craftaganza

I've been super busy preparing for the Christmas fairs I'm selling at in the next few weeks. The first one is at the end of the month. I'll be at Craftaganza in Fabrica Galletry (Duke St/ Ship St, Brighton) on Saturday 30th November, where I'll be selling Christmas cards, wrapping paper and tags, tea towels, posters and more. It's free entry and there's homemade food and drinks - go on, you know you want to!

halloween

lake district

I just got back from a week in the Lake District. I climbed to the top of Scafell Pike....and came down the wrong way (it was very cloudy & I may have failed to check the map...ahem), extending what was already a nearly 10-mile hike by about 4 or 5 miles. Boy did I ache the next day!

I had every intention of doing some nice drawings of mountains while I was there but, what with all the mountain climbing, fell walking and cake eating, there just didn't seem to be a spare moment. Instead, here's a little mountain climber by the marvellous Spencer Wilson.

the paper cinema

The first time I saw The Paper Cinema was at in 2008 Toynbee Studios in East London where they performed East with live music played by Roger Eno - I'd never seen anything like it before. Founders Nicholas Rawling and Imogen Charleston manipulate cut out, intricate and beautiful illustrations in front of cameras creating a live animation that is projected onto a screen.

Last might I went to see The Odyssey, their new show currently playing at The Old Market in Hove. It's incredible and it feels more developed. They now use two cameras to create a multi-layered effect and employ clever techniques to create a sense of movement, speed, and distance, not to mention an incredibly effective atom bomb-like explosion. It's impossible to watch what is happening on screen without taking sneaky looks at what Nicholas and Imogen are doing in front of the camera to achieve the effects.

I can't conclude without mentioning the wonderfully inventive soundtrack performed live by musical director Christopher Reed along with Hazel Mills and Quinta. A violin cleverly mimics the sound of an outboard motor, a drill is a motorbike and gravel in a tray is the sound of walking. All alongside music beautifully composed specifically for The Odyssey. You can listen to some of the music here, and scroll down for a video clip.

shoreditch street art tour

I spent a day in London with my mum last week. We do a London day together every year and, aside from a bit of shopping, we're always looking for something new and different to do with our day. This year we went on a street art tour around Shoreditch. It was epic! It was brilliant! We spent 3 hours pounding the streets and alleyways of Spitalfields, Bricklane and Shoreditch. Our tour guide Dave recently set up Shoreditch Street Art Tours but has been into the scene for ten years (he is also a world renowned street art photographer), so he was super knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. We saw work in hidden corners as well as prominent pieces. What's really surprising is the amount of work that is in plain view but seen by so few people - we don't spend enough time looking up or looking down to the ground! I took a plenty of photographs - here are some of my favourite ones:

illustration friday: hidden

ale giorgini's movie posters

I can't get enough of these awesome movie posters by Italian illustrator Ale Giorgini. I love this style - simple lines but incredibly clever composition and the films are captured beautifully in a single image. Below are some of my favourites. Now, please excuse me while I go and have a look around his online shop. What's this? A credit card in my hand already?!.....

gemma correll

A new shop has opened up in Brighton near to where I live. Dowse on Western Road is a shop full of lovely things! Apart from an awesome handbag and some very nice earrings I'm totally in love with the cards by Gemma Correll. I've come across her work before but it's the first time I have seen the range on sale in Dowse. I'm a sucker for a good pun and these from Gemma are totally hilarious....

lizzy stewart

Lizzy Stewart was one of the first artists I fell in love with when I started taking illustration seriously and looking at what contemporary illustrators were producing. Her dreamy characters and works inspired by people and things around her, as well as folk culture and music still captivate me today. I'm not sure why I haven't posted about her before! With the warm, sunny days still hanging around (just a brief two-day interlude of grey skies and rain here in Brighton), I am finding myself drawn to bright, colourful images. Here are some gorgeous, vegetation-filled paintings by Lizzy....visit her Flickr for more.

hot town, summer in the city

The summer finally made an appearance!To mark this momentous occasion here's a lady sunbathing by Naomi Wilkinson. Do go and check out her Tumblr for tonnes more terrific images.