UCF Illustrated Book of Quotes & Sayings

This is the most predictable post of my whole blog EVER, because graduates at Falmouth have been doing a piece for this wonderful publication for SIX years now, & I'm no boat-rocker no sir, so I did one too.

I spent ages toying with what could possibly be the most inappropriate-but-friendly-and-might-make-someone-guffaw quote, & settled with WC Fields' "I like children...fried." Succinct, direct, a little bit weird. Perfect advertising.

I've got a real bee in my bonnet about what I can only call "parts/whole" right now; pieces you have to go into & root around in, pick out all the little bits, ideas shoved in every nook & non-sexy cranny. My crannies may possibly be too full right now; I spent longer than I care to admit coming up with puns & edible bodyparts, & I'm not happy with the eye-fuzz the amount of detail is feeding. I don't like it here anymore, so I'm going home & easing up on heavy detail from now on. I pushed some little references to the Hansel & Grethel story in, & deliberately made the kids ginger. Makes them look...more edible. You know, tastier. Makes the scenario more believable.

It had crossed my mind the foreground element on the right page could be a little bit too far. I started drawing the goo coming out of the eyeball where the lolly stick was jabbed in, & just gave in to it all. It felt squishy, & warm, & guilty. I quite like drawings that feel like that.
-xxx-

Happy Easter!! (sort of)

IT'S NOT QUITE EASTER ANYMORE I'M A NIGHT OWL :(

I hope everyone had a egg-citing Easter anyway! Even better will be TOMORROW, peeps; by 5pm there'll be mountains of cut-price Easter eggs FLANKING MY MAMMOTH BEING. I feel the need to confess a deception occurring here, though; this isn't a Happy Easter picture, made with warmth & goodwill toward you, the general public, it's the endpapers of my book, with less-than-final colours. I'm sorry. I hope that hasn't spoilt the whole thing for everyone.

The book, incase anyone cared, is a very simple tale of a cockerel (rooster? American chicken??) taking his responsibility of getting things goin' in the mornin' pretty seriously. One such morning he notices there aren't any eggs in the barn, so he rushes around bothering all the animals to help him find out where the eggs is at. At the end he finds them, right back at the barn, & the lesson is learned about having a bit of patience when it comes to chickens making babies, or breakfast, depending on your moral standing.

It wasn't the book I intended to write at all, but I've never learnt so much in one project, so it's still loved. The inspiration was simple; 1) I like animals, 2) I like drawing animals, & 3) I really think it'd be worth the agriculture industry learning some PATIENCE rather than cramming hens in tiny cages, pumping them full of chemicals & leaving them to exist in living chicken hell just so some people can have their omelette a smidgen faster & a shitload cheaper than is natural. And whoever said 4 years old was too young to learn about industrial farming?? NOT ME THAT'S WHO.

I'm really looking forward to going on holiday eventually. Love you -xxx-

Where Are The Eggs? WIP artworkses

Yesssssssssssssssss preciousssssssss...MACMILLAN ENTRY DURING NICE WEATHER MAKES CATHY A DULL GOLLUM.

I still have to finish one, & by finish I mean start, as well as a few roughs & the endpapers. I've worked longer hours over the Easter break than I did during term time. It might end up worth it, after I find someone to fix the crick in my neck, unless the crick is serious. In the meantime I enjoyed doing this, & by enjoyed I mean nearly died, & it was funky educational.

I know I'm a broken dubstep track, but anyone think anything about these pieces of drawing they care to share? Like a Bear? Hmm??
I'm sure it's a common worry, but I think some of them....might be a bit...scary? Obviously that was what I was going for, but I don't want to do anything you know, damaging. I'm just REALLY into horror films, & cartoons, & drawing things for children. It should be an uncomfortable mix but I think I'm workin' it pretty sexy.

Feedback rewarded with HOT GINGER LOVE :) -xxx-

IF: Journey

HI.

I'll be honest, I started this before the topic went up. It's just fab that my desire to ride a brontosaurus like a wedding elephant matched IF this week.

The Cursed Macmillan Entry has really got me itching for more environments & colour. Hopefully I'll eventually get that finished. I'm worried my kid characters never look like kids though? Lucky there aren't any humans in my Macmillan book. If anyone has any thoughts on it I'd love to hear :D

IF: Bottled

I'm on a learning curve at the moment, which involves learning to get up & sit in my studio all day & draw without anyone checking I'm not doing other things. You know, willpower, practice, working from home etc. Pluses include endless supplies of tea, minuses include TOTAL. SOLITUDE. ALLTHETIME. Resulting in the arguable plus/minus of COMPLETE MADNESS.

I'm slogging through my Macmillan entry, & don't even MENTION my entry to the Illustrated Quotes book, cos I ain't done any of it, which makes me very very BUSY, but I keep starting new pieces because I want to & possibly momentum? I'm scared if I stop drawing I'll fall asleep. So Illustration Friday was done this week, although it must've eaten mmmaybe three-ish hours of Work Time I DON'T CARE. I love being busy, but the prospect of not finishing in time stresses what's left of my hair out.

James MARK3, and also Others

Maybe the final version? The constant tweaking of colours has killed this piece for me, maybe if I had colour skill +10 I could've got it first time instead.

One thing that hit me during this piece; I bet post-grad illustration is SOLITARY like a hairy menopausal lamprey. Give it six months, my studio will have more Barbie dolls than pencils, all called stuff like 'Martha' or 'Maggie.' Comforting, frumpy names; tiny tarty mothers to soothe me through each lonely day...does anyone think the DRAWING is getting any better, anyway?....did you all stop reading...?

These were my warm-ups today; I was away for the weekend & needed KICKSTARTART after the very disconcerting realisation there was life outside my studio. Seriously. Like, lots of it. I know!

James and the Giant Peach WIP

There's a trend emerging, amongst my current class in my current year on my current course, currently, to be asking around for feedback a lot.  It's a good wagon to be on, I think, so I'm gettin in on that good stuff.

I ran out of steam & am really struggling to look at it with any description of objectivity; I'd super ooper appreciate any fresh eyes that would type their thoughts out in a box below this box, then press enter. And fill in the security thingy. Press enter again.
Thankyou in advance! xxx

(EDIT)
Eye trap plugged, attempt at near-complementary scheme rather than the analogous, although I am dubious of it becoming a bit garish?

 SOMETHING JUST CAME OUT OF MY NOSE it's either boogers, OR BRAINS.  If it's brains I hope if I can get injury-at-illustration compensation.