A good year ago, I was lucky to get a lovely commission to illustrate a children’s book about a hen. I worked closely with the author to get the hen right as I felt she shoukd appeal to both of us. So often in traditional publishing the author is far removed from the artist, often… Continue reading Children’s illustration
I have a studio full of toy, children’s books, crayons and coloured pencils. They bring me joy and ease my anxieties in life. My studio is a reflection of what goes on in my head…stories of pirates, of naughty geese and silly ducks. Over my career in accountancy I have trained many employees on software,… Continue reading Teaching joy
After copious notes, migrains, a bout of strong depression that lasted six months, and the fear of not being able to continue what I started, AI came to the rescue. I know it’s controversial, but for a writer, as I feel now I can at last call myself after getting to around 40,0000 words, the… Continue reading Tales of Yo Ho Ho
The studio is almost complete. Boxes have been unpacked and 1950’s to 1970’s inspired fabrics, objects have found their home. Its a place of colourful happiness for me and hopefully it will find its way into my creative work. Full of toys and more to be brought over soon from my Farmhouse studio, its a… Continue reading Retro studio
As you might know I am writing a book about a swashbuckling, motly crew of pirates on the Rockkng Horse galleon. Its a tale of high seas adventures, bad cooking by a French Lobster znd a Devin Crab and a small crew who get into lots of trouble. There are obviously the badges, immoral rogues… Continue reading Artificial Intelligence
Just this week a writing group in a town just a short drive from me, started. Being so rural, any social group can be a lifeline from feeling buried, but with all my building work going on right now, sometimes I have to miss quite a few..but I still keep up on social media and… Continue reading I have to begin…
I thought I would show you a little of the daunting white space I get in the home run of an illustration, along with a couple of experimental ideas. I have been on a journey the last two years finding my feet on how to illustrate, paint or pencil, and what to illustrate. Birds seem… Continue reading Backgrounds
Autumn has arrived here in France, the air is still humid and heavy rains fall. Its cow country snd pasture appears never to cease growing here, but after September it slows, the leaves start to turn their autumnal colours and we have a couple if beautiful months of bedding down for winter. I have a… Continue reading Bird October
Every year, just south of us in Crocq, an exhibition for art is run, featuring both professional or amateur painters, ceramics, sculptures. The exhibition is themed and your given space of upto 2 x 2.5×1.75 metres to display work and sell prints etc. It’s quite a big deal in such a rural area and thus… Continue reading 1001 Reflections
As you know I started illustrating last year and its been a fun year creating characters like Pipi Pintade and Naughty Goose. I always loved children’s books,classics like Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan, The Wizard Of Oz, Dragon In Danger, The Mouse and his Child to name a few,and pop-up books. The French have bookshops… Continue reading Commission Children’s Book
A French Homestead Life 