now and here

the bloody chamber and other stories

2012-01-09T10:36:00.000Z


	The Bloody Chamber: ' I could contain myself no longer. I telephoned my mother. And astonished myself by bursting into tears when i heard her voice. No, nothing was the matter. Mother, i have gold bath taps. I said, gold bath taps !'

Puss in Boots: ' I'll swear he lives for Sunday morning, though never before was he a religious man. Saturday nights, he bathes himself punctiliously, even, i'm glad to see, washes behind his ears,'

The Company of Wolves: ' she is dressed and ready and it is christmas eve. The malign door to the solstice still swings upon it's hinges but she has been too much loved ever to feel scared'

Idea for the binding: monocle- she is surveyed as a 'purchase' nod to Poiret drawing, ' i hid behind my furs as if they were a system of soft shields. My husband liked me to wear my opal over my kid glove, a showy, theatrical trick.' general theme of characters using clothing or disguise to overcome inhospitable environments

this is my entry for the Folio Society / House of Illustration competition, the prize is the commission to fully illustrate the book.

http://competitions.houseofillustration.org.uk/folio-2011/about-2/

2012-01-05T16:20:00.001Z

http://www.gmfreeze.org/

there is a GM wheat trial planned for hertfordshire, uk, this spring, containing a synthetic cow gene ...

they asked me to design this fellow to help let people know why it might not be such a great idea.

when bankers were good

2011-11-23T14:25:00.003Z

on the iplayer this week:

Ian Hislop: When Bankers Were Good 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017nf4k/Ian_Hislop_When_Bankers_Were_Good/

perennial - for illustration friday

2011-07-28T15:56:00.001+01:00

any excuse to draw old ladies.

Guidance

2011-05-15T15:07:00.000+01:00

this is what i'm going to enter for the cheltenham illustration award this year. the theme is: Tree Time Tales - 

"Tree time is much longer than human time. From a long time ago -to the present  day. We invite you to illustrate stories which may come from the past  but have familiar and current themes; that have relevance to both  ancient and very modern contemporary experience."

so this is about how, throughout all of time, humanity has looked to the stars for guidance and now it's GPS that gets us home.

pencil drawing with colour added digitally.

2011-03-28T16:37:00.000+01:00

finding this to be a really good area of study, and the lived in ones are infinitely more interesting.

face practice

2011-03-18T12:27:00.000Z

i just got a copy of The Sartorialist, it's a really good source of masses of interesting faces.

worth fighting for ?

2011-03-01T20:16:00.004Z

worth fighting for ?

commission for Canterbury Festival Schools' Poetry competition 2011

the year of all the threes

2011-03-01T17:08:00.000Z

year of the threes

thirty-nine, not me.

lucky number 2687

2011-01-09T21:00:00.000Z

i'm entrant number 2687 for the folio society / house of illustration 'inside the outsider' competition.

that's my lucky number !

i really enjoyed doing these.

good luck everyone !

The Do Gooders are coming

2010-11-23T15:53:00.006Z

a very nice surprise to see the do-gooders in the Radio Times today.

commissioned by Wingspan Productions, i created a scene for each of the 16 do-gooders featured in this new bbc2 series. the drawings were then animated for the show which starts next monday at 9pm on bbc2. it was the best kind of project, interesting, fun and a lovely and supportive client.

see the whole gang over here

The Alchemist's Tale

2010-11-01T08:41:00.002Z

this is my entry for the Observer / Jonathan Cape graphic short story competition 2010

2010-10-17T14:50:00.003+01:00

the library of babel

the garden of forking paths

the circular ruins

illustrations for three wonderful Borges stories

We All Do Good Things, Part 2.

2010-05-02T16:16:00.003+01:00

I was asked by People United to create a series of illustrations inspired by my visits to charity shops in Herne Bay. These drawings represent the stories and acts of kindness that I discovered there.

At the Dogs Trust shop I found a beautiful accordion and some drums.

At the RSPCA shop I found lots of treasured vinyl.

At the Seaside charity shop I found a statue of a horse, lots of golf equipment and several sausage dogs (not for sale).

And at the Demelza shop I found lots of hand-knitted stripey scarves, two boxes of magic tricks and some owl ornaments.

All of these objects donated in kindness.

the illustrations have been framed and are now on display in their respective shops and also at a wonderful exhibition at the Herne Bay Museum until the end of june.

We All Do Good Things

2010-04-12T21:06:00.002+01:00

i've been working with People United on a really cool project, promoting and celebrating acts of kindness across herne bay.

i drew this map leaflet - graphic design is by nebulo strata for the project which is called 'we all do good things'

this is the second in a series of three leaflets and i have also been commissioned to make some illustrations based on stories of kindness that i have discovered in the town's charity shops.

they are very lovely people to be working with

2010-03-02T16:15:00.004Z

more in the body parts + emotions series, here's
Suffocation

and Anticipation

to go with acceptance

dinosaurs in love

2010-01-02T16:51:00.003Z

a commission for an illustrated poem as a wedding gift
a nice project :)

2009-12-02T17:04:00.001Z

i've started work on a graphic novel. there. i've said it now.

here's the first go at the first pages, and i am already seeing things i need to change. i imagine the urge to obsess over each individual image may pass after the first, say, hundred or so ? indeed, as i thought.

the latest homemades

2009-12-01T17:16:00.009Z

latest homemades:

1.crochet baby blanket for fifi
2.crochet blanket, for a spring wedding present
3.vintage knitted top, from the book 'a stitch in time' original pattern from 1935 woman and home
4.habu silk, one shoulder crochet top. improvised pattern
5.crochet bracelet
6.garden rosehip syrup

2009-10-05T15:02:00.001+01:00

i'm pretty excited to have contributed to this book lovingly produced by the inkermen

donkey ho-tay

2009-07-02T16:13:00.004+01:00

i've just started to read Don Quixote, i'm about 100 pages in, of 1000.
thought i'd draw him again at the end and see how it changes.

the A and Z of made up animals

2009-06-29T16:00:00.002+01:00

anteaters and zebras can't possibly be real animals

true stories

2009-05-19T17:12:00.001+01:00

my entry for the cheltenham illustration awards, 'True Stories'
this is Honesty, Truman and Verity

cold earth

2009-05-17T12:13:00.005+01:00

my very talented friend asked me to design an invite for her forthcoming book launch.

sprung

2009-03-27T15:08:00.003Z

a mailout for spring i think

subtract - illustration friday

2009-03-23T12:17:00.003Z

she was sneaky and he had a lot to lose

2009-03-05T08:53:00.002Z

a nice character design project, rather jolly by my standards.

2009-02-12T15:42:00.002Z

happy birthday mr handsome, we've had such a fun year, many happy returns!

for luke

2008-12-04T19:58:00.007Z

these people are part of something bigger that i am working on for luke, aka mr frogspawn.

it's been good people-drawing practice.

no connection between his state of undress and her condition.

lola

2008-11-04T11:34:00.004Z

a commission from a scriptwriter to illustrate an idea for a funding application.

it's the story of a lonely girl and a dog that she meets ...

i LOVE this story, it was so much fun to draw.

party skirt

2008-10-28T15:48:00.002Z

if anyone invites me to a christmas party, i'll rock up wearing this.

it's a variation on this the 'nico dress' from susan cropper's 'vintage crochet'
and the yarn is rowan purelife organic cotton, which is lovely.

sugary

2008-10-09T16:19:00.003+01:00

illustration friday: sugary.

i couldn't not do this one.

the everyday battle with my blood.

Richard Of York ...

2008-08-11T11:34:00.010+01:00

2008-08-04T09:47:00.006+01:00

thinking about images to represent 'the arts' in a sideways fashion

film - visual arts - literature - dance - theatre - music

drop

2008-07-27T12:26:00.005+01:00

this is a page from a storyboard i've just finished, first one for a real film. hard work and good practice and i'd like to do another.

chinchilla grey

2008-07-14T15:51:00.002+01:00

i'm going to draw some colours

hoard

2008-06-27T08:16:00.004+01:00

wedding present

2008-06-21T16:02:00.001+01:00

weather modification

2008-06-19T16:11:00.006+01:00

illustrations for a feature in 'nature' magazine on weather modification.

ssssh

2008-05-21T17:11:00.001+01:00

he's sleeping some more

i think that crochet ...

2008-05-18T17:41:00.005+01:00

...is the new knitting

this is the stitch pattern for the satin lingerie case in erika knight's essential crochet. i'll be making it into something else though.

my new model

2008-05-14T18:27:00.001+01:00

easy to draw as he sleeps so much

2008-05-14T18:24:00.001+01:00

tall tales

2008-05-02T11:34:00.007+01:00

the surprising adventures of baron munchausen - chapter iv

hello, who's this ?

2008-04-05T19:14:00.002+01:00

he might be my puppy

garden

2008-03-10T21:01:00.003Z

i live in kent, which is known as 'the garden of england' for an embarrassingly long time i confused this with eden.
easy mistake no ?

dress of bean

2008-02-28T13:02:00.002Z

my dress, made by me from soybean yarn. yep.

valentino von lovelylegs

2008-02-13T22:53:00.003Z

the start of a few days serious frog study, this one's for tim

choose

2008-02-11T19:57:00.000Z

a design for a time machine - do you choose forward or back ?

(Fort) Blanket

2008-02-06T18:17:00.000Z

legend

2008-01-30T18:00:00.000Z

the extraordinary powers of the creature had become quite legendary

IF - plain (sailing)

2008-01-19T17:15:00.000Z

... because nothing ever is

sandy

2007-12-29T13:38:00.000Z

sandy, sorry it took so long ! i tried a few ideas but i had to find just the right project. what do you think ? i hope you like it. i'm wearing it now and it's lovely and snug, there's enough left for a little something else too. Happy new year xx

t

2007-12-26T15:14:00.001Z

t is for together, and thank you, and tim

zoo

2007-11-27T16:23:00.000Z

in games of fantasy zookeeper i think i'd like to be a llama farmer

the bridge

2007-10-31T14:44:00.001Z

all finished. my MA proposal, designs for film sets for The Bridge, a novel by Iain Banks.

with supporting essay, from the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie to the science of sleep. filming the lucid dream

As a man struggles to wake from a coma, his dreams transport him to the life of an amnesiac inhabiting The Bridge. The structure embodies delicate traces of memory; patterns remembered from childhood and the colour of The Bridge, as red as Andrea’s hair.

In Dissy Pitton’s bar he is lured to a party by the sight of light against some tumbling ropes.

In his comfortable apartment he is confused by a copy of The Time Machine and a set of Meccano instructions, both in Russian.

He doesn’t yet know what they mean but he is determined to remember who he was.

Between life and death; fantasy and reality; The City and The Kingdom; lies The Bridge.

visuals in the style of old hand tinted photographs.

Downstairs at Dissy Pittons.

The party continues above.

Orr's apartment

storyboard,

research, props, graphics ...more here

this is a sketchup tour of the sets - with sound

hope you like it.

we have a new place to live

2007-09-13T17:30:00.000+01:00

and it's quite lovely.
6 weeks of hard work to go.
then what ?

et voila! queensferry.

2007-08-25T14:41:00.000+01:00

bamboo, english mesh lace, my own design.

illustration friday - missing

2007-08-06T16:41:00.000+01:00

he's missing a leg and he's missing.

queensferry

2007-08-05T12:39:00.000+01:00

i just got back from a few days in queensferry, just outside edinburgh.
admiring this from the hotel window

taking the ferry to inchcolm island

doing this with my fingers

oh yeah, i'm loving the lace

and so today, its hot and i'm wondering what to do when someone else's cat chooses you and you like her back ...

and there's always more drawing to do.

illustration friday poem / Poe-m

2007-07-25T16:24:00.000+01:00

i have had cause to read some Poe lately, mainly because i am having some small involvement in this . its going to be very exciting.

so obviously 'poem' had to be Poe-m, specifically The Raven. i had thought that i didn't much care for poetry but i really like this.

'' "Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting

"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!

Quoth the raven "Nevermore."

2007-07-08T17:54:00.000+01:00

lace

and critters

not what i should be doing, but both too appealing

ropery

2007-06-23T18:50:00.000+01:00

the last remaining traditional ropeworks in the world.

and a covered slip built in 1838

acceptance

2007-06-18T22:27:00.001+01:00

the thing

2007-06-03T18:34:00.000+01:00

this is part of a project i have just presented. its a design for a remake of 'the thing' relocated to an underwater research base.

Illustration friday - fortune

2007-04-17T10:20:00.000+01:00

so what can we tell about the owner of this hand...

no watch - carefree laid back attitude / jobless student

scar on thumb from a messy incident with a lino cutting tool - probably arty

a beautiful ring - lucky girl

dirty nails - she likes the garden

pencil smudges - confirmation of the aforementioned arty-ness

you put it in the ground ...

2007-03-17T22:11:00.000Z

and this happens ...

ta dah
some kind of magic

happy mothers day
xx

shallow grave - a good result

2007-02-28T09:27:00.000Z

racy lacy

2007-02-22T09:12:00.000Z

i finished my blue cotton vest this week, it has an english mesh lace pannel at the front and the back.

i made it up as i went along, and i'm so happy with it that i want to wear it every day.

off to school now to get results . if they're good i'll post some images from the project later ... wish me luck !

room rainbows

2007-01-28T10:31:00.000Z

this bit of magic really made me happy yesterday

finally...

2007-01-13T15:00:00.000Z

and so here it is.
evidence of my - 'i'll work on this for a year and a half and then it'll start on site the week i leave' project.

refurbishment of 34 bedrooms, over 4 phases. this is phase one.
it's a beautiful old listed building with some considerable french styling.
i had a lot of fun working on this and it was a good lesson in how something so deceptively simple can easily escalate into a year and a half of planning, drawing, specifying, shopping and convincing the client that something is a great idea.

unlike a new build hotel, every single room in this place is different - just to add to the fun

an erte design for the carpets

david chipperfield sanitaryware

(i didn't spec the chandelliers)

sanderson 'starlight' for the curtains

phase one, first floor to the right of the entrance

pumpkin shape glass door knobs to the bathrooms

some very careful tiling layouts to avoid cut tiles in odd places

the bathrooms that got ripped out should have been shipped to a museum - there were avocado, blue, yellow, and ...BROWN suites.
i had never seen brown ones until then, they were proper chocolate blancmange colour.
there's a good chance that this decor will need to last something like another 30 years so the approach was a classic, elegant timeless styling. and looking a little bit french. i love the herringbone floor - amtico would you believe !

hope the new guests enjoy their stay

walking / looking / puzzling

2007-01-07T21:47:00.000Z

i've had a rather nice time walking the streets of london recently, looking for a film location for my new project. (shallow grave remake) i've seen so many things that i ordinarily wouldn't have noticed. just walking around is a great way to see any city.
eventually i found an amazing location on cromwell road - south kensington / earls court. it's perfect, and what makes it even more perfect than i could have ever hoped to imagine is that alfred hitchcock lived there from 1926 -39.
wowzer.

i've decided i like the challenge of knitting lace patterns - this is english mesh lace from a lovely new christmas present book. it's like doing a puzzle or cracking a code to reveal a mystery image when you get it right.

thanks sandy.
and thanks too for the burts bees - i am enjoying them greatly :)

2006-10-25T12:38:00.000+01:00

lots keeping me busy at the moment leaving not much time for blogging, knitting or drawing for fun. the MA is going ok-ish, my first crit is next tuesday so i'll have a better idea of how it's all going after that.

any requests for christmas woolies, please let me know now or i'll take a guess on what i think you might like.

remember to wrap up warm everyone - like fred. what a smart guy.

margate exodus

2006-10-02T10:18:00.001+01:00

went to margate on saturday night to see antony gormley's giant waste man. we took the train to get there and sat opposite mr will self and his family, i said 'hi' and he said 'hi' back, i was a little star-struck.
the film will be shown on channel 4 next year.

margate is a very strange place. which is not necessarily a bad thing.

present and future

2006-09-16T07:52:00.000+01:00

i'm off to see my friend hannah today to deliver this...

it's her birthday present - a little late but i don't think she'll mind.

yesterday's leaving day / tea party was a great success too. i'm gonna miss you guys

3,2,1,..../ illustration friday - change

2006-09-13T07:30:00.000+01:00

life is about to change...

this is my last week in the office that has been full of fun and learning for the last 2 years.
i'm a little sad but also very excited about my new adventures. If the weather is good i intend to raid the charity shop next door for proper cups and saucers and have a nice tea party in the garden on friday.
and i'm taking slinky dog with me.

shiny happy house

2006-09-11T08:03:00.000+01:00

what a perfect weather weekend we just had.
this is my lovely sunny house, people stop me by the gate to compliment the sunflowers and there's a primary school at the end of the road so i hear kids squealing about them as they walk past.
And.
some japanese tourists stopped and whipped their cameras out yesterday !
my sunnflowers were papped !
shame the really big guy didn't make it. 4.3m when he fell over, i'll be saving his seeds though.

say cheese !

2006-08-29T15:13:00.000+01:00

my lovely friend sam gave me this today - ain't it snappy !i so love the pearly beads making the 'flash'

and as well as being beautiful, its practical too. i've been doing myself a nice little bit of RSI so this is perfect for resting my wrist on while i'm mousing.

so thoughtful, thanks sam.

illustration friday - run

2006-08-29T12:05:00.000+01:00

in my garden

the teepee for the runner beans has made a popular neighbourhood runway for cats to chase each other through.

the bees are running around doing their bee business and it's easy for your imagination to run away with the 4m tall sunflower.

happy birthday lucy !

2006-08-27T10:32:00.000+01:00

hey lucy p,
hope you have a wonderful day !
how fabulous to have a bank holiday in your honour !

for sarah's birthday

2006-08-23T09:49:00.000+01:00

i hope she likes buttons.
happy birthday sarah !

illustration friday - match

2006-08-22T14:33:00.000+01:00

meet The Beans.
since living with these two rodents i've decided that i only ever want to have two matching pets. watching them interact is very funny and they never get lonely. so next it'll be two sausage dogs. i hope.

i had grand plans for a noah's ark type illustration, the ultimate game of 'snap' but its tuesday already so i think thats a bit too ambitious.

good green garden soup

2006-08-22T10:58:00.000+01:00

to everyone who i've made this for recently, here's the recipe :

green soup
one onion
one clove of garlic
half a bag of frozen peas
couple of courgettes
some marigold vegetable boullion, about 3 teaspoons, or to taste.
a couple of handfuls of spinach
10 - 20 fresh mint leaves

fry the chopped onion in a little oil in the bottom of a big pan
add the chopped courgette
cook gently for a bit
when they look softish add in the peas, a little bit of water and the boullion
throw in the garlic, whole if you like, as it will be blended later
give it all a good stir
leave for about 5 minutes gently simmering
throw in some spinach if you like and then get your blender in the pot and whizz away
add a bit more water if it looks too thick.
when its as smooth as you like it remove from the heat and stir in the chopped mint.

et voila !
recent surveys suggest it's delicious :)
xx

yoga socks

2006-08-22T09:48:00.000+01:00

so this was prototype yoga sock number one, the yarn turned out to be a little stretchy.
i think the colour really suits him.

(order now in time for christmas !)

and the first good pair have gone to josie who's on her way to the big apple today.

good luck josie, i know you'll be great.
as requested, green soup recipe to follow shortly ...

princess pootle paper-eater

2006-08-10T09:21:00.000+01:00

i was having a very bad day yesterday until these two poppets worked a little magic.

i got home from work and my little friend bethany (six) knocked on the door with this

which she made herself (sigh)

later,

princess pootle paper-eater cheered my heart. i love her.

lucy has an interview today at a job she really wants - good luck lucy !

messing around by the river

2006-08-07T07:40:00.001+01:00

my current favourite dress, embroidered with vegetables.
garden vegetable harvest count:
runner beans: 2
courgettes: 7
blueberries: lots

come on you beans

illustration friday - clean

2006-08-01T13:01:00.000+01:00

i saw this on a wildlife documentary recently. the stripey guys are pilot fish, they swim with much bigger fish and sharks and keep them clean. The sharks don't eat the pilot fish because they know they are doing such a good job with the cleaning. i think that's nice.

nuttbaby

2006-07-30T09:27:00.000+01:00

mary had a little lamb, no, she had a little baby called lucy on friday.

can't wait to see her wearing these.

which i made all by myself.

beanstalk

2006-07-30T08:45:00.000+01:00

the sunflower in the back has got so big that little daniel down the road thinks its a beanstalk.
maybe he's right.

jellyjam / just call me barbara

2006-07-30T08:38:00.000+01:00

neighbourino kindly donated a big bag of redcurrants from his allotment so we made jam that started out trying to be jelly. the jelly didn't set but the jam did. very good on toast and the colour is beautiful
thanks neighbourino

illustration friday - skyline

2006-07-12T09:26:00.000+01:00

so, skyline, or lines in the sky, holding the planets in place...or gravity
my previous posts for dance

and rain
were much more conventionally skyline-y.

brighton rock

2006-07-04T15:43:00.000+01:00

i always love a carousel

and some nice colours

and bumping into friends in towns that neither of you live in.

illustration friday - rain

2006-06-26T19:27:00.000+01:00

some rain, a bear and some fish.

just as someone else has commented, as i was drawing this it started to rain, and as we're in a bit of a drought here in SE england that's no bad thing.
do let me know what you think - this is my week 2 and i can't wait for friday already.

green fingers

2006-06-20T08:14:00.000+01:00

and so the growing things experiment continues... the sunnies are looking very good, the beans have mostly stopped running, blueberries are starting to look berryish and the a couple o' courgettes have popped up out of the grow bag this morning. The worms have decided to stop trying to make a run for freedom and i'm looking forward to being able to reward them vegetable bits . lucky lucky wormies. get wormeries people, they're great.

illustration friday - dance

2006-06-19T09:43:00.000+01:00

a bit tenuous i know, but i think cranes can be really beautiful, especially against a brilliant blue sky. I like to indulge in the fantasy that they do dance above the city.
http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

way too hot for furry jackets ...

2006-06-12T15:06:00.001+01:00

some things that make me smile

2006-06-08T12:09:00.000+01:00

the sultan's elephant

and the big little girl

jodrel bank - listening to space

unesco building, paris

and the view from a bridge

my shy, leaf-faced boy

the beautiful and remote corsewall lighthouse hotel
the best birthday trip ever - thank you tim xx

www.lighthousehotel.co.uk

the l'il beans

2006-06-07T15:17:00.000+01:00