Mark and Nick's big f*ck off rock night.

I am now an official, professional illustrator. I have just been commissioned(ish) by Mark from The Brickyard in Carlisle, to draw a poster for an upcoming night he's putting on. It's all very exciting indeed. Here is what I have made.

Borders and flowers

I've spent a good chunk of today looking at various people's work and trying to work out what it is that makes it look so finished and professional. I have decided that borders and backgrounds make a massive difference. Something I never seem to bother doing.

I'm pretty pleased with how it has turned out, regardless of how immensely girly it is. I think it'll definitely work well on a postcard.

Clumsy : IF

I liked this week's Illustration Friday topic, there was a lot to do. Here is a quick watercolour I've done on the subject. It's kind of based on a very clumsy someone I know. I hope you enjoy it.

Yeats in a box

I have been very busy indeed lately, working on a set of new drawings and paintings. A few weeks ago now I went for a tea party with the owner of the very lovely vintage shop Ruby Blue in Carlisle, who is going to allow me to clutter up his shop with a box of my drawings.

I plan to fill it with postcards, greetings cards, badges, little books and zines as well original art work and various other bits and bobs. It's all very exciting. So if you're ever in Carlisle make sure you pop in and check it out.

This is a drawing of W.B Yeats for a book I am working on which will include various authors and poets etc.

Wilderness: IF

I was so excited by the prospect of drawing the "Wilderness" I ended up not really being able to think of anything. So here is what I came up with. It is also my first foray into digital art. I've recently been getting really into more graphic drawings without outlines, Blanca Gomez being a prime example. This is my first successful attempt, although drawing on a computer really doesn't feel like drawing. It feels like cheating.

Billy Bibbit

Here is a drawing of Billy Bibbit from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. He has really cool hair, and an equally cool name.

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.