3x3 Illustration ProShow Awards

***NEWS JUST IN*** I am supersonically delighted to be chosen as one of this year's 3x3 ProShow Illustration award winners.
I got the email this evening from the publisher, Charles Hively and read that about 4000 people entered the awards, with only 200 being selected by the rather high powered panel of judges.
Very pleased that my stablemate at Friend and Johnson, Paul Wearing has been selected too, so well done to him!
Seriously, though, I am quite humbled to be in a list that includes some of my illustration heroes, such as Brad Holland, Nate Williams, Jeff Fisher, Guido
Scarabottolo, Penelope Dullaghan and Anita Kunz...stop me before I blub like Gwyneth Paltrow in a pink dress :-)
More news later on this, as I am still not sure which picture of mine the judges have selected (I submitted 4, if I remember correctly) - but it will be in the juicy little annual 3x3 produce, which will be out in January 2009.
*UPDATE* just found out that it was "the Selfish Giant's Garden" that got the votes. I posted this image before for an Illustration Friday/Garden but, what the heck, I'll post it again!

New Guardian Weekend Job

Hurray for Pauline Doyle looking at my new website, as it resulted in a nice wee job for The Guardian Weekend Magazine - not done an illo for them in a while.
It is for the relationships column and is all about what causes the "Seven Year Itch " in a relationships. Mainly partners not listening, is the main reason...and picking your bum/ears/nose - sometimes simultaneously - which can get a bit tiresome for your partner to look at after a while (seven years).
As soon as I got the email with the copy on Thursday evening, I started to doodle ideas on the printout, as seen here - then I move on to my sketchbook.
Initial ideas were based around repeats of the same couple but in opposite settings, using the cutout folded paperman idea - YES!FAR TOO COMPLICATED, I agree!I couldn't get it to work.
Anyway, I have been developing ideas in the sketchbook over the weekend and I sent my colour rough to Pauline this morning, which has been approved!
I do love putting a bit of awkward body language and facial expressions in my work, so here is an apparently "OK" couple, but the rot has set in...they will be scratching in no time!
You can catch this illustration in the Guardian Weekend Magazine on Saturday 12th July....and if you missed it on Saturday 12th July, I finally got round to posting the finished illustration above.

East Neuk Open Studios-Day 2

Well, the rain came down hard this morning and I wondered how many brave souls would venture out - but...yes! The sun did put his hat on and the streets of Cellardyke were bathed in steamy sunshine and full of folk glad to get out their house/caravan/car.
I am delighted have sold a complete framed set of my ELLE horoscope trio, so that was nice.
Otherwise, this little image has been very popular - a kind of digital collage called "Bird Puddles"

Meanwhile, more tea for the artist, please...and maybe a slice of cake?

PS this post is a day late because I could not upload the image for some reason - probably because I was using Safari at the time.

East Neuk Open Studios - Day 1

It's been a busy old day in Cellardyke, with lots of visitors to my studio - and still 2 hours to go! Thank goodness the weather is warm and sunny as that brings people out and about. In fact King Creosote and some of the Fence musicians have just popped in for a blether and look around - *touched by fame*!
The last two days have been all about tidying my studio (and the house), making sure there are pictures in frames, cards for people to buy and, of course, some freebie bits and bobs - usually my Contact Illustrator run-ons and any odd postcards I have around the place
Despite it being a busy weekend, I am also working on a job for the Guardian and so all my inks are out and people are really curious about how I approach an illustration job from brief to final execution...I am happy to answer all the questions!
Open Studios is a great way of meeting folk - neighbours and people who have travelled from further afield (Dundee!). Today I have met a former illustrator turned musician, a former artist from Seattle turned golf caddy at St Andrews and a filmaker who is currently working with Stephen Poliakof. Just goes to show that East Neuk is rarely dull and you never know who will show up!

My Big Fat New Website

Hurray!!
My brand new website is UP and Running!
A sexy, streamlined new design with loads of new images - new lettering - new spots illustrations (tiny ones!) and a new bio section plus links to this blog and to my New! section, which is actually my Flickr page.
Mary at Tangerine Blue has done a sterling job - but we are still going to be adding a couple of new sections in the near future, hopefully with animation.

Have a look and let me know what you think

Byre Theatre Exhibition Opens

Finally, one of the shows I am part of this summer has opened!
I am part of an excellent Open Studios group where I live - ENOS - and the lovely Jo Whitney has organised this group event in the fantastic venue of the Byre Theatre in historic St Andrews (yes - where Price William was a student)
This ink and acrylic painting incorporates my current fascination with cats - there are so many in my street. Now , I am a dog woman through and through, but I like observing the relationship these cats have with my dogs and with the local birds...one of disdain and craftiness. Life is tough in the countryside!

Illustration Friday-Baby

quite a straightforward one from me this week - though please take note of my Brooklyn brownstones in the background, even if they are a shade of olive green.
FW inks and Ecoline inks on Daler Bristol Board - lovely smooth surface.
Did this for Woman and Home magazine - the article was actually about the pros and cons of having a baby when your other children were already quite grown-up. Think some might call that a "mistake"...there is a 7 year gap between me and my sisters, which I am sure was wholly intended! :-)