Forest Drawing

This is my latest detailed drawing.

It's in the shop.

Torridon, Scotland

We'd hiked two Munros' (Sgurr Mhor and Tom an Gruagaich) the day before, in the snow, along ridges 3000 ft high, up steep snowy mountain faces and down them, over ice and along tarns. I was so proud of myself for what I'd done, but a rest day was what I needed. Daniel was going on a solo adventure around a peninsula, some of the group were ice climbing up a gully (cripes!), and some where bouldering else where. I didn't even know what bouldering was! No, for me there was enough adventure in simply walking out of the cottage along the road for a minute and down onto a small, secluded, peaceful beach. Flask of tea in bag, watercolours and papers to hand. And that's what I did and it was oh so beautiful.

Just catching ideas.

When I ride my bike the ideas start flowing through my mind. It's like, the faster I ride the more ideas I'll catch.

May, June and July

Yesterday was a good drawing day for me. I did these three and another of me riding with no hands. I'm determined to get my zine completed and made.



Working on a zine!

I have a lot of zines I'd like to make. A lot. I write down each idea and save it for when I'm ready to make it. But recently I've really put my mind to trying to actually complete one. I've been working on this bike riding zine for the last month or so.

 

Tonight I made a plan for the layout of pages and worked out which pages I still need to draw. Here I share some photos I've taken along the way.

 

The zine is a sort of journal about training over 10 weeks for a bike ride, going from being someone who doesn't exercise to (hopefully) completing a 120 mile ride.

 

I've got to a point now, in the drawing, that I know I'll complete this and get it out there. I'm excited about completing it. You can check out updates on my facebook page.

 

Old sketchbook off the shelf

I pulled an old sketchbook of my bookshelf and realised it was from 10 years ago. I've gone back to this one sketchbook many times. I like the freedom in the drawings, really playing around with different ideas and styles, experimenting.

 

 

I like the one below. It's drawings of things I saw in a café on holiday. I can see here that I was trying out subjects and a drawing style that I still have now, though it was a lot more rough then.

 

 

 

I used to be really into drawing birds.

I want to do it all

Last night I stayed up till midnight doing this drawing. I was excited to show it so have taken photos straight away. The light isn't too good and I don't have Photoshop or a scanner these days, but you get the idea.

 

Sometimes is can be pretty overwhelming to think about all my different hopes and daydreams, so it was therapeutic to get these ones down into a drawing, and then realise that I already do some of them.  (camp, ride my bike, hike up mountains....)

Cycling along

I bought a new bike recently and since then I've been getting really into everything to do with bike riding. I started making a handlebar bag for a sewing project, I'm reading a book about bike riding (Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne) and all my drawing seem to be about cycling. 

ohh la la tattoos

I've been thinking about getting tattoos for over a year now. I know what i want. Not this many. I drew a couple of tattoos I would actually like and the rest I just made up.

conkers, cat, royal mail postbox



bubble making gentleman

I saw this bubble making gentleman on the street at the weekend. He actually had a smiley face on the back of his tshirt too.

I tried out a new technique that I haven't really tried before. I've used inks before but not as a way of colouring. I've been experimenting with ways of making comic strips for a while now and I'm very pleased with this way. I'm going to try more soon.

Dressing and undressing

I spent last weekend making my desk area a more attractive space to work, after reading this article. So this weekend I had time to work on some new drawings I've been wanted to start.

 

 

Who needs a light box when you have a window : )

 

The drawings are about clothing and dressing and undressing. I wanted to try out ways of representing fabrics in my drawings. And I've been wanting to introduce more collage to my work for a while. My clothes are very colourful and often patterned too so they make an enjoyable subject for me.

 

 

Hi there

Hi there!

 

It's been a while, hasn't it.  How are you? Good I hope. I didn't do much drawing back there, or making. I had other things I felt like doing for a while, but now I'd like to draw again. I had a week at my parents in Scotland over Christmas and got started on a project I've been wanting to do for a while. It's three stories about outdoor swimming in comic strip style.

 

The drawings are very detailed so I'm just hoping to complete the first story and then I'll think about the other two.

 

I wanted to stop by before the year is out and say hello and also wish you a happy new year. May 2013 be a fun, happy and healthy year for you.

 

Jill x x

Some of my favourite things to wear.

I'm really enjoying colourful clothes at the moment.

A grey velvet 90s dress

Daisy face jewels

Flowery trousers

Glitter nail varnish

50s pink capri trousers

Pink pencil skirt

Patterned maxi dress which I made

Penknife on a string

Pink tie-dye crop top

Jeremy's Mum's glass bangles

Grey crop top that I covered in flowers

Silver socks

70s green floral waistcoat.



Taking shelter

I arrived in Scotland and wasn't feeling too good.

It was pouring but I went out for a walk along the river anyway.

I stopped and looked up at the huge tree sheltering me.

Nature is a good healer, isn't she?

Young Frida

I went for a walk along a river, through woodland and meadows.

The meadows were filled with wild flowers of so many varieties.

I imagined a woman with all these flowers in her hair.

I went home and drew her and she reminded me of Frida.



Exercise isn't easy.

Kate's window

I slept in my friends living room. They didn't have curtains and I could see the stars as I was falling asleep.

click on the picture to see more detail

Summer Daydreams

Today it's grey and windy. But I know how to daydream. Hope you have a fun filled weekend. x

These are some recent drawings from my sketchbook.

West Yorkshire

A little while back I went to see my friend Jo Blaker in Yorkshire. She's moved up there to start her new life, leaving the big smoke behind. She and her boyfriend have a lush allotment and seem to spend their time making art, growing vegetables and drinking real ale. Nice life I think.

On my first evening in West Yorkshire one of Jo's friends had made a mix cd and put it on in the pub. We danced infront of the bar in the empty pub and the barman came from behind the bar, took of his shoes and danced with us. A friendly place is Huddersfield.

At the end of the night two of the group began singing folk songs outside and we stood around silently listening to their wonderful voices in the darkness. It was lovely.

This is my new penknife necklace which I love. Nothing to do with Yorkshire but I wanted to show you.