BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

I was watching Breakfast At Tiffany's not so long ago when a certain orange coat, fur hat and New York street scene stopped me dead in my (metaphorical) tracks. What a coat! What a hat! What a street! Audrey's a lifelong love of mine (I have a classic-film-loving auntie who taught me well) and to be very honest it wasn't going to be long until I put my pen and paints to work on Miss Hepburn. I got a bit symbol-happy in this piece when it came to the background but I couldn't bring myself to leave out Cat the Slob ("Oh Cat!").

I'm hoping to get an Etsy shop up and running soon, so if you're enjoying my illustrations and would consider buying a print or two then please make sure to check back soon(ish).

REGGIE THE POLAR BEAR GOES FOR A SWIM

There's a huddle of little porcelain polar bears on our side board. They belonged to my Grandma, and as I sat at the dining table wondering what to draw, my eyes rested on one of the slightly melancholy faces and before I knew it the same sad little face was looking up at me from my piece of paper. For some reason I imagined him in big Victorian-esque bloomers and threw in a polka-dot swimming cap for good measure. It was only after I'd finished and stepped back from the illustration that I thought - polar bear - swimming - broken ice - sad face - and realised that the piece kind of looks like a pointed comment on global warming! Up for interpretation, I suppose. And as for the name Reggie - well, why not?

THE MARCH GIRLS POSE FOR A PORTRAIT

If I were to put my love of art, writing, reading, films, plays etc into a pot, they'd all boil down to one thing: my love of stories. I love stories - I love hearing them, telling them, drawing them, watching them. I love real stories and I love made-up stories; I love big stories and I love little stories. I think at the very heart of me, I'm a storyteller.

This piece is inspired by one of my favourite stories: Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I tried to incorporate a bit of each sister's personality (can you tell who's who?) and had a rather splendid time painting in the Victorian dresses and wallpaper - I do love a good vintage-themed drawing.

I imagine that Marmee or Mr. Laurence has arranged for a photographer to come to take a portrait of the March girls, but that there is a bit of a mixed response from the girls themselves. Jo, I think, is especially disinterested.

GIRL IN BLUE

I thought I'd begin this art and illustration blog with an illustration of one of my own characters. I'm currently writing a children's book and earlier this week I decided to push all of my university work to the side (oops) and sit down to draw my protagonist. I've called her Girl in Blue for the purposes of this blog because I don't want to tie myself down to any defining details (things change!), but the title Girl in Blue is actually remarkably fitting for the story. I drew her quite a bit bigger than I usually would which meant I was able to be more detailed with my cross-hatching and colours. I framed her within an oval on a bit of a whim, but I like the effect so much I'm using an oval again in the illustration I'm currently working on. There's something so satisfying about bringing your own character to life - I think I'll be working on a few more in the future!