Talkin' Dirty

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.

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.

animals that i did not meet #2

tree

sketchin'.

in wild waters

my boyfriend recently opened an online shop to sell his prints. all bias aside, i recommend you take a look at his work (including the above print, in wild waters). he's had a few sales already, but he's still offering a free mini-print with the next seven orders. go!

time for a new year sale! this year, alongside 15% percent off your order (just enter code "HELLO2013" when you checkout) i've also sprinkled a few extra discounts around the shop. so if there's something you've had your eye on for a while, now's the time to snap it up - sale ends mon 7 january. GO!

shop update: activity zine

stave off rainy day boredom! pick up your pencils & battle dark winter evenings! fight long train journeys & arrive at your destination feeling glorious & victorious! well, hopefully & perhaps. the newest addition to my shop is a twenty page activity zine. complete drawings, dream up patterns & add your flair to some silly little illustrations of mine. have some fun along the way too. pick one up from today.

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.

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.

soon

on sunday night, i went down to london on the sleeper train. on monday night i came back. it was nice to have a day to wander around, meet people & be all self-indulgent with my drawing (a perfect example of the "nothingness" that this article berates, & that this response from lizzy stewart celebrates). as a result, a zine. but not for another few days; once i've finished doing drawings for other people. then i get to be self-indulgent again.