Oscar Wilde

illustration friday : HATCH

“People who count their chickens before they are hatched, act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately”

Check that for a tedious link. This is a drawing of Oscar Wilde for this weeks illustration friday topic "Hatch". To be honest, I just wanted an excuse to draw Oscar Wilde. Mainly because he has such cool hair and a fur coat.

I done a drawing for emily.

Unbalanced

This weeks illustration friday topic was 'Unbalanced'.

I went with the first thing that came to mind just so I could fit in the bowerbirds again. I'm really enjoying just painting and adding in detail later, losing obvious outlines. My only problem is being able to do it on a dark background. I'd like to be able to have the crispness and contrast of something like this -

But I fear he uses more than watercolours.

The Vogelkop Bowerbird

The Vogelkop Bowerbird spends it's entire life building a structure around the base of a tree. He lines it with moss and displays things which he collects outside in a meticulously constructed arragement. It is essentially a love shack, not a nest.

The quality of his display and bower determine whether or not he will get a mate. And that is brilliant.

I've not posted for about two weeks now I think. I've been massively busy with my band's new EP, recording & mixing etc... But I should be back into the usual routine this week so all is well.

This is the cover I painted for the EP, which I'm pretty pleased with.

www.myspace.com/owlandtheechoes

Hunting

This is a painting I have literally just finished. I'm pretty pleased with it. I would be more pleased if I'd have come up with the composition myself, but alas I didn't.

As you can see, It's massively influenced by a Julie Morstad painting pictured here.

IF - Frozen

I enjoyed this weeks Illustration Friday topic. It is the perfect summary of my weekend.

I stayed up in Carlisle with my lovely girlfriend whos house is always bloody freezing, it's a big old Georgian thing with sinlge glazed windows, no carpets and the heating is never on.

We spent the whole time under a duvet, shivering and watching films.

Karen Ann Myers

Karen Ann Myers has some new paintings up on her website, which are absolutel amazing. I think I love everything about them. The patterns (as always) are incredible, the use of flat colour mixed up with shade. It's all wonderful.

I particularly love how unconfortable some of them make you feel, but you can't quite put your finger on why. It gives me the same sense of uncertainty as Edward Hopper's work does. Which is no bad thing at all.

I discovered her because of this painting (but I can't remember where I found it.) It actually inspired a song I wrote, which is probably the most pretentious thing ever but, meh. Just because I am THAT art school.

What I Wore Today - 14/10/09

Here is another "What I Wore Today" for the flickr group.

That is all.

IF - Flying

Blllerrrugh. Again, I haven't found the time to do anything particularly exciting this week for Illustration Friday, although it's an improvment on last weeks non existent efforts. I think that it is safe to say that I have lost any trace of working efficiently that I had last month. Oh dear oh dear.

Here is an owl.

twit
twoo

Melted Negatives

Here are some old burnt / melted / distorted / ruined negatives.

I bought a new scanner wot does film and everything last week, which is outrageously exciting. Apparently it's going to save me money getting stuff developed and scanned, but I still managed to spend £12 on three films today.

The Lighthouse Children

I thought, as I've just posted bits from my new book, I'd post the first book I did up aswell.

You can see the whole thing

HERE!

^ clicky ^ click ^ click ^

Charlie and the Wind

I started a new book yesterday. I have been wanting to for a while, but couldn't decide on a story. Here is my progress so far, the first two pages painted and scanned.

I still am yet to decide on a story, so I might just make it up as I go along. I'm sure that's how most authors work.

Vintage Guitars

A bit off topic. But here is my lovely new(ish) guitar! I don't feel it's been fully appreciated by anyone since I've had it so I figured that I'd put it out on the internet.

It has been lying around the college art room for years, gathering dust and paint and fingerprints. I was given it as a sort of leaving present from my art teacher. I sanded it all down, re painted it, fitted a new neck and bridge and cleaned up the electrics. So aside from the cracked scratchplate and the earth wire hanging out, it's as good as new.