Making Magazine illustrations 1, and other ramblings

Greetings all!  Welcome to my second post of 2012 (I know, I have been a bum of a blogger this year) and there's lots to fill you in on.  I've actually spent almost as much time away than I have in London so far this year - first there was  a two week trip to visit mine and the fiance's family, and then we came back for a scant few days before we set off again for a couple of nights in Krakow, Poland.  It's been really wonderful and refreshing to be out of London for a bit, though at this point I'm looking forward to being settled back in my normal routine.

Some of you may remember me tweeting about some exciting work that I was doing, and well, I am finally able to share!  Since December I've been doing some step-by-step illustrations for Making Magazine, which have been really challenging in some instances but also very rewarding.  You can see the first set of illustrations below, which were to accompany instructions to make a corsage out of a zip.  My work has been in two issues so far with a third to come very soon, and of course I'll keep you updated on my progress.  So, if you happen to pick up a copy in your local store, keep your eyes peeled for my work in there!

Picture 1

Picture 2 

Picture 3 

Picture 4 

Picture 5 

Picture 6 

Doing this type of work has been really rewarding, and is definitely something I would like to do more of this year.  I feel that 2012 has a good vibe to it, so this year I want to push, push, PUSH my portfolio, send my work out to lots of companies and generally focus on getting it under the noses of the right people.  Up until last year I wasn't sure about what I wanted my work to be, or which direction to go in.  Now, I feel much more assured of who I am, what my work is about and where I want to go.  I'm looking forward to giving 2012 a big kick in the backside!

This year I am aiming to use my downtime more effectively to enjoy some activities besides drawing.  The intention is that this will then feed back into my work as an illustrator - after all, just trying to pump out work the whole time can run your creative juices dry!  Hopefully having a more balanced life will help to keep me fresh and inspired.  Here's a brief list of things I would like to do more of in 2012 and any progress made toward achieving them so far:

1) Travel - The trip to Krakow has been progress on this, and has reawakened my thirst for travel!  Airport delays, expenses and having to strip-off at security are all worth it to experience the wonders of exploration.  Time to whip out the travel guides and get planning!

2) Read more books - I scarcely had the time to read anything beyond a newspaper article last year, never mind a whole novel!  I used to devour books as a kid, so this year I wanted to rediscover that passion.  Thus far I have finished one book, and have found it a much better way to wind down of an evening rather than resorting to the TV.

3) Cook - Normally I love to cook, and was known to relish throwing together huge vats of home made soup chock full of nutritious vegetables.  Again, last year was so hectic at some points that I allowed it to slide, and got bored of making the same recipes over and over.  Just recently I purchased a new cook book - The 30 Minute Cook by Nigel Slater - which has given me some fresh ideas and got me excited about getting back in the kitchen.  The first thing I want to make is noodle soup, I love it!  Tasty, healthy, satisfying and it seems simple enough to make.  All I need now are some ingredients...

4) Bake - I love the idea of baking, but rarely get the time to do so.  When you have to cook for yourself, generating more mess and washing up seems sheer folly!  However, I would like to overcome this laziness and make at least some simple treats.  Home made just tastes better, and seems more rewarding than a chocolate bar from the corner shop.

5) Exercise/outdoor pursuits - yes I know getting fit is a common new-year resolution (since at this point, people are realising how much they've over indulged during the festive season and how good the resulting rolls of flab will look in a bikini (i.e., not good at all)) but I want to focus more on seeing the parks and green spaces around London, and generally having a good time being active outdoors.

6) Photography - As some of you may have seen on my twitter feed, I am looking to acquire a new camera.  I've always gotten by with simple compact cameras, but am now finally taking the plunge into digital SLR ownership.  I'm don't want to become a photographer in any professional capacity, but rather to use the better quality and flexibility of a high spec camera to capture the world I see around me.  I find it really frustrating when I see a gorgeous panorama, but the camera I'm using either can't fit much in the frame, or hardly does the scene justice!  So I hope that dipping my toe in this medium will result in a bank of lovely photos to inspire future work.

Obviously there's tons more illustration and work-related things I would like to do this year, but I should probably finish this post now before it gets too long!  Thanks for reading,  I hope you will join me again next time.

Emma xxx

2011 - a year in pictures

Greetings everyone, welcome to the first post of 2012!  I know, I know, we're already three weeks into 2012 so as "new year" themed blog posts go, this is tardy as hell.  What can I say, I am rubbish at updating when I'm busy with other things!  When I'm working on a time-consuming project I tend to get tunnel vision - the only thing I can focus on is the deadline in front of me.  Project completed, I emerge to find that the routines of domestic life have fallen apart: the fridge empty, the flat a complete tip and a mountain of angst-inducing, tedious little tasks awaiting me.  I often imagine how much I could get done if I had a robot servant to deal with all that crap - I would love to have a perfect, clean, neatly organised home but have no patience for domestic drudgery when there are more important (and infinitely more interesting) things to be doing.

Anyway, down to business.  This post sums up the best bits of my 2011: partly as a nice way to round off one year and start another, and also for myself to reflect on the year that's passed.  It seems to me that one cannot move forward without learning lessons from what has been.  So, I want to understand what I did well last year and the things I would like to improve on or do more of, in my professional as well as personal life.  And plus, if I set goals and talk about them on here, the threat of public embarrassment/ failure will hopefully be adequate motivation to ensure that I achieve them!  And even though this post isn't in time for western new year, it does coincide with the Chinese new year at least. Hung hei fat choy, everyone!


JANUARY

Christmas is the season of giving, so it seems appropriate that I finished the festive season last year by donating one of my digital prints to How Bazaar Charity Auction, which was in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.  The auction, along with other events, raised over £6,800 for the charity.  Admittedly the part I played in this success was fairly small, but I am sill enormously proud to have been a part of this worthwhile cause.

FEBRUARY

At this point in the year I was finishing off a piece for a private commission, but I managed to justify an evening off and headed along to the launch of the first Flamingo Magazine at the Fashion Exchange on Brick Lane.  This was also in support of my buddy June Sees, who had work on show at the launch.

MARCH

The privately commissioned piece that I had been working on for several months on and off was finally completed!  I was very pleased with how this cute pair of owls turned out.

APRIL

By April, my schedule was starting to get really busy - there were lots of projects to complete, as well as the upcoming SORTED London exhibition that needed to be organised and supplied with fresh new work to entice the punters with.  Nonetheless, I found the time to take part in the Travelling Sketchbook Project, creating this spread featuring a pair of Song Thrushes perched in Cherry Blossom.

This is a piece previously unseen on this blog, as at the time of making it I was far too busy to write!  Which is a great pity, as it was a really challenging and interesting commission to work on.  I was asked to create a picture for the Radio and Space Plasma Physics Group at Leicester University, showing a large, jupiter-like planet accompanied by a moon with eruptions on its surface.  The piece also needed to show other features, such as a magnetic field and auroral rings.  This was a bit of a departure from the usual subjects that I draw, but was very rewarding project to be part of.

MAY

After many months of hard work, my pieces for SORTED London were finally complete.  This picture, featuring a Wren with Dog Rose, may just be my very favourite piece!

JUNE

Most of June was spent hanging, framing and otherwise making arrangements for SORTED London, which opened in the middle of June and was a big success for everyone that took part.

JULY

July was a pretty busy month!  After meeting Flash Bristow at SORTED London, I completed a piece of work for her, featuring a Siskin sitting in a Birch tree.  While dropping it off I had a tour around the Leytonstone Arts Trail, a varied and exuberant local festival featuring sculptures, paintings, performances and community art projects.

I also squeezed in making this Greyhound for Jo Cheung's We Draw Dogs blog, he loves to run!

And finally for july, my picture of a Gallic rooster was featured on the Chicken and Pig Book blog.

AUGUST

After the hectic schedule of the last four months, I needed to take a little off to chill out and recharge my creative batteries.  So, I hopped on a train up to Edinburgh to stay with my brother and his missus for a few days, taking the opportunity to sample the delights of the Comedy Festival and soak up the city's historic atmosphere.

SEPTEMBER

Once home it was nose to the grindstone again.  I have a long-standing love of otters, which is reflected in this drawing.

OCTOBER

These two pieces were created for Ten Paces and Draw, who regularly post themed drawing challenges on their blog.

This creepy Mermaid was featured in Issue 7 of Peculiar Bliss Magazine, which had 'creatures' as its theme.

NOVEMBER

In November I finished work on my two Christmas card designs, which had an autumnal theme this year.  The shy Dunnock and the splendid Waxwing were my favoured subjects, with their rich, warm colours.

DECEMBER

December was an incredibly hectic month!  Along with the usual preparations for Christmas to be made, there were also lots of creative projects that I was involved in.  This cute little Hummingbird was created for (you guessed it!) Hummingbird Magazine.

I also created these three festive French Hens for Minirice Graphic Design and Illustration.

The last event of 2011 is a bit of a blast from the past - featuring my Yorkshire Christmas Pie picture (remember that one?  It's a piece from my last year of university!)  Clearly there is a dearth of images of heritage pies on the internet, because this picture was featured alongside an article about festive pies on the Josephine County Historical Society blog.

Well that just about rounds up all the major happenings of 2011, join me next time when I will be looking forward and making plans for the new year.  I hope you will join me!

Drawing of a beautiful hummingbird

A new picture of mine, despite all the Christmas preparations I'm still managing to cram in drawing work where I am able!  Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading.

Emma x

Brand-spanking new work

Hello everyone!  Sorry I've been a bit quiet online lately - I've been working away diligently behind the scenes, despite the lethargy and general aversion to early mornings that I suffer from in winter.  It's something I struggle with year after year, and I tend to find that my productiveness declines hugely towards Christmas, much to my annoyance.  I don't think of myself as a lazy person (far from it!) and not having a project to work on makes me feel miserable.  So, I've been doing my best to push through it this year, with the help of good company and a lengthy walk at the top of the day to help me catch as many rays as is available this time of year.

So it is with huge pleasure that I present to you my two newest pictures - which will also be the designs on my Christmas cards this year.  I had a bit of an inspiration visit to the various Christmas stores available in London (most have been open since september or even august - we like to get started early round here!) and found that as well as the usual holly and mistletoe, there were lots of autumnal subjects beginning to seep into the Christmas theme - items such as toadstools, acorns and turning leaves were repeatedly featured as ornaments.  I love the warm colours of autumn, with the rich reds and oranges coupled with gold and mossy green, so decided to have an autumn theme in my cards this year.

A Dunnock (formerly known as the Hedge Sparrow) rootling about in the leaf litter under a hawthorn bush.   I featured this rather unremarkable bird on my cards in honour of the little Dunnock I often see creeping about my patio and under the bench in my garden!

One of our most splendid winter visitors - Waxwings love to feed on the hips (fruit) of roses.

It was a wonderful subject to work on and there were a lot of ideas that I liked, but in the end I decided that the strongest compositions were the two above.  I could have made lots more card designs, but alas, there are other projects that require my attention!  I am hoping to design more cards next year, so that it can be a collection that is added to and updated regularly with new work.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy these two, the cards should be available to purchase in my Etsy shop by the end of the week.

As always, thanks so much for reading!

Emma x

Waxwing sketches

Evening all!  I've been hard at work the last few days working on a couple of new pictures.  I've been going for a bit of an autumnal theme... they aren't quite ready to share yet, so for now, here's some waxwings.  I hope you enjoy them!