Pregnant with possibilities

It's been a long summer, and I've not managed to get as much drawing done as I'd have like to. But nevermind, I'm here now.

I've been trying to ease myself back into the routine of drawing by sitting down in public - in stations, coffee shops and the like - and sketching people as they walk by. It's obviously impossible to draw someone in the same way as you'd draw them for a posed portrait; they're moving fast and you just get an impression. Sometimes the drawing doesn't even look a thing like them. But it gets your pen or pencil moving across the page, which I think is important in itself. So, here are some sketches, with more to follow soon.

Sketchbook!

Sorry I haven't been around. I was slightly busy moving to Japan, but let me present some (largely London-based) sketches:

I have a thing about not using first pages of sketchbooks. How wasteful.





I like this one. Origami-paper with pen and ink:



And now for some sketches done from Fernandez & Wells, a nice little coffee shop in Soho:





Detail:





Today's a holiday, and I'm off to Tokyu Hands, the 'creative life store' to hopefully go get ink and brushes. More posts to follow soon.

Cities

An ink sketch of Sana'a, a city in Yemen on the Frankincense trail. I really like the shapes and colours of it.

Every little breeze...

Another card I sent to my grandmother, again on handmade paper. It's got a lovely feel with watercolours, it soaks them up nicely but also gives them a beautiful texture. I really enjoyed doing the sky in the background on this one!

Hikaru Genji: Sexy Hero

Noblemen in Heian period Japan had a tendency to wear certain, rather phallic, lacquered hats, & run around having fun with women (& sometimes men). They would then stop to compose poetry about the moon before being so moved that they would cry into their dried rice & make it swell up. The noblewomen did the same sort of thing, only with fewer hats & more robes.

The Heian period? Clearly the best historical period in Japan. This is Hikaru Genji, of the eponymous Tale, written by Murasaki Shikibu. Done on handmade paper with Japanese ink (sumi) & sharpie.

Wet Cobbles

I mainly do illustration-type stuff, but occasionally it's fun to paint! A couple of years ago, my friend Laura commissioned this painting for her new house, saying, as I remember, that she wanted something abstract, but giving me free reign otherwise. I painted it in my room in Leeds, as it was raining outside on the cobbled street. So hence, Wet Cobbles.

T-Rex! *gasp!*

T-Rex (Panel 2) from the fantastic Dinosaur Comics by Ryan Q. North. A card I sent to my cousin, & also one I gave to my friend for her birthday.

I have also found out that I can upload picures direct to Blogger. Uhm. That took me a long time & a lot of hassle. Whoops!