Hello May

May is here. I have two commissions due in two weeks, and at least two competitions that would love to enter (more time please!) This month is going to be busy as is this weekend. Bank holiday whoop!

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Burst Animals Issue//Free to Download

It's here! Very proud to be part of this online magazine. I absolutely LOVE it! I can't find one thing I don't like or that I love more, I want to hang all the illustrations on my wall.

Why not take a look for yourself it's *FREE* to download here? Full of talented-colourful-loveliness and designed and put together by awesome designer/directer &founder of Burst magazine Ali.

Cover by Gabriela Romagna

I Wonder...

It's sunny, it's the weekend, I got time to do an illustration... what could be better?!

xoxo

Delilah Magazine//Illustrations

Delilah is a women's lifestyle magazine, covering real people and inspirational places, stories and things. It celebrates the unique and covers topics such as blogging, charity, fitness, women's issues, home & garden, new music, festivals and inspirational stories.

I was asked to illustrate an article which talks about unusual catwalk shows. I chose to illustrate Alexander McQueen's S/S 2001 show VOSS. If you are not familiar with the show check it out on youtube it is amazing to watch. Models all encased in a huge glass box with a mysterious opaque box in the centre. Roses, birds and extraordinary headpieces. As the show goes on you see the models behaving bizarrely; waving away imaginary flies, looking suspiciously through the mirrored glass directly at the audience and pulling bits from the garments themselves. At the end of the show the lights go down and there is a loud beeping countdown, as if a movie-style bomb were about to go off. Suddenly a light appears in the centre of the opaque box and reveals the flickering shadows of butterflies. As the lights go back up, the box unravels and shatters, the beep flatlines and reveals the naked gas-mask clad body of British writer Michelle Olley, lying on a chaise longue surrounded by butterflies. You can read the full article here.

It was done by digital illustration and collage and a whole lot of shading.

I also did a second illustration for Delilah, accompanying an article on Annika's 'Muffin Moment' when she realizes something about her life whilst in a cafe eating a muffin.

The magazine in its online zineness is free to read here so why not have a read while you're having your very own 'muffin moment'?!

xoxo

Princess Diana for New Empress!

A commission I did for New Empress magazine. I was asked to illustrate a portrait in black and white of Princess Diana for an article on the new biopic starring Naomi Watts. This was a challenge as I have always worked using colour. Had to lock my colour swatches away and become immersed in a world of black and white. I am really happy with how it turned out and will definitely have no qualms about working in this style again!

I ordered a copy of the New Empress magazine which arrived today. You can check it out here or buy it here.Its so exciting to see your work in print, I can't wait to sit down and have a read with my cup of tea.

(P.S. I haven't been blogging or illustrating for a while because of conjunctivitis which is finally not being such a bother lately.)

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend so far!

xoxo

March Wishlist!

Happy March!

1. Dress//Primark 2. Daisy Street floral satchel 3.Dress 4. Sunglasses & 5. Necklace//Primark 6. Cushion//Sass&Belle

Valentines Wishlist...

1. Vintage Rose Sweater// Chic wish  2. Necklace// J Crew  3. Tea parties book// Urban outfitters  4. Storm in a teacup// ModCloth  5. Rosebud earrings// Modcloth  6. Fox bag// Orla Kiely  7. Cushion// Next

February Wishlist!

Happy February! If anyone buys me any of these things I'll probably be your best friend for life.

Dress from Little Mistress// Arielle de Pinto Crystal Boule Ring

Sandro Albatorock Sneakers// Lele Sadoughi Nile Necklace

Topshop Cosmic Skirt// Santi box clutch bag // Shirt from MSGM

Prada chain bag

I'm in love with this:: Monserat De Lucca Necklace

Hipflasks from a selection at LiquidCourage

xoxo

Myth.

I have been listening to a lot of Of Monsters and Men lately and they have been perfect to listen to whilst illustrating this piece.

When I read myth, I thought of their mythical folk music, "The books that I keep by my bag are full of your stories.. That I drew up from a little dream of mine, a little nightmare of yours."

Bonjour Belgium!

A New Years Resolution of mine is to travel and visit more places. Its going very well so far! I just got back from a lovely break in Belgium last week. Its a very interesting place to visit with lots to do and see (and drink and eat).

The Grand-Place was top of the list and since our hotel was right across the road, I got to see it everyday. Each building as exquisite as the next, one of the buildings tipped with gold.. like something from a painting.

The city is steeped in history and tradition. It is also the birthplace of surrealist painter René Magritte, whose museum we visited. Waffles (Gaufres) are a speciality there and they are so good, the smell of waffles is the first thing that hits you the minute you arrive in Brussels with people eating waffles on the street and drinking champagne, as you do. Chocolatiers, patisseries and friteries are everywhere as well as churros, a sweet strip of fried dough dusted with sugar or cinnamon.

They also do a huge selection of beers a local speciality is "Lapin à la Kriek" which is rabbit marinated in kriek, a cherry beer. There was no way I could eat a rabbit but i did try the cherry Kriek which was particularly delicious.

I could chat about Belgium all day so I'll let the photos do the talking ;)

View from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The Grand Place

Grand Place

A man selling his paintings in the centre of the Grand Place

A Christmas crib, luckily we arrived just before they started taking down Christmas decorations and lights

Mannekin Pis (small weeing boy) statue, much smaller then you think but quite the famous statue in Brussels

In the centre of Brussels

One thing that struck me about Belgium was the amazing window displays, lots of thought and detail in each one. This is a famous Belgian chocolate shop.

Belgium also famous for its intricate lace

Atomium, a must see. Nine 'atoms' of Belgian design

Elizabeth Taylor with a model of the Atomium in 1958

Mini Europe in BruPark, such a fun time. A park with models of some of the major landmarks and cities in Europe

A model of Venice at Mini Europe

Clogs of Holland 

Grand Place at night, there was a light show every night with thousands of people coming together watching the changing colours and lights of the buildings it really is amazing to watch!

Typical Souvenir shop in Brussels just down the road

Tea and Belgian chocolate at Le Roy D'Espagne 

On a Sightseeing tour

Bruges one of the most beautiful cities I have seen, we had to get a train to Knokke-Blankenberge to get there (This was fun to say haha!)

Bruges canal

Basilica of the Holy Blood, this was a bit special as we got blessed and placed our hand on the Relic of the Precious Blood (the basilica is best known as the repository of a venerated phial said to contain a cloth with blood of Jesus Christ, brought to the city by Thierry of Alsace after the 12th century Second Crusade)

A beautiful church in Bruges

Belgian chocolate

Belgian tapestry window display

The Museum of the City of Brussels, a model of the country of Belgium, in the background a painting of the Grand-Place when it burned down, and was then rebuilt 

The many costumes that the Mannekin Pis was sent by different countries, displayed in the Brussels City Museum.

A stain glass window at the museum

Monument of Albert I King of Belgium at Kunstberg (just before the Fine Arts Museums)

His wife Elisabeth is only across the road (Awww!)

At Rene Magritte Museum, I wasn't allowed take photos in here and the security guys were bigger then me so I didnt chance it. The museum displays a collection of his painting and personal photos and stories about himself collected and put together by his friend Camille Goemans.

So have you ever been to Belgium? Would you like to visit there? Any interesting new years resolutions? 

xoxo

Ocean!

Tsimtsum is the ship from Life of Pi where the boy Pi finds himself shipwrecked along with an orangutan, a spotted hyena and the Bengal tiger, Richard Parker and a lame zebra. 

Still have to go and see the film. Looks amazing.