Illustration, The Universe and Everything

Right, I'm back again. This is almost getting to be a habit.

This 'ere new Blogger takes a bit of getting used to. It's much better with uploading pictures,

though. I used to have to keep re-formatting my posts so the text fell inbetween the pictures and not down the sides. No more hitting the return key a million times! Hurrah! Not sure about updating my template, though. Maybe that's a task for another day.

So where was I?

I'd been to the meeting with the publisher who liked my b&w work and looked through the Eeries. I met up with Lovely Mark in the week before Xmas to show him all my new stuff - which he really liked, thank Gawd- and we made a plan of action. We've agreed that I will work on the Eeries - or even a new text - and have it ready at the beginning of March. No pressure or anything! It should be a much easier task, though. I finished working at the library back in December, so that gives me an extra two days straight away.

The thing about having a PT job is that it doesn't just interfere on the days you are there. I worked Wednesdays and Fridays, so Mondays and Tuesdays used to be really productive, but as soon as Wednesday comes it breaks the momentum. Come Thursday, it takes you a whole morning to get back into it, only to have Friday get in the way again.

Well, at least - for now anyway -  I can say I'm a full time Illustrator.

Here are a couple of my new pieces, Blitzen and Pippi Longstocking.





I'm so IN LOVE with b&w. It's much more liberating than colour, where so many things have to come together correctly to make it look good. With b&w, all you have is the white of the paper, and how much water you add to your ink. My ideal job right now would be to illustrate a junior novel. Even better if it's my own!

There a so many things I want to do RIGHT NOW, but it's pointless to start something new when we're so close to moving. It seems that we've finally got to the end stages of the whole business. Only a few more bits of paperwork to go. We have to be out of our Brighton flat by the 22nd anyway, regardless of whether or not we actually have anywhere to move in to! We had planned to be there this week, but it's just dragged on and on and on. It's just annoying work- wise to find yourself with time you didn't think you were going to have, and to have find something suitable to fill that time with. Hence all the knitting I've been doing this week!

Here is my first attempt at Lace Knitting - basically making holes in your work on purpose, and not by accidently dropping stitches.







The yarn is Twilley's Freedom in Spring Green. It's 100% wool and lovely and soft. Even Lovely Jon was impressed, so much so I've been asked to knit him a scarf using the Olive Garden, which is a much nicer shade in real life than on the screen.

I've also been knitting one half of a late Crimbo pressie for Amy Spud using a thinner version of my scarf wool in the pinky/purple shade on the left.



Yum. Don't tell her, though.