very fetching

The doodles take on trend prediction for 2008, shame the little fella's cant spell, ahem.

out of date advent calender

I thought I'd scan in some pages and have a little play seeing as I am rather bored, Im growing very fond of my gorilla buddy, bless him. ^_^

coming atcha like a hot flanel of doodle-ness!

Ive been rather busy, mainly with exhibition work that I left to the last mintue but I have been doing some other fun projects too, Im just gonna paste some pics up (which Andy kindly took) and any comments on my stuff would be greatly appreciated!

A plush monster I made for Dave's Mum, he likes to steal buttons, not dave the monster ^_^ (in the new year I'll be sewing like a crazy person making tons of my doodles into plush toys, stay tuned for that!)
Me, tired and alittle pished at my Xmas Show (check out all them cats)

Err me again, doing some stuff for Hustla the clothes shop in Preston, not finished just yet but theres me scribbling away! ^_^

b is for buttons

Whilst trying to tidy up the random things left over from my former bedroom I found some more buttons, Hooray! You can never have enough of them I think, they come in so handy, they are great to collect and trade ^_^ I have a few here I think ladysnail will like alot!

brilliant bailey

I found the pictures I sneakily took the other Friday when my friends and I went to see the brilliant Mister Bill Bailey! They aren't that great as the guy in front was of the tall persuasion and was determined to ruin every shot, Also it didn't help that my camera doesn't like night mode so these are the best of a fuzzy bunch I'm afraid, but I managed to take one of him on his scooter "Gong Jousting" so I'm content! ^_^

doodle me silly

Andy, Dave, Mark and I went to the Sketch City event they have once a month at the contact theatre in Manchester. I would recommend you get yourself down there if you can it was really cool. There was alot of great work there, my favourite was a huge ginger cat with jeans on!
I'd never been before and I wasn't too sure that I'd be able to do anything bigger than A4 (I'm a small scale kinda gal), but I ended up working on a big square board by myself and just doodled like mad. I was very happy with my work, sharpie markers are ace! Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to use some colour ^_^

Monsters never share their sweeties

I havent been up to much lately but I did have a play with lino prints, I havent done it for a while so it was real fun but it doesnt half kane your hands after! Here is just the one lino print I liked the most so far, which has only the first print layer that I worked into with ink. I think it works quite nicely and under that are just pages from my sketchbook, paper, paint, ink and random things like usual ^_^

RAH-ther good stuff!

Ali 'of many brilliant blogs but mainly of Graney' gave me a great link and I think it should be shared because monsters are great and we need more of them, also my works up there too, but dont let that put you off its a great site with some great art work which anyone is allowed to contribute to, aslong as its monsters of course ^_^
http://drawnmonsters.blogspot.com/

to make postmen smile

I originally made these for ladysnails belated birthday present and I have decided that I am going to get a few more of them printed up onto envelopes and sell them in packs of 4, I hope to have them done for christmas. So many side projects...

idle rump

I have become alittle obsessed with Monsters lately, I have started making plush toys and recently hustla make some t-shirts using my monster designs, here is one of the designs they chose. I was really happy when I saw them up in the shop, it was alittle strange I must admit but now I just cant wait to see someone wearing one.

last lady of letters

The article Ive chosen is taken from the Seven magazine that comes with the Sunday Telegraph and it is a interview with the remaining Mitford Sister, Deborah Mitford (Duchness of Devonshire) and she talks abit about her life and the letters the six sisters used to regularly write to each other. I thought it was a really interesting article, there is a section were she talks about having tea with Hitler and how she thought it was odd to discover that he had "A.H" embroidered on his washroom towels. Just Brilliant!
These images are handmade textures and drawings that Ive played around with on photoshop (it is my new bestfriend). I'm unsure which I should chose as I like both colour schemes, any feedback or suggestions would be greaty appreciated! ^_^

hello chocolate bunnies

The book is quality! Id suggest you give it a read I couldnt put it down which resulted in a few late nights and a smacked hand at work for being late a couple of times, but it was worth it. I have another idea which Ive been playing with on photoshop but Im really pleased with how this one turned out so it will probably be my chosen final image. I used carbon paper to draw the rabbits and its built up of scanned pages from my sketchbook with my usual handwritten text that I worked into with photoshop. I may go back and play with it more but we'll see.

stylin' in the mud

I went to Connect festival all the way in Scotland over the weekend and thankfully I took some wellies because Ive never seen so much mud. My friends Mark, Dave and Fi kindly pimped my wellies for me as they were just plain green ones which just wouldnt do at all! they also did my friend Penny's wellies too and even though we got stuck in the mud quite a few time we looked the coolest so there! ^_^ It was a great few days that went FAR TOO fast, today in work I felt alittle sad but I cranked up Regina and that made me smile again ^_^ (apologies for rubbish photo's my camera isn't as young as it used to be)

random things make for random fun

They dont have much to do with anything really except I collect random things like wrapping paper, fruit stickers, paper, napkins etc. So I just wanted to play around and make some pictures with them, try and empty my art draw out alittle.

how to redo a love letter

This work is based on an article called "how to write a love letter" that was from the Guardian which was part of our digital elective, I have to re-submit the final images for this project which is actually a good thing because the original ones I no longer like, the colours just didn't work at all, there's too many of them and too much going on in such a small image, also I got the resolution COMPLETELY wrong which made it all pixelated and yeah, rubbish. Now I have had a chance to rethink my ideas I have limited my colour palette to no more than 4 colours and I have simplified them, lets hope these two work.

Hooray for sweets.

Sherbet lemon's, blackcurrant liquorice's, parma violet's and chocolate lime's, if they weren't being passed round in work Id hide under the covers and cry sickness when the alarm went off in the morning.
I would take cola cubes in to work but I'm afraid I just wouldn't be able to share them ^_^ ultimate favorite sweets sorry.

don't eat toast before bed...

So there I was, nibbling some toast as I scribble down some ideas last week when I look over at the clock and see its getting rather late so I put my sketchbook down, get into bed and switch the lamp off. Sorted.
I wake up in the morning only to find little birds all over my open sketchbook!! I wasnt sure at first how it had happened but then it hit me, the toast crumbs! birds are suckers for some good crumbs and it was tasty bread too an all I might add! Now I dont mind them, infact they are quite cute but they arent half noisey, all they have done all week is stay up chatting away half the night! I think I might send them away to be with ladysnails bluebirds, all we get is bully magpies around here so they might prefer it with her and the funny moorhen.

floaters

They are those little things in your eyes that float around when your idly staring at nothing in particular, concentrate for long enough and you can watch them for hours, I know this because I have done it myself. The surge of creativity I had the other week has slowly fizzled away leaving me feeling a little deflated, I'm sure it'll return soon but for now I do not have much to show so I didn't even bother warming my scanner up. I had a few ideas which I thankfully scribbled down, publishing seems the most attractive of the projects to tackle at the minute, I was going to do To Kill A Mockingbird but now I'm not too sure, my friend kindly lent me a book (which I have to take extra special care of, so no sipping tea or nibbling chocoy biccies when reading this book) it is called The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse, now how class a title is that? I reckon once Ive read it I'll chose this book. Repacking is Elastroplast again but this time I'll do it right with lots of thought and experimentation! oh yes! Editorial.. I read one article about the death of summer, thought it might be appropriate but not 100% still looking for interesting articles, oh and re branding.. that's the naughty brief which I will not let defeat me again, I haven't got a clue what I'm going to do for that, should probably give it some thought pretty sharpish aye. I do have something to be keeping me busy though, things to be doodled and stitched and scribbled, hmm I don't have much time left actually, I'd say 6 days ^_^
Investigation into the world of Illustration shall resume soon, just after Ive made myself another brew like ^_^

"no student discount on stamps.."

Inspired by the lovely and talented Miss Snail who atually got off her bum and did some work making me feel stupid for not doing the same, I also tackled the nasty mail-me-art work that had plagued our creative minds for months (it doesnt help when you go and check out the site and find that more MORE people have sent things in, all brilliant stuff to I might add just makes u all sad) all we need now if for Jennipeg to do it too, I think she has had her Harry Potter fix for now but I cant be sure ^_^

I doodled on 9 small envelopes that when put together make a picture. Now the rules say one entry per month but this is 9 that make one piece so hopefully it should be allowed ^_^ my other worry is that some of them might get lost along the way! (I have numbered them all just to make sure and stamped info over everyone of them to be on the safe side)

Place your bets now on how many will not arrive at their destination!

t-shirts don't design themselves...

These are my t-shirt design for a local clothes shop in Preston called hustla, the you can chose from catalogues of designs and they print them onto t-shirts, hoodies, knickers the lot! ^_^ its a real cool shop and the guys who run it are sound. They asked a few of my friends from my class to do them too so Im looking forward to see what characters they will chose from our stuff to print up and sell! Some of the characters are my usual style doodles but some Ive tried to pay more attention to detail like on the bears, my tutor thought my characters were becoming alittle generic looking so Ive tried to work harder on those little fellas so they can be the best possible doodles they can be. I do agree with him atually that was one of my worries about this doodling malarky, its easy to stick with the same thing, but dont go thinking I'll be changing drastically though I love my little doodles, one day I'll introduce you all to the Poo Man properly (he sounds weird but hes not honest ^_^)

the adventures of Wendy

I was woken at 3am to the sound of a muffled argument in my top draw, slowly I tip toed over and craned my ear to listen, just as I thought I had a clue what was going on the draw opened hitting me in the side of the head and Wendy jumped out with a hankie 'hobo style' stick combo, rubbing my ear I asked what was the deal, she said that she could no longer stand living in the draw with the paint brushes as they just told terrible jokes all day long and never shared the pillows, I said she could sleep in the draw next to my bed if she wanted, it was smaller like but it would be all hers, she declined claiming she had had enough of draws and was going on a adventure, an adventure where I asked, she said she didn't know, that's the thing about adventures you see. I felt a little sad but I took her downstairs and opened the door an waved her off, I'll not too sure where shes going to go but she said that she would keep me posted with picture postcards which is nice..... ^_^

stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Wendy! (the small sock with big ideas)

sorry Miss (images work now)

True to form as always I am late lol I did have this done last night but I was so tired I plum forgot about it even after I read miss debaroo's text about not having the net so she couldn't post her work, Sorry Jennipeggle you worked so hard to keep our promise, I am very impressed with your fishes! I love how you draw them and your wiggly mush-tash guy is great.
This is the first collage in my journal that I bought on Saturday (it doesn't smell too bad anymore, think its because its recycled paper, anywhoo!) as I'm sure you can tell its full of receipts! that's because that was all I saw on my first week of work, I haven't done much else since the summer began cept work so that's why I'm using it as my inspiration lol that sounds like rubbish to me how about you? its just got writing on of things Ive noticed in work and things I say and do all the time there. Fun. wish I'd done fish now lol

lovely day

on Saturday ladysnail made her way slowly to Liverpool, unfortunately after two mins of being there some nasty man shouted at her for apparently cutting in the cue for burger king hehehe, after this LOVELY welcome to Liverpool I met her and we had a great day and night with my friend Sue, these are the fantastic presents that she gave to me, she nearly had me open them outside the Liverpool museum but I think Gregory the rain cloud would have floated off to be with the other rain clouds that have been hanging around lately, but they arent very nice ones because they can never make their mind up when they want to rain and when they want to let the sun shine. I am so happy to have my very own cloud I have been eyeing them up ever since the night of lambrini and sillyness. They will all be getting lovely new homes when I move into my new flat soon, at the minute they are sat with my sock collection playing cards, Moxy is very good at Gin Rummy ^_^ the fishes just keeping going round in circles with the rules.

Wendy

"Hello, my name is Wendy, I am only small but my friend with the large magnify glass said I was really fiddly to make, I think she's just being daft. She says she going to make me some friends to play with though because its not very fun sitting in her draw all day with all the paint brushes, they dont know any card games other than snap and when they win they make such a mess, just look at my friend ruler here all covered in paint. My friend says I make her smile so when she makes my other friends she going to send some of them to other people to hopefully make them smile too, well she says that but she has just been playing with the hole puncher for 2 days and hasnt even looked at a sewing needle, dont tell her I said anything though.."

playing with paper

These arent final images I was just playing around with collage and paint, I also went a little silly with the hole puncher and a load of old train tickets and receipts. Those flowers I didnt pressed myself unfortunatly I bought them, and they werent cheap either which is just daft because you didnt even get that many in the pack, might try pressing my own because I liked using them. I also wanted to see how my pens would work on the painty/pva surface and they didnt do too bad I didnt smudge once! I think I will be playing around with stuff like this abit more I quite enjoyed it, of course I will be asking the Collage-Lady herself Jennipeg for some tips tho ^_^

inspiring stuff....

My brain and I had a falling out the other week, it didn't like 9-5 but whats a girl to do when bills need paying? so in return for my stubbornness on the matter it has gotten its own back and began hibernating early, which considering we have 4 projects and a summer journal to complete ready for a show first day back it looks like I cant really dilly-dally in getting myself out of the dog house.

In an attempt to work myself back into its good books Ive been trying to find nice things that might inspire it to help me with my projects, I'm trying and have had some nice ideas from some friends but if anyone thinks they have anything else feel free to leave me a link I'd be grateful to check them out!

Here are a few of the things Ive been looking at.

(I'm afraid I do not know the names of the artists because I collected them very late and didn't think to make a note, silly me)

Practice

These are monsters I scanned in and printed off on t-shirt transfer paper, I ironed them onto the only grey fabric I had which will do for playing around, Ive just started hand sewing the words boo! all over, Im not sure what I will do with this panel once Im finished sewing but I'm sure I figure something out.