Jess's Messes
Quick drawings for my friend, Jess who is currently investing energy into her culinary escapades. Good food coming my way, I hope!
Fashion dahhhling
Part of our design pitch for the promotion of this year's Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show. The entirity of the project was a collaboration between myself, Yukari Yoshime and Shannon McLean.
Stars are made of Ink
Books to accompany my print, The Stars Are Made of Ink. The three books catalogue my print as it is applied to various newspapers. I was quite taken by the new meanings attributed to the illustration when it was paired with different photographs or news articles. A personal favourite spread of mine is the illustration printed in a hot pink colour over a portrait of Oscar Wilde! Yes please!
Website!
I finally have my website finished to an extent where I don't mind people viewing it! woo! It will still probably be be going through some preliminary pruning with new projects being added and the odd layout shift here and there, however for the main part it is ship shape and ready to set sail. Ahoy there!
Update!
I can't quite find the words to explain the mountains of emotions I have battled with over the last few months. As my degree work built its way towards the grand finale, I found myself existing on no food, no sleep, excitement, euphoria, exhaustion, a quiet sadness and a strong drive to keep going. Working towards my final assessment left me in a state of zombie-like tiredness, and then preparing my work for my degree show (next week!) has kept me beyond busy. Amidst it all I have received a dream grade for my work, set up my official website (though this is still to be enhanced- more to come asap), enjoyed the Edinburgh sun and many bottles of wine, discovered my love of drawing and decided that everything that made the last three years tough was nothing but a series of "meant-to-be's". It all had to happen this way to get me to where I am now and I can't explain enough how much I have treasured my time in Edinburgh.The ultimate climax is soon to follow. My degree show opens next week, I exhibit in London the following week and I graduate at the start of July. I then follow this with an escape to America to see a wonderful friend and finally finish with... well... I suppose the real beginning. I love the idea of finishing with the beginning. How confused!
Anyway, though the last few months has kept me away from my blog, the work has still been streaming. I will keep posting up here as often as my schedule allows, but also take a peek at my website. It will continue to be updated shortly, but for now is a slowly budding little thing enjoying its infancy.
Sunday studio
A rainy day in Edinburgh today but lovely because of it. I always enjoy the quiet of a nice sunday studio.
Memory Illustrations
Some close up shots of the illustrations I have silk screened. The prints are collections of my Edinburgh memories, a cathartic creation as I currently sit pondering the thought of life after Edinburgh.
Memory Illustrations
Some close up shots of the illustrations I have silk screened. The prints are collections of my Edinburgh memories, a cathartic creation as I currently sit pondering the thought of life after Edinburgh.
Ice Ice baby
I am also designing a cover for the book, Perfume which is currently introducing me to experimental delights with ice. I am posting a couple of early tests for my idea so keep an eye out for how my ideas develop. 
Down the rabbit hole...
Experimental beginnings for my cover design for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... MORE TO COME... Oh Hello Caps Lock. That was an accidental surprise. TA TA FOR NOW!
Creative Spaces
My class have prepared for our studio portrait (for the degree show catalogue) by preparing the ultimate creative desk space. We have each taken bits and bobs from our individual desks and compiled them together so that this single desk becomes a portrait of each and every one of us.Myself and a couple of others spent a good chunk of yesterday evening playing with the arrangement (the image above is from its midway point). As ever, Piotr's dog never fails to be a firm favourite of mine!
A Selection of Collections
A Selection of Collections is a series of digital prints I have created as a project with Geoff Collective. I wanted to create a series of illustrations which could be collated together and sold as a single pack. Each illustration is accompanied by it's own story so I will make individual posts about their development over the next few days. I will also take some nice photos of the finished product as opposed to the digital version (shown above). The product will be presented at a buyers evening taking place at Tayburn, in Edinburgh. All of Geoff Collective will be presenting products so it will make for a fun experience I am sure.
Hello! Thanks for stopping by my site.
May I interest you in a coffee or a conversation about Strictly Come Dancing?
From Costa with Love
I have learnt over the years that it takes no more than a coffee shop environment and a nice book to create a magnetic pull between pencil and paper. I think it's something to do with the lounge music... before I know it my hand will be scrawling across the length of sketchbook page, manically colouring in with the same care to detail as a three year old. I never plan what will be drawn, instead allowing the pictures to organically fall from my pencils as a reflection of what is flitting across my mind at that moment in time.
The above illustration was created whilst I was speaking on the phone enjoying a coffee. I think the state of relaxation I fall into in these situations just brings out of me the most random of thoughts. Don't ask why I have written, "Quite a bit away... Run too far from us all to the Baftas. Visually really nice, but I love the way the world walked away and caught us all naked!"
Definitely going mad.
Going to London....
I am becoming hugely excited for my approaching trip to London! The trip will involve attending the 4Designers conferences as well as a trip to Proud Creative's studios (yes please)! I am also hugely excited to finally fulfill my dreams of going to Ottolenghi, potentially indulging in a new art book from Magma and taking a trip to The Design Museum for a joyous slice of culture.Don't ask about the image (above). I have been drawing lots of little monsters across my notebooks recently. I need to get a life. And a psychiatrist.
Barrie Oceans
Back to Barrie, a college project that is haunting me relentlessly. I must admit I feel I've had my fill of this one but alas, the show must go on. I do still love a lot of the photos I took of the ocean for the project so at least I get to work with them.
Coffee contemplations
My Coffee contemplations include...
"Balls! 3 Cups! It's a bad day."
"Count more sheep."
"I like totally can't help but follow him around. It's weird."
"Bad ass knob."
'Little voice."
"This is my Bachelor Forever outfit."
"Free the banker."
"Pissing in 25 minutes."
...These thoughts baffle me as much as you.
Collections
Another Collection illustration for my project with Geoff Collective. This time I was much less metaphorical and took inspiration from the collection of pens currently scattering my desk. I think I love my pro markers like pets. In fact I should really name them. Who keeps pets without names? Surely that's a form of animal cruelty?
Collections
One of the activities I am occupying myself with at the moment is the compilation of illustrations that are themed on collections. As a self-directed project within Geoff Collective, I am collecting together a series of prints, based on collections for our collective. Lovely. The above illustration was inspired by an old notebook of mine which was devoted to newspaper clippings of international blue skies that I dreamed of seeing. Though I couldn't escape the city, I could at least travel the world one paper clipping at a time. From this, I have taken more newspaper clippings and collected them together into a dream landscape that i would currently love to escape to. I thought the image summoned a wonderful heat, an enchanting city and maybe even the scent of spices in the air.
Relief printing (primary-school style)
I am currently juggling so much work that my eyes are lost in a sea of unfinished designs, research work and the odd hallucinated little sock puppet called Bruno who rudely distracts me by tempting me into watching more episodes of Two Fat Ladies than my schedule should allow. Damn you Bruno!
Anyway, Bruno aside, above is a wee image from the development stages for one of my ongoing projects. I am creating a poster on the theme of resistance, and have taken rubbings from the rock and stone belonging to the Scotland National War Memorial. Utilising the good old process of pencil on paper on rock (thank you, Year 2 teacher Mrs Hillier for teaching me this lifelong process) I attained a print of the stone that symbolises resistance against opposition. Resistance via the relief print (as well as its meaning) will hopefully amount to the attainment of nice components that can be played with to result in my poster design.
