A New Year

Some photos of my Christmas at home, as I reflect on the past year and all that it has brought with it, the (mostly) good and the bad. I'm so excited about what 2014 is going to bring!

"Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn."

- Mahatma Ghandi

Here's to a New Year!

Grubs up!

I got some lovely new art supplies for Christmas - sketchbooks, pencils, paints. So, naturally, I had to try them all out as soon as possible!
Here is an illustration of our beautiful dinner table on Christmas day featuring some of my particular favourites; apricot stuffing, garlic mushrooms, roasties and Strawberry and Lime Kopparberg. YUM!

'Twas the Night before Christmas

Today I wrapped presents, chopped red cabbage, peeled potatoes and made a centre piece for our table. Now I'm sipping a hot spiced apple drink and waiting to watch a classic Christmas movie with my family, before getting to bed so Santa can arrive! Tomorrow I intend to eat my body weight in food and chocolates, have to get a good night's sleep for that too. And the weather forecast predicts snow - what a big day ahead!

                 Merry Christmas to everyone!



    

Masana!

I came across these forgotten prints today and thought I would share them. I entitled the prints 'Masana' which means 'morning' in Chichewa, the local language spoken in Malawi, Africa. The scene of the goat, huge boabab tree and hut reminds me of the sun rising across an African landscape, cool before the blazing sun arrives at noon, and quiet, with only a cockerel crowing and the occasional chirping of a cricket before the bustle of the day begins.
I'll be honest and say that I did actually forget that the image appears in reverse when printed (rookie mistake) but THANKFULLY not before I wrote the title underneath; that would have been unfortunate!

Long Journey Home

I arrived home for Christmas on Wednesday evening, after a windy, rainy, rocky and very delayed journey across the Irish Sea. I spent a few days before in Edinburgh, where I visited the German Christmas Market, a renowned horrendously awful club and my sisters flat for Christmas dinner.
Here is a quick drawing I sketched while on my way home in the bus... more work to follow shortly!

A few selfies

Finished a few self portraits recently, so here they are.
These days I am cooped up in my room with endless cups of tea, the same ten amazing songs on repeat and about a dozen sketchbooks, as hand ins loom near. I can't wait to be free for Christmas holidays, and get in the festive spirit.
My plans for Christmas include visiting the Christmas market in Edinburgh, going on a random road trip with my best friend, surviving my mums amazing Christmas dinner, and healing the deadly shin splints I'm suffering from much running. Oh, and making an absolutely epic snowman when (if) it snows this year.
3 more days of staring with glazed eyes at a computer screen and then I'll be free!

 

Heart of Darkness

Our latest project brief was to create a front cover and 3 internal illustrations for the classic novel 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad.
Set around 1980's, the main character Marlow recalls his 'african adventure' as a captain aboard a Belgian steamboat travelling up and down the Congo river, and the encounters he and several other crew had with different characters along the way.
The book explores the issues surrounding imperialism, as well as the oppression, power and brutality of many white company managers who traded in Africa at this particular time. It's an interesting and worthwhile read (as well as easy to get through - there are only about 90 pages in the whole novel).

Here is a front cover I came up with, and an internal illustration for a scene near the beginning.

Margaritas, Cocktails and Beer!

Here are a photos from a recent chalkboard commission at 'Rancho Pancho', a popular little Mexican restaurant nestled in the heart of Dundee city centre. It is warmly lit, cosy yet sophisticated, and so it was essential that the chalkboard reflected the general atmosphere and style of the restaurant.
I painted the large wall, and then drew up their current drinks list using different typography. This was a rather meticulous job as I had to ensure each word was correctly measured, lined up and spaced out, but I think that the end result was definitely worth it.
I'm really pleased with the outcome and grateful for the opportunity to expand my portfolio of work.

...If you're ever in Dundee and fancy a tasty bite to eat and a yummy cocktail, you know where to go!

Little Birdies

Onto the next art project I've been working on recently: 'drawing interventions' - basically creating any kind of 'drawing' we like in an outdoor space.
I decided to learn how to make origami birds (credit to my very patient friend) and place them about the streets of Edinburgh and Dundee, firstly on their own and then dangling in transparent balloons with a bird cage drawn over the top. I really loved the process of  creating the birds and balloons, and was pleased with the results...

Eden in Malawi

First brief of the semester was a week long with the theme 'Eden'. We had to think about what Eden is, where it is and who lives there.
I came up with the idea of Eden as my favourite place, a mountain in Malawi called 'Mulanje'. The beauty at the top of the mountain is a stark contrast to the poverty and hardship of those living at the bottom, who often work long, draining hours picking tea leaves from the fields surrounding the base of the mountain.
At the very top of Mulanje is a peak called 'Sapitwa', which means 'don't go there' in the local language, Chichewa. I have likened this peak to the temptation of the 'Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil' in the biblical garden Eden.
Do you go there even though it is advised not to? Or are you content with what you have been given?

Sketches

With the new semester looming, I feel like I need to get back in the game and brush up on my drawing skills, so here are two quick(ish) drawings I did today. They were a lovely break amidst the current flurry of packing for my trip back to university on Monday. It's crazy how much I am trying to fit into one suitcase and a rucksack. Ugh.

Font Galore!

So these days my new addiction is design typography (a.k.a really cool fonts), and I have slowed my laptop down considerably from treating myself to some rather lovely free font downloads.
It's amazing, just pop the installed lettering onto a photo (the photo's below are all my own) and viola, you have a great looking image!

Feel Good Drinks

Here are my efforts for the 'Feel Good Drinks' competition brief I came across on my university email. I loved creating letters out of the (many many) fruits found in the drinks; the hard part was the design and layout which, being an illustrator, I'm not so good at. But I got through the layer locking, Photo-shop nightmares and am happy with the sunny, bright, and - hopefully - eye pleasing end result!

  

Belgium

This summer I worked in Belgium as a teacher and activity leader at an English language school. At weekends I was able to visit different parts of Belgium as well as neighbouring countries such as Germany and Luxembourg. It was a great summer, and I would love to see even more of Belgium one day! Here are a few photos from my travels; sketchbook drawings are to follow shortly...