Pipeline

zine #2

after an unexpected & wholly unappreciated hiatus, part two of sleeping on the sleeper is finished! now i just need to complete part three, send to print & bind bind bind. above is the tiniest of snippets from zine #2.

new cards in the shop

got a whole bunch of new cards in the shop today. subjects covered include birthdays, babies & bikes. it's been a while since i've made any cards but i wanted to illustrate a range of occasions with more than just the usual text approach i take. i'm pretty happy with how they turned out & hope you like them too.

the quest for less stuff

i have too much stuff. while my flat isn't even close to overflowing, i (like most people) bring in more than i get rid of. the thought of ever moving is daunting; i started six years ago with the contents from my bedroom in my parents house, & over that time i've slowly filled the whole place (currently with the help of my boyfriend). one of the things i wanted to do this year was go through each room & do a clean-out, & today i took on my wardrobe.

after being directed to this blog entry where the writer sets herself the goal of cutting the number of items of clothing she possesses down to 100, i wondered whether i could do the same. it turns out i can't, but after a few hours of sorting through things, my total wardrobe content is now approximately 200 items (that's not counting socks/tights/underwear but covers everything else, including belts/scarves/shoes). a part of me was a little disappointed with the outcome; despite having a bag of 30 items i no longer want, it doesn't actually feel like i've made any sort of dent in my belongings. however, this is also where my one-in-one-out policy starts. definitely time to cut back on the frivolous charity shop/ebay purchases

200 articles of clothing sounds like a lot to me, but after going through everything i own, it doesn't seem like so much. how big is your wardrobe?

i've barely seen my favourite person over the last week or so & i miss him, so i guess i'll just look at this mediocre portrait of him instead.

welcome

this drawing is three years old but the sentiment rings true once a year. oldie/goodie.

radish

lovely little local radishes.

shades of grey

one of the items on my list of things to do this year was experiment with colour pallets; specifically, to exercise a little more restraint when it comes to how i work with colour. i always feel a small degree of awe when i visit the websites of people who constantly work with the same limited pallet. when i'm working, i'm more like a child in a sweet shop, grabbing whatever treat feels right/is closest.

i found this beautiful image by adrienne adams via pinterest the other day. i found myself coming up with a snapshot of a narrative in my head, following the torch light through the bushes to that tiny, hidden snake on the ground. lately, i've wanted to spend some time illustrating some sort of narrative, something more than just a snapshot. adams' image reminded me of a short story i wrote when i was twelve (which, due to an overwhelming and elaborate use of adjectives in an attempt to set the scene, i'll spare you of), where i was lost in the huge public park in my hometown at night, afraid of every rustle of bushes & strange shadow (fear not, i found my way out). after spending today wandering around the forest of our new-to-us local country park, & feeling reminded of reading wildwood earlier this year, i came up with this image.

it might not seem much of an experiment, but there were a few changes in direction for me (using only one colour! drawing the outlines last! a hint of a background!). it feels good to try something new.

moon face

if there had been an award for most impractical costume at the halloween party i went to, i'd undoubtably have won.

iced tea

hello sun! the weather is treating us well on the east coast of scotland today & it inspired me to try making some iced tea for the first time this morning. boiled the kettle, steeped the tea, put in some lemon then left it to cool whilst we went & lazed in the park for a couple of hours. added a little sugar & some ice cubes when we got home & there you have it. easy, cheap & a lot healthier than bottled stuff.

shop update: 'hello, friend' cards

today's shop addition: some pretty little cards that you can send to a friend, just to say hi. the tiny flowers were fun to draw, & i spent a bit of time writing those words over & over until i got the perfect combination. available in the shop for £2.45/$3.80 each.