Tealy, Tealy Badgers

 

I sketched this about a month ago after encountering one of the Anti-Cull demonstrations in the city. The Government have, despite much petitioning and support from famous names including Brian May of Queen, introduced a badger cull. Here is my drawing of badgers. Look at them. I'm sure there are other creatures doing far more damage to this country/World than badgers that aren't getting culled for it. Just sayin' *cough*humans*cough*corporations*cough*politicians*.

Equipment: A6 Moleskine sketchbook, Cheapo Papermate pencil, Promarker in 'Marine'.

Mr Dangly Legpeg Lion aka IF 'Energy'

Alexander absolutely loves this little lion. It is a finger puppet I bought at Longleat Safari Park when we went there when he was only a few weeks old.  I think what he must like about it is that its legs are made of string and that they are dangly because his favourite game is when I (or Grandma) hold the lion above his face while he is on his back and either jump the lion up and down or just generally shake it frantically! He gets so excited and flaps his arms and legs like he's doing snow angels. And if I shake the lion next to Alexander's ears, it makes him really giggle as he apparently has pretty ticklish ears. The other morning we were playing with the lion and I put on 'Iron, Lion Zion' and Alexander just got so excited he flapped like he was going to take off.  This lion-induced excitement really made me want to draw a lion... and then guess what happened...???...the thing I always dread...my drink leaked in my bag and soaked my Moleskine!!! Fortunately it was only fizzy water but it was very wet and very buckled so I hung it on the radiator and then squashed it under a copper-bottomed saucepan. It was finally passable for being back in action today and seeing that the IF theme for this week is 'Energy' I scribbled down a sketch of Mr Dangly Legpeg Lion. Here he is...

Equipment: Pencil 2B and Moleskine

Little Creatures Collection

The mummy and baby birds I drew for the 'Together' illustration were a bit of a follow on from some little creatures I scribbled in the Moleskine a couple of weeks ago.  Here is the whole collection... note that the thing that looks like a spider was actually going to be an octopus but I couldn't really recall what an octopus looked like. I later realised that he needed curly legs and also all the legs should've been coming from the bottom of him with a bulbous head. Oh well I will know for next time...

Equipment: Cheapo pencil and Promarker

Red Ant Black Ant

I was in the park the other day and I saw a red ant approach my blanket. 'I don't want you hanging around and stinging me' I thought and I shooed him away. Then I saw a little black ant walk up to the red ant and then they went their separate ways. I'm not sure whether red ants and black ants get on. Do they associate? Do they live alongside each other in harmony? An insectologist would know the answer to this, in fact a quick Google would probably give me an answer but I preferred to do a little illustration to pose this insecty question...

Equipment: pencil, watercolours in Ivory Black and Aliz Crimson.

Hidden - Illustration Friday

This week's Illustration Friday 'hidden'

Equipment: Pencil and Promarker Lime Green in Moleskine Sketchbook.

Rescue - Illustration Friday

I feel a bit sorry for this little spider but this illustration was inspired by a true story so it was in fact his fate I'm afraid.  Loxie has no tendencies towards mousing or birding, she is not exactly the finely tuned assassin her species is known to be. That said, she does love a spider. She only ever catches them at night though and I often get up in the morning and find spider corpse on the lounge floor as evidence that she has been having some sport in the night.  On this particular night I was woken up by a great commotion 'holy cow, I'm being burgled' I panicked to myself.  But when I turned the light on I saw Lox sitting by the end of the bed with her (now dead) spider. She looked pleased as punch and was evidently wanting to show mummy her handiwork. I don't have any major issue with spiders, being in Australia got me over my fear of them. But I was very grateful to Lox for the good work she did and continues to do rescuing me from the possibility of them scuttling across my bed at night.

Equipment: Pencil, watercolours, Moleskine sketchbook. Trying to use watercolours last night with Alexander wriggling around on my knee was no easy task but this wasn't going to work if I used pens as I wouldn't have been able to colour Lox black without obliterating the spider. I managed to paint this in 5 minute bursts when I was able to put him down before he grizzled and needed picking back up again. Actually, he is kicking around on me now as I attempt to type this post one-handed. It's been a few months since I used watercolour in a Moleskine sketchbook too. I know lots of people complain about the waxy paper and how it takes the paint but I really like it.

Little Squirrel

I was sitting in the park a couple of days ago and Alexander had fallen asleep and was snoring away in his pram. I had the new Moleskine on me but had no idea what to draw so I just lay back and looked up at the sky. It was my second favourite type of weather - when it's really warm but also overcast, it reminds me of being in Malaysia or Goa when a storm is approaching. Anyway, all of a sudden I heard a crunching scraping sound behind me. I wondered what on earth it was. I looked up at the tree behind me and there she was, a little Squirrel trying to break through the husk of a nut. I loved the way her big fluffy tail was curled down the branch, usually they are stuck up in the air. What a lovely little thing to put on the first page of my new sketchbook I thought. So here she is. I haven't coloured her in as I only had a grey and green pen on me. To be honest, I should've coloured her with the grey as she was a grey squirrel but I really fancy to turn her into a red squirrel as I think a rusty red would look really nice with the mossy green that I used on the leaves.But actually I quite like her in white. I can't leave her and the branch and the nut white, something needs to be coloured but I'm not sure. Open to suggestions...

For the time being, I like to think she is getting ready for the approaching winter.

Old Stuff: More Animals and Birds

A few more things I have found in the old files... and on one of my favourite subjects: animals and birds! Equipment and style is pretty varied!

My cat Flori (Loxie's actual mummy!)

Stuffed owl sketched at Natural History Museum, London

Another owl sketched at Natural History Museum and coloured digitally, YES! Digitally!! I was obviously feeling brave enough to open Gimp on that day!

My 2011(?) Christmas card design. Dip pen and watercolour on Arches paper.

'There in a wood a piggywig stood'. Illustration for The Owl and The Pussycat. Watercolour on some quite cheapy rough watercolour paper.

'They danced by the light of the moon'. Illustration for The Owl and The Pussycat. Again, watercolour on cheapy watercolour paper.

Sakura Lines...

Here are some more things that made their way into my sketchbook recently.  They are quite varied so it does feel a bit weird to compile them into one post but if I don't I might never get around to posting them!  I would say they are all sketches that are 'in progress' for various reasons... and in terms of equipment, they are all Sakura Pigma Micron 01 on the Seawhite Sketchbook (the Pregnancy Sketchbook).

Animals...
I would like to do some animal illustrations for Alexander and here's where I'm at thus far...

Unusual Things...
I realised recently that I have hit my limit on observational drawing of random objects. I've really enjoyed it and it has helped me to discover different styles of drawing and using different mediums but I am really a big believer in not continuing with something when you feel done with it. Instead I have been working on sketching things that I find unusual. This is also really helpful for me personally as I find lately that the places where I might get a few minutes of drawing time are very repetitive - the local park being the main one, so keeping an eye out for the not-so-obvious is quite helpful...

Shadows...

I noticed in the park a some interesting shadows falling across my 'blank page'. So I drew around them and I really like the scene it created I am now on the lookout for more interesting shadows. I wonder if anyone can guess what the shadow inducing objects were! :) ...