Own A Colour

Dulux and Unicef are doing a little fund raising through this amazing project called Own A Colour. Its as simple as it sounds. You go on the web site and choose one of the 16.7 million colours available, name it, make a donation and its yours! Best of all the money is going to a great cause! I've bought a lovely shade of blue (the same blue in my logo from my portfolio site). If you want a specific shade you can even input the hexadecimal numbers or RGB values. It costs a minimum of £1. So go on, do it you're helping to save a child's life :)

Draw a Stickman

I'm not going to give too much away but if you have a spare 5 minutes you should definitely have a go on this little web site! Its not what I expected at all which was really nice. So pop over to Draw a Stickman for a little bit of fun :)

I'm back from Scotland!

I'm back from a lovely 4 days up in Scotland. If you follow me on Twitter then you may have already seen these photos, sorry! I was lucky enough to visit many wonderful places including an indoor zoo type place, Loch Lomond, Helensburgh and many other hilly/watery places. The view from the plane on the way home was just as spectacular! I got to meet lots of lovely animals and more importantly I got to stay with my best friend :)

A sneak peak

My new pens came this week and I just couldn't wait to use them! So here is a sneak peak on a little something that I have been working on. I'm not sure how I am going to colour it or even if the ink I am using is waterproof! So I'll probably end up ruining it sometime next week. I'm off to Scotland in a moment and won't be back until wednesday so Origami Chicken might be a bit lonely for a couple days. Have a good weekend guys :)

Get A Loada Geo

This is the super work of George Law. There is tonnes of other ace work over on his site, Get A Loada Geo. I chose these pieces as it incorporates my two favourite things in one! Birds and tea!

Bio:
Freelance Illustrator/ Hails from Sheffield/ Creative Director of Hantu Collective/ Member of The Stars In Stripes/ Football Fan/ Reads Comics/ Loves Graphic Novels/ Loves Coffee/ Listens To Lots of Music/ Watches Lots Of Films

If you can spare 5 minutes today please make sure you pop over to Get A Loada Geo and spend a while delving into all the visual delights there!

Autumn Hedgehogs

Here is a lovely new illustration I have been working on, some hedgehogs making a little home out of falling leaves :)

If you like it maybe you can press promote or like over here on Society6? Or if you like it that much you can even buy it as a print, iPhone case/skin etc etc.

I hope you like it! :)

Blog & Buy Sale

Today I had a lovely surprise from the people at Blog & Buy Sale! They have featured a few pieces of my work and linked to my shop on Society6! It really has made my day. Check it out :)

Pencils, Paper, Scissors

Pencils, Paper, Scissors is a little collective of illustrators and designers who like to collaborate and make pretty things. Recently we have created a blog where you can find out more about us as people and about our individual styles. There will also be updates on current projects as and when they happen.

Lately I have been experimenting with repeat patterns and decided to make one for our blog which you can see in this post!

If you want to find out more or follow Pencils, Paper, Scissors you can find us in a number of places online:
Blog
Twitter
Facebook

Lino Printing

Last night the lovely Jessica Growling did a post on a new lino cut that she had been working on which inspired me to dig mine out and give it ago once again. I had forgotten just how difficult it was to carve nicely especially if you don't have the easy cut stuff. Needless to say it went a bit bodge but I have good fun doing it. It was all going well until I cut the birds beak off... it was quite funny really. But not all is lost! I'm going to use this design for something else and I made some new textures which I need to scan in. I hope everyone is having a great weekend! :)

Ghosts of Gone Birds

All tropical and the Ghosts of Gone Birds have teamed for a great competition! Here a little bit of info but for more click here to go to the All Tropical site! I'm taking part, will you?

'The organisers of the Ghosts of Gone Birds project are raising a creative army for conservation through a series of multimedia exhibitions that breathe artistic life back into extinct bird species, celebrating their diversity through paintings & sculpture, talks & poetry, installations & live music.'

'The project presents a unique collection of originally commissioned artworks, literature and music from some of the UK’s leading contemporary artists, writers and performers including - Ralph Steadman, Sir Peter Blake, Rob Ryan, Billy Childish, Desmond Morris, Pete Fowler, Charming Baker, Jamie Hewlett, Kai and Sunny, Rebecca Jewell, Bruce Pearson, Olly and Suzi, Robert Gillmor, Dafila Scott and Jimi Goodwin - each one of them has adopted an extinct species and breathed life back into it through their creative talents (Jamie Hewlett from Gorillaz has a Hawaiian crow; Rob Ryan has the Stephen's Island wren; Holly Johnson went for liver birds, and Billy Childish the Reunion owl).'

'The challenge is: can you also breathe life back into the birds we have lost by designing a t-shirt?'

Poppy Long - Fluffy Whales

I discovered these little gems over on Fluffy Whales. I instantly fell in love with the little own design and general woodland theme. Even though these are designed for childrens clothes I think that these could easily be transfered onto homewares such as cushions and duvets! Visit the Fluffy Whales blog for more lovely work and other designs for M&S.

Luke Pearson

Gorgeous illustration work by Luke Pearson. I'm going to pretend that that girl is me :) Unfortunately there is no explanation of this lovely piece of work so here is a bit more about Luke!

'My name is Luke Pearson and I’m a freelance illustrator and comic book artist from the UK.
I have produced work for clients such as Nobrow Press, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Channel 4, Preloaded, Wired, Radiolab, Gosh! Comics, Weezer, Margaret London, Playstation 3 and Little White Lies magazine.'

Parko Polo

This is the beautiful work of Parko Polo. His about me page is just as interesting! Have a read below:

Mild-mannered illustrator Edward McGowan by day. Super side project alter ego Parko Polo by night.

Since climbing out of the petri dish, Parko Polo took a bold line into the world he wished to inhabit and brought his vivid palette along for the ride.

When the conductor checked Parko's ticket however he realised that there was no terminus for this
chosen journey, but what he failed to realise was that the world Parko was venturing into knew no bounds.

The landscapes he inhabits and the people he meets are never all that they seem, but his depictions
of them all provide 'that little glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask'.

Parko drinks far too much coffee and is always available for commissions and collaborations.

Tia Eastwood

This is the gorgeous work of Tia Eastwood. I love how textured her work is (something I have yet to achieve in my own work. If you have any tips please let me know!) Her characters are also really sweet and interesting and I love the different layers and patterns she has created. Make sure you have a little visit to her web site as there are lots of other visual delights to drool over :)

Helena Garcia

This is the gorgeous work of Helena Garcia. I first discovered her works over on Society6 and there are even more over on her web site! This is a little more about her:

'Raised in South Florida with a BFA in Illustration from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Helena enjoys creating designs and paintings consisting of whimsical characters. These include animals to little girls with funny haircuts and everything in between. Her inspirations come from Japanese aesthetics, cartoons from the 60’s and vintage design. On her spare time she enjoys eating desserts, napping with her chihuahua, Kiko and watching movies.'

10 years on

Click the images to go to original source

Todays post could not be anything other than the 10 year anniversary of the dreadful events of 9/11. It certainly doesn't feel as if 10 years has passed but today people around the world are stopping to remember those who lost their lives. I feel these 'towers' of light are a beautiful way of paying tribute to those lost. The art installation comprises of 88 searchlights which are placed at the site of the World Trade Centre. Once illuminated they create two vertical columns of light which resemble the two towers.

If you haven't already just spare a thought to those who didn't get to return home that day. 

Rest in peace Karlie x

Supakitch and Koralie Art

A friend of mine linked me to this wonderful video earlier, take a look!

Forget-Me-Not

This is a little sneak peek at something I've been doodling this week. I decided to take it out of my notebook and onto the computer. The background still needs a lot of work and possibly some shading on the flowers would help. I might completely ditch the dull background colour and draw something in its place. We'll see when I come at it with fresh eyes another day :)

Simon Law

This is the wonderful work of Simon Law. He creates really sweet vector characters and has many many more over on his portfolio site.

Here's what he says about himself:
'I'm a freelance illustrator and graphic designer of sorts from London. I have recently moved from the sunny, climate of Glasgow, into my new humble abode with my lovely wife and my large family of sketchbooks. Not only do I love to doodle, but in my spare time I have a penchant for collecting and building Gundam Wing models. I use them as a huge influence for my illustrative work.'

So if you have a spare 5 minutes today why not check him out?

Pencils, Paper, Scissors

Pencils, Paper, Scissors is a new collective featuring myself, Avril Kelly, Gemma Travis, Kerri-Ann Hulme and Madi. Above is a screenshot of the little introducing section of myself. To read more about me and the rest of the crew click here!

Minkee

Today I discovered these lovely little gocco prints by Minkee. You can buy them as a set of 3 from the website click here to go there. The set includes a tiger, red panda and some animals of the savannah. However...

Whilst I was browsing the Minkee website I found something even more interesting! On the about page is this really sweet illustration. I thought it was a really nice way of saying what you like, where you live and what you do. Its refreshing and different to many of the about pages that I have seen over the years. If only more people put more effort into their about pages (myself included).

Little Flower Circle

I drew these little flowers the same day that I drew the fish that I recently showed you. That day I seemed to go through a phase of drawing everything in a circle! I'm still experimenting on drawing without obvious outlines and I think this one went quite well! I have a few more ideas that I might try this weekend so there maybe more work to show you soon! In the mean time you can pop over to my Society6 Studio to press promote if you like? Or if you want to treat yourself you can even get it as a print, canvas, iPhone/pod cover, laptop skin, hoody or tshirt!

Cartoon Dads As Beers

I discovered these funny little illustrations over on Buzz Feed. To see even more click on the Buzz Feed link. They are quite clever because we have become familiar with these colours and patterns and can instantly recognise them even when they are not in their original form. The same can be said for some major brands too. Anyways, enjoy!

Little Fishes Update!

After some of the lovely helpful comments made by people on twitter I decided to give my little fish a bit more texture. I managed to find some close up fish scales and gave them all their own little scales! They may not be visible in this image but I assure you they're there. I also went for a canvas background. It was also suggested that I went for a border too which is quite nice as it frames them and makes them look as if they are in a small bubble. I'm starting to feel happier about this drawing now. I've still got work to do on learning to draw without obvious outlines which is a lot harder than I thought but I'm getting there! It's now available on Society6 as a print, phone case, laptop skin, t-shirt and hoody!
Thanks to the people who replied to me and I hope you like my more finalised little fish :)

Link to yesterdays post and version of Little Fishes.

Matt Daniels

These are the wonderful illustrative skills of Matt Daniels. He was commissioned to design some illustrations for this old school VW Camper Van! What a great job to get! I'd love to see this one out on the road. Maybe I'll do the same one day, I've always wanted one of these little beauts.