Pros & Cons

something new

started a new blog. i recently decided to exercise my portrait skills (mainly as any ladies i draw somehow end up looking like me) & as a result, girl faces was born.

Wondering what the moon's up to next year? This Lunar Calendar I designed for Tiny Showcase has got you covered. $25 for 366 moons (leap year!) in a five colour screen-print.

Order before Thursday 26 November if you want one in time for gift-giving.

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.

earthly delights

if you're anywhere near minneapolis then you should probably do yourself a favour & visit light grey art lab; as well as it sounding like a pretty great place, they've got an exhibition on at the moment featuring a ridiculously good selection of artists & illustrators, including some of my favourites (somehow i snuck in there).

the garden of earthly delights is curated by ms tuesday bassen & mr pete gamlen. it just opened on friday & runs until 13 july. as someone who currently spends twelve hours a week commuting through the scottish countryside on a train, my piece (above) is inspired by about how much i'd prefer to be out in the forests and fields rather that headed towards an office at 70 miles per hour.

sleeping on the sleeper

after three trips, two months & lots of drawing, my sleeping on the sleeper trilogy of zines are now on sale! so happy & pleased to finally have these all printed & bound. apart from a couple of images, none of these illustrations can be found anywhere else. so if you fancy reading about my various trips to london, brighton & maastrict, head on over to the shop. you can either buy them individually or get all three for the price of two. what a steal!

i'd been hoping to sit down & write about this last weekend but the end of january/start of february have been so busy that this is my first "day off" for a few weeks - the main reason being a mural i've been working on for the UK restaurant chain zizzi. after submitting roughs at the end of last year, buying up materials & then spending a good few hours transferring those original ideas from paper to the walls of a corridor, it felt good to step back & see everything completed. the restaurant, found in the building behind GoMA in royal exchange square in glasgow, used to house a bank & telephone exchange; two of the inspirations behind the interior design as well as my wall space. i've posted a few little sneaky snaps on instagram, but if you want to see the whole thing you'll just have to head down there once it opens next weekend.

how sweet it is to be loved by you.

print pre-orders

i'm pretty excited to finally have these two prints up for pre-order in my shop! after a bit of a delay, botanic I & botanic II are now on sale. these images are two of my favourite things i've done in recent times - i don't often put my own work up in my flat, but i'd rather like to get these two framed & on the wall. you can buy each print individually or buy both for a discounted price.

alongside these two brand new prints, i'm also bringing back a print from a long-sold-out edition in digital form. i often get reprint requests for a few items i've run out of, but i don't have much interest in bringing many of them back, mostly due to feeling that the image doesn't reflect my current work/style/thoughts/feelings. however, i've always had a soft-spot for this little bison, & am pleased to offer a new version of it.

pretty happy to be back doing ceramics again. i finally picked up some of the things i made at the start of the year, & found out that i accidentally made some stacking pots.

today, for me, as illustrated by my friend ian.

rainy day today