Emily Sutton Illustration

My friend, Alex, gave us a beautiful book for christmas called 'Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day'. It's all about a little girl who loves hats and goes, with her Mum and brother Ollie, to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see all the wonderful hats. It's a super story but what we loved most were the stunning illustrations by Emily Sutton. Her website is a real treasure trove of sketchbooks, sculpture and prints. I particularly love the crockery print and would love a dresser full of china like this in my house.

Nice Illustrator Alphabet

A colaboration by loads of well known illustrators to produce an awesome alphabet..dreamy!
I'm a big fan of Oliver Jeffers and he produced the yummy letter A pictured. Check it out at http://thesmallprint.ie/projects/illustrated-alphabet/

Another card idea for you

Why not stick cardboard faces on things then photograph it and stick it on a card for your loved one? This really is an easy yet great little idea that can be applied to any object, for any occasion. Why not try pairs of shoes, socks, children's tummies, tins of baked beans, fruit... in fact anything! I would not recommend writing a 'comic style' fart noise onto cardboard and then trying to stick it on to a live chicken's bottom as it's nearly impossible and the chicken gets very cross.

In case you're wondering, the idea for this card came to me as a result of my need to hang a 'family' of pants on our washing line every now and again. That is, a pair of pants representing every member of our little family in a row on the line. It makes me chuckle when I walk up the path!

Homemade Cards

I know it's only February but so far so good on the homemade card challenge. The plan, and key to success I think, is when I sit down to make a card, I check the calendar and make at least three. I could also do with a generic 'card-for-all-occasions' design and perhaps set up a little factory line with the children and go into production. I know that the Big Girl will be up for any creative challenge but the Big Boy might need to be bribed, corrupted...possibly paid but will probably end up enjoying it despite making a fuss.

These are easy little cards to make. Starting for the bottom photo: do a bit of chunky writing with watercolours and a brush.It doesn't matter if it's a bit messy but I have found it does help if you water the colours down a little bit. Let it dry. Then with some watercolour pencils write or draw over the top of painted letters. It looks great if the drawn letters fall inside or/and outside the lines as it gives a quirky 'illustrated'look. Add some little wiggly bits, stripes, flourishes and squiggles and TA-DAH...a delightfully happy birthday card!

Lots of Mud...and sketchbook pages (Not together!)

We were all very taken with The BBC's adaptation of Just William so much so that Big Girl and Big Boy seemed to have formed their own band of outlaws. They have found a good place to create a den-like-camp (behind our house in the field) and set about getting thoroughly muddy whilst threatening to light fires (as there is lots of wood there ...and trees...and other flamable items. Its great to see them so enthusiastically embracing the outdoors in all this grim January weather.

This weekend we meet up with a real life William (from next door) and took to the muddy fields to explore the flooded ditches and swollen river which surrounds our village. The kids had a great time and, much to their delight, we found a group of ancient Land Rovers testing their four wheel driving skills to the max on the steep inclines of part of the river which cuts through the Roman Fosse way. Lots got stuck, engines failed, some nearly tipped over, one had to be towed out of the river. The Big Boy's main interests, along with the other outlaws we aquired along the way, are mud and things with engines... so it goes without saying that our grimy rabble really were in their element. The rain lashed and the wild winds blew, it really was bracing and fantastic to blow away the cobwebs.

When we got back and the outlaws (thoroughly knackered from the expedition) were tucked up in bed I set to with another creative pursuit...my sketchbook. Unlike calligraphy, sketching is very easy to do a little bit of, to pick up and put down. I'm doing some designs to send off to Phoenix Trading. I'm hoping I might get one published. Fingers crossed!

Lovely Sketchbook

This Lovely sketchbook page and colour print is courtesy of Sarah Fanelli whose work can be found in probably every library and bookshop you care to look in. Her work has that delicious messiness that is so difficult to achieve if you don't have an eye for it...and a shed load of artistic skill. Mixing image and text is something I find so tricky yet Sarah's work seems to effortlessly combine the two with wonderful and original results. I like the pillar of text on the left hand side of the colour piece and how it is 'held in place' by the lettering used in the illustration. I'm inspired to add to my sketchbook tomorrow...and to photograph it.

David Hockney's iPad

“I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms every morning." These were executed with his thumb on the iPhone screen. “Who would have thought that the telephone would bring back drawing?” David Hockney

Can you imagine receiving an iPad flower from the great man himself? How would you exhibit it in you house? I think I would be tempted to mount my iPad on the wall as a digital photo frame and then save up for another....
I am really inspired by these beautiful creations. I'm a big fan of drawing and drawings. One of the reasons I love drawing is because the equipment is simple and portable. You can draw on so many surfaces with so many different tools, creating any number of effects. The possibilities are endlessly exciting.
I remember reading somewhere that David Hockney has special big pockets stitched inside his coats so that he can carry his sketchbook with him wherever he goes. I also have big pockets and a large bag...but currently filled with such items as a packet of tissues, a hot wheels car, a Barbie shoe, a slightly melted chocolate penny and a port-a-potty. One day soon I will add a sketchbook to that collection.