After months of not using pen and ink, I have been struggling to draw with it. I keep being distracted by what I also like about drawing with pen and ink, and that's the equipment.
Read MoreThe ALL NEW old typewriter…
The studio has a new typewriter that is 65 years old. It works like a charm, except for the apostrophe key which is like a broken boomerang, and the Z key which makes a satisfying twang when it's struck, then stops halfway between it's starting point and the paper.
It's noisy too, so music must be turned up or I can't hear it.
The Empire Aristocrat, c.1949.
Not a reflection on Count Dracula…
I am illustrating an edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula with black and white drawings. I won't be showing the Count in the final illustrations, he's so vividly described in the text. But in the process I couldn't resist having a try. There will be boxes of dirt with rope handles and garlic flowers.
Sneaking preview: what big incisors you have.
LUCKY paperback edition published…
The paperback of LUCKY is published by HarperCollins. It's flexible and handy, good for carrying about and for insulation in the cold weather we're having in the northern hemisphere. The story will warm you up too. Buy some emergency copies, hunker down and hope for the best.
What do these stand for?…
Because I arranged them like that. More letters in wonderful 3D for a change.
You can buy clip-on ones too…
A commissioned portrait of Grammy Award winning eighth blackbird flutes player Tim Munro. I noticed on their website a picture of him struggling to tie a necktie. I'd stick with the black polo-necks, they're much easier.
New Treasure Island illustrations…
I have illustrated a version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, which will be published in 2015. There are 34 chapters and I did a black and white picture for each one. They're no match for the NC Wyeth illustrations in his 1911 Scribner edition, but then he didn't even have a blog.
Papier mâché fancier...
My flock of papier mâché birds is expanding. They are very good homers. And clean too.
Is anybody going to panettone?…
The sign I made in the French cafe window is all foggy today. It works well. And I've never seen so many panettones in all my life. And so many colours.
Spoonful shop window. No flashing lights.
Ruby Redfort 4, daddy-o…
Copies of Lauren Child's brilliant new Ruby Redfort book Feel the Fear have been received. It is the fourth in the series and is looking good. Lots of photocollage and diagrams inside this one. Also, an avant-garde poetry book cover that readers in suede jackets can enjoy.
