Chelsea Flower Show

This week you can see my cover celebrating 100 years of the Chelsea Flower Show. Waitrose and the NFU are collaborating for this years show so I illustrated the flowers that will feature in their garden, including a cheeky gnome.

Last week was bonkers with lots of editorial commissioned with tight deadlines, really exciting stuff but I definitely neglected the book. This week I'd really like to complete another two chapters which will require an enormous quantity of sugar and caffeine, wish me luck!...

More for Waitrose..

Hiya here's the new work for Waitrose, this time I illustrated Sandie Shaw's childhood home and garden and I really enjoyed capturing all the details in the plants.

The new garden illustration and cover for Waitrose will be in store this Friday, and next week the new work for Jamie magazine will be published so I'll be back with more doodles next time! x

Waitrose Magazine

 

This week I've been working hard on a new wrap around cover for Grist all about the NHS. It is about the drive for 'zero harm' in the light of the Mid Staffordshire Scandal - I'll share it once it's coloured in and published!

For now, I'm so pleased to share this new work for Waitrose, I've done lots for them recently, three of these columns in as many weeks and I'm currently working on my first cover for them to celebrate 100 years of the Chelsea Flower Show. The one above illustrates Penny Smith's memories of her garden, I had fun picking out my favourite parts of the text to illustrate and highlight;, her bike, willow tree, rose arbour and favourite apple tree.

In book news... chapter five is now written, illustrated and sent and so we're now starting work on the the dummy. The dummy book comprises the cover and a few key spreads, and it will be this which is shown for marketing purposes ie, on Amazon etc until the completed book is finished - Eeeeek! 

This weekend I'm going to finish off the packs for my students at Squam. I'm off to teach drawing in the USA 5th-9th June, in New England (this is very exciting to me and my sisters, as to us this area is known as Dawson's Creek Country!) Each student will receive a pack full of hand outs, collage and art materials and so I just need to assemble them and finish them off.

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back next time with more work for Waitrose!

Holland & Barrett

Hello! 

What a great week - 20% of the book is now written and illustrated! I'm so pleased, and I'm really getting in the rhythm of it now. I've also completed two illustrations for Waitrose, and I'm really pleased with how they've turned out (I'll share once published). 

Weirdly I feel like my drawings have really improved since starting to write the book, there's something about returning to the basics of drawing, and re-evaluating the type and weight of line I favour which has really re-invigorated my work!

The image above is for Holland & Barett, it's a really beautiful plant with the rather grim name of 'Devil's Claw' but it was lovely to draw! I really enjoy the monthly challenge of creating drawings for Holland & Barrett, they tend to be botanical in nature and it's a lovely chance to explore a range of plants that I am often unfamiliar with.

This Friday I'm off to Somerset for a long weekend to celebrate my parent's 60th birthdays, we've hired a really beautiful and enormous house and I really cannot wait, fingers crossed for sunshine!

Grist cover

Here's a new wrap around cover commissioned by Grist for Insurance Adviser, it was to illustrate an article about the complexities of multinational insurance cover. It's been printed onto really thick matt paper and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out!

Today I'm working on a lovely new illustration for Waitrose which is shaping up nicely, and I'm nearly there with chapter 3 of the book. I've also been working on new illustrations for Holland & Barret, one is honey (yum!) and the other is hypnotism and I've been creating an eye boggling op-art inspired drawing.

I've seen lots of great exhibitions recently, my current favourites are the Hew Locke piece at the Hales Gallery group show, Gert & Uwe Tobias at the Whitechapel Gallery and Souzou Japanese Outsider Art at the Wellcome Collection. If you go to the Whitechapel make time for a slice of the banana and toffee cake from the cafe, it's AMAZING.

Have a great week, hopefully you've got a little spring sun so enjoy x

Heineken Easter

Hello! here's a new spot illustration created for Heineken this Easter, I particularly enjoyed drawing hot cross buns as I am very partial to them - especially the spiced ones YUM!

I've been busy working on my book (it's about drawing and will be published in 2014) the introduction, chapter 1 (and very nearly chapter 2) are complete and I'm really excited with how it's all looking. When I first sat down to start writing it it was a real battle, I never really procrastinate normally and I'm rarely distracted when drawing, but writing turned out to be another matter entirely! My solution has been to pack a rucksack with my laptop and favourite snacks and visit the Southbank Centre. They have a dedicated laptop zone with a zillion sockets full of people with their head down working hard, in that environment I can't fail to concentrate, and the view from the members bar is amazing!

(photo from Southbank centre website)

Last week I visited the Pae White exhibition at the South London Gallery, an amazing installation of coloured threads strung across the space - definatly worth seeing and make sure you have time and room for a meal at No.67 (the gallery cafe) which features a beautiful gold/ white mural and DELICIOUS food. I also saw the new Friedrich Nagler show at England & Co, their exhibitions are always so great and the staff are friendly, informed and always approach visitors to hand out further information and explain more about the artist and the works on show - go see both shows if you're in/ near London! x

Japan

As promised here's my favourite photos from Japan, it was everything I had hoped for and more, really exciting and inspiring. The ten days flew by in a whirlwind as I was really busy with my solo exhibition (I hand painted three of the gallery windows as part of the exhibit - see my cheesy grin below!). I also had ten meetings with prospective clients in Tokyo, some with an interpreter and some without, meeting with public art agencies, advertising companies and retail clients. 

We were incredibly lucky as our trip was timed exactly right to see the "Hanami" the stunning cherry blossom displays across the city. They are a very important celebratory part of the Japanese calender, as their climate is so much warmer than ours the display only lasts for around ten days, and so there are lots of parties and picnics under the trees.

I found the lettering incredibly inspiring and would love to learn more about sumi (brush painting) and calligraphy.

On our second day the lovely Naoko from Sony Japan (who I had created an album cover for in 2011) took us out to explore Tokyo. I last met with her in London, so it was great to see her in her home town, she took us to lots of great places - particularly the amazing food hall where we bought LOTS of sushi and snacks!

A highlight was going on the bullet train to Kyoto to stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) over night. We wore traditional robes, slept on tatami mats, and ate the most incredible meal in a tiny restaurant there, each plate of food arranged on beautiful hand made ceramic, my favourite course was decorated with cherry blossom flowers.

Another highlight was visiting the beautiful permanent mural by Nathalie Lete, in Usagi pour toi (H.P.FRANCE) Harajuk, Tokyo (see the film below to watch her painting it.)

I found so much beauty and tranquility, even right in the centre of Tokyo there were beautiful parks and temples everywhere.

By our last day there was a thick carpet of cherry blossom on the floor, the petals were raining down upon our heads and becoming sparse on the trees above. The only thing I was sad to have missed was visiting Mt Fuji, but we had the most incredible view of it from the plane on the way home, I couldn't believe our luck and it was the most amazing way to say goodbye to Japan x