Merry happy!

No I am not overwhelmed by christmas cheer but leaving tomorrow for home which might as well be sign posted as an internet free zone so whilst I can, seasons greetings all!

Excuse my lack of cleaning up the image but I've had my photoshop fill this year.  See you in the new one!

Hedgepigs

After a day of photoshopping my book together, sadly not over-also sadly one of two, I thought I'd share the little hedgepig I drew on the train yesterday.  She's very nonchalant.  A hedgepig for anyone who doesn't live in my house is a hedgehog.  I love the way they teeter about in the dark.  Hopefully she'll have a starring role soon.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

This is a sneak peak at a tiny limited edition newspaper I'm making to go with my book.  This is the front and last page. The Chompton Gazette features articles by such heavyweights as Scoop Shortly and Gnasher Stevens, and charts local heart throb Justin Beavers charity concert among other things.

What are we watching?

                 Just because I don't enjoy the hoopla that is 3d movies doesn't mean that others don't.

Still here

I am still here but when not sat cursing my slowly dying laptop as I frantically photoshop bits of my book into shape I'm cursing frantically in the vicinity of it.  So here's a few irrelevant images.

This was a thank you for my wonderful, crazy talented classmate Jin Youn.

This li'l birdy is my vignette for our graduating class catalogue.  To be fair it looks a lot like me.

Winching

Back in my gran's day winching meant kissing behind the bike sheds.  But for my beavers it means a completely different thing...

                                    No animals were harmed in the making of this image.

To the library!

Quick, post this before my laptop realises it's functioning correctly!  It's not been a happy bunny.  Speaking of which, check out my librarians below desk snacks.  Healthy or what?

Endpapers

Finally started my endpapers today.  What other colour could I make them considering my entire book is orange?  Beauty-1 - Imagination-nil.

The other book

Since the beavers are such crafty little things my other book, the bird book, has been shelved until now.  Some of you, of the eagle-eyed variety, may recognise these from the summer but they're being given a new lick of paint.

The Big Draw

Last weeks big draw was a big success.  Sadly I have no pictures of the kids awesome drawing including the most amazing cheetah ever but here were my doodles from early in the day before we were allowed to draw on walls and things!

My wee bee

My squink (more mythological than zoological)

and for good measure an unfinished beaver.

More beavers this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

My annual pumpkin carve is complete.

It's Tuesday...break out the band!

As ever the busy printing bee, I'm busting out the band cos I can.  Guess who hasn't got his hat printed yet?

                                                               That's me bottom right.

Ooh and tomorrow is The Big Draw on Tour Cambridge stylee.  We'll be in the Museum of Zoology from 10am and The Fitzwilliam Gallery from 2pm.  Be there or be square.

Busy as a beaver

Still ridiculously up to my eyeballs in small orange beavers, and printing like a fiend to get my book done. I should really start wearing a 'can't type; printing' sign around my neck.  But alas I am now typing and have some chompers to appease you all.  Enjoy!

This is what my weekend looks like

In case anyone doesn't know what a separation is it's when you separate your image depending on the colours.  So 'tis all done in black and each separate black image represents a different colour. These are all lined up and printed on top of one another creating one nice neat image.  Basically it's a weekend of monochrome madness and overuse of permanent markers.

 Looks fun no?

                                                        There are many, many more of these.

It will be a picture in the end, honest.

Friday!

My sore little feet and tired eyes are glad that it's finally Friday which means no more overcrowded trains for at least two days.  Hooray!  Enough about me, bring on the beavers!  Tilt head left...now.

I've been busy...honest

Despite my prolonged absence I have been very busy printing and separating  printing and separating until there seems no end in sight but alas I have not been scanning...until today that is and so we have something to look at. A little work in progress.

Finally back in the print rooms

Hurray!  Print rooms are finally open for use and so the beavers are under way.  Very much still works in progress but in progress nonetheless.  Hopefully I'll get my scan quality better some time soon but until then...

                                                           If I could only find my spanner....

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Still busy making dummy books and storyboards which is becoming a major case of 'nothing to see here folks!  Move it along.' So this is my entry for last years Penguin Design competition-which I sadly didn't win. But it was fun to do.

Nice day for a swim

                         Lazy as I am, I have not been swimming.  But I know some folks who have...

                                                       They've also been busy elsewhere...

And now they're getting ready for bed.

What's a day without beavers?

Another day, another beaver.

Sick day

                     Have been struck down by the common cold all day and so let there be beavers!

                                         Sadly after a bit o' photoshopping I still prefer the original.

Bar Lane and Beavers

My class of 2012.

Also, a late notice that is work available for sale at this exhibition, not only my own but my fellow classmates.  

Beautiful goods are also available in the shop.

http://www.barlanestudios.com/event/artists-proof

Layouts

A few sketches of some page layouts for my new book.

                                                         I may have to shrink the seals!

How to be a Green Christian

My habit of drawing mainly old men on the train continues and a recent journey to London found me the fellow below reading a very small book entitled 'Becoming a Green Christian.'

I sadly have no information on this matter other than that it was a very thin book.

On a lighter note, a doodle to make autumn's arrival seem a little less like summer's departure.

Just doodling

As I've been busy storyboarding my latest project, an untangle-able mess which no-one should be forced to see in this early state, and drinking tea which primarily tastes of kettle, all I have to offer is a few sketchbook doodles.

Hopefully one day soon my tea will taste primarily of tea.

The heavily patterned man

Whilst sketching today I found a man so heavily patterned as to be almost invisible to the naked eye.  I'm sure he must be plastered on missing posters country wide for he is camouflage itself.

Secrets and beavers

I've been a busy little beaver this weekend but I've been busy making a birthday present so can't post any photos 'til the happy day has passed.  In honour of my industry I thought I'd post some beavers.  The poor chaps are making do until I have the actual beavers but they're part of my texture experiment for my backgrounds.

Verdict: Nearly.  Needs tweaking.

Sleeping girls

Today only brings us a sketch of some girls sleeping soundly on their dad on the train.

and a beaver for good measure.

Irene (who I do not know)

The sketchbook is still chained to me and heavy as it is I'd forgotten how much I enjoy drawing folks at the train station and on said trains.  I'm sure my fellow passengers don't enjoy me peeping between the seats at them and looking away hurriedly in that 'oh what is that? A window?' fashion as they turn my way.  As I'm sure Irene, captured below, would not thank me for the wrinkles I managed to capture before she eluded me.

or the surly man below.

It's early days yet, I'm sure they'll improve if I don't get punched.

Sketchbook

So lately I'm trying to get back into the habit of sketching and so far I'm waiting for my hand/eye co-ordination to reconnect.  Until then here's a few pics from my old sketchbook from my first project...and a new snooty cat.

My favourite old sketching haunt The Fitzwilliam Museum

and as promised

a snooty cat.

Packing

You may be glad to hear I have not fallen off the end of the earth but have been swamped beneath a sea of cellophane, cello tape and grey board.  All in aid of packing up my prints and cards.  Having run out of the aforementioned things I am free at last.

My little pile o stuff.

and as I'm so generous I've slipped a little card, as seen above, in with each print.

The bunnies are taking over.

Last day of printing for the summer, sigh.  And did I spend my day as productively as planned?  Well, the bunnies took over.  I got a little obsessed with bunny prints.

                                       The mantle things are unhappy again for being bunny ousted.

Bunnies...

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 bunnies...

and yet more bunnies.

Finally I put an end to the multiplication.  Humanely of course.  I just put the inks away.