Daring

This week's contribution to 'Illustration Friday'. I set the topic as a challenge to one of my Art classes at school, and this was one of their suggestions. One of the less disgusting ones. The ones which weren't revolting featured cliffs, which I can't draw...
I've set up a blog for one of my pupils who's particularly keen, so it will be interesting to see how he tackles the same themes.

The Monster in the Underwear Drawer

The Recycled Monster
This is my creature for April's Month of Softies. I made him while my daughter was clearing out stuff from her wardrobe over Easter. His top and bottom half are T-shirts, his tongue is a swimsuit and his mouth is made from a pink underwired bra. I couldn't get him to look at all menacing or evil, so he is obviously the other kind of monster.

Reinvented

Junk Birds
We're back at school this week, and I haven't had either a minute or an idea for the 'Illustration Friday' topic. I did find a photo of these chaps stuffed in my desk drawer and decided that they might qualify. They were 'reinvented' from plastic milk bottles, cardboard tubes and cornflake boxes. Oh, and I think the pelican's pouch was a bit of sheeting.

The Final Pea

Alone

This week's contribution to 'Illustration Friday', on the theme 'Alone'. It's done entirely with Painter 5.5, using watercolour brushes (which are my favourite). I'm sure there are a million clever things I could be doing with Painter and other programs too, but I like to work in watercolour and ink. It's just a pity that version 5.5 isn't great at woodcut/scratchboard effects.

Ant Drawings

Ant Drawings

A couple of people wondered what an ant drawing might look like - so here is one. Still not exactly as I had intended; it's really difficult to make mandibles expressive, especially as they open sideways rather than up-and-down. When I'm drawing cartoons I tend to try out facial expressions myself (not entirely on purpose) but insect jaws I can't manage... The two ant larvae are arguing about whose turn it is to sit in front.

Last-minute picture for Illustration Friday

Travel

I've been trying to think of an idea for the theme of 'Travel', and I decided on an ant drawing. Drawings. None of them would behave properly; the ink version, the pencil ones I drew in the back of the car, the three I started on the computer. So I binned them all and came back to an illustration I did for the second Minimus book. I liked the way the sailors' expressions came out. I share their sentiments about boats and rough seas.

Sheep Watching

Sheep watching

Just back from a few days near the Wye, camping in our little blue van and being rained on. I spent a lot of time looking at sheep in the rain, and finding them looking back. This is a drawing done with a mapping pen and Indian ink, while I was teaching a class about Henry Moore. It's a lot like the sheep who was staring at me over the fence on Friday morning.