Winehouse

I always thought Amy Winehouse would be fun to draw - complicated hair, smoky eyes, interesting hands - well, I was right. Here she is along with the original pencil sketch which I think (as ALWAYS!) has a bit more energy to it.

Behold... Felt Mistress!

Louise (my lil' lady) has now got a Flickr site of her very own. It features Mr Smashing and the tweed beasts we've designed together plus all the other toys she's made - Sugar Buzz's Pants Ant, a Yeti (pictured) and even a felt facsimile of JAKe (the notorious illustrator and all round "good egg") - and work from her day job as a bespoke wedding dress designer. Click HERE to have a look. Louise can also take on toy commissions. You can contact her through her Flickr site and via my email address.

Guardian Office Hours cover.

The cover to today's Office Hours section of the Guardian. It was an article about a company that can supply you with a social life if you're new to London. I don't post a great deal of my commissioned work on here (as it's supposed to be mostly sketchbook work) but I liked the way this one turned out. The downside of newspaper work is that it's only around for one day although there have been occasions when that's been a blessing.

Wonky Model Doodle

Sketch from earlier this evening.

Martin Parr

I very rarely use photographic reference but today I'm making an exception. I love this photograph by Martin Parr and have wanted to draw it since the moment I first saw it. It's like a Renaissance tableau but with tomato sauce dispensers and hotdogs. I love the way the girl at the front is pushing down on the tomato sauce dispenser with her forearm whilst trying to hold onto her hotdog. It's the type of pose that you couldn't make up but gives a drawing a real authenticity. This photo also reminds me of all the holidays I had as a kid and all the fetes, carnivals and "fun" days I went to between the ages of 5 and 15. Proust had his madeleine I've got a purple slush puppy and a Westler's hamburger.

Mr Smashing on tour.

Mr Smashing (as previously posted about on this blog) is a toy designed by me and made by, my significant other, Louise. Here's another 6 variations soon to be available at the Here Gallery in Bristol. I've also added some badges to the shop on my website (where other versions of Mr Smashing are still available). I have had some problems with the PayPal link on my shop but it's all working fine now. So get spending!

A Singing Thing.

Erm, a singing thing. That's about it.