Peculiar Bliss - Issue five

Big smiles before I jet off tomorrow! My illustration features in issue five of Peculiar Bliss magazine, the theme of which is 'Process'. Take a peek at the the magazine to see a great collection of work : )

Florida holiday!

I'm off to Florida in the morning! I'm very excited for the sun, fun and rollercoasters. I'll be back in 10 days, so no posts until then. Enjoy the bank holidays!

A drawing while...

 

This is my submission for a great collaborative project Blanket magazine are running at the moment called 'A drawing while...', as part of the launch of their new look website and first printed edition of the magazine.My piece is 'A drawing while lost in a secret garden', filled with hand inked florals bursting out from the wrought iron gate that leads you into the lush wonderland. Let's hope the lovely people at Blanket magazine like my illustration and decide to feature it. Fingers crossed!

'Getting there' illustration

A little preview of the latest piece I'm working on 'Getting there'...all about the frenetic London underground. Above and below it's a busy, bustling place, which lends itself to my mix of energising pattern. The finished piece will follow, however due to a laptop meltdown (I'm typing this on my Dad's computer) it may take a little longer than usual. Even a pen lover and hand drawn geek like myself sorely misses my technology when it's gone!

Commission Quest - Stylist magazine - Part 3

5.) Compose a friendly and gently persuasive letter to the art editor championing your work and suggesting that it would be a wonderful idea for them to commission you. Decide to take the magazine format one step further and make the letter into the pages of the magazine. Take into Photoshop to add borders, page numbers etc to give a suitably professional finish.

 

6.) Think of a way of telling the art editor a little more about yourself and conveying your personality in a fun and dynamic way. Decide to echo Stylists last page format of a Q&A interview, make yourself the interviewee and relax because of the guarantee that there will be no difficult questions because you're also the interviewer! 

 

7.) Send your files to the friendly local printers and have your piece trimmed, folded and stapled into your very own magazine! Face a minor setback, when you proudly show your bespoke illustrated Stylist to a family member who finds a single typo on the last page! Immediately know you can't possibly send a flawed piece of work after all the graft you have put into it and send it back to the printers mistake free. Remind yourself to always get someone else to proof read your work in the future!

 

8.) Carefully put the magazine into a white padded envelope and neatly display the address on the front. Take to the post office and send it on its first class recorded journey to the Stylist offices and hope that it arrives safe and sound. Feel satisified that you have done as much as possible to get yourself noticed and simply wait and see what happens.

Of course I will keep you posted on any news. Until then keep your fingers crossed for me! 

Peculiar Bliss submission - Process

This is my submission for the lovely online magazine Peculiar Bliss. The theme of their fifth issue is 'Process', which was an interesting brief to work to. I found it a challenge to illustrate my chosen subject of the 'creative process', but with the help of a scientific experiment and a few handy symbols I think I managed it!

Totummy - The Publishers Club zine launch

I'm really pleased to say that my submission for The Publishers Club first collaborative zine, Totummy, was selected! I went to the launch on Saturday at Cord Bar in the Northern Quarter and picked myself up a copy, the front cover of which was live screen printed in gorgeous gold by one69a with Simon Wild's cover illustration. Simon was one of four illustrators' (the others being Daren Newman, Lesley Barnes &  Stephen Chan) invited to design covers for the zine and they all looked great. The launch of the zine ran alongside the Inkygoodness Live Draw Tour, which saw illustrators and artists invited to design their own 6ft wooden totem poles! To find out more about Totummy check out this interview on Design Week and for photos of the zine and event check out Ammo magazine's photostream. Thanks to Bec Brown, Julian James, Dave Hughes and Gordon Reid of The Publishers Club for making it happen. I'm really proud to be a part of it.

Post Darling

 

This is my little contribution to a project called Post Darling, which celebrates the traditional method of mailing post in a world of ever increasingly digital media. It has obviously struck a cord as the founder of the project has received postcards from all over the world and has plans to create a book of all that she receives, which I would love to see. Creating my postcard gave me a chance for a bit of playful doodling in classic monochrome and will soon be on its way to London.

Commission Quest - Stylist magazine - Part 2

1.) Identify a magazine that you personally love (which your boyfriend is duty bound to pick up for you on his way home from work!) and that prides itself on original and different front covers = Stylist magazine. Begin elaborate plan to get your work featured in the publication or at least get you noticed!

 

 2.) Create a bespoke front cover in your hand drawn illustrative style, taking your trusty fineliner on an adventure to capture all the wonderful things that Stylist covers, everything from fashion and film to travel and beauty tips. Scan into Photoshop and add pops of bright, fresh colour to reflect the nearing of Spring/Summer and to catch the eye of the Art Director!

3.) Design a beautifully penned logo containing your all important contact information and hope it will come in handy for the lovely people at Stylist magazine!

4.) Put together to create a beautiful magazine cover ready for printing that will eventually contain a witty and charming letter to the Art Director all about your work and why they should commission you!

I'll be back with an update on said letter and the finished bespoke magazine to send on its merry way to the Stylist offices.

The Publishers Club - Zine submission

 

This is my submission for The Publishers Club first collaborative zine.The piece had to be based around the theme of totems and I chose the owl to represent my clan...illustrators. Our traits of burning the midnight oil to meet a deadline, our often solitary working environment and the need to hunt down our next commission all relate to that of an owl. I only hope I can capture some of their beauty in my aesthetic! Fingers crossed that my submission gets selected.  

Commission Quest - Stylist magazine - Part 1

This is the first installment of a new series of posts called 'Commission Quest', which will chart my progress as I aim to create original ways and custom made pieces to try and get commissioned. If success doesn't follow at least I'll have had some fun along the way! Not to mention some swanky new additions for my portfolio!

Above is a sneeky peek of my first 'Commission Quest' to tantalise the creative tastebuds. I will be back next week with the full details and the finished work. Have a nice weekend!

Follow me on Twitter!

I'm proud to say after being the Queen of procrastination in regards to social media I have finally joined the wonderful world of Twitter. So it would be wonderful if you followed me. Check out my profile here

Pattern Design & Beyond

I am pleased to announce the e book from Pattern People about all things surface pattern design is to be released for download on February 24th. The book features some of my work and I can't wait to take a look at all the other designers that are included. To find out more about 'Pattern Design & Beyond just follow this link.

Artist Rachael Elwell

 

A good friend of mine, Rachael Elwell is currently the artist in residence at the Touchstone Gallery in Rochdale. The residency is taking place during Rachael's first solo UK exhibition, The Capacity Of Line. As you can see I am not the only one with a love of fineliner!Check out more of Rachael's beautiful and intricate drawings here.

Latest work!

My latest piece for the editorial section of my portfolio. It's about all things antique and vintage that are now at our fingertips because of the wonder that is the internet! I certainly don't know what I would do without it! As my illustrations always start out as a monochrome creation I thought I would show you the 'before' and 'after' ... listen to me I'm coming over all Blue Peter!

MOSI visit

I wanted to share some of the photographs I took this weekend on my visit to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It's a fantastic treasure trove of a museum right on my doorstep, so I thought it was high time for a visit and a perfect chance for some fresh inspiration. My recent work has led me to focus more on organic forms, which I thoroughly enjoy, but I also have a fascination and love of the manmade things in life such as architecture, maps, machinery, gadgets and gizmos. I came away brimming full of ideas and totally energised. I can't wait to see what comes from it all!

Cupboard Love complete!

This is the second part of the mock up editorial piece I have been working on for my portfolio. As I have read many a time, context is key for showing clients the potential for placing work. Let's hope this can make an impression when it's printed up nicely on some crisp white paper and lovingly mounted up in my beautiful, new, purple leather portfolio.

Food glorious food!

 

'Cupboard love' is on the move. Finished images to follow...with colour and pop to make things look much more juicy and delicious! I find Mondays always take a while to get going....but thankfully the pen started to flow this afternoon and I now have a few busy days ahead.

Cupboard Love

A little something I've been working on for my portfolio. It combines two of my most favourite things in life....drawing and food. Perfect!

3 in 1 card!

A little card I made to celebrate three fantastic things....a birthday, a new house, and an engagement all rolled into one! It's a good start to 2011 for the recipients of this card!

Work in progress

  

I can't believe this is my first post of 2011! I've been slacking! Anyway here's a sneak peek at a little something I'm working on at the mo. All in order of perking up my portfolio! Some pictures of the finished piece will follow.