New Online Portfolio!

I have a new online gallery of my work!  You can see it by going clicking on the button on the right that looks like this:

This blog will still be active, but I needed a more professional looking site to display my work.  And now I have one!  Go check it out.

The Newlyweds Waltz

You may remember a friends wedding I mentioned a while back.  Well we - the Hen Party - put together a little book to cheer them up in what one of the girls liked to call the 'Post-wedding Blues'.  I think she just meant the period after the madness of constant wedding planning and honeymooning and gift opening is over.  With the book, there would still be one more present to unwrap.

I know they both love folk music, in fact it was mainly those two that got me into it and introduced me to ceilidhs, so I decided to send them a song.  While cleaning my desk I found a bit of simple sheet music entitled 'The Newlyweds Waltz'.  How perfect!

I recorded it on my Tin Whistle, but felt like it needed some backing.  The easiest thing to do was hum... and then I started wondering how many layers of backing I could put on this thing!  In the end I sung three harmonising tracks and layered them up.  And here it is!

I'm aware the speed isn't consistent, and the next time I do this I'll have a metronome playing through my headphones to keep me steady, but otherwise I think it's pretty good!  I burned it to disc, added a label and fancy paper envelope, and sent it off to join the book.

Garden Harvest!

I don't know if you've noticed, but it seemed to be summer one day and autumn the next.  Admittedly I was still lounging in the sun well into September, but suddenly BAM, drizzle and wind.  Autumn is here again.

The long summer's done wonders for the garden though.  I've been trying to grow food this year, and I'm really pleased with what I achieved on my first try!  We've had a couple of crops going...

This tomato plant came from my housemates grandma, fully grown.  It's provided us with a steady crop of baby tomatoes all summer long, and is still growing new ones even though we're in October!  I've not bought a tomato since May, which is great because I love tomatoes, and these taste so much better than the ones from the supermarket.  Now for the things we tried growing on our own...

Le grand voyage Francais!

The other big trip that I did this summer was to the Loire Valley in France with my family.  It's a region famous for it's beautiful chateaus.  We stayed in a small gite (a cottage) near Chaumont sur Loire, surrounded by fields and fields of sunflowers.  The point was to relax but we're quite an active family so we'd regularly walk the half hour into town, baking hot in the cloudless sunshine, to fetch bread.

And of course we visited a lot of chateaux.  How could we not!  

The great UK tour!

When I'm away from the blog for too long, it usually means I've been on a grand summer holiday, and indeed I have!  Probably the most significant thing that happened was I went away for work.  We did a massive tour on UK universities and it took almost a month.  This was what my schedule looked like (red days was when I was away on tour, blue days I was away for some other reason):

It was manic.  That said, there were some very good things about it, one of which was the sheer amount of country I got to see.  It's been my ambition for a while to explore more of my home country, and this was a very convenient way to start!  Part of my job was to film things for the company website, but since I had a camera I inevitably ended up taking some footage that was only interesting to me!  I've put it into a reel - my memories of the trip from Plymouth to Newcastle.  I cut it as short as I could make it, but still it's 10mins long!  I also avoided my usual instinct to put music on there.  All these places sound different, and that's part of my memories too.  Most intoxicating of all was the sound of the sea, whenever we reached it, and I'm slightly preoccupied with the idea of the ocean even now.

It's interesting to me that in the biggest cities, I always wound up finding the quietest places to film.  I'm not really a city person, I think, so I'd always seek out a haven or find time to just sit and watch something still for a while.

When I get a chance, I'll attach a map to the bottom showing our route.  It's all very well naming places, but if you can't see where they are then it doesn't always sink in.  My geography has certainly improved since going on this adventure!

The Feral Fox-child

This feral fox-child has been pottering about in my mind for some time, catching rabbits and snarling from wooded corners.  Probably he just wanted me to draw him somewhere to live.  I have obliged.

A friend said that she sees a lot of me in his face, which is amusing ... but not wholly inaccurate!

So I'm gonna be a lazy bum...

... and just do a sketch dump, because I'm so busy right now, you guys.  It's just nuts.  So here you go...

Favourite's first - I've had this sitting on my desktop waiting to be coloured for ages.  I finally got it done!  Hopefully this will start a trend.

Next, a card for a friend's wedding.  Two friends actually.  Two amazing hippy-ish ceilidh-dancing friends who I love to bits got married to each other just last weekend.  I wish them all possible happiness.  And a houseboat.  This is the little wedding card I made for them. 

And lastly this random sketch from Greenbelt last year of a guy in a dinosaur onesie.  I don't know what it is, but if I were ever to get a onesie (which would be a dangerous thing to do as I'd never get out of it again) it would be a dino or dragon or some kind of giant lizard.

Oh, by the way...

I turned 25... several months ago.  Yeah, kinda missed that obvious blog post, but in my defence I was very busy.  Busy making party invites!!

Negative space. Oh yeah, I went there.  I'm actually very please that I managed to make the heroes all fit round the numbers so well.

Holiday diary: Day 2 in Aviemore

My full day in Aviemore today, and I've made the most of it.  The hostel is barely 10mins walk from the tran station and bus stops, so I caught the 31 up to the Cairn Gorm base station.  I met a guy from Switzerland who'd been heading to Inverness and got off the train here on a whim.  He had no map, no plan, and a will to birdwatch!  He decided to come too, and I left him at the base station.  I was taking the funicular railway to Ptarmigan station, just 120m below the summit of Cairn Gorm.  It's the sixth highest mountain in the UK, with neighbour Ben MacDui coming in second.  We could have seen Ben Nevis on a clear day, but there was some mild cloud haze that stopped us seeing the furthest visible peaks, 97 miles away!  It was a breezy 5 degrees Celsius when our guide John led us out onto the mountain.  

Looking down on Ptarmigan station, and Loch Morlich behind

Holiday diary: Day 1 in Aviemore

The trip to Aviemore took about two hours by train, crossing the Forth Bridge and then making our way north past Perth, out of the Lowlands and into the Highlands.  Suddenly the landscape got a lot more dramatic!  Blue and ruddy brown mountains loomed up, some of them with their heads in clouds, some of them with the clouds descending to smother both them and us!  However by the time we reached Aviemore the sun had come out and... it is beautiful here.

Holiday diary: Day 2 in Edinburgh

A full day today.  I spent the morning climbing and descending Arthur's Seat.  It's about an hour each way, especially if you stop to dawdle and photograph things as often as I do.

Salisbury Craig

Holiday diary: Day 1 in Edinburgh

So I'm off on my solo holiday to Scotland.  Two days in Edinburgh and one-and-a-bit days in Aviemore.  I've decided to do the whole trip by footpower and public transport. Between Newcastle and Edinburgh, travelling up the east coast by train, there are some fantastic sea views, and shortly after we cross into Scotland, Arthurs Seat hauls into view.  And with that in mind... it looks ridiculously big.  This isn't  the first time I've seen it, but last time I wasn't planning to walk up it.  It just pops up out of nowhere!  (I forget, it's a volcano)  Thing is, it's not the biggest rock out there.  I'm heading to the highlands in a few days...

A Wonderful Wedding

My friends Graeme and Fiona got married!  The wedding was down in Cambridge and, as well as one of the best hen-do's I've ever been on (I got to punt!), the couple asked me if I'd do some drawing at the wedding.  Yes I will!

In the midst of all the festivities, the marriage and dinner and dancing, it was hard to find the time and space to draw, but a few of my sketches came out particularly well.

The newlyweds sit in the Emmanuel Church, Cambridge to listen to the wedding address

When a dude leaves a house...

So we're between housemates right now.  The next one's arriving this month, but if you'd like to apply for the position anytime ion the future I can promise you lots of baked goods and a spiffy leaving present like this one.

The last guy we shared the house with had three great loves: skateboarding, collecting cactuses, and eating whatever baking Katie and I produced.  (Seriously, he'd always manage to come in late at night, just as we were putting away a fresh batch of cookies, or a still-warm cake.)  In a stroke of genius we combined all of these three things!

A map drawn in water

I've been away.  Where?  Everywhere!

As part of my job, I'm required to spend a month going round the UK.  We're doing some marketing with the companies we want to work with, and the university students we'll be working to help.  It's just me and my colleague Paul, and I've got the task of planning the entire thing, from where we'll park right down to where we'll sleep.

This is both hugely stressful and inconvenient (as will be away from my home for the best part of a month, and doing lots of work in the evenings), yet also very exciting.  It appeals greatly to my sense of adventure, and I'm intrigued to see the parts of England I haven't thought to visit before.

This sculpture at Roker is based around the idea of navigation.  The centre encircles the lighthouse, while the constellations are picked out around the outside.  Appropriate.  And good to sit in.

 We're travelling the length and breadth of Merrie Englande in an obnoxiously orange MINI which I, being a few weeks shy of the age needed to go on the business insurance policy, don't have to drive.  This suits me fine as I'm a terrible city driver anyway (I'm too polite) and it means I get to look out the window a lot.

Although most of our stops are whistle-short, it's often enough to get the taste of a place.  What I'm enjoying most so far is seeing the different geographies of Britain.  Since I don't have to drive I can stare out the window a lot.  There's so much variety, but one commonality in it all...

It's Monday...

... so here, have this mechanical Chameleon.

Honour

So I've been re-reading rosemary Sutcliffe's 'The Eagle of the Ninth' again.  And as usual, reading results in fanart...

No I'm not going to tell you where in the book this occurs or what's going on - you have to go read it for yourself.  Also I just really wanted to draw some mountains!  And guys.  Guys on mountains...

All the cool music!

There's been a steady conveyor belt of live music in my life this last week, and all of it amazing.

First were the musicians at the ceilidh; as well as all the Hekety and Blackbeard's Tea Party, who were both fantastic.  Pirate folk - it's a thing that exists!  There was also a late night gig by Professor Elemental, Gentleman Rapper.  I'm so pleased to live in a world where there are things like 'Pirate Folk' and 'Gentleman Rappers'.  Just makes it all worthwhile really, don't it.

Knitting like a boss

My Nan gave me a pretty great Christmas present this year - a little knitting kit with needles, wool, and a pattern to help you make a pair of fingerless gloves.  I have a strong 'Do It Myself' tendency but there was just one problem. I didn't know how to knit...

Happy Mothers Day!

We interrupt our exploration of the 3 C's for this brief interlude - it's Mother's Day!  There are some great Mums in the world, but mine is particularly excellent.  Probably one of the best.  Of course I'm biased, but that doesn't mean it's not true... :)  This is my bizarre way of telling her how much I appreciate her.  Hopefully you're doing the same.

Dance till you drop

Last weekend I was up at the Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF).  Essentially it's one massive festival of ceilidhs - traditional Scottish country dances.  There were some other workshops thrown in, but essentially, apart from eating and sleeping, I spent 36 hours on my feet dancing.  It was epic and exhausting.

Invasion

Last November I got the chance to visit the Roman Baths built over the hot springs in Bath.  I love history, and British history on either side of the Roman invasion particularly.  My visit gave me a lot to think about...

Crafts and cards

Wow, there has been so much Making going on round here lately.  Let's start with the cards...

A Valentines Day card for my housemate.  She likes owls :)  Plus, it comes with a real lollipop!

A birthday card for my sister, starring Tiny Wizard Pony! (He is a pony, and also a wizard)

A birthday card for my friend Eloise.  I'm liking the formula of 'Tiny X says Y' apparently. It makes for some random and amusing cards when I run out of theme ideas.

And finally, birthday cards for my friends Naomi and Paul.  There were done in a bit of rush during my lunch break at work, so they're just felt tip and marker, but I enjoyed the in-jokes.  Naomi is a mathematician and maths teacher, and Paul is my work colleague and fellow fan of Batman (Hint: the company's signature colour is orange - hence the car).

Also, Baking!  Katie and I cooked up a storm of cakes.  We've got Ginger Cookies, we've got Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins, and we've got Crispy Cakes with jelly babies in them.  There's also been some Mincemeat Crumble, made with the leftover mincemeat we made for Christmas, and a cake made with Passion Fruit Curd.  Mixed with some buttercream it makes an incredibly tasty icing...

Look at the beautiful colour it makes the icing. Incoming sugar rush alert...

Last but not least, my great triumph - Ernie the Sock Mole!  For Eloise's birthday we all went round her house and made sock animals.  It was such a great way to spend time together (plus we got to visit the church where she's going to get married to Matt, and play on the pipe organ.  I love pipe organs!) and the animals were really creative and different.  Matt and I got a bit ambitious with ours, and the result was this cute little guy.  I even made him a waistcoat!

Festive Folk 2

I up-drew another one of my sketches from last winters Festive Folk gig.  This one is my friend Anna, who you can see here playing the autoharp.

She sang a few traditional songs, but also a couple of her own, including one based on a Welsh myth.  If I'm remembering it right a stranger arrives and claims that the land all around is his.  A local tells him that only the true prince of the land, who can make the birds sing, is the land's true ruler.  So of course the stranger does just that - he was the prince all along!  

Anna sang it beautifully and I was imagining all the birds coming out of the story for her, just like they did for the prince.

Hourly Comic Day 2013

This is my third year doing Hourly Comic Day.  It was harder than I remembered to scribble something out every hour, on the hour, but the day itself turned out to be pretty interesting so I had lots to work with!

You can see my entry on their official forum, or just read on to see it here.

The Brain Invasion of Dick Grayson

So I was doing some anatomy studies of the muscles in the male back -looking particularly at acrobats- and then one of them accidentally turned into Nightwing.  Don't you hate it when that happens!

I'm a comics fan (no surprises there) and although I'm talking about the medium at large, not just the superhero comics that everybody automatically thinks of, there is little spot in my heart for those too. And top of the list of those superheroes is one Nightwing, a.k.a. Dick Grayson.  He actually popped up in one of my first ever posts.  And now I've got him on the brain.

Who is this dude? Why do I like him? I doubt you care, but this is my blog so I'm afraid you're just going to have to deal with it :)

Digging up old characters

When you've not drawn for a while sometimes it just builds up and gets the better of you, and you have a bit of a splurge.  Add those to the dozens of tiny doodles I produce on a weekly basis and it totals up to quite a large page of sketches.  

Some of it's just utter guff, but some of it's got potential - although you do realise some of your weaknesses too.  In this one I can see that I like deer at the moment, I'm not very interested in drawing legs, and why do all my figures seem to be facing left?

Also, spot the two counts of Fionna from 'Adventure Time'.  For those of you not in the know, she's the girl with the rabbit ear hat.  She's pretty cool.

Snow Day!

Every year, about this time, Brits wish for snow.  Well this year WE GOT IT.  It arrived mid-week, and by the weekend there was, in some places near us, a good foot of perfect untouched snow.  Magic.

The same old town: Thetford

It turns out my home town of Thetford in Norfolk is a bit more interesting than I gave it credit for.  That is if you like history, long stories, and unexpected tours from random strangers.  Which I do.

The Norman motte - Castle Hill

The day I went round the town it was raining (of course!  This is Britain!) but that's ok because it makes the cloudier photos come out all monochrome and grainy, which always looks a little classy.

The same old town: The Brecks

I always go home for Christmas.  I grew up in Norfolk, a pretty quiet county in East Anglia with a lot of great coastline, in a small town called Thetford.  For a lot of teenagers the place you grow up is the place you want to get out of.  It's the place where everybody knows you, remembers you when you were tiny and everything you've done since, and knows you as the child of your parents (which is not unreasonable, considering that they have been looking after you for your entire life so far).  In some cases you stay in your home town, you grow up, and eventually you find your niche there.  You carve out a place and make a life for yourself.

In other cases, you leave, and do your growing up somewhere else, but then you come back.  It's one of the trademarks of almost every questing myth that at the end the traveller returns home.  Often it's up for debate whether it's the place that's changed, or whether it's the person...

Canada Geese flying in formation across the Brecks

What I'm driving at is that when I came home this year I began noticing things that had always been there, but that somehow I'd never seen before.  It’s been a bit rainy, but that never stands in the way of exploration!  So here’s a whistle-stop tour of the place where I grew up, starting with the land it sits on.

Bath, Bands and Baking

The run-up to Christmas is a busy time, even if you're like me and try to avoid as much of the hype as humanly possible.  And then of course there's the recovery period, which takes at least as long!  So here's a quick update of what's been happening since I saw you last: