be Made Unbreakable.

2011-03-20T15:16:00.006Z

This is an experiment I work on sometime when I'm on a train and forget to bring any paper. Drawn all in the lassoo tool.

"I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart." L. F. Baum.

Read The Wizzard of Oz to A.W the other day and got on to how god damn bleak some of it is. It's funny reading kids books when you're not a kid and realising how much flew over your head back then. Whilst on the subject of devastating kids books, The Heart and the Bottle by the amazing Oliver Jeffers is a must have. The illustrations are out of this world and it totally broke my heart in two one bed time.

To balance out the day, we listened to the Bugsy Malone soundtrack on full whack and dreamt of cream pies.

x

Quick Doodles.

2011-03-11T20:22:00.004Z

Some less laboured drawings. The first a portrait of a mega cocktail maker and lovely friend I made whilst working at a restaurant in my first months in London. The second is of my dad staring lovingly out of the window at his old car.

The Last Post.

2011-03-08T12:11:00.002Z

The Last Post Lady.
x

Fear and Beauty

2011-03-04T13:54:00.005Z

Harm and Boon by Balmorhea is one of those songs that's haunted me for long enough to make me think about learning animation. It's just such a beautiful piece of music, everytime it comes on I can't stop thinking about dreamy drawings and stories. If any nifty animators out there happen to share my love for harm and boon and want to make all my dreams come true, or if any money-bag-babes out there want to pay for my second degree... that'd be mega. Line up guys.

Manley

2011-02-25T14:33:00.004Z

Leather Studded Skirt/ Grey Studded Daisy Sweater by Manley

So, seeing as though every one's been chit chattering about fashion this week... I thought it was time for a visual homage to Ireland's (and my) favourite new fashion designer: Manley. Someone who shares my
passion for skewed femininity, grey, London and New York. I admire the Manley ethos and I adore her little leather shorts. http://www.emmamanley.com/

What's happening in the Fashion world has a tendency to fly right over my head most of the time as I continue to channel the poor victorian child look. Though LFW has done it usual job of flagging up all the wonderful things happening on the catwalk whilst also reaffirming how much I'll never be able to afford to dress like a total dream. I was inspired to go hunt down a little playsuit last week, which although is cute as a button, I quickly realised you have to get totally naked just to take a slash. Weird.

x

You Plague My Dreams.

2011-02-04T20:03:00.002Z

I can't stop dreaming about rats. All the shitting time. Here's a larger painting I've been working on this week. It's slightly badly stitched together in photoshop, but you get the idea. Poor little thing's wee'd herself there on the left. I have no idea why I painted that in.

x

List Ticking, Box Packing, Head Wrecking

2011-01-14T17:48:00.004Z

So now my new scanner arrived....here's my January guilt list. I went pretty much bread and wine celibate... until yesterday, when I demonstrated my extreme lack of self control by pretty much ramming my greedy little head into the biggest ciabatta I could find, whilst drenching my self in red wine in sheer happiness. Carbgasm.

Moving house tomorrow. Screw you mezzanine of doom. Might spend the whole of Saturday night gleefully swinging on my much awaited door.

x

New Years Fail/Gold Diggin' 6 Year Old.

2011-01-07T13:43:00.003Z

I did a nice illustrated list of new years resolutions the other day, but my scanner went AWOL when I plugged it in and almost took my computer down with it. So other than generally wasting my own time / fucking my computer in the ass, I am trying to ring in the new year with some positive changes. Currently searching for a new room. One of the kids said to me on the way to school yesterday...

"Will you own this room, or just borrow it again?"
"Just borrow it"
"Oh. Why don't you buy your own this time?"
"Because they're super expensive, pal. I don't think I'll ever own my own"
"Oh.... Well, why don't you just find someone who's really rich and just live in their house instead?"
"Great idea kid, I'm on to it."

She's mega.
x

What's In Your Bedroom?

2010-12-27T11:50:00.003Z

Images © Olivia Howitt

Over the summer, photographer and fellow northerner Olivia Howitt from What's In Your Bedroom? came to visit and take some photos of my room for her great blog. A nosey parkers paradise! Check out her project and if you're in the London/Manchester area.. kick your gruds under your bed and open your bedroom doors.

x

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T14:51:00.002Z

Merry Christmas, friends... hope santa was kind to you all.
Lots of love x

Be My Groom, Please.

2010-12-17T01:02:00.003Z

A drawing before the computer's got its digital little hands on it, from a wedding invite I've been working on.

Brrrrrrrr.

2010-11-26T13:25:00.003Z

Double tights, double gloves, double my body weight. Roll on Christmas please!

My Favourite Little Spot In London

2010-11-23T01:48:00.003Z

Hello under there, little stray cat of Newington Green

See,

2010-11-12T02:00:00.001Z

Sometimes the hardest part is letting you go.

Last Night I Peeled My Soles Off

2010-11-09T12:59:00.001Z

And now there's no going back. x

TRICKLE TREAT

2010-10-20T01:21:00.002+01:00

Getting excited. Want to carve a pumpkin. Don't know what to dress up as. Wish I was in NY. Suprise suprise.

x

I See Faces

2010-10-19T10:42:00.002+01:00

Some medical visuals. This girl's reproductive system just looks like a big gurning face. I'm about to get the paints out, feel like everythings been a bit digital lately. Time to get messy.

x

Kiss Of Life For A Cardboard Robot.

2010-10-14T19:42:00.003+01:00

I haven't dreamt in ages. But this morning this happened: a baby boy I was looking after crawled into my bag, drank some of my pepsi cola and died. He turned into a flat cardboard robot with pressed flowers for vital organs. I remember being so beside myself with panic, trying to give him the kiss of life and trying to re inflate the tiny leaf lungs and move the daisy heart. I woke up in tears. Holy crap.

I'm working on a couple of longer projects at the moment, one being about a Star for a charity and the other being about a slug and a snail, for my dad. Getting ready to hibernate as the weather heads for hairdryer-in-bed ville.

I got so obsessed with the Chilean miners being rescued, I stayed up until approximately 3 minutes before the first miner came out and woke up in a fluster to my computer screaming applause, I almost died. I'm more obsessed with the fact their skin was so soft they were finding it hard to shave.

x

I Can Smile At The Old Days

2010-10-06T11:43:00.006+01:00

Some little bits and pieces I've been working on lately, it's kind of an old childhood memory milked for 23 frames. Plus, Throwing Your Voice by Damien Jurado, it's a beauty. x

Bikes, Bela, Barcelona and Boo Boo's Off To Cat Heaven

2010-09-29T12:50:00.005+01:00

Goodbye my skeletal ginger handbag surprise. I will miss you making everything in my bag hairy, I will miss you flirting outrageously with all my boyfriends and I will miss you laying out your tiny body right where I was about to tread. Booboo, you were the best. x

Getting Back On The Map

2010-09-24T13:02:00.004+01:00

Bold Pidge

2010-07-23T20:46:00.007+01:00

A present for my lovely sister. The little one turns 21 tomorrow! It seems like only yesterday she would be dancing naked in front of a sofa stuffed with balloons with faces drawn on. Poor bean. Anyway, she's just moved into a new flat and she loves wood pigeons. (and pretending to know their weight) Happy Birthday Aine!

Here's a really old picture I drew about 2 years ago of my friend and very amazing photographer Annie and just got round to finishing it off on the train to manchester. Eating worms from the wholefoods salad counter.

x

A Family Affair

2010-07-13T22:57:00.002+01:00

Here's a private commisson I did recently, it's a semi family portrait to mark the arrival of their first child. Very fun to do, got a bit carried away with the picnic blanket. Rein it in! (Edit: no pun intended)

I realised recently when clearing my desk... how often I write 'hello' on all of my worksheets. I thinking it must be to check my pencil lead's doing just fine, but maybe I need to get myself a desk buddy and stop scrawling SOS's to Mr Nobody all day long. ......... HELLO? ....... hello?

x

Emily

2010-07-13T02:32:00.004+01:00

Pre-photoshop doodles
x

Park n Rock

2010-07-02T09:43:00.004+01:00

Park n Rock is back on the move... this time it's back to Paris for July 10th. http://www.studioburo.com/parknrock.html Thanks again to Ken and Jérome!!

Working indoors during shiny happy days is always a bit annoying and I wish I could just drag my desk outside and plug my lightbox in to the sun. London, like anywhere, is amazing when the sun comes out. Went swimming in Hampstead ponds the other day, tadpoley hair and green slimey feet, but there's something more exciting about swimming in real water... Perhaps more so after a bottle of wine.

Lots of amazing little things on the go, will post some more pictures tomorrow
x

Graduate Fashion Week

2010-06-13T11:30:00.004+01:00

A couple of verrrry quick illustrations for Amelia's Mag (online) for GFW.

Twister Lollies and Holes In Bodies

2010-05-23T12:08:00.002+01:00

Yesterday has creeped me out. I spent the morning on Broadway market trying to pick up a nice Cowboy related present for Stokey's favourite Cowboy and ran into some friends on the Fields. We were slowly turning into lobsters with ice cream mustaches when two rival gangs started shooting at each other right by us. It's funny what happens in situations like that, some people instinctively hit the ground where most just stood like marble statues, desperately trying to convince themselves that no one would be fucking stupid enough to shoot blindly into a field completely packed with families and kids at 3.30pm. Well yeah, they were, and some poor dude having a picnic with his friends got shot. I've never seen someone with a bleeding bullet hole in their back before, but I wont be forgetting that in a hurry. I can't stop stalking the internet to see if he is ok... please be ok, please be ok, please be ok.

I think most people in London Fields yesterday will have spent their evening wondering what the hell we're all living down here for. I swung by a 3rd Birthday party on my way home to eat tiny triangular cheese sandwiches and try to counterbalance what I'd just seen by watching miniature people jump about a bouncy castle, totally oblivious of the shitty country that lies beyond the balloons and bunting in their garden. I'm never bringing up my kids in London.

x

A Weird Drawing

2010-05-19T11:55:00.002+01:00

This was one of those job where you wished so badly that you'd known the art director better. It is a portrait of a business man who made a shit-loada-cash from hotels and Disney land... success story aside, he had a mouth of jet black pegs. I couldn't quite believe my bad luck when I received the photo's to draw from. I decided against getting out the black crayola. My mum saw the illustration in the magazine and said it was "a bit strange" read: fucking shit, dear. I showed her the original and she had herself a little laugh.

Anyway, three things that have made this week ok:
- constantly sneaking up on Audrey
- pretending I'm going to put her in the bin
- placing her on to of a high object and pretending to walk off

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If You Told Me All Of This When I Was 15...

2010-05-05T23:45:00.007+01:00

"Illustrator" or nanny. Who even knows anymore.

My heart is anywhere but here.

Three Blind Mice

2010-04-30T01:32:00.003+01:00

I just spied a mouse in my kitchen. It was a bit cute but mostly quite alarming. I bet it gets about shitting in my cous cous as soon as I hit the hay.

I have no wall on my bedroom. It's going to be drinking from my tear duct and sticking its weird little tail in my ear hole all night and I will have no idea.

I think I might be over thinking this.....

Please get out of my kitchen in case you end up on my bagel and then we'll both be sorry.

Rummage

2010-04-28T11:26:00.003+01:00

I'm taking part in this on Sunday! Come down, I'm having a big clear out of drawings and prints plus come and nosey at all the junk from under my bed. It doesn't start til noon, so that gives you loads of time to nurse your bank holiday hangover and come see me still in the realms of mine. Thanks to Superette for having me!

Modern Romance

2010-04-20T17:26:00.003+01:00

Drink candy flavoured alcohol, dance til legs are lost and don't peel those blurry-stamped hands from off your little red face for the following 12 hours.

Edit: Here's another one in different colours for a different night

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Portfolio Spring Clean

2010-04-12T09:44:00.002+01:00

A collection of bits and pieces from my portfolio. I'm in the middle of setting up my online shop at the moment, so expect some prints, bags and paintings up for grabs in the next couple of weeks. Have a dig down the back of the sofa, I'm skint.

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Come on then, let's get you home

2010-04-09T11:33:00.007+01:00

Found this fella in a junk shop yesterday, probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. Rolling him home was a bit embarrassing!

Happy Easter Egg Day

2010-04-05T19:38:00.000+01:00

The Closest I've Got To SXSW...

2010-03-28T23:35:00.004+01:00

Here's my tiger face on the 60 Tigres posters designed by Morris Davilla..... there were 60 different tigers all posted around Austin for SXSW.

I love this one made from staples by Alejandro Egozcue. Good thinking, clever clogs.

The Kaleidoscope People Will Steal Your Heart

2010-03-27T15:32:00.001Z

Nightmares and Rocking Chairs

2010-03-26T10:09:00.007Z

Illustration by the amazing Gillian Smith

I almost spent £50 on a yellow wooden rocking chair yesterday. It was the happiest heap of crap I'd ever seen - rocking about on the pavement outside Mr Alsorts. I had a little go on it and started to freak out about whether wanting to spend £5o on a rocking chair meant I was getting old or that I'm in London to stay. Either way, my ceiling slopes so stupidly low I couldn't have even sat in it anyway. The thought did cross my mind to put it in the middle of the floor... but this would probably make me look mentally ill.

Hot Club used another one of my designs for Tshirts on their last tour. They were printed onto orange and black and apparently looked pretty ok! The design was based on sleeping, ghosts and enjoyable nightmares. They had all dissapeared by the end of their travels but I think they're printing some more... Check out their last EP "With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work?" because it's totally brilliant.

60 Tigers

2010-03-13T09:16:00.003Z

One of 60 Tigers that will be hiding out, in poster form at SXSW next week.

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Zig Zag

2010-03-07T22:32:00.003Z

Zig zagging home, too much fun.

Zig zagging home to find out about this. Not fun.RIP x

Pirate Skulls And Bones

2010-03-05T10:50:00.009Z

My friend got this drawing tattooed on her arm the other week, it looks really cute but the red frills and bows pissed her skin off quite a bit and so it will take a while to heal properly. Big thanks for her letting me draw it though, she wears it too well!

"Katey, can we colour in your feet?"
"Erm, OK."

Spring sprung a bit this week. It was amazing, we played on the swings and everything. Dont. Go. Anywhere!

You get the car I'll get the night off

Patterns Quickly

2010-03-01T00:14:00.006Z

I made a couple of quick patterns on my train ride home. It would be pretty good if I could ram my duvet cover through my printer and nothing broke and it all worked out OR I was dead small and slept in a bed smaller than an A3 piece of paper.

I also wanted to thank Tabitha at youlookfabulousmydear and Samia at burrsandberries for writing lovely posts about me on their great blogs this week. Thank youuuuu! x

Good Bye, Freak Mobile.

2010-02-26T13:15:00.009Z

I'm in the middle of tweaking my website.... I got rid of my news section and have directing people here in stead. Saves me writing it all twice, but maybe this means I'm going to have to keep my blog very serious and strictly work related and stop blabbing about my life. I'm not very good at serious.

Anyway, I updated the portfolio section with some new images.

Here's the finished picture I did for someones baby, the mother was from Bilbao and the father from Wellington NZ. That dog took me fucking ages and sent me cross eyed, screw you Jeff Koons.

Here's another picture from a series I'm working on at the moment, I'd quite like these pajamas.

Audrey had the chicken pox this week, we spent most days drawing polka dot people and wishing we could play with the non polka dot people outside. I came to visit my parents in Manchester and bought a pair of granny shoes that make me feel like I'm walking on clouds. My dad sold his old car that looks like a hearse and totally ruined our street cred at high school, he was really sad. So am I in hindsight, she has been the thorn in our sides for 20 years. Long live the big, crazy freak mobile!!

x x x

Put a ring on it

2010-02-20T17:37:00.003Z

A reworking of the drawing I did for the Puzzle EP last year. I like doing wedding invites, they're quite fun.

Partner In Crime

2010-02-17T18:43:00.003Z

She's three and totally gets it. I love her little face.

Drawathon

2010-02-17T16:29:00.004Z

Penny's downstairs playing the piano. It's a nice noise to work along side, for sure. I've been inside drawing for the past couple of days, it rained too much to bother going out and the kids are away at their grannies house.

I went to visit my sister in Aberystwyth. We played two penny push, got shit on by a starling and went to a dog grave yard in Portmeirion. It was nice to get out of London.

I stalked this Robin for about 10 minutes thinking it would finally give in and mistake my finger for a branch.

I'm working on some new pictures, I haven't done a sequence in so long!

Cordelia said to me the other day...

2010-02-15T10:05:00.004Z

"There's going to be TWO STUFF that happens next week when I'm at Grannies and you're at home. The FIRST STUFF is that day about boyfriends.... and the SECOND STUFF is that day that you make pancakes."

She was right, though, I joyfully ignored and was ignored by the FIRST STUFF and decided to make THE SECOND STUFF in it's place so I got two pancake days. We used to con our mum into believing the Tuesday before the real life pancake day, was in fact pancake day.. so we got two...

Ding, ding. . . Round two.

Merry Christmas

2010-02-08T22:53:00.004Z

I never got round to posting any of the cards I designed for the YCN... here's two.

I saw an old man today, walking about Stoke Newington wearing car washing gloves and a pair of pink, sequinned ladies slippers. I hope for his sake, that the snow doesn't stick about for very long.

9/10 Pain

2010-02-07T13:00:00.008Z

I went to the Brighton tattoo convention last weekend to get my feet finished. I 'd say it hurt 10/10 but I've not given birth yet, so I'll give it a 9. Myles Karr is amazing and I cant thank him enough for putting up with drawing my lame, twee tattoos when he'd probably much rather be drawing awesome dinosaurs playing the accordian etc.

never again shall we
come dancing in the sea
we'll play guitar and video games...

Trampolining Dinner Table

2010-02-06T15:59:00.002Z

When I was still training and life was all velvet leotards and glitter hairspray, I would dream for hours about knocking out the ceilings in my living room to make way for a trampoline. Anyway, last night, after 5 bottles of wine and a sing song round the old piano, I suggested to my housemates that getting a trampoline was the best thing we could possibly do with our living room.

They totally agreed.

I'm so excited I could cry.

All over the face

2010-01-26T22:46:00.004Z

Good face number 1: Stoke Newington Church Street...

Good face number 2: given to Audrey by her 4 year old friend as a birthday card... it was better than mine ! (pissed off)

Fat face number 3: I've been eating like a gannet lately, maybe it's the cold or because I've been home more this past couple of weeks.

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Worse Things Happen At Sea

2010-01-25T22:48:00.002Z

I Just Put My Paint Brush In My Fucking Coffee Cup... Again!

2010-01-24T13:32:00.008Z

I do this all the time, sometimes I drink it anyway.

It's my first weekend not working at the restaurant and maybe even my first weekend off since I moved to London? Feels good....

Mum and dad share the same Birthday.

Me after a day with kids.

And the reason they make me laugh my head clean off.

Born With Roses In Her Eyes

2010-01-23T13:32:00.004Z

A detail from a painting I'm working on at the moment.