January is cold and dark ...

But in the darkness, hope can always be found. 

And on a cold, cold day you can always put on your warm hat and coat and go outside...

I decided to create in plush Little Mole, because he’s such a dear little character, dreamed up by Glenys Nellist, and drawn so sweetly by Sally Garland.

Interesting to discover that Glenys is Lancashire Lass, like yours truly, and that Sally and I both attended Edinburgh College of Art. Small world? 

I think he likes his book, don’t you? 

I’m going to make something else from a picture book now ... 

Illustrator Me

Here are four sample illustrations from a book I’ve been working on ....

The pictures have been those of friends and their children, or indeed people who became friends when I asked them about drawing and why I was doing it. 

These first two are just photographs from my phone’s camera. 

And these second two are scanned and cleaned up, but low res just for the internet. 

The most cocoa-pops I’ve even seen on the floor. I think I would have yelled something not take a photo like my friend, but I’m very glad she did. This is a rather good ‘naughty’ picture. 

I have other manuscripts, and illustrations swimming round my head and so perhaps I should get on... lockdown isn’t over yet. Covid19 isn’t beaten. 

Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg,

Look at this Fabulously fun book cover! We recently acquired a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids because we enjoy being creative together, and as it happens, a good giggle too!

We have enjoyed playing some of these games on a rainy evening, or after we have been active all day and its nice to be sitting down together. There are games you can play on your own, the way all those grown ups do colouring and tangle art nowadays, and lots of group games that we like a lot. We found we could also adapt some of the one person games to family fun,  by simply swapping your papers before the interpretation bit to add that extra challenge!

Playing together in our family are a 65 year old male, a 45 year old very yummy mummy, and girls of 10, 10 and 8. I know ... time really flies by! This blog is almost 9 years in the blogging!

No one who can make marks will have any trouble having fun with this book, we have shared a couple of our results here compared with those in the book! My imagination really felt stimulated and i can see how playing these sort of pen and paper games can keep children's imaginations alive! 

Grab a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg, published by Quarry Books (£12.99). and share your drawings too!

Finished my new sock animals

Meet Mustard and Custard, brave lions!

Book keeping again!

A Junior Mission Praise from a Weymouth school was greatly in need of some TLC, esp once I had stripped off all the parcel tape to see what I was working with ...

here is the heavy book put back together, and the spine supported externally with some blue fabric, left over from the cover ..

And here is the repaired and covered book, ready for the new term, we hope it lives for a long time now! The commissioner wanted Holy-Spirit Blue, with a bit of sparkle, so I used some silver and blue glitter-print fabric for the spine...

Special ...

I shared this drawing on the Facebook Raggy Rat page, and no one knew what it was! It's a very simple looking object, that can be music to your ears, and I have drawn it for the illustrated book I am working on at the moment ...

Here it is in use ...

Peter and Jane?

No, this is my work - a snippet of one of the drawings for my children's book!

Two of a good friends children made wonderful models for this picture about having fun! http://www.herewearetogether.com/2012/07/19/drawings/

Doing some Drawing ...

Two children, water - fun!

These will be Pastel drawings, for my book ...

Another Good-Book in need of a facelift!

This one had a spine but missed a back cover, so i have 2 new covers and then covered in some chef's trousers!

All finished and perhaps quite hard wearing too! Saved from further wear and restored to the owner ...

Sofa life - a pastel drawing!

Because you are mine!

The children's book im working on is carried about with me in portable form, only very recently it was accidently given an oil bath (dont ask!) and has become hard to read! Although i will keep it as it has memories and some charming additions from Daisy, it is time for a new copy to carry about with me ...

Remember Crabby? GIVE-AWAY!

Crabby came back from his holiday in the US and skipped gratefully back into his shell which i had dusted weekly in his absence ... well ok, maybe not weekly!

Anyway Crabby wants you to look at this book and go 'ooooh, that looks good' ... you can peep inside it HERE!

And see dear crabby, spread completely naked across the pages, he is obviously really pleased to be back in his shell of course! And in this lovely book you can find out how you make your very own crustacean! I can sign copies for you and will have some at my open studio event this year, but how about a free e-book for you now?

If you want to enter the give-away for the e-book leave a comment below, and tell me what's the most interesting thing you have found on the beach? For further chances to win, share on facebook and twitter and leave another post letting me and Crabby know of course. We will do the draw on Sunday. See you then! xxxx

WIP children's book - the first picture ...

added a duck and some broken bread ....

And there's space for text too ...

but bread is rather hard to draw ...

Monkey Business!

We got this lovely book, with monkeys to make and a funny rhyme to read, and I saved it for an after-dinner chill activity ...

There are bits and bobs to make three monkeys, with the book, and some things for them too ...

The instructions were easy to follow and our new friends began to take on their cheeky characters!

Bending the shaped pipe-cleaners creates the knees, elbows and little hands and feet!

Daisy chose this amazing orange monkey, and only needed a little bit of help ...

This is the best bit because we are nearly ready to play!

With pop out ties, the monkeys can dress up as in the fun rhyme too!

Or fly around with super-hero capes on!

Make some yourself, find out more here!

WIP Illustrating again ...

Adding depth ....

I am so excited with this project, I have wanted to work on the children's book for years! xxx

WIP pastels, and pottery!

Yesterday i did not post because i was far too busy having a fun birthday, but today i took a wonderful picture of a friend of mine and her daughter, and my box of pastels out ... This needs a lot more work of course! I have not used my pastels for a long time.

And as the sun went down and the chickens went to roost, I make myself a hot chocolate in one of my birthday presents, see beaker folk to get your own lovely mug!

Happy Birthday Noncel!

Got together some bits and bobs today to make a special present for a friend ... The rope came from furniture packaging and the twig was found on a local walk.

Here it is, and i do hope she likes it - i now want to make another one right away! Maybe a whole stick full?

Do you remember me showing you this book that was coming out? Well, I will show you more of it tomorrow, but i was very much inspired by a design found in the book to make this gift ...

There's is much more colourful than mine of course ...

Do you like handmade gifts? Its my birthday tomorrow!

Book ...

This poor book was in need of some TLC, and is very well used as well as being a gift ...  I got the job of giving it a makeover, the spine of the book is already long gone!

So I used thick, stiff card to make a new spine and carefully sandwiched it between fabric hinges ...

finally I sewed the cover, using a little bit of fun, musical fabric and a lot of plain black, so the book can still look smart, esp if used at weddings and funerals ...