85 Fleet Street…

I made a drawing of Edwin Lutyens’ building at 85 Fleet Street for a commission.

Built in 1935, it was the London headquarters for Reuters until 2005 but now it looks as though it’s a restaurant (on the ground floor at least). It sure looks like a Lutyens building: austere (with flourishes), classical, monumental and built to last. It has fine art deco touches too, especially the entrance on Fleet Street.

But compared to the giants he created in India and elsewhere, this building is quite neat and tidy. Like the Cenotaph here in London.

The half finished drawing of 85 Fleet Street.

A little about Joe…

This new book is about two boys, one named Joe. It’s a friendship story and a story about similarities and differences. And it’s all drawn in ink and some pencil.

Joe and the other character. Illustrations © David Mackintosh. 2023.

The rest is natural history…

There’s a short film about how I made the illustrations for the picture books published by the Natural History Museum, London. The Titanosaur exhibition is on at the NHM even as I write.

NEW Two-colour Sharpened Pencil screen print coming soon…

I happened to make a limited run of two-colour screen prints of Sharpened Pencils, suitable to frame.

Printed in uncompromising coal black, and dazzling school-pencil yellow, this lavish A1 print is impressed upon a sumptuous cream-ish 120gsm Munken paper, stamped and signed in graphite (what else?).

Limited to an edition of 50, this screen print will be available via the Little Shop in June.

Sharpened Pencils screen print by David Mackintosh
Sharpened Pencils screen print by David Mackintosh

The bell of the ball…

Tom the cat from next door has been given a collar with his name and phone number because he has been going missing. A day later there were calls from people who have been feeding him for years, pleased to have a name to call him.

Tom got used to the collar very quickly, but I haven’t. He appears to be wearing some fancy jewellery, all dressed up for an occasion.

Jewellery: Tiffany & Co. Faux fur coat: model’s own.

Never a dull moment…

I was given a nice new pencil sharpener. It’s brass, has 3 settings and a little pouch to carry it. It’s a very simple mechanism and it works like a charm. It’s a welcome addition to my sharpening portfolio. Thank you!

See a video about sharpening and cutting things.