On 25th August Art Rookie are holding a networking event for creatives at the wonderful art gallery and members club Lights of Soho. I’m excited (and a little nervous!) to be live drawing at this event alongside two other illustrators.
RSVP to info@artrookie.co.uk for the guest list.
To coincide with World Hepatitis Day on 28th July, Art on A Postcard and Culture Label launched a £10 postcard lottery. Lottery tickets are on sale until 1st September. Tickets offer you a chance to win a postcard sized original artwork by artists including Daisy Emerson, Robbie Porter, Jon Burgeerman, Jake & Dinos Chapman. And me! My print and painting “Dream Painting Blue Indigo” is one of the prizes.
Go to this link for more information and tickets http://bit.ly/22Y4cTL
My paper artwork featured in the Monochrome with a Dash of Colour. I was commissioned to make paper headpieces based on willow pattern dishes, a pair of huge juicy paper lips and a big pop art flash sign saying “TAT”. Here it is in print:
When I’d just completed the headpieces:
The making of the lips and TAT sign:
Initial sketches:
Here is another Little Free Library, my third one, this time for Runnymede Swimming Pool in Essex. They asked for a swimming theme which I really enjoyed putting together. I painted a synchronised swimming team on each side, a happy floating man with his belly sticking up on the back and a pattern of assorted swimmers on the top, complete with a little dog doing doggy paddle. I’ve been a bit tardy posting this as it was erected in September last year! I hope it’s still being enjoyed by all the visitors.
I think these characters would make a lovely pattern, especially as something like a gift wrap.
I think the character in the spotty bathing suit was my favourite to draw:
Although I really liked this guy too!
Here is a page from my sketchbook with some of the original drawings:
You can see the library in situ on Little Free Library’s twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/LFLProject/status/641586876793679873
Plaque for Creekmouth Village.
I am thrilled that the Creekmouth Village plaque has been erected. This is the first time I’ve ever seen my name engraved on steel! I was commissioned to draw a populated map illustration and illustrated story panels for a commemorative plaque at the site of Creekmouth village in London. This is certainly one of the most unusual “friendly infographic” pieces I’ve done!
The illustration has been engraved into a steel plate and mounted on a concrete plinth in the Creekmouth Open Space. Creekmouth Village was built on the banks of the Thames in east London by victorian agricultural scientist Sir John Bennet Lawes, for workers at his fertiliser factory, and was destroyed in the 1950s by flooding. A regeneration project was started in 2005 and there is now a park (Creekmouth Open Space) on the banks of the river. For more information about Creekmouth see the Creekmouth Preservation Society http://creekmouth.net/ The agency for this project was the design studio http://objectif.co.uk who did the design, lettering and layout of the plaque. This project was unusual as, given the size of the plaque and the level of detail, I largely worked on computer only – drawing directly on my Wacom tablet rather than drawing in pen then scanning and editing.
The engraved illustration in situ:
The map drawing:
The panels:
Some details from the map:
Time has whizzed by and I haven’t yet shared my postcards from this year’s RCA secret. It’s always a great event, the money raised from the sale of cards goes to support the Royal College of Art students and the possibility of scooping up a little piece of work that you love is brilliant!
These are my three cards in acrylic paint, printing ink and pen and ink. Two for the London show, one for the Dubai show. I was thrilled that the buyers from the London show both got in touch.
A wedding is a fantastic excuse to make patterns! I made this floral repeat pattern “Wild Summer Garden” with a textured, vintage look in two different colours as the background for my wedding invitations.
I didn’t make the show for Secret 7″ this year. They received 7000 entries so I don’t feel too bad about this especially as I was really pleased with the pieces I drew – sleeves for At Last, Worry and Dream 3. http://secret-7.com/
The Drawing Dave exhibition of… well… drawings of Daves… launches tomorrow night (Tuesday 10th May) at Aceface Barbers, Bristol Street, Birmingham.
If you’re in the area go and take a look, there’s a limited edition beer by Two Towers Brewery and drawings by 50 artists and it looks like a great venue. After the exhibition the work will be available to buy via auction with all proceeds going to Pancreatic Cancer UK. You’ll find all the details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/515791541958396/
Here’s what the curator has to say:
“An exhibition of ‘Daves’ drawn by 50 artists to support Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Following the death of the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ star Roger Lloyd Pack in 2014, Pancreatic Cancer UK launched a national fundraiser ‘Call Everyone Dave Day’ inspired by the character that Roger famously played.
As part of this fundraising initiative artist Dan Genders is raising money for the charity by inviting artists, illustrators and celebrities to draw a famous Dave that will be sold via a silent auction. Dan is working with curator, Trevor Pitt, to organise an exhibition of the Dave artwork at the Secret Cellar, which is part of AceFace Barbers on Bristol Street, Birmingham.
The public will be able to view the exhibition at AceFace from 10th to 14th May 2016. Following the exhibition all the artwork will be available to buy via an eBay auction with all the funds going directly the charity.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/drawingdave ”
It’s fun to have a project that’s close to your heart and it doesn’t get much closer than my own wedding.
It turns out I’m a very easy client, it’s almost like I knew what was inside my head! My fiance was entirely relaxed about it apart from not fancying the script font I’d picked out for the words Save the date. A “no fake curly writing” rule has been applied. I was happy to use a more scuzzy, urban font instead. The ceremony will be in the middle of a city and it will be a fairly non-traditional wedding so this feels right.
I chose fresh, sweet colours to reflect the early summer date and our reception being near the green airiness of a large park. Hand made textures seemed important for a sense of the rustic handmade. I made some textures with my printing rollers and various sorts of paper and stencil, then overlaid everything in Photoshop. Collectively it’s a gentle hint at what the day will be – summery, London-y, a little bit rustic, non-traditional.
And here it is. Names changed to protect the innocent!
