Miss Robinson's art

Hooray!

2012-02-07T17:42:00.001Z

It's out! My new zine, Any Old Iron, issue #1! (Champagne cork popping sound)

Aaaargh...

2012-02-06T15:27:00.003Z

...my blogging has really suffered lately, what with other bits and bobs going on. Ironically I'm almost certainly less busy than I was in 2011, due to the fact that I gave up a couple of regular commitments in order to empty my week and start new hobbies. I haven't started any new ones yet, but I'm not too worried about that, as I'm often busy to a fault, and it can't hurt to have slowed down a bit.

This past month I have: attended a zine meet in Coventry (loads of fun, big shouts to all those who were there), been to Prague with friends, written and finished the first edition of Any Old Iron, my new zine, and had a friend to stay from the United States. He's studying in London and wanted to see British life outside the capital, and I'm pleased to say I think we managed to oblige. I cooked him a proper English breakfast and took him to some of the finest pubs Peterborough has to offer, as well as our stunning cathedral. It was great to see a visitor's perspective on familiar sights, and to have him leave with good memories.

My online shops have been as quiet as the grave this month, dead as a doornail, no sales whatsoever. It's probably not unusual for this time of year, but slightly disconcerting nonetheless, it makes you wonder if your stuff is worthwhile to anyone. Mind you, it was doing okay before Christmas. Plus I don't depend on my shops for an income, so I have to remind myself that these shops are simply a good way for me to 'test the water' as to what's popular.

I'm getting more and more into zines lately, I've now swapped a fair few with people around the globe. One of the main reason I love zines is that they are mainly produced with no thought of profit or promotion, in that way the work is pure and very creative. I've found zine making to have revitalised my personal creative process, which has leaked into my work. I've been feeling the need to refresh my style and approach for ages, I just didn't know how to do it! Here are some of my recent buys/swaps:

'Larry' by Lee Taylor. http//wemakezines.ning.com/profile/leetaylor

This zine is full of Lee's beautiful line work and his gentle musings on life. He's a great writer and formidable artist. A zine that gets you thinking and examining your life, as well as having a peek into his.

Jumping the Shark by Sammy Borras. http://sammyborras.blogspot.com/

Sammy's comics are funny, bright and skilfully drawn, her characterization is just enviably good.

Coloring for Creeps

I swapped this zine with a girl in Nevada, the images are dreamlike and, I'm sure she won't mind me saying, pretty creepy. The flowing line makes the strange creatures within seem almost fluid.

The Runcible Spoon by Malaka Gharib: http://therunciblespoon.info/about

I bought this one off Etsy, it's a riot of colour, based around food and recipes, with anecdotes, instructions and quirky collages throughout. A lot of the recipes are new to me so I'd like to try them, in the privacy of my own home of course, as my cooking is, well, pretty terrible, sadly.

Prague 2012

2012-01-29T17:28:00.000Z

I've just got back from Prague and thought I'd share some of my photography. Prague was cold, whistley, wide, twisting and crooked. I liked the street graffiti and the trams. Alcohol was cheap. I ate strawberry chocolate and hot pastries, bought underneath Charles Bridge. I left my miniature zines in secret places for people to find. I'd definitely go back because I wanted to go to the museum of communism and see a light show, but the friends I went with weren't keen on the idea. Enjoy the photos, I'm going to produce a zine containing my artwork and photography from the trip, so stay tuned.

A special Folksy Friday: Things I have bought

2012-01-20T12:37:00.003Z

I've been on Folksy now for a year and a half, and in that time I've learnt a lot. I've also bought a lot! See below for images, links and a bit of ramble about the object and its significance to me. When trawling through my purchases I was sad to see some of the shops were empty, hopefully not permanently. Others were alive and kicking, and it was great to re-visit them and see what they were up to now. So, off we go on a journey of my Folksy purchases...

http://www.folksy.com/shops/CelticfusionFabrics

I lived with my best friend back in 2010 and we had some tatty old chairs we got in a charity shop. I stripped them down and repainted them, then re-upholstered them with one of my first ever Folksy purchases. And the result can be seen below. Thank you CelticFusionFabrics! Eventually I sold them on or gave them away. Can't wait for the day when I have my own place once more and can do it again...

http://www.folksy.com/shops/oddsox

This little cutie I bought on impulse, I could not resist him. He arrived tenderly wrapped in tissue paper and raffia, with an adorable badge I like to wear on my favourite grey sweater. He does have a tendency to fall down the back of my bed but I always dig him out and nuzzle him apologetically. This shop is still stuffed full of 'awww'-inducing cuteness, so do pay a visit.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/starsNscars

This is AWESOME. When people comment on it (which is often) I always say it is my portable disguise. This photo was speedily uploaded to facebook when I wore it recently to a church meeting. I love wearing this to give my outfit a cheeky, irreverent touch, plus I can make myself laugh in the mirror when I put it on my face (Simple things, simple minds).

http://www.folksy.com/shops/SilentTheatre

A double order from SilentTheatre. This print you see here was given to a friend who is mad about fairies, I kept the other one and it's propped on a shelf behind my jewellery stand (walls are too crumbly to hang pictures in my abode). It also came with a cute mini photo of another buxom lady with wings. The images are stunning, and the paper is thick and glossy, money well spent.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/RebeccaLancasterDesigns

I think this ended up being an 80th birthday card for my Gran, if memory serves. I gave it to her because the card reminded me of her: Elegant, but fun and fresh, that's her all over!

Another impulse buy. A year or so back I was quaffing wine of an evening and showing a friend Folksy, she'd never seen it before. We stumbled across this and our jaws dropped. I was super skint that month and could definitely have spent my money on more sensible things, but this hat cried out to be on my head and now I am the proud owner. My friend who works in my local pub promptly snapped up one of her own after I walked in for a pint wearing it. It's super warm, it's lined with fleece so it doesn't itch, and it draws stares and admiration a-plenty, not a hat for the faint hearted. It also was made before the high street jumped on the 'animal-hat' bandwagon, so this shop was definitely ahead of trend. Sadly her shop is fairly quiet but I hope she returns soon with her amazing creations.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/kinddog

My latest obsession is zines, and this is my most recent purchase: a little zine that screams cute, by KindDog. It came with two stickers, telling the story of a cat who for various reasons is having to trim down. It's a great addition to my collection, and I'll be following her shop closely from now on.

Have fun Fridays, Folksters!

New Zine: Theodore Knuckle

2012-01-14T17:04:00.001Z

I am so happy. My new zine is finally out, it's illustrated in brush and ink, 12 black and white interior pages with a colour cover.

Every night Theodore Knuckle sits in his tiny studio, playing music and ministering to his listeners: a motley bunch of insane outcasts. In this issue we meet Theodore, the disdainful artist Danger Duck, and the mysterious straitjacketed Mr. Curtain, one of Theodore's regular listeners.

The zine has been illustrated by me, using mainly brush and ink, with some collage and a tiny bit of help from photoshop. Look out for further issues. Each purchase will include a secret freebie. It feels good to get this out there, I'm hoping to sell and swap this, perhaps at the Midlands Zine Meet I'm going to in Coventry next week.

I also received a zine today: Riot Grrr Revival, by MadeByMidge. No photo I'm afraid (pesky dark days) but it contains beautiful collaged imagery and words, came with a little flyer and friendly note. A great addition to my Zine collection :-)

I'm going to Prague later this month with some friends, there should be drawing and drinks a-plenty. I'm told a light show is a must, I can't wait to draw and take photos. I'll certainly upload some of the outcomes, this will be a great chance to experience somewhere new and diffferent!

Pixelated!

2012-01-06T20:30:00.000Z

Sorry it's brief, I can just about manage this before I fall asleep. The theme for this week's Folksy Friday is pixels. Enjoy the following retro goodies:

Who knew having a lunchbox would make one so happy?

2012-01-04T13:43:00.004Z

I bought a lunchbox in the january sales, that was the extent of my monetary adventurousness. But wow, only two days back at work and I've not set foot in the work canteen once for over-priced soggy toast or similar. I've got my lunchbox! Half price in the sale and now ensuring that none of my food gets lost/squashed/left uneaten due to being forgotten about in my bag. Who knew such a simple new possession could help me to do what I've been trying and failing to do for a few years now: bring a healthy lunch to work instead of indulging on sausage sandwiches and the like?
It's nice to know simple things can bring pleasure and genuine use, not just fancy gadgetoids. Hmm.

In other news: I'm going to date again this new year and try to rediscover the art of flirting. I practised on the Holland and Barrett boy over christmas, I was pleased with my performance, until I asked him out for a beer and he declined - he's seeing someone apparently. I discussed this with my female friends and was shocked to find how many women still feel unable to ask a man out, not from lack of confidence, but more of a feeling that it's not the 'done thing'. Some women still feel it is seen as pushy, or even predatory, if a woman asks a man out. Thoughts? I'd love to know what men think about this.

I've done quite a lot of drawing and doodling lately, I often turn to this when inspiration is lacking, as it sadly is at the moment. Inspriration, come back! I have produced my first piece of papercraft with a valentine theme, having enjoyed making some models I purchased over christmas. I'm going to be doing some more valentine stuff soon, so watch out.

The post below is something I produced via a photoshop tutorial, having realised how rusty I was. I was so proud of it, it went straight up on the blog, in a feeble attempt to make it look like I'd blogged properly in a while.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T17:05:00.000Z

Oh gosh...

2011-12-18T22:58:00.002Z

Cake eaters at The Green Backyard

I haven't written on here in ages. So much has happened, you know what this time of year can be like. I hope advent finds you all well and not too flustered! This time of year I like to try and stay contemplative, not get too rushed along with all the flotsam that gathers around the true christmas period. My Christmas colouring books have sold well this month, as have my bereavement Christmas cards, so I'm glad I tested the water with them.

Highlights of this month include: Going to an architectural drawing class at St. Johns in Peterborough, then afterwards walking out into the cold night and hearing beautiful singing underneath the city guildhall, whilst marvelling at the white christmas lights strung in a net across the square. Peterborough City Council, you have done us proud this year. Also I was at The Green Backyard again this month selling my stuff, I wandered the stalls and bought some gifts (mostly for others with some cheeky treats thrown in for me), see the above illustration. I was right next to a lady selling home made jams, jellies and cakes, at one point our little gazebo was full of happy cake eaters. Also I've been investigating several professional leads as well as battling a nasty cold/virus thing, hence the lack of posting on here. I'm gutted to have lost the plot but hopefully it's only temporary.

So far the Secret Santas I have been involved in have yielded: some Mister Men coasters, and a novelty extension socket shaped like four lemons (yes, really). I also got a handmade (cheer!) brooch from my friend at Atelier East, a cardinal bird. The person who made it obviously did it some time ago, the handmade packaging looks fairly vintage. I LOVE it.

Some things I have bought this month: some earrings from Phascination Millinery, 'Typewriter', a fantastic art zine from HighwayCharlie, and these amazing PDF fold-able cameras from Mel Stringer. Really looking forward to having a go at these.

I hope you are all prepared and ready for a peaceful happy christmas. :-) Don't forget to read Lucy Farfort's interview below, and find out more about her beautiful illustrations!

28th November 2011

2011-11-28T22:20:00.027Z

Lucy Farfort Interview

Whew, life has been chaotic lately and I've barely had time to even look at this blog. But I'm please this week to bring you an interview with illustrator Lucy Farfort, an Etsy-er and Folksy-er who creates truly beautiful illustrations for us lucky people. Her work is fresh, funky and truly different, combining delicate nature-inspired objects with slick digital imagery. Coasters, brooches, cards and calendars are all available from her shop, so please do look and treat yourself to an affordable visual delight. But not before delving into the creative mind of Lucy herself...

The nosy bit - tell us a bit about yourself:

Hi my name is Lucy Farfort aka Lucy’s Happy Place. I’m a freelance illustrator based in Newcastle Upon Tyne,
I produce everything from logos and web graphics to editorial illustrations poster design. What I most love doing is creating illustrations for children and big kids, like myself. Aside from the freelancing I also sell a range of my prints and cards from shops across the North East and online. I’m also a big fan of crafting/making and I occasionally produce handmade textile items embellished with my designs. I work part time to fund my illustration and crafting habit but one day i hope to be able to go full time with it.

Your style involves hand-drawn elements with digital colouring and texturing. How did you arrive at this way of working?
Hm good question. I was always a bit of a technophobe and for ages refused to use graphics packages like Photoshop or Illustrator etc in my work. I would only use traditional methods such as painting and print making, to the extent that when I produced a children’s book at uni I created all the text using letterpress. When I left Uni it was a time when graphics packages were really at the forefront of illustration techniques and to compete I had to teach myself to use them. I still really wanted to keep the main part of my working methods traditionaI, mainly because I loved drawing. At that time most people were using a tablet with software to draw digitally. However I continued to draw by hand then as a kind of compromise I would scan the image into the computer and colour the piece digitally. After becoming more confident with the packages I began to love using Photoshop and arrived at a very bold and colourful style. Then I started making 3D stuff using my illustrations decoratively, in particular textile products. I noticed how well the fabrics and different textures in the fabrics really complemented my work and I just started experimenting. So here I am today.

A cliched question but the answers always vary: What inspires you?
The first thing that inspired me to get into this field was Japanese animation, which was introduced to me by my cousin. I remember watching it and being awestruck by it and was hooked. I got very into comics and became intent on being a manga artist.

Now its difficult to say what inspires me. We’re all surrounded by imagery all the time especially with the internet being so accessible the visual onslaught is constant.
Nature is an ongoing inspiration especially trees, which I think i’m a bit obsessed with drawing. Other people’s work can be inspiring but I try not to look at other’s work too much as for me it can also be quite destructive. I start to think I’m not good enough and I should just give it up. The biggest drive for me is simply an addiction to drawing and creating. My mind keeps churning out ideas and its difficult to keep up with most of them.

Animals and nature feature a lot in your work. Have you always been interested in the natural world?
Yes I’ve always loved nature especially woodland. It conjures up such wonderful imagery, so magical. Maybe it comes out so much in my work as I’ve lived in cities for ages now, but my childhood was spent in a pretty rural area and now my subconscious yearns for the woods, glen and fields i used to be surrounded by. Actually I’ve never thought about that before but it does make sense. I lived in a rural part of the South East until the age of 9 and woodland was a big part of my world, but since then I've spent my life in towns and big cities.

What are the challenges involved in being an illustrator?
Most definitely without a shadow of a doubt promoting my work. I’m terrible at this. I hate shmozing and networking and I find it very hard to big my own work up and tell people about it. I have got better, but its not something that comes naturally. That and time. I never seem to have enough time to do all the thing associated with running your own business, one part of it always suffers - normally the admin and promotion stuff. Basically I need a manager...

And lastly - Giant Robot or Sparkly Unicorn?
Giant Robot definitely. Thats the influence of all the anime and manga I used to consume.

Thanks Lucy! Please do visit her shop, her website and blog for unique, quirky and beautiful art, and thanks for giving us an insight into your creative process. Comments welcome!

Copyright for all artwork featured belongs to Lucy Farfort.

Sunday afternoon watercolour

2011-11-20T16:48:00.000Z

These pesky short days are frustrating for painting... might have to ask Father Christmas for a daylight lamp...

New Folksy - First Impression

2011-11-18T12:05:00.005Z

Well, today can hardly go by without me blogging about the new Folksy we've been waiting to see for a few months now. Today the made-over site was unveiled, and I logged in to have a look.

Before I do though, I will start with a little disclaimer: These opinions and thoughts are mine alone, so if you disagree with me and wish to comment, please keep it friendly. Feelings are very mixed from what I've seen on the forums and I can only speak for myself. So now we have that out the way...

So, I've only had a short look so far, and I'm certain there are bugs to be ironed out and issues to be straightened. This is my overall first impression, and I have to say: I like it. :-)

Love the new logo. It's bright, fresh and fun, and makes me want to shop on Folksy (always a bonus for sellers). At first glance it looks like a place to buy crafty, unique items.

I like the cool greys, white and black of the site, it showcases the items better. The products are now displayed in a sort of polaroid box and I like that too, it's quirky but clean.

At the top there are three buttons: Handmade Christmas, Hats and Kitchen and dining. If I'm correct, those categories will be rotating, I imagine, so we'll probably find different categories to browse each day. I LOVE the illustrations, they seem to match the logo, giving the impression that Folksy is more of a 'brand'. I'm a designer by trade and an illustrator, so I suppose all this marries up with what I like.

Now onto my own shop: the one thing I would say is that it feels slightly less personal, that could be to do with the fact that the banner is smaller and less central. Perhaps Folksy will take that on board, as I see I am not alone in that observation. In the meantime though, I like it, my items look good and all the information is there.

The writing is a little small, but personally I can remedy that with [Cmd +] (I'm on a Mac) so I'm not bothered about that particularly. Search engine seems to work fine.

On the forums I've read that the 6 month listing has dropped to 3 months but the price is the same. I haven't confirmed this for myself yet. How do I feel about it? The same way I feel when anything I like to spend money on goes up. Petrol goes up but I'm not getting rid of my car, because I like to drive it. Of course I'd rather it was cheaper still. Do I still want to sell on Folksy? Yep. Will I carry on selling there? Yes, I will, I do better on Folksy than I do on Etsy, even though I think Etsy have nailed the promotion and exposure better with their circles and favouriting system. Go figure.

Change can be disorientating and downright unpopular, but I always think back to when facebook has gone through numerous makeovers: there is a general uproar and a longing for the old set-up - but now I can't even remember what the old facebook used to look like. I applaud Folksy for moving forward and making over the site, I never disliked the old one but I do really like this new one.

Whew...

2011-11-13T21:43:00.001Z

My first craft fair of the year, and I had the best time of it. The day flew by. It was chilly, but bright and clear. I was at The Green Backyard in Peterborough, what a fantastic place. I met some totally lovely creative people, explored the vegetable patches, the chicken coops and tea hut. Feeling weary but happy, people reacted well to my things and I sold a nice amount. I'll definitely be back next month. Check the photos out. My friend was too shy to be photographed but I can be seen grinning inanely in front of our stall. The pink table I fished out of a skip last week and brightened it up to hold our wares. Good eh?

10th November 2011

2011-11-10T15:10:00.082Z

Craftivist Collective Interview

Mini Protest Banner

It is my great privilege this week to have Sarah Corbett in the interview chair. I know I normally publish my interviews on a Monday, but I want to promote this blog at the Green Backyard this Sunday and make sure people read about this fantastic online collaborative.

I first came across the Craftivist Collective back when I ran a feature about kits last month. I discovered Sarah's protest banner kit, and was immediately fascinated. I'd never seen anything quite like it online and I loved the thought behind it. I also have a love of 'found' art, something left in a public place for a stranger to find, so this item in particular spoke to me personally. Her shop is a showcase of interactive products centred on peaceful protest, the photography alone is artwork in itself. A few clicks later and I was reading all about the work of the Craftivist Collective. I could enthuse on and on about the shop and her website, but Sarah's better than me at explaining, so without further ado...

Please introduce us to the Craftivist Collective.

Our manifesto is: “To expose the scandal of global poverty, and human rights injustices though the power of craft and public art. This will be done through provocative, non-violent creative actions.”

We are seen as one of the leading groups in the craftivism movement. We encourage individuals and groups to deliver our projects wherever they are in the world and support them with instruction videos, photographs of examples and personalised support when needed. We also set up events, workshops, exhibition and stunts. We have worked with the Tate Gallery, Hayward Gallery, British Museum, Sheffield DocFest, Ladyfest, comedian Josie Long, jewellers Tatty Devine amongst others.

We have craftivists across the world (including LA, Vancouver, Melbourne, Berlin, Glasgow, Manchester, London) actively taking part in our craftivism projects and supporters including Josie Long, Tatty Devine jewellery designers, Rob Da Bank, Sam Roddick and Jon Ronson to name a few (bearing in mind we find it uncomfortable to actively promote our collective ourselves).

We want to show people that making people aware of the injustices and poverty in the world can be fun as well as empowering. It doesnt have to be stressful or elitest. Anyone can be a craftivist whatever their skill or understanding.

In the words of one of our craftivists Rosa Martyn: A spoonful of craft helps the activism go down.

Our craftivism projects aim to challenge people’s views and reach out to those who may have not have previously accessed activism and groups for social change. You don’t have to be creative or an experienced campaigner. We also target media outlets that may not cover social justice issues but would cover craft, art, culture or fashion stories.

We often display our finished products in public spaces to provoke passers by into thinking about the issue. But also, the act of creating a product – crafting something with a campaigning message – should provoke thought in the maker and observer.

We encourage craftivists to send us examples of their craftivism and their thoughts for our blog. If you have a craftivism idea or a project you want our support with please contact us- we are always looking for craftivism projects to support and it has worked very successfully in the past.

What kind of reaction have you had so far to the Craftivist Collective?

The majority of people have been really supportive and positive. In two years we have gained over 900 followers and there are people and groups around the world who deliver our projects which is amazing. We have received a handful of negative feedback from activists saying we won't change the world through craftivism but we don't call ourselves campaigners but rather people who provoke thought and conversation about injustices with the hope that these discussions lead to action. Everyone seems to love our Mini Protest Banner kits and that's what sells the best on our Folksy site. I'm being asked more and more to deliver workshops, talks and stalls too which is exciting.

Craftivist Collective in the Big Issue, Oct 2011

You seek to tackle injustice through handmade craft. What kind of issues have participants chosen to address?

We have a manifesto (see above) so we have a clear purpose and our message is united: focusing on human rights injustices and global poverty as they are our big passions and we can't spread ourselves too thinly. Within that framework people have addressed the issue of domestic violence in UK and Spain (by a spanish Craftivist), climate change affecting the poorest people in the world the most, the impact of inequality, tax-dodging and so much more. You can see some of our banners on the website and Flickr.

What's your favourite crafting activity?

I love cross-stitching. It calms me down after a stressful or busy day. I can do it anywhere: On the bus, trains (I get travel sick but crafting is one of the few things I can do that doesnt make me feel ill), cafes, with friends, in front of the TV. I also really like hand embroidery and like embroidering messages on cloth for friends as gifts but also for our current project Don't Blow It where we embroider personal messages to MPs and other influential people asking them not to blow their chance to use their power and influence for good. I'm hoping to make these into kits for our Folksy shop soon.

How can people reading this become more involved?

All of our projects are on our website www.craftivist-collective.com in the project section here and people can do them anywhere in the world as an individual or group. Most projects include instruction videos, photos of examples and more information about the project.

We really really encourage people to email us with an image of their craftivism piece they have done and a small write up about the issue they care about. Our most recent blogpost by a craftivist in Liverpool from Spain can be read here as an example.

We also do events, talks and workshops across the UK when we are asked and can afford it plus we have regular events in London for people to join in our crafty activism. Our events page on the website is always updated.

Window display workshop at News From Nowhere, Liverpool

Plus you can contact us on craftivist-collective@hotmail.com for more info if you can't find it on the website.

You can also join our Facebook Group, follow us on Twitter, flow our blog, join our mailing list etc to keep up to date with everything. You can find all of the links on our homepage of the website on the right hand side.

Please do visit the Craftivist Collective website for inspiring ideas on sending your voice out into the world through craft. They also have a YouTube channel. Thanks Sarah for letting me interview you, and of course have a look at the shop. If you do decide to become involved, please let Sarah know, and me! I'd love to see people's efforts.

In Preparation

2011-11-06T17:05:00.004Z

Next week I am doing my first craft fair of the year. I've learnt some lessons from last year; namely not to burn myself out. In 2010 I spent many sleepless nights getting stock together for various fairs I'd signed up for, and as a result made myself unwell, and never wanted to look at fimo ever again. It took me until this summer to get my enthusiasm back.

This year I've got it right I think: I've chosen two fairs to do. The first one, next week, will be at a really exciting venue - the Green Backyard in Peterborough. It's a piece of reclaimed wasteland and one of our city's major success stories; the land has been converted into a place for growing vegetables, carving, murals, sculptures... there are some buildings which have been made from scrap bits of other buildings... I went there today to check out where our table would be and I fell in love with the place. I can't do it justice on here so I'll take some photographs to show you all, and if you are ever in Peterborough, trust me, you have to check it out. For now, here's the website.
Next week my friend and partner in crime Carly will be at the fair with me, we will be showcasing our new products from our illustration collaborative Pirate Unicorn. Stay tuned...
The next fair is at King's School, Peterborough, on the 25th. I'm really looking forward to this one. The kids last year were very excited about my stuff and I had a great time chatting to them, their enthusiasm was so encouraging and refreshing. That was the fair that culminated in me being poorly, but I think it was my frenzied fortnight of preparation beforehand rather than school germs.

Some of you will know that I have two outlets online: the fimo/plushie/kawaii side, and the arty illustrator-y side. I have decided to lay the online kawaii shop to rest as of January 2012 to focus on my cards and illustrations. I have a tough time promoting two shops, one usually ends up neglected plus the listing fees start to bite when you have a total of three shops (Two Folksy, one Etsy). So SweetSuzy will be put to bed in a couple of months time. Everything is reduced. The stock in there tends to do better at fairs, perhaps it has something to do with people being able to see the items there in front of them?

My Zines have sold well this week, giving me good reason to grin. And the Midlands Zine Group on WeMakeZines are hopefully going to hold a meet soon, which I am majorly excited about too. Almost too much excitement!

And last of all, a shameless plug: my latest illustration available as a postcard on my shop. Go have a lookie.

Off to watch Merlin on the iplayer...

A great day :-)

2011-11-03T14:56:00.006Z

Today has been a really good day, with many moments of true chuffiness. First, a happy customer received their zine, and left this glowing feedback on the forums:

Hooray! So that made me really happy and glowy on the old coffee break. Then I was blogged about by RaRaBazaar - thank you! She wrote about my Bereavement Christmas cards I released last week. So second delighted self-hug of the day.

Also I have finished my christmas colouring book zine, in my shop very soon. I have the twinklings of an idea with these, will keep you posted...

Oh, and I finally sent my University application off. SCARED!

Excitement

2011-11-01T22:54:00.004Z

I've finished my first zine: a colouring book, and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed making something so much. All the illustrations are hand-drawn, in fact the whole thing is hand-drawn.

So many things about this project have been refreshing and cleansing - it's not for my portfolio, it won't make me much money and it will only really appeal to a niche market, that funny bunch of grown-ups who appreciate a good doodle and even still derive joy from colouring in. I won't give away too much about the content (it is for sale after all), suffice to say there's a naked man in there, along with a contented baking octopus, some dragons and a thoughtful cloud.

The world has become a brighter place since I found that making your own little comics doesn't have to stop once you leave school and your friends don't care for little aliens on their homework diaries anymore. Hurrah!

I sold my first one within half an hour of posting it on Folksy. Encouraged! Although the forum post I was blathering on shows that there is still confusion over Zines in the online crafting community...

GREAT NIGHT

2011-10-31T08:44:00.002Z

I'm the one dressed as a convict, in the white t-shirt with arrows, shackles and my trusty plastic cup. No one could believe my slightly fetish-y chains came from Wilkinsons, the backbone of British home goods. Good times. Thank you Chantal and Natalie for a great party.

Illustration Friday– 'Scary'

2011-10-28T15:49:00.001+01:00

This is a sneak-peek at my first ever zine, due out soon, on grief and grieving, It's called The Kubler-Ross Railway, and it ties in rather well with this week's IF topic. Thanks for looking!

Rambles, Musings, Ponderings

2011-10-28T12:03:00.001+01:00

In a way, I think it really counts for something to be a creative in a city which struggles to make room for the arts. It means you have to go underground, organise things yourself, look harder for beauty and inspiration. All of this makes you a better artist, I think. Whoever said "Calm seas don't make good sailors" never spoke a truer word.

In case you're wondering where this random musing came from, I was just reading this article in the guardian about my home city and it was encouraging. People where I live are fighting for the arts to come out of the cracks and I applaud them. It makes me excited and happy, that people here give a damn about where they live and what goes on here. More please!

My first Zine, a sneak preview

In other news I am so, so excited about my first Zine, I'm currently working on the drawings for it. For those of you that don't know, a Zine (pronounced 'zeen') is a mini publication, usually A5 or smaller, designed to be printed, photocopied and distributed easily. It has opened up a whole new world of underground publishing and I haven't been this fired up about something in ages. There are lots of good websites about Zines out there, in particular We Make Zines, as well as Zine World and Fall of Autumn. Mine is going to be on the theme of grief and grieving, based on my own experiences in late adolescence (I know it doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs but it's not as grim as you may think), and it should be out very soon, so watch this space...

Bumpy Road– Bereavement Christmas cards now on sale

2011-10-27T13:04:00.000+01:00

Following on from an experimental forum post and enquiries on facebook, I got a good response to my designs for christmas cards aimed at the bereaved.

Like I said on the Folksy forum, to some, the words 'Merry Christmas' on a card when they are feeling anything but, can really matter. It can be difficult choosing a card for someone bereaved, or someone who has simply had a rough year. Having suffered a family bereavement some years back, I will always remember how much my mum, in particular, was touched by those who acknowledged our grief in their choice of card.

So after lots of brainstorming and thinking, Bumpy Road has been born, a range of sensitive greetings cards for those who, for whatever reason, find significant days or celebrations a hurdle rather than a holiday. On sale now at my usual price, do have a look.

Bereavement Christmas card

2011-10-25T11:34:00.002+01:00

I was thinking today about some christmas card designs. I don't normally bother with them: not to sound pessimistic but it's a tough market and I don't enjoy the scramble to try and sell them followed by the dispiriting price drop and efforts to shift the leftovers in January.

However...

Christmas can be a tough time for some, not least those going through their first christmas without their mum, brother, husband, sister, dad. The jollity can be a little wearing. Also those who are addressing christmas cards to you can be a little afraid of sending one saying "Happy Christmas."

So I was thinking about giving this one a go...

24th October 2011

2011-10-24T11:42:00.006+01:00

Interview with Amiee Bowker – Handmade & Heritage

Vintage Upcycled Lavender Cushion

Back on track with Monday interviews, this week: Amiee Bowker with her online shop Handmade & Heritage. Amiee's shop is a world of thrifty chic, she upcycles fabrics, paper and found materials into lovely homeware. She likes drawing, making hats, and watching X-men. I wanted to find out more...

Aimee, tell us a bit about yourself.

Handprinted Bluetit Card

I originally studied Fashion specialising in Millinery and worked for a headwear company as an assistant designer until child care costs and travel expenses forced me to be a stay at home mum. Handmade and Heritage is the culmination of different projects over the years from jewellery making to millinery which also incorporates my love of traditional craft, history and nature.

How long have you been on Folksy?
I've been a member of Folksy under different guises for a couple of years now but its only in 2011 that i've really started to develop Handmade and Heritage.

So, you started out as a Milliner? How did you get into that and what's it like making hats? Millinery came about as a bit of an accident really. I studied fashion at college with the intention of specialising in costume design however a national competition that the college entered yearly really caught my attention. I loved that you could take a piece of felt or straw and mould and manipulate it into amazing shapes using processes that have not changed for hundreds of years. Each hat to me is a bespoke piece of art and I really enjoy developing designs with sculptural inspiration. Even though my craft has taken a different route now, I still find myself sketching and playing. It's something I could never not to again and the odd commission for family and friends keeps me happy.

What would you say inspires you?

Vintage Cigarette Card Bunting

Anything really could take my eye. It could even be a song or TV programme. Recently I've found inspiration with birds visiting my garden. I sketched everything that passed through and used it to create a whole range of items from prints to embroidery. I constantly read books, trawl the internet for ideas and scour charity shops and car boot sales for vintage finds such a bead or scrap of fabric to spark an interest. In the new year I want to look further into the Biologist and artist Ernst Haekal who illustrated hundreds of species of animals and plants, I think his illustrations would translate well into my style of work.

Where does your passion for handmade stem from?

Origami Bracelet

My family. My father is an artist and my mother has sewing and knitting skills I could only dream of achieving. I was brought up making and drawing and also creating something out of nothing! My parents have taught me so much over the years not just practically but also to widen my knowledge of art, craft and culture by taking me to galleries and museums. In fact a lot of my family are talented makers, crafters and artists we all seem to work with our hands!

And finally... favourite Saturday morning cartoon whilst growing up?
Over the years I've had many Care Bears, Beauty and the Beast, Fraggle Rock (my nickname is Fraggle) spring to mind. I have to say my favourite that I could still watch now is X-Men. I love it and always wanted to be Rogue. In fact I have a little section dedicated to X-Men on Pinterest featuring images and crazy ways to make Wolverine's claws!

Partridge Christmas Gift Wrap

Thanks Amiee for being interviewed. That just leaves me to showcase one of my favourite items: this Partridge gift wrap, and to encourage you to check out Handmade & Heritage for yourself. Thanks for reading!

HOORAY! New cards in my shop!

2011-10-22T19:03:00.001+01:00

They've finally arrived! I've been itching to post my new cards but thought I'd better wait until the postman actually brought them, and here they all are! A bargain at £1.75 each. It feels great to have illustrated again, and I hope these go down well with my Ghost Goose fans (I like to pretend).

Anyway please have a look, I've also re-stocked my Cake card, due to popular demand.

Off out clubbing now, Whoop!

Folksy Friday - Ceramics

2011-10-21T10:23:00.002+01:00

Bunny Bowl, by Julia Smith Ceramics

I've finally got round to blogging about Folksy Friday. This week is ceramics. I am a SUCKER for ceramic stuff. Unfortunately, not having my own home means I have to curb my enthusiasm for beautiful cups, bowls jugs etc. I did buy two beautiful ceramic beakers when I was in the USA this summer - each piece had a tiny acorn - the artist's trademark - somewhere on the clay. I love the way they sit in the hand, love the way ceramic feels. They looked robust enough to survive the flight home and sure enough they did. I like drinking wine from them and pretending I'm a hobbit! Weird? No doubt. But at least I'm happy. Marvel at these before having yourself a good weekend.

Ceramic Bluebird Brooch by Vintage Bluebird

Ceramic Cupcake Pot by Rosie Maguire

Ceramic ACEO - Rockpool Beach by Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics

Tealight Lantern Sphere by Cat's Ceramics

Handmade Ceramic Owl Vase by H B ceramics

Kits!

2011-10-19T10:50:00.006+01:00

I get really excited about kits. Opening them up, unpacking all the components, holding them up to the light and admiring them, letting anticipation course through you when you visualise the finished result...

Imagine that, but with recycled materials or hand-made elements!

Featured here today are lovingly assembled kits you can actually buy, for yourself or a loved one, perfect for christmas. Fun, funky, often child-friendly, with recycled elements or independent design included. I've posted some of my personal favourites here, including the genius creation seen above by the aptly named Craftivist Collective. It's a Mini Protest Banner Kit. I defy you to find anything as cool or thought-provoking as that for your young-'uns in John Lewis. And it's a fun, arty alternative to rioting. :-)

And here are some more marvellous kits:

Felt Bookmark and Button Crafty Kit by Kitties Closet

Russian Doll Plush Kit by Zouzou Design

Mini Bunting Kit by Sew Recycled!

Felt Dinosaur Kit by Kitty Kay Make And Sew

Love to Knit Project Kit by Do Come Again

Scatter!

2011-10-17T12:38:00.000+01:00

Here is my Illustration Friday response to the word "Scatter". Mmmmmm, autumn colours...

Haircut achieved... and new website design!

2011-10-16T22:04:00.003+01:00

Not bad for a weekend's work! I'm finally happy with my website... for now. It's gone through 3 or 4 re-designs in the past year but I think I have nailed the simple, informative design I was going for. And I got my haircut, as well as meeting with my confidant for a fun storming session and work critique, in between sips of wine.

Thanks for the feedback on the birds in the last post, I think they will find their way onto a card and into the shop eventually. I did put in an order for some cards today from Moo.com, and I'm itching to put them up on here but I'm going to wait until they're actually available... so that you can all stampede straight there and buy them all! Cue evil laughter...

You may have noticed I've not been interviewing people these past couple of weeks, due to being hugely busy and time whizzing by too fast for me to measure, but things have calmed down now, to a degree, so... would anyone be interested in being the next in the hotseat? I'm looking for artists, illustrators, or crafters to share their wisdom and work, with me and the Robinson public. Comment or get in touch via missrobinson85@gmail.com. Read the other interviews here.

Some pencil work

2011-10-14T15:20:00.002+01:00

I've filled a sheet on my coffee break with pencil doodles. I find loose sheets of paper much more liberating than a sketch book - I tend to be less precious and more creative. I think school and college are to blame for my sterile relationship with sketchbooks - because they were marked, there was always pressure to make every page perfect. Not so with loose or scrap paper.

Anyway, here is an idea for a wedding card, two little birds, scrubbed up and 'tying the knot." Geddit?

I have also got my rear in gear and booked my first craft fair of the year with my confidante and fellow biscuit eater Carly. We're going to sell art and handmade stuff at the Green Backyard at Peterborough, on Sunday 13th November, so I'd better get going with my planned projects.

This is my latest commission, almost finished: the branding and publicity material for The Fenland Poet Laureate. I had lots of creative freedom with this, the client and I have built up a good relationship and she and I are pretty much on the same wavelength, always a huge bonus.

Haircut

2011-10-13T18:54:00.002+01:00

I really, really, really need one.

Cool evening air

2011-10-09T22:14:00.002+01:00

I went to an art exhibition on Friday night in Peterborough city centre, with mum. Our Museum and Art Gallery is being renovated this year (when I say 'our', I mean The City, not as in Mine and Mum's, though how delicious would that be?) It was great to see art in alternative settings, and there was a beautiful selection, in particular the work of Tony Nero who, aside from being one of the nicest, smiliest people I have ever met, is very talented. His subjects vary but I love his food paintings the most. No change there...

This is by Paco Calvo, a local mosaic artist. I could have stood and stared at his creations all night. The picture, whilst stunning, doesn't even begin to do the work justice. How does he plan a work so complex as this? Amazing...

I did a shift in my local pub today as a favour to my friends who run it, and got chatting to someone who runs the student union in Peterborough's new university. He was talking with great excitement about plans for the future. There is a slightly dilapidated, large building in the south of the city, which seemed to have gained a new lease of life last time I cycled past. Turns out it's been bought by the university for their nursing students. Listening to him enthuse about nights out for the students and how the university will integrate, I couldn't help but get a little excited about what having a university may mean for Peterborough's future. It could inject new blood, new ideas, new bars (heehee) and hopefully even more vibrancy and individuality.

I have got very little done creatively this weekend, apart from if you count knitting a few rows of my annual jumper (estimated finish time: summer 2013). But I have been to the art gallery and the theatre, so plenty of culture and mind expansion.I've also done a little bit towards my latest commission: a logo design for Fenland Poet Laureate, along with accompanying merchandise. Will post when there is more to show you.

And then this: my latest greetings card design which I hope to have printed and for sale soon in Ghostgoose. I'm going to do some more, with a similar fantasy/circus theme. I like it! Thoughts?

Logo design, frazzlement and happiness

2011-10-03T11:41:00.002+01:00

Hello all, I know Monday is usually interview day, but last week was insanely busy from start to finish and I never got time to make the necessary preparations. You can catch up on my latest interviews here though. Highlights include: Selling some earrings (whoop) working a full week, designing a theatre programme until 2 am, bowling, dress rehearsal, beers at M's, three performances where I sold tickets and manned the interval stand, and rediscovering the joys of Red Bull. Mmmm. We raised almost £2000 over three nights with our performance of Evil In Tents - go Haze Productions! The exhaustion and stress was worth every penny.

In other news, I have been asked to design a logo for up and coming card maker and knitter Covlolly Crafts. Thoughts?

Monday 26th September 2011

2011-09-26T11:18:00.001+01:00

Interview with Folksy buyer Kim

Something different for you all this week: not a maker, or a seller, but a frequent buyer on craft site Folksy. Kim is a charity worker and aspiring singer, and has treated herself to many a handmade treat, supporting Folksy with her preference for quality crafted items. She was kind enough to let me pick her brains over what she looks for in a handmade item, so pay attention all you makers and sellers!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm Kim, aged 41, was born in Jersey and now live in Peterborough with my husband Luke. I study with the Open University for fun (no, really!) I like wearing vibrant clothes and hair, and enjoy discovering new interesting places to go when I can afford to.

How did you come across Folksy?

I was recommended folksy.com at work as a source of wonderful treasures! In turn I recommend Folksy to everyone I know.

What do you look for when searching for something online?

I go online to look for something that you won't find on the high street - I pride myself in giving original gifts. I do a search on the key colour or style I want, and spend ages looking at photos before I decide.

How does a seller catch your eye?

If I come across something unique and funky, I want to see what else the seller has to offer, and bookmark them for the future. I think it's encouraging if they have a big selection and I love the fact that I'm supporting designers who are passionate about what they do. I have been very impressed by a couple of folksy sellers who had packaged their products so beautifully! Of course it is nice to find a bargain and fair postage costs but I have spent a little more for a special occasion.

Tell us about one of your favourite purchases.

It's difficult to choose but my favourite all-round item is my Polydor vinyl ring that was made by 'When the Music's Over' - it's a great way to recycle old vinyl records, it was a bargain and they took effort to package it well too. I'm sure they wouldn't mind me borrowing their photo to show you, as I can't get a better one with my camera!

And finally, in another life, you would like to be...

...A dancer!

So, there you have it. Plenty of decent images and a carefully wrapped order go a long way! Thanks Kim for giving us a peek into the mind of a buyer. Knowledge from 'the other side' is a valuable thing indeed, especially as Christmas approaches. Take note and take heart, online sellers!

Weekend painting and goals

2011-09-25T18:21:00.002+01:00

Here we are again. I love weekends! These are oil paintings on cardboard. Also if you look carefully you can see my two glasses I painted, cool or what? Should I hide the paintings for someone to find?

I've set myself two goals for 2012:

Exhibit some of my work
Change jobs

Whoop!

Mesmerising!

2011-09-22T11:23:00.000+01:00

Another really late I. F. entry this week. I've been reading Derren Brown's autobiography, so I've had illusions and card tricks on the brain. I wanted to do something really mystical, bewitching, shadowy.. but inspiration refused to stump up the goods so in the end I settled for this silly doodle of a cup of tea impressing his cup of coffee friend with a card trick. It began life as a pencil sketch and finished on my computer. Enjoy.

Arrietty

2011-09-21T11:05:00.006+01:00

I don't have much time to create this week, what with the play drawing near and several other commitments, so instead I thought I'd share my excitement for something which was released a couple of months ago, to a largely indifferent public.

Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation outfit responsible for award winning films like Ponyo and Spirited Away, has released its new film Arrietty this summer. It's only just beginning to trickle into small theatres outside London, arriving at Stamford Arts Centre in October.

Arrietty is an adaptation of one of my favourite childhood stories, The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. This is, to my knowledge, the third adaptation. Last night I saw the breathtaking trailer, and it seems they have hung on to the original plot, bringing the book faithfully to life despite moving the story to Japan. The English dub features the voice talents of Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, and Olivia Coleman, a sign that these splendid films are gaining prestige as more famous names lend their voices to the parts.

Although this book enthralled me as a child, the themes within are not necessarily the first to spring to mind when considering a successful children's book. The story is quiet, with underlying tones of loneliness and sadness, exile and hiding. The tiny Clock family live under the floor of an old house, they have one child, Arrietty, who yearns to explore the huge world she inhabits, but most of all, yearns for company, conducting a forbidden friendship with The Boy, a human child residing at the house.

If you want to explore something new, treat your eyes to this film, if nothing else I guarantee a visual feast. Alternatively have a peek at the book and you will find an explanation for those lost safety pins and hair grips...

Nothing says crazy spinster like...

2011-09-20T21:46:00.003+01:00

Now, don't get me wrong, I love cats. I am definitely a cat person - we've had them all my life, until our latest feline companion exited the world's stage gracefully last winter. When you succeed in befriending a cat, you feel like you've gained a co-conspirator, a confidant. I am firmly in the realm of cat person, unashamed, up front.
I also love knitting. Knitting is calming, satisfying, and not as uncool as it was when I was a kid - it's enjoying a well-deserved resurgence and long may that hold out. I hope one day to knit things that don't entirely comprise rectangles, maybe it'll happen.

But this prompted a huge guffaw when I came across it the other day:

Just think about it, allow yourself a smirk too if you want. Knit your own cat. Knit your own cat.

My first reaction is LOVE. But then...

Deep down, cats and knitting both still have a faint whiff of Crazy Lady about them (don't bridle, I'm a cat lover and a knitter, remember, as well as single). We all wish it wasn't so, but cats and single women go together like unwilling contenders in a three-legged race. Fact. I don't like it either. If you're not convinced, just try to imagine the following conversation NOT sounding silly.

"So, Hannah, what are you up to at the moment?"
"I'm knitting my own cat!"

You see?

So, despite thinking this book looks really cool, despite envying the talent of the people that knitted these beautiful creatures (I refer you once more to the rectangles), AND despite being the enthusiastic owner of Knit Your Own Cakes and My Favourite Felt Sweets, I won't be undertaking a knitted cat any time soon.

And if I ever do, I'll be sure not to bring it up on dates.

Interview - Monday 19th September 2011

2011-09-19T09:16:00.019+01:00

Alison Deegan Interview

Another Monday, another interview, and today it's printmaker Alison Deegan. As some of you may have read, I took up lino printing again recently (Alison left an encouraging comment about my ham-fisted efforts), and I'd forgotten just how painstaking it was. When you see Alison's work you know you're in the presence of a master, as it were. My personal favourite is a recent print of the Lewis Chessmen, seen here. If you've never tried lino printing, have a go, the materials are easy to get hold of online and the results are so satisfying. I humbly approached Alison, being an admirer of her work, and now I'm happy to unveil the interview she kindly gave.

Tell us about yourself

I am an archaeologist, printmaker and mum. I took up printing about 4 years ago and was immediately addicted. My main subjects are rural landscapes and wildlife. I spend a lot of time looking at air photos, some of them dating back to the 1940s, so I am always conscious of the archaeological and historical time depth when I am creating a landscape study. I love watching the birds and animals that visit the garden with our small son so these are often subjects too.

For those who are unfamiliar, take us through the process of lino printing.
Take a sheet of lino. Cut out the bits where you don't want ink. Roll out the ink out onto a sheet of glass until you have a nice even layer on the glass and roller. Then roll the ink onto the lino. Carefull layer the paper on top. Add pressure. Add a bit more pressure. And some more for luck. Cross your fingers. Gently lift the paper. Stand back and admire :) You can see the inking in action here.
What was it about lino printing that attracted you to this medium?

I really like the physicality of this type of printing: carving the lino, rolling out the ink, winding up and down the press. A vague pencil line can be transformed into something quite different when it is cut into the lino, it feels like a very decisive form of mark making.
Which piece are you most proud of?

I made a few special versions of my Newt Love linoprint using several different layers and merging shades of green, I love the results.

What else do you like to do?
Walking in the hills; swimming in the sea; collecting and foraging; making a mess. I'd like to do more sewing and painting.

And finally... Who would play you in a film about your life?

Mmm, I'd cast Natascha McElhone, though of course it would have to be a fictionalised account...

Thanks Alison! Don't forget to investigate her shop and blog. As ever do comment, follow and get in touch if you'd like to be interviewed (I have a small waiting list). :-)
Copyright for all images in this interview belongs to Alison Deegan, and images have been used with her permission.

More weekend painting

2011-09-17T15:07:00.005+01:00

I painted some ACEOs today, finally I've stopped wishing to do more and have actually put wishes into action. I love painting British birds, but I would also like to paint some more exotic, unusual birds, or at least birds not native to my country. So I had a go at a bluebird, but I had a hard time doing the vivid colour of its feathers justice.
It feels good to be painting again, but I've become so rusty at watercolours, and they are so easy to mess up. I think also painting on a small scale is harder for me than on larger pieces of paper.

In other news I received my purchase from Bobbins' Destash on Folksy - for just £2 I bought this scrap pack, and I can't wait to start sewing with it, hopefully I can show some of my creations by tomorrow. Have a look at their shop - their prices are very reasonable. I also bought this Hungry Caterpillar fabric from Hobbycraft which is going to become a cushion for my friend's two-year-old son, who has Hungry Caterpillar bedding (jealous).

Pub first though I think...

Whirlwind week...

2011-09-15T09:41:00.001+01:00

There has been more rushing around this week than is healthy for one person. The date of the play is drawing near and I am currently designing the programme. I leave you with a picture of a delicious burger to feast your eyes on, and the promise of another exciting interview next Monday, though I'm sure I'll get the time to blog before then.
I wonder if this would make a good painting?

Interview - 12th September 2011

2011-09-12T09:17:00.004+01:00

Welcome Michele Webber

I'm really excited this week to be interviewing Michele Webber, artist and illustrator from Suffolk. Michele has shops on Folksy and Zazzle where you can buy her prints. She is also a world class blogger, showcasing her formidable talent and offering advice for artists, with wit and wisdom aplenty. To people like me who seek to develop their art further, it's a very valuable resource.
Last night I was trawling Michelle's various sites for images to use for this interview, and I had a hard time choosing from all the beautiful work. Her mastery of her medium is enviable, and her talents don't stop at painting. Enjoy reading about how she started, her workspace, and what inspires her. So without further ado...

Michele, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am 44 and live with my partner, 16 year old daughter and an adopted serial killer cat called Gimlet in Sudbury, Suffolk. I grew up in London, and the only thing I cared about as a child was reading books and drawing pictures. When I abandoned school at 16 I had vague ideas about becoming an artist, but was firmly talked out of it by people who knew better. In the early '80s, unless you were really academic girls were just channelled into caring professions or secretarial work. For years I gave up my art dreams, worked in offices and a selection of boring jobs. Although I gave up drawing, I was still very artistic, making clothes, jewellery and trying an enormous amount of different crafts. At age 34 I became overnight a single parent to a seven year old and found myself with no money, property or career. Something just snapped and I literally had nothing to lose. I was going to be an artist, and wasn't going to listen to anyone who said I couldn't do it (which was rather a lot of people).

As well as art, you also do commercial illustration. How did you get into that?

When I first went back into art, I attended one of those free seminars run by the council, where you could get advice from a practising artist. She told me straight away my style suited illustration work and encouraged me to go down this route. Years later, the first company I illustrated for contacted me out of the blue, they just phoned me up (which sounds like luck, and it was to some extent, but I like to think we make our own luck). This led to occasional projects for a design company. It has been great to do illustration work and I enjoy it, but I would never do it exclusively. People have romantic ideas about doing illustration work but the reality can mean long hours, ridiculously tight deadlines, loss of copyright and of course there is far less artistic freedom involved when working to someone else's criteria. I am very happy to include it in as a part of what I do.

What inspires you and why?

Artistically I am inspired by lots of different things. Natural subjects, birds, flowers, seashells and simple things that make me happy to look at. I love folk art and patterns too, these often find their way into my mosaic and printmaking practice. Although artists are supposed to ban all thoughts of commerciality, I am afraid in the real world I need to make money, so its a balance between what sells, and what I like to paint, I aim to combine the two quite happily. I teach others to paint, and am often inspired by the work they produce. I give them a subject, and they just knock me out with their take on it, and I go home thinking "Wow, I want to paint that subject now too."

Those of us who follow your blog have marvelled at your lovely new studio. How's it going in there?

I am pleased to say it is absolutely fabulous and has far exceeded my expectations. When we built it I was sad that I couldn't afford brick, worried that wood wouldn't be warm enough, dry enough to store my works on paper or cold (I detest cold). But now I literally would not change it, there is not an ounce of damp, it is a lovely warm, organic place to work. Unfortunately I spend far too little time in it producing artwork, but the reality of a job in art is a whole lot of admin, the classes I teach take up a particularly large amount of time. Its still a billion times better than working in a stuffy office though, and after years of struggling on the dining room table, I am incredibly grateful to my boyfriend who built it for me. His faith in me as a person is unwavering and every day I seek to live up to it.

What's lined up for the near future?

I am currently working on some large paintings for a local exhibition, some prints for a printmakers exhibition and organising a first joint exhibition in October for myself and my frankly terrified Saturday class students. Having reached the point where I have so little time to produce new work, I am now starting to market prints hence my latest venture, my shop on Folksy. I intend to find new venues to market prints and cards over the next year. Doing the illustration work has opened my eyes to the possibility of marketing more illustrative products too, and I hope to do more stuff aimed at children. I am also working on a line of prints which will fit into standard ready-made frames, which I hope will lead to more sales. I am also hopeful of teaching a once a year painting holiday in the Mediterranean sometime in the near future. Plus world domination obviously.

And finally... Rich Tea or HobNob?

I am afraid I am slightly wheat intolerant so I will have to abstain :-)

Thank you Michele Webber for such an great interview. Once again I encourage you all to visit her shop and her blog. Please do comment, follow, and get in touch if you would like to be interviewed.

Weekend painting

2011-09-11T20:00:00.005+01:00

It is with some shyness that I show some of my paintings today, possibly because tomorrow I am publishing my interview with the extremely talented Michele Webber, who puts me in the shade. Her paintings are breathtaking, as is her website and blog... but more of that tomorrow. I have picked up the watercolours again after a long time away from them. Here are some of the results:

I've shown the way I work with the painting of the Great Tit, above. I started with a light pencil sketch, then I filled in the body with the lightest background colours, paying careful attention to the highlights. When that dried I could start filling in the darker areas. It was great to see it slowly come to life, I had lots of fun with these. Not sure what to do with them, they could make good christmas presents. The other bird is a Pekin Robin, found in parts of Asia and Africa. Although when I looked it up, it seems much more colourful than the version I drew from (I worked from a bird book).

One of my faults when watercolour painting is being too heavy handed, my pictures often become too dark, even though I avoid black. I'm also guilty of rushing, not changing my water often enough and not cleaning my palette enough, but today I was on my best behaviour. I do have some bad examples of today's work to show you, but I'm far too cowardly to include them. Maybe I could do a feature on bad work in the near future...

Carly and I walking over stones, Cromer 2011

Peterborough boundaries

2011-09-09T14:08:00.007+01:00

I couldn't believe it when I opened my emails today and saw the word for the latest Illustration Friday brief: Boundaries. Nine times out of ten I will create something from scratch in a response to the given word, but this week I have been working on an idea for a cushion design and it fits perfectly with the brief.

I live in Peterborough, UK, as some of you may know, and just lately I have had the urge to create art that is themed around my home city. I moved to Peterborough when I was 7, my parents returned there after having lived in north London for some time. They are both Peterborians, and made the move back up here just before my younger brother arrived on the scene. Only the other day we were reminiscing about the drive up: Mum heavily pregnant and driving a packed car, which included two cats that kept wriggling out of the baskets to snuggle up on the back parcel shelf...
Sometimes it's easy to be negative about where you live. I can be guilty of it, and at least once a week someone at work will make a dry remark about Peterborough's many faults. Ironically when I came back here after university I was desperate to leave as soon as possible. That was a while ago now...
I decided I wanted to make some art that showed Peterborough as a good place to be. This is a cushion cover design which I may send to Spoonflower and get made. (If you've never visited Spoonflower, take a look, the idea behind the site is ingenious.)
To finish: Five facts you may not know about Peterborough:

A small snippet of the James Bond film Octopussy was filmed there (at the beginning when the clown falls into the water? That's Orton Mere).
Catherine of Aragon is buried here.
At least two novels are set in Peterborough - A Small History Of Tractors In Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka, and A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.
Peterborough Cathedral is featured in the frieze that runs around the top of the Albert Hall in London.
What's thought to be the oldest wheel in Britain was found at Peterborough.

Bet you weren't expecting to trawl through all this when you clicked on the I.F. link, were you?

Don't forget to come back on Monday for my interview with Michele Webber, artist, a very talented lady who kindly allowed me to delve into her life for this blog...

The Fun Fiasco - Lino Printing

2011-09-08T01:25:00.004+01:00

Today all my purchases arrived from ebay, so I was good to go with my lino printing! To say I was excited was an understatement. Now, before you read any further, there are some things you ought to know. Firstly, it's been a while since I've lino printed. As in years. Secondly, I don't have my own home, my own workspace or my own printing press. And thirdly, I'm not one to let the things mentioned in Secondly hold me back. So, without further ado...

Whilst cooking dinner I thought about the things I could do with my two small pieces of lino I had. I settled on two ACEO sized prints, one of Peterborough Cathedral which I can't seem to get enough of lately, and one which would meet a brief set by a collaborative I am part of, roartalent. We had to illustrate a holiday we had been on, so I decided to do fish and chips (I ate a lot of it in Cromer, the seaside town we went to).

I bought this tray for £1! Look how well it serves as somewhere to roll the ink! I'm pretty proud of my solution to the "no equipment, no space" hurdle.

I started carving Peterborough Cathedral, and I suddenly remembered how difficult lino can be. My admiration for the lino artists increased, and with it my doubt in my own abilities. I forged on though.
Here are the first few prints. I'm just getting used to the amount of ink, and the amount of pressure to apply ('pressure' meaning either going at it with a clean roller, or pressing my hands on the lino with all my weight. Technical stuff). This is my Peterborough Cathedral print.

So, the inevitable happened. Three times, actually. I rammed the blade of the lino-cutting tool into my middle finger. And I know the bandage looks like a slight overreaction, but believe me I tried an ordinary plaster, and lets just say it wasn't doing its job. I made a lot of mess. But I had just the thing to cheer me up...

Now for the fish and chips. I only have blue ink for now (in case you haven't guessed) but I'm looking forward to trying new colours. All in all, I'm pleased with tonight's effort: it's been a long time since I've done this, I've overcome shortage of space, shortage of equipment and shortage of non-bleeding fingers.
To round off I want to salute all the lino-printers out there who make AMAZING images that continue to wow me daily. I'm not there yet, but I will be!

Winds of change

2011-09-06T15:21:00.004+01:00

This morning I awoke to very strong winds rattling around the house, rain pattering at the glass and the sky through the curtains was a deep, pre-dawn blue: the mornings are getting darker. I love autumn, the only downside being the days that are suitable for cycling to work are getting scarcer.

I had a really good response to yesterday's interview, both in the comments box here and via email and the various forums I promote on. Thank you to all of those who commented, read or followed, and of course a big thank you to Gini's Boutique for being in the hot-seat. Don't forget to visit her shop! I've had a number of requests from people wanting to be interviewed too, which I'm delighted about. I hope to interview once a week on a monday, all being good and time allowing. If you have contacted me about this, I'll be in touch with you shortly to arrange a slot. I would like to vary the type of artist/maker I interview each week to keep things fresh.

In particular I'd love to interview a printmaker. This is an area I'm itching to get back into, I used to do a lot of lino printing, and I'm really excited about my materials on their way from ebay so I can get rolling again. There are a few printmakers out there whose work leaves me staggered by it's quality and beauty. I've always loved shapes, and the use of negative and positive space in image making.
Whilst I wait, here are some paper cuts to show you. 2 ACEO's: A cockerel and Peterborough Cathedral, one of my favourite buildings. And a birthday card I made for my darling dad. He loves gardening and I wanted to give him a special card. For someone who supposedly likes making things, I seem to buy far too many birthday cards.

It's never too late to contact me if you would like to be interviewed. I will tailor each interview to the individual. I'm not planning on giveaways or competitions but if you would like to have one featured, then I'm very open to including it.

http://www.hazeproductions.co.uk/

And one more thing: let me take the opportunity to plug the latest play to come out of the theatre company Haze Productions. They are based in Peterborough and profits go entirely to charity. Their main charity is the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (The company was created in memory of my sister Hazel Robinson who died from the disease in 2004) But they also raise money for other causes. Their latest production, the comedy Evil In Tents, is staged in Peterborough at the end of this month, please do check out their website for booking details. Here is the poster I designed for the production.

Interview - 5th September 2011

2011-09-05T10:42:00.008+01:00

Welcome, Louise Armitage!

Hello all, it's with great excitement that I unveil my first interview with Yorkshire-based crafter Louise Armitage, otherwise known as Gini's Boutique on Etsy. As some of you may know, I like a bit of crafting, sewing and illustration being my main outlets, as well as a cheeky bit of fimo here and there. It's a real pleasure to be involved with crafting communities like Folksy and Etsy, there are so many superb, unique objects to be found, and lots of lovely people. So I was thrilled when Louise contacted me off the forums, offering to be my first interviewee.

Not only does Gini's Boutique offer something truly unique in the form of her Dorset Buttons, but the main thing that struck me was her gift for photography, she just has that knack of showing her creations in the best light. My personal favourite of all her items is this beautiful bookmark - check out the colours and the workmanship, it's exquisite. Although it may not be there for much longer if you know what I mean, so click on this link sharpish while you can...

In the meantime, make yourself comfortable for the interview!

Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Louise Armitage, I’m 38 and I run an Etsy shop called Gini’s Boutique. I live in Yorkshire, England with my partner and my 2 year old daughter and I’m currently a stay at home mum. I sell all sorts of things in my shop from jewellery to baby gifts. I wanted to give a feel of browsing a little boutique gift shop and appeal to many different types of customers. My shop’s name is my nickname, Gini, which is short for ginger, my hair colour. I’ve been called it by my friends and family since a teenager. I like it, it’s a bit more individual than Louise.   

How long have you been crafting?

All my life! There’s never been a time that I can’t remember making things for myself and others. I still have a few Sindy doll clothes I made in the 70s! It’s an addiction with me, I can’t imagine life without being able to create. I even remember at ballet school collecting all the sequins that had fallen off costumes backstage and taking them home to make them into something else.

My studio is in our study at home and it’s packed to the roof with everything a crafter could ever want. You ask me to make it and I’ll surely have the materials to do it! And I love trying out new crafts, my items are always evolving and changing. I never get artist block, there’s too many things to try to run out of ideas.

 Clearly crafting is a passion of yours, what else do you love to do?

Definitely reading, I was a Librarian before I had my daughter, but my house has always looked like a library. I think I picked up the passion for books from my father, there were always books everywhere at home. I have hundreds of books in all sorts of subjects. Fictionwise I like kidult, fantasy, medieval mysteries and science fiction.
I also watch a lot of films. We have a home cinema and generally watch two or three films every week.   

Looking at your shop, you seem to specialise in Dorset buttons. What made you settle on this intricate little niche?

Me and Dorset buttons just clicked. I can’t say why but I just really love making them. I saw an article in a craft magazine years ago of some very simple Dorset buttons and had a go myself. I was instantly hooked. I soon worked out that I could design and make much more intricate patterns and use different threads to give different effects. I even got in touch with an old lady from Dorset who shared a couple of patterns with me. I thought that it’s a shame to keep them just as buttons for garments when they could look so nice as earrings, necklaces, bag charms, brooches etc.

I am very proud of the quality and variety of the buttons I create and (not to be big headed) but I think that I knock the socks of the other few people who have Dorset buttons on Etsy. It’s nice to have something that’s not saturated in the Etsy market too, no one else makes them into type of things I do.

And lastly they are such a portable craft that they go everywhere with me, I always have a button on the go tucked in my pocket, one day you may see me weaving a button at the bus stop, in a café, in the park……  

What advice would you give to people wanting to set up shop on Etsy?

Mmmm... I would say there’s a few things you need to do to make a start on a successful shop. Firstly make sure you have your shop name right before you sign up because you can’t change it once you’ve filled out the form, even if you only intend to buy to start with. Secondly your photographs have to be good quality. Imagine you were buying the item yourself, would you buy your item if you couldn’t see the whole product or see the quality up close? You don't even have to have an expensive camera. It took me quite a long time to learn how to do this, but it's worth it in the end. Thirdly it’s always good to have a unique product that no one else is selling but you need to bring attention to it. It can be time consuming but getting yourself known is key. Join teams, have a facebook fan page, get featured on blogs, get some business cards and leaflets printed, sign up to the newsletters and take advise from other Etsians, it all helps.  

And lastly… TV/movie star crush?

Now you got me there! I had to think about this one, erm, I would say possibly Johnny Depp, he’s still dishy even at 48. Although in real life I would say my lovely other half. Even after nearly twenty years he’s still the perfect man for me. Aw!

Thank you Louise for taking the time to be interviewed. Don't forget to swing by her shop and take a look for yourself! If you are an artist/maker and you would like to be interviewed on this blog, simply get in touch.

Mysterious...

2011-09-04T17:27:00.000+01:00

What a wonderful topic for this week's Illustration Friday brief. Forests are hotbeds of mystery: think about the far off sounds you hear in forests, the smells, the wind in the old, looming trees. And there's all the folklore and legends surrounding forests, in print and even on film: Hansel and Gretel, The Hobbit, Blair Witch... and what about the sound of a tree falling when there's no one to hear it?

Anyway, please do comment and follow, I have some really exciting news which is: tomorrow I will be publishing my first ever interview, with Yorkshire-based crafter Louise Armitage, otherwise known as Gini's Boutique. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and I'm so glad to finally get the ball rolling.

I'm looking for artists, illustrators and printmakers to interview, if you're interested, drop me a line and we can arrange something...

Journey with scissors...

2011-09-02T10:02:00.000+01:00

Here is some more work I have been doing this month for my project: Scissors Paper Pencil. I have been experimenting with paper cutting again, something I have always loved, ever since I was given a set of Jan Pienkowski books as a small child. This illustration on the left shows his beautiful work with silhouettes, and marbled backgrounds. Isn't it stunning? His work has captivated me for years. These days the art is dominated, quite rightly, by the likes of Rob Ryan and Kate Forrester. They are both so amazingly good at what they do I feel quite sheepish picking up the scalpel again, my efforts seem clumsy in comparison, but I just love doing it. The bottom right set of sketches was done in response to a email challenge set by Sandy Ackers, whose blog I subscribe to, she sends out little creative challenges that require nothing more than 15 minutes, some paper and pencil. I'm enjoying my project so much, not much in the way of final, polished work, but in terms of creative juices, it's top notch. Now I have this afternoon's I.F. brief to look forward to!

Disguise... and more...

2011-09-01T10:17:00.000+01:00

Could I be more late in submitting this week's response to Illustration Friday? Despite the rush I was anxious to enter this one, especially as I am still sticking to my project rules mentioned two posts ago. So, in adherence with my "scissors, paper and pencil only" rule, here is my submission. She's been waiting all night shrouded in that hood, watching, waiting... for what, we do not know. Created using a scalpel (come on, it's a blade!) and a piece of scrap paper.

Don't forget, you can contribute and join in! I want to find the time to upload more of my creations, and really push the limits of the materials I can use.

And, (drum roll please) guess what else? I won a competition on 99designs! It was a T shirt design contest, one of my favourite categories. Generally you are allowed more creative freedom than in some of the other categories, so I hang around there a lot. My entry was selected by the lovely people at Caspio to go on their staff T shirts. The essence of the brief was that they wanted a shirt that their employees would want to wear in and out of the workplace. I'm hugging myself with delight right now! What a feeling! If you have some digital design skills and want to have a go yourself, check out the website.

Scissors Paper Pencil: coffee time doodle

2011-08-22T15:17:00.001+01:00

So, here we are. This is me at my desk looking suitably haggard, I even managed to get the bad posture that sets in once the afternoon lethargy squats over me. I drew this on my afternoon coffee break.

My life drawing tutor once told me I had all the delicacy of a sledgehammer when drawing, and he's absolutely right, I am very decisive when I draw, and love nothing more than digging that graphite right into the paper and making a deep mark. Ahh, fantastic!

I think I'd like to create some art with scissors once I get the time. Watch this space!

Interestingly I didn't specify in my rules about the colour of the pencils or the paper. Might make for some interesting work...

Scissors Paper Pencil (and the I.F. brief)

2011-08-18T19:24:00.000+01:00

I have decided to set myself a grand project this month: named Scissors, Paper, Pencil. The idea is simple: these three things are the only things I can use to create art, for the next four weeks.

I think this has partly been borne out of the amount of uninspiring digital work I have churned out lately, both professionally and for pleasure. I adore my computer and the creative software that comes with it, but the trouble is I feel like I've lost touch with the creative process: the mucking around that gives birth to inspiring, "eureka" moments.

So, before I ramble on into infinity, here are the rules:

I can use pencil, paper, scissors/scalpel to create, and that's it. I was going to include glue, but hey, lets be spartan and keep it pure.
I am allowed to use my digital camera and computer purely to upload my work onto here, and nothing more.

That's pretty much it. I'm really excited, instead of feeling limited, my mind is suddenly opening up to a wealth of possibilities. I would have been stumped if I'd had unlimited resources, that or sat down in front of the trusty mac and stared at the Illustrator workspace like a mollusc for ages.

if you'd like to join me on this project, I would love that. Just leave a comment or nudge me in the direction of your blog, and I'll be sure to mention you in my next blog posts with links, if you would like that.

To all the Friday-ers out there: Here is my Illustration Friday piece, adhering to the outlines of my new project. Sorry for making you read all this ramble. Hugs.

Plaster for the city, to sooth the pavements gritty...

2011-08-10T11:33:00.000+01:00

This was stuck to the pavement in Cathedral Square in Peterborough's city centre. It made me smile as I was wheeling my bike through. For once I'd remembered my camera, as I often see funny objects on the pavement that I want to capture as I cycle along. My friend Karen is a photographer and collects pictures of combs she sees lying on the ground. I sent this to her, I knew she'd like it. For me it was a cheeky, bright little splodge of exuberance in a busy place.

Perennial

2011-07-22T13:36:00.000+01:00

I thought this week's Illustration Friday topic would herald my tentative return to pencil work nicely. Let's hope this 'acorn' of an idea will grow into a sturdy oak as I create more using pencil.

Incidentally, last night I finally got round to watching The Secret Of Kells, a beautiful Belgian-Irish animated film nominated for several awards. If you need some inspiration or just fancy a pretty little story, I urge you to take a look.

Stay...

2011-07-11T21:20:00.001+01:00

in a nice comfortable chair, surrounded by soothing music, fluffy towels, scented oils and lotions, and drift away...

My Illustration Friday piece. Thanks for looking!

Fresh from the weekend...

2011-07-11T21:01:00.000+01:00

...with a new poster design. The Peterborough Festival has in fact just finished, but here's what would have happened if I had been able to design the poster. Poster design is a chief love of mine, and I'm trying to push myself in new directions and come up with concepts I normally shy away from. I'm really pleased with this, I think it has a circusy feel.

99...

2011-06-21T12:01:00.000+01:00

I'm on 99designs.com, a great site to pick up new briefs, expand your portfolio and get some feedback. Here is a design I submitted for a German kindergarten who was looking for a fresh, funky design for the children to wear.

Last night...

2011-06-09T09:01:00.000+01:00

Mum took me along to what we thought was a poetry reading, in Helpston, to the cottage of John Clare, no less. £5, including a glass of wine, not bad. When we arrived with two friends, and spied the pieces of paper and pencils strewn about on tables, we quickly realised this was not going to be a sit-back-and-listen sort of evening. The poet cheerfully explained that to celebrate the launch of her new collection it would be more fun if we all wrote our own poems instead of listening to hers.

I've not written poetry since I was a kid, but the evening was so great, I felt like something long dormant inside had been woken up again. Now I think I have an idea for that lined notebook Karen bought me.

Poolpardon

Poolpardon's legs stretch outwards

Bones crack, soothed by shaded grass

The nodding off heads of cottages

Sit in the road

Smoothing over

New ideas

The chaos is not far off

But no bustle for us, no din.

We're scared of being swallowed.

It's been a while...

2011-05-01T12:05:00.000+01:00

But I have by no means been idle. I'm enjoying this unexpected early summer the UK has been blessed with, as well as attending some job interviews, which needless to say is exciting and galvanising. I have also become much more involved with Haze Productions, they are a ragtag theatre company I did some voluntary design work for. I also ended up getting roped into the production, playing the murderous scullery maid, of all things. Anyway, we were all stunned and pleased when we raised over £2000 for the CF trust. So now we're decided to take things a bit more seriously and become a proper company. Exciting times. I'm designing their new poster for the next production. This is the 3rd or 4th poster I've done and I love doing them. I drew inspiration from the Carry On film posters, as this play is a farce with plenty of bottom pinching, nudge nudge wink wink etc. Hopefully I can get back into the Illustration Friday briefs again soon now my life is slightly more settled.

This is the unfinished poster.

Competition piece

2011-02-27T12:30:00.001Z

This is a spread I have submitted to a London magazine, as part of their illustration competition. The spread is about making use of green space and greenery in cities. I'm personally pleased with it- hopefully they will like it too. I've always liked squares and pictures that bring together several elements.

The deadly swarm

2011-02-26T19:43:00.001Z

Okay, I don't want anyone to think I'm in the habit of spewing negativity onto my blog. Call this a cleansing exercise rather than a cry for help. When I saw the word 'swarm' for this week's Illustration Friday brief, nothing really came to mind despite my best efforts, and I thought I might give this week a miss. Until this morning, when this idea crept into my mind...

With all that's going on in the economy at the moment, I won't deny that sometimes the negative demons come thick and fast, after I haven't had interest after my latest promotion drive, or after I've heard nothing about the billionth job application I've sent off. I hope I'm not alone here, being a freelancer can be a lonely and daunting experience, and if we're not careful, we can all be victims of "the swarm". So, here is me, beset by the swarm of nasty thoughts. Perhaps someone can draw me a suitable weapon to beat them back?

This is rushed and purely done for fun rather the portfolio. Better than nothing though. Enjoy!

Workspace

2011-02-26T12:30:00.000Z

I'll be moving out of my rented garret soon, and I'll be sad to go. So I decided to immortalise my workspace in this photograph. Interiors fascinate me, in fact a lot of my scrap-booking includes fantastic interiors that have caught my eye. Especially if they offer a glimpse into one's life. So, here you are, here is glimpse of me. It's not much, but it's mine. In the corner you can just see the orange blob in a tank, that's Charlie, my faithful goldfish who swims to the bedside to say good morning every day. He's coming up to 18 this year, an impressive age, and I'm currently working on a comic about he and I, purely for fun. Maybe I'll put it on here one day.

Illustration Friday. Layers... of custard.

2011-02-20T18:40:00.002Z

This is my I.F piece on the theme "Layer"

I did think about sensible things like geological cross-sections of the earths crust... but then thought of trifle. I don't even like trifle (soggy cake, wrong) but they are pretty to look at. Do take a look at my elephants below as well, they are a slightly different approach for me.

And now for something completely different...

2011-02-20T17:39:00.000Z

Some wrapping paper I did today. Quite different to my normal style, well, if I'm honest, this is what my doodles usually look like when I'm messing about with a pencil. For once I decided they would survive the digital process. I was talking with my friend Imogen Hudson yesterday- she designs beautiful greetings cards as well as other things. Have a look at her shop where a lot of her beautiful things can be found for sale.

Canterbury Tales

2011-02-16T10:50:00.000Z

This was a brief set by the illustration collaborative I am a part of, Roartalent. An illustration for The Canterbury Tales. The wife of Bath captures my imagination, such a free, tenacious character. Here is my cover. With much more time I could have done swathes more for this, after all, you don't get much richer subject matter than The Tales.

Re-vamped

2011-02-10T08:27:00.000Z

These re-done pieces were old, and had been kicking around my hard- drive for some time. They date back to the days when I was very suspicious of creative software, and I mainly used Photoshop as a compositional tool, arranging scans and maybe altering the colour here and there. Here they are, re-vamped and looking much crisper. The fox was one of the first things I ever stencilled and scanned in. I love foxes, as seen in the previous post! If you've read either of these books, and have any thought or feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

P.S- my birthday on Saturday. Excitement...

Would you?

2011-01-16T21:38:00.001Z

Here is my I.F. piece on the theme 'chicken.' An enterprising fox has set up his own cabbie service. I'm not sure how this came about! In time I would like to replace the font with my own- even though I do love Rosewood Std.

Some photography

2010-10-28T06:57:00.001+01:00

These are some photos I shot at the weekend, they started out as a 'what if...' idea for greetings cards. It was wonderful to get Grandad's dollhouse down from storage and marvel over all the little things I used to play with. And some of the more 'retro' pieces I used to discard, I now have a greater appreciation for. Anyway I ordered some from the printers, and put them on my other blog, and people seem to like them. They all have captions but I've just put the photos up here. A slight deviation from my normal illustration work, but oh well!

The hardest thing about them was the poor light you get in dollhouses (that and working with just a standard digital camera), and in fact the bathroom one is shot on my parent's windowsill.

Racing car- go go go girl!

2010-10-23T13:44:00.000+01:00

Here is my latest Illustration- a racing car! This was such fun, and I think I might put it on a greetings card for when I launch my new range GhostGhoose- coming soon. Check out my other blog for stuff I make. This week I've also seen sales of my earrings go up- early christmas shopping spurt? Either way it's put a smile on my face- I make earrings for fun so I'd do it sales or no sales, but to know that other people like them is a real boost. Maybe it's my frame of mind to blame for the bright cheery colours in this weeks I.F. submission!

New birthday card

2010-10-20T15:07:00.000+01:00

Here is a birthday card- the first of many I am producing, in the hope soon of starting a new shop on folksy. I thought about putting my card designs in my existing shop.

But in the end to make for a clearer selection I've decided to open a new shop, so watch this space. The existing shop SweetSuzy will continue to be solely for my handmade items. Do browse if you have a spare minute and you can see how I happily waste my saturdays, making plushies and hot dog earrings. The Giant Cuddly Ice cream Cone has created quite a stir on deviant art. :)

I was thinking of calling my greetings card/stationary shop Ghost Goose. I love alliteration, and the name was inspired by a line in the radio 4 comedy play Bleak Expectations- "My Geese! My lovely Ghost Geese!"

Lastly- thank you so much to people that have commented on my 'Spooky' I.F. entry- I'm relatively new to running a blog and I'm super pleased people are actually looking at it and I'm not rambling into an empty void! Thank you!

Spooky

2010-10-17T22:10:00.001+01:00

Here is my Illustration Friday entry- the word this week being 'Spooky." Quite a toughie, in the end I decided to have fun with an interior- I love rooms, so much fun creating someone's little world in a box. This witch takes after myself- leaves mugs of almost-drunk tea lying around...

Headingham, Essex

2010-08-20T10:44:00.000+01:00

This is an oil painting I completed recently for a friend. It is a street in the small town of Headingham in Essex.

Some silly fluff

2010-06-30T08:42:00.001+01:00

Mmm, I love strawberries and cream, cream is my major weakness. This piece comes from a random daydream I had, perhaps influenced by watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland recently. Enjoy!

Veggie time and new website

2010-06-27T22:07:00.000+01:00

Back after a huge absence. This is some new promotional material which also makes me feel very healthy just looking at it. I think peppers, as well as being delicious, are so beautiful, they always catch my eye in the supermarket and I love chopping them up raw and nibbling on them as they are. Yum...

Also I am pleased to announce I have a new website up and running, which you find by clicking the link on the right. Very excited...

Parade

2009-05-14T22:35:00.001+01:00

Here is my illustration Friday piece for "Parade". Ta-daaaaa!

Inspiration sprouting

2009-05-11T17:51:00.000+01:00

So, as I went downstairs to make two cups of tea, I was thinking about blogs in general, particularly about the phrase "little patch of cyberspace..."

It's like having a garden, I thought to myself. Or an allotment. I mean, you tend it, you update it, people can come and admire it and spend time in it... the image began to form in my head, I grabbed the mugs and sprinted upstairs.

"I've just emerged from my creative block", I shouted to Kate. "Hooray!"

Pleased to meet you

2009-05-03T16:40:00.000+01:00

I've finally taken the step and emerged into the world of blogging. Hannah Robinson, illustrator extraordinaire, among other things. Have a good explore as I slowly add to this little patch of cyber-space I can call home.