Blogging Break

I've started getting swamped with christmas and similar already so I've decided to postpone my blog updates until the new year.

So until then - enjoy December, Merry Christmas and watch out in January for new arty updates...

Reference Library

Here's a few extracts from my first completed inspiration book (the others are only half finished) ...

For years I've been collecting images, for reference, research or inspiration and until recently they've all been residing in box files - jumbled together and rather in-accesible. To resolve this I started putting some of the images in salvaged books (books that would otherwise have been pulped or similar) creating a collection of inspiration books - my own reference library - which I find a much better way to look through my image collections.

Each book has its own theme - so to speak- a way of making the volume somewhat coherent, the book featured below is filled with copies of vintage photographs.

Saltram Stairs

Found this buried in my studio stash today. Its a watercoloured photocopy of a drawing inspired by Saltram house ( a local national trust property), in other words another relic of a past project that I plan to revive / rework.

Stuffed Shape Experiment

Following the ridged shell experiment I felt like exploring some more shapes and so Amba's toy collection has grown once again

Leaves

Finding new uses for a doodle pattern that used to adorn my degree lecture notebooks

Stuffed Shell

Another stuffed experiment, continuing on the sea theme I guess - mostly I just wanted to give the ridges a try... 

Sewing Snaps

In the midst of sewing...

Compilation sketches

I spent a pleasant few hours hatching away with my fineliners, jumbling together snippets of different subjects to be used later ...

First drawing of the month...

The first drawing of November, another to go with the bunch I posted here.

These drawings I've been producing recently have all been inspired in one way or another by an old photocopied page motifs I found stashed away from years ago. It serves as a nice starting point for the designs though frequently my finished drawing has little in common with the motifs (all of which are no more than an inch wide and poorly photocopied) partly due to drawing style but also because of all the extra pieces I keep putting in.

These two are a good example of the "added extras", as you can see, the bottom one is an expanded version of the top one - complete with cross-hatching (I think I'm having a bit of a cross-hatching phase)

Rag Rug Coaster

Another Rag Rug coaster, this one is made with thicker cream fabric.