Bramble and Burdock

Sheep

2012-01-15T15:39:00.000Z

This Christmas I received a wonderful book of illustrations by the famous British artist Henry Moore. He's more well-known for his very large and distinctive sculptures, but he was a very good draughtsman as well. As a gift for his young daughter, who loved sheep, he filled a special sketchbook full of wonderful pen and ink drawings of them.

The best thing about the book is that all the backs of the pages have been reproduced faithfully as well, where the ink bled through the paper or rubbed off onto the opposite page, so it's almost like having the real thing! Brilliant!

It's Yule!

2011-12-21T16:12:00.000Z

Hello to all those still checking in on this blog and apologies for the lack of updates. Hopefully I'll have some more to show you in the new year. Anyway, here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

Undead

2011-11-04T10:12:00.001Z

Here are two new crochet rabbits which I made recently. The first one is a vampire rabbit. Even though he's 862 years old, he still looks cute for his age!

And this is another variation of my zombie rabbit design. This one has the added extra of a glow-in-the-dark brain! It's made from polymer clay and sewn into his head!

~~Both are now available~~ The zombie rabbit has now been sold (yay!) but the fanged fluffytail is still available to buy over in my Etsy shop!

Hibernate

2011-10-02T18:00:00.000+01:00

Two posts in one day - I'm getting prolific! Anyway, here's a design I did for a greeting card which fits nicely with this week's Illustration Friday topic of "hibernate" (click for a closer look). It's in the same style as my earlier design for the topic "stargazing".

There are lots of hazards for a hibernating hedgehog - not least a curious fox! Hedgehogs of course like to curl up inside piles of wood, so remember to check your bonfire before you light it on November 5th!

Colourful crossing

2011-10-02T15:56:00.000+01:00

Not many new posts for a while, but I am still here. In fact, I've just returned from a short break in the Netherlands. During my stay I visited Utrecht, Leiden and Amsterdam. I ate lots of pancakes, climbed a very tall tower and of course floated along some canals. I also found this bridge, which had been decorated with muticoloured knitting and crochet!

Branching out

2011-07-03T16:57:00.005+01:00

I like taking photos of incidental details which I come across when I'm on my travels. I think that they are the genuinely interesting photos - the little things in eveyday life which you don't normally notice when you're busy.

New rabbit: fluffy version

2011-06-09T11:58:00.004+01:00

My latest crochet rabbit is up for sale in my shop! And here he is:

He's made from recycled wool blend yarn (he used to be a sock - but don't worry, he was washed beforehand!) which I have felted to give him that fluffy look. He's a baby so he's a bit smaller than my usual design (I crocheted him with a much smaller hook too), and I used bigger eyes as well to make him look even cuter!

Rag rug

2011-05-22T10:58:00.005+01:00

I had a few old, worn-out clothes lying around the place, so I decided to have a go at making a rag rug out of them. After much trial and error I just went with the simplest way of forming it which was to basically do a huge crochet circle!

It's really interesting working on a much bigger scale than usual, because you can see the stitches so much more clearly that it really helps with your crochet skills. The blue and beige bits are made from some old sheets and the middle is mainly socks! It's actually very comfy to walk on too!

Random Photo IV: Flock

2011-05-07T19:11:00.004+01:00

Here's another random photo of mine. Click for bigger.

Two owls!

2011-04-25T19:51:00.006+01:00

Today I made two new fabric cards. These have an added twist to them in that they are "upcycled". This is because I made them using fabric samples which I received when I was choosing the colour of my new sofa! So as well as being quite cute, they're thrify and good for the environment as well!

I'm not sure what made me go for "woot!" over the more traditional "hoot!" owl call... but it seems cuter somehow!
As usual, they're now available in my Etsy shop!

Poetic polar bear

2011-04-19T16:58:00.005+01:00

Carrying on the theme of animals wearing clothes, which seems to have become a mini obsession of mine recently, here's my latest handmade card - a polar bear in dungarees! He's looking very thoughtful, chewing on his pen - maybe he's composing a little poem to write in his notebook.

Yet again, it's attracted the attention of the local wildlife...
I made his dungarees out of some lovely hand-dyed fabric which I got from the marvellous Etsy shop of therainbowgirl.
I also made another version of my dapper fox card today, so all in all quite a productive afternoon! ~~You can see closeups (and of course buy them if you're feeling generous!) in my Etsy shop!~~ These are now sold - yay!

Zombie rabbit!

2011-04-06T19:16:00.004+01:00

Here's my newest crochet creation (or rather re-animation...)

The vacant stare is classic zombie, but somehow he still manages to be cute! It took me a while to get the expression right - don't want him to look too happy, after all! He's ~~available in my Etsy shop~~ now sold!

Dapper fox!

2011-03-15T19:04:00.005Z

Today I was more productive than usual and made a new card for my shop from start to finish! (Normally I start something, leave it for a bit and come back to it when the urge takes me - procrastination is my middle name!) Introducing the dapper young gent about town...

He's certainly attracted the attention of one of the toy foxes that (inexplicably) wander about these parts! I made his snazzy waistcoat using a bit of gold/olive fabric which I had left over from a previous project, and I think the effect is quite good. He's now ~~available in my Etsy shop~~ sold!

Random Photo III: Leaves

2011-03-10T19:36:00.004Z

Not much to blog about at the moment, so here's another random selection from my photos. I like the water droplets in this picture - they give a nice feeling of freshness, and it's quite a pleasing shade of green.

Monuments

2011-02-24T17:06:00.004Z

Well, I finally got some of my photos printed up as postcards by the lovely people at Moo.

They've turned out rather well, so I've put them up in my Etsy shop as a pack of five, all featuring different European monuments. Some of them aren't really "monuments" as such but I couldn't think of any other word to encompass them, so monuments they will be deemed! They are mostly from Spain and the UK, with a German one thrown in too. My fave is the one of Castle Park gate in Colchester, which is one of the first photos I took with my camera a few years ago!

Layer

2011-02-19T14:40:00.002Z

Searching through the layers of leaves, this little piggy found a new friend!

This is a greeting card which I have been making for a work colleague. The card itself is also made up of different layers so that it has a slightly 3D effect, as shown in the photos - so it was perfect for this week's Illustration Friday theme of "layer"! Whilst I was photographing it, another curious piggy came over to investigate...

Rabbit 2.0

2011-02-13T12:57:00.006Z

The grey rabbit is now finished and ~~freshly listed in my shop~~ has now been sold! It truly is the year of the rabbit around here!

I finally raided my stash of hoarded fabric and am going to have a go at sewing some cushion covers using this brilliant tutorial by Gone to Earth. I'll have to do them by hand as I don't have a sewing machine, but hopefully they'll turn out ok!

I'd like to thank the academy...

2011-02-09T18:26:00.014Z

The lovely sj from An Item Each Day of the Year has nominated me for a Stylish Blog Award! I am indeed honoured - thank you! [Edit: Also big thanks to Silver Pebble who also nominated me!]

Apparently as a nominee I must now do 4 things:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award: ^^see above^^

2. Share 7 things about yourself:
* My favourite artist is Francisco de Goya
* When I was little I used to call Neopolitan ice cream "Napoleon ice cream"
* I own only 4 pairs of shoes
* I am addicted to Angel Delight
* I find quantum theory completely fascinating
* I have a major phobia about anything touching my eyes, so I have to wear glasses instead of contacts
* I am a massive geek (see above!)

3. Award 15 (arg!) recently discovered great bloggers:
Some of these are blogs I check regularly, and others are where I've seen really great tutorials. Here we go then, in no particular order -
~ 1 Creating Trouble
~ 2 Gemma Correll and Her Merry Band of Misfits
~ 3 Hello Auki
~ 4 How About Orange
~ 5 My First Card
~ 6 Tiny Happy
~ 7 All About Papercutting
~ 8 Sew Take A Hike
~ 9 Angry Chicken
~ 10 Planet June
~ 11 Do You Mind If I Knit
~ 12 Lolly Chops
~ 13 Goody Goody
~ 14 The Not So Great Adventures Of...
~ 15 The Official Top Secret Private Journal of Susie

4. Tell everyone who you have nominated: aaaand... done!

Phew!

Another rabbit!

2011-01-31T15:39:00.007Z

After many tweaks and unravellings, my latest crochet creation is finally finished!

This cute little fella is ~~available in my Etsy shop~~ now sold!

Now I'm working on a grey one...

Random Photo II: Drapery

2011-01-30T10:12:00.004Z

This is the remains of an ancient statue.

I always marvel at the way the ancient sculptors made marble and stone look like draped cloth. The lighting on this piece was particularly good for emphasising that, plus it looks rather spooky!

Love is in the air

2011-01-16T13:28:00.005Z

OK so it's a while to go before Valentine's Day, but for those who like to plan ahead I have some new cards in my shop just perfect for sending to a special person.

I made three altogether using watercolours and pencil to give them a nice soft, muted feel. I'm particularly happy with this little fella. Check them all out over at Etsy!

Hammy the Bat

2011-01-09T16:51:00.006Z

~~New in my Etsy shop~~ (Now sold!) - he's a bat but not the scary kind.

Made with acrylic yarn and felt.

Random Photo I: Bird

2011-01-05T18:41:00.009Z

Here's a new random photo of the day (click for bigger). It was taken in Santiago in northern Spain. Amazingly I managed to capture a fairly still picture of this small bird which was hopping around!

Festivities

2010-12-30T16:52:00.003Z

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas and New Year with plenty of cake, chocolates and sparkly lights!

Mail

2010-12-19T17:36:00.004Z

What with all the snow we've been having, delivering the mail has got more difficult.

This is a quick one for IF which was originally an illustration for a calendar. It was drawn in my sketchbook and then digitally coloured. Click here for a larger version.

Owls!

2010-11-19T22:35:00.007Z

Do you like owls? Of course you do! Want a 2011 calendar made up completely of the little feathery fellas? Of course you do! Well, look no further than My Owl Barn, where you can download a customised owl calendar with lovely illustrations by different artists. And it's all free!

Update, November 2011: The lovely people at My Owl Barn have kindly provided new and exciting owl illustrations for the 2012 calendar. Check out the sidebar for the updated version.

Winter in Berlin

2010-11-03T15:05:00.005Z

Very icy and cold but very picturesque nonetheless.

These pics are from February. I wonder if we'll have another freezing winter this year?

Winter buddies!

2010-10-30T12:08:00.009+01:00

Some new items in my Etsy shop. These little fellas love the winter time because they like wrapping up in their fluffy scarves and enjoying a delicious warm pot of tea on cold winter mornings!

Made using acrylic yarn and felt.

Bird brain

2010-10-20T10:00:00.003+01:00

Finally got around to doing some crochet, and this little fella was the result.

He shall soon be winging his way (!) to a friend over the Atlantic, along with a few other goodies!

New Etsy shop

2010-10-16T19:48:00.003+01:00

I have now opened a shop on Etsy selling some of my greeting card designs - printed and handmade. I'm planning to add some other bits and pieces in the future too (once I get my crochet skills up to scratch..!)

www.knightstour.etsy.com
In the meantime, why not pop over and have a look...?!

Beneath

2010-10-02T23:44:00.007+01:00

I was lucky enough to travel on a ship through the bay of Biscay in the summer. The deep waters out over the Continental shelf are inhabited by many different cetacean species. I didn't manage to see any near the surface, but sometimes I wondered if one of those huge mammals was down there, hundreds of meters beneath us...

For IF - watercolour on paper. Click here for a larger version.

Holiday ephemera

2010-09-29T16:44:00.004+01:00

The possibilities of paper!

2010-09-21T14:06:00.004+01:00

Just stumbled upon this video showing a fantastic paper animation. Check it out!

Immovable

2010-08-28T16:55:00.003+01:00

The immovable mountains...

A quick one for IF. Acrylic paint on paper.

Star gazing

2010-08-14T18:55:00.006+01:00

For this week's IF

Drawn in my sketchbook, then digitally coloured.

Charity cats!

2010-08-09T18:33:00.007+01:00

Soon to be sold at a charity stall on behalf of Cats Protection, these slightly weird looking cats are part of my first batch of greeting card designs, printed by Moo! The original pictures were made in pen and watercolour.

Shameless plug (double)

2010-07-24T19:14:00.006+01:00

You may remember this post way back, involving Karl Marx and... well, Karl Marx. I'm shamelessly bringing it up again not only to illustrate the topic of "Double" for Illustration Friday but also as a way of celebrating my very first batch of printed designs! The lovely people at Moo did a great job with them and I'm really pleased with the results.

My other designs are (hopefully) destined for a charity stall, but if you'd like a Karl Marx card, check out my Etsy shop.

Breakfast

2010-07-18T21:10:00.004+01:00

Always lick yourself clean after breakfast...

A tenuous one for Illustration Friday yet again. This is one of a number of designs for greeting cards that I've been working on recently. Some cats have a habit of getting distracted whilst washing and forgetting to put their tongue away! This is one such cat...

Trail

2010-06-05T16:58:00.004+01:00

For Illustration Friday - if you were to go on a nature trail, you might see one of these:

Click here for larger version. I completed it for the art course which I'm taking at the moment, and it's a Columbian Tiger Lily in pen and wash (after a pen drawing by the marvellous artist Claudia Nice).

Early

2010-05-23T14:38:00.006+01:00

A flock of early birds for IF.

Click here for larger version. The birds' "plumage" are the patterns found on the inside of envelopes.

Berlin text

2010-02-27T17:41:00.008Z

Some great typefaces from my recent trip to Berlin.

Adrift

2010-02-12T18:29:00.011Z

Whilst adrift at sea, what do whales think about?

Another one for IF. Click here for larger version.

Renewal

2010-01-02T15:57:00.007Z

Joseph thought maybe it was time to get around to renewing his passport photo...

Tenuous as ever but a good theme for the beginning of a new year, courtesy of Illustration Friday. This picture is due to make a small appearance in a fan mission of the game Thief, which I heartily recommend.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T09:00:00.005Z

Another year nearly over...

Hatch

2009-12-13T18:24:00.006Z

Some creatures are not always keen to hatch... A quick one for IF

From the cabinet

2009-09-17T14:13:00.007+01:00

The best sort of holiday is one filled with strange curiosities...

The view from abroad

2009-08-29T11:55:00.005+01:00

It's that time of year again - a time for balmy nights on another shore.

One today

2009-05-05T00:01:00.004+01:00

This blog is one year old!

Cripes! Space biscuits!

2009-04-22T18:18:00.005+01:00

They said it was impossible, they said it was madness, they said it was, frankly, a waste of money... but the naysayers are eating humble pie now (or should that be humble biscuits...?) Yes - the first bourbon* in space! Another IF illo (bit late).
*Mmm, my favourite!

Salisbury

2009-04-13T12:31:00.006+01:00

... and surroundings. A beautiful part of the country. In a strange case of synchronicity, I've just started reading The Remains of the Day, which also references Salisbury.

A day out

2009-02-14T22:39:00.008Z

Today was spent listening to music...

... and reflecting...

Similar

2008-12-06T10:17:00.008Z

Another effort for IF. I made this a while ago hoping to turn it into a T-shirt design, but as usual never got around to it. I was reading a book about Marx and sketched a quick charicature from a photo of him. He's always depicted with that serious look, hence the captions. He had a hard life, but I think he would have had a chuckle now and then - and he'd certainly appreciate all the bloggers who are "rising up" and producing their own content...!

Some things never change

2008-12-02T18:50:00.005Z

Courtesy of I Can Has Cheezburger - the oldest known example of a lolcat...

Vacant

2008-11-01T22:53:00.006Z

Somewhere in between novel-writing, card-making and sleeping, I found time to do a quick sketch for the topic "Vacant" for this week's Illustration Friday. Sharks always seem to have vacant eyes, which tends to make them seem scarier (that and the fact that a lot of them have huge teeth!), but actually I quite like them! For this illo I took a pic of my drawing (for lack of a scanner) and inverted the colours using GIMP to make it look like it's looming out of the dark.

NaNo go!

2008-11-01T00:01:00.013Z

'Tis officially the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) today, which means I and lots of other mad people have to write a 50,000 word novel by midnight on November 30th. The idea is to "silence your inner critic" and go for sheer output over perfection. So, late nights in front of the laptop for me... er, just the same as usual then!

Meanwhile, Domokun thinks it's National Novel Reading Month and has just found out something he didn't know...

Update: 13th April 2009
Since nothing else NaNo-related materialised, you can probably guess that I didn't get much further than the first 1700 words. May be next year!

Silly cow

2008-10-26T13:07:00.008Z

It's very difficult to concentrate on making Christmas cards when cows keep wandering across to see what you're doing...

Green to brown

2008-10-13T19:57:00.007+01:00

October seems to be the best month for colour photography. I spent the weekend capturing the changing foliage!

Seasonal

2008-10-04T23:28:00.010+01:00

Well, autumn is well and truly here in my part of the world. Soon it'll be time to start thinking about Christmas!

Space

2008-09-03T14:56:00.018+01:00

As you can see, the blog has undergone a small makeover. Above are some photos on the theme of "space". Not outer-space, but spaces between, above, around and below things which can often enhance an ordinary photo. Click on the thumbnails to view them full-size. I hope you like them.

Sour

2008-07-07T20:27:00.007+01:00

A silly one for IF. Possible alternate tagline - "Lemon suspected nepotism was the explanation for such a quick promotion..."

Doodling

2008-06-19T12:37:00.007+01:00

Ah, the joys of the doodle... the best use for leftover paint! Tiny characters with a life of their own.

Punchline

2008-06-14T22:01:00.010+01:00

[Larger version]

"Waiter, waiter! There's a fly in my soup!"
"Well sir, don't speak too loudly or everybody will want one...!"

Yet another slightly tenuous offering for Illustration Friday. This two-tone style always puts me in mind of those magazine illustrations from the 1950s. The third fly also seems to have turned out a bit Gorey...

Wide

2008-05-20T21:36:00.008+01:00

[Larger version]

If you open your eyes "wide" at night, you might just see something unexpected...
A tenuous effort for Illustration Friday, with apologies to the inimitable Goya.

Things

2008-05-14T18:20:00.003+01:00

A few of the things that make life a little more bearable:
- drinking tea when you're really thirsty
- musty books
- the bit of floor just below a window sill
- the film "If..."
- really good poetry
- remembering your first ZX Spectrum

Electricity

2008-05-11T18:54:00.011+01:00

Seapower! For Illustration Friday
Click here for a bigger version.

Easy being green

2008-05-10T14:52:00.006+01:00

I think I've used every shade of green known to man in my current piece of work.

Snaps

2008-05-07T16:29:00.006+01:00

The fruits of a browse around town. Rescuing discarded pet photos from second-hand shops is a favourite pastime of mine. And who can resist a novel about talking woodland creatures...?!

Curtain up

2008-05-06T11:30:00.007+01:00

By utilizing the little-appreciated skill of "avoiding work", you can get lots of household chores done very easily. Today the shower curtain needed a good clean, and by adding a bit of salt to the water, you can keep the mould at bay a little longer! Tomorrow I will do some work, promise...!

Holiday blues

2008-05-05T19:07:00.022+01:00

First post, so not much here at the moment, but hopefully there will be soon. It’s always difficult to come back after a great holiday...
Anyway, can’t stare at holiday snaps all day - there’s work to be done!