Advent Illustration Now on Sale

This week I collected my Advent illustration from the wonderful Ochre frames in Lewes. I chose a beautiful frame called 'Angora' which has a slightly textured finish and a soft off white mount. The finished result is wonderful I am so pleased with it. I am already looking forward to returning with my next commission! 

Apologies for the slightly grainy photo above, it was taken on my ipad. The picture is on sale now at Flint in Lewes alongside my Christmas cards. 

www.flintcollection.com

Fisherman's Cottages

I'd LOVE to live in a fisherman's cottage. These little houses were just a few feet from the harbour in Mousehole, Cornwall and I couldn't not draw them whilst I was there! This postcard formed a part of my summer project at university along with the little book of Falmouth I featured last week. I used a fine liner to capture the scene and later applied a light wash of watercolour to pick out certain details. It's not a way of working I use much anymore but certainly something I'd like to get back to. I think some sketches of Lewes are on the cards as soon as I get a minute.

The Little Book of Falmouth

In light of me sharing some of my favourite past projects with you I have chosen to feature a rather tiny little book of mine this week. I have always loved the South West for it's beautiful countryside and unspoilt beaches but perhaps best of all I love the fishing villages like Mousehole and Port Isaac for their narrow winding lanes and fisherman's cottages.

That being said it's easy to see where the inspiration for this little book came from. It was created as part of a summer project at university which I then posted to my tutor at the end of the holidays (hence the packaging in the first photo). I will be featuring another summer project in a few days time so watch this space!

Wood Engravings

I have just started work on a lovely new commission which I hope to feature on the blog in due course, but until then I thought it might be nice to share some of my favourite past projects with you.

On that note I have chosen to kick things off with these little wood engravings that I produced on the theme of Scandinavia and the culture of the Sami people. It might be worth mentioning at this point that I have a long and enduring love of all things Scandinavian. In the name of research I headed to Stockholm with a friend to gather some ideas and get the creative juices flowing. It was a brilliant trip full of amazing museums, cosy spaces and far too many cinnamon buns.

So here are the fruits of my labour, a set of four little wood engravings which focus on the astoundingly beautiful clothing of the sami children. I hope you like them!

A Beauty Enthusiasts New Best Friend

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a Sali Hughes beauty event at Space NK in Brighton with my dear friend Heidi. I can take or leave make up but I have always LOVED skincare and in Heidi I have a kindred spirit.

As those of you who love all things beauty will know Sali Hughes is a beauty columnist for the Guardian and she has a wonderfully refreshing, no nonsense kind of approach to the subject. After reading a short excerpt from her new book, Sali let us fire questions at her for the rest of the evening on anything and everything concerning skincare and make up.

Everybody who attended received a free copy of Sali's book 'Pretty Honest' which is a brilliant beauty companion full of useful hints and tips from a women who has tried nearly every product in existence. I think this book would make a really brilliant Christmas present for any beauty enthusiast. It's beautifully designed inside and out and let's face it, you can't beat that 'new book' smell.        

Christmas cards

Well here they are at last, my very first Christmas cards. They have been a long time in the making but well worth all the hard work that went into making them. I am really pleased with the final outcome. The design is taken from an original collage that I created specifically for the project which took several weeks to complete.  

     

The cards are on sale at Flint in Lewes, The Courtyard Gallery in Minehead and Made In Hastings if you fancy picking some up. Alternatively please feel free to drop me an email and I can pop some in the post to you.  

For more information on these beautiful shops please visit: 

www.flintcollection.com

www.courtyardframing.co.uk

www.madeinhastings.co.uk