30/04/2013

My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes by Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd

For some reason I keep thinking about this little book I had as a child and how I must get it out of my parents loft along with my old ladybird books.
My cat likes tohide in boxes was one of my FAVES! Especially the cat from Norway who got stuck in the doorway :)




28/04/2013

Lots on weekend!

I saw Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty at the Wimbledon Theatre this Saturday. I cannot find enough words to describe or explain how AMAZING it was. My fave was the good fairy :)
Such a good take on the fairytale and fab twists.

And then today I went to see British Sea Power play the soundtrack to From the Sea and the Land Beyond. Again, just mind blowing. They incorporated lots of well known songs into the soundtrack but  did them so differently to how you usually hear them. So moving in parts.

                                        

and before BSP came on we managed to see Public Service Broadcasting do a little set of four tracks. I have been in love with this band since I heard Spitfire on BBC6Music. They are FANTASTIC. It was so loud in the hub at the O2!! Loved it, I must see them do a complete set.


                                           



26/04/2013

Lionel the house guest cat doodle

Lionel has a problem with his back left leg where at any opportunity he will let it hang out very casually.
Here is an artists impression of how he thinks he must look...

YCN Tell stories, Pick Me Up-AOI Pricing talk and Flying Eye Event at Foyles

I had a busy day yesterday and the day before! I saw Rachel Bright, Benji Davies and James from Made in Me Books do a talk at YCN, which was brilliant. So gooooood to hear how illustrators made it to being published and the winding ways it happened. Very inspiring and reassuring to hear actually! Here's a link to it from YCN (That's my shoulder in the red to prove I was really there! Ha!)

 I then attended the AOI Pricing talk at Somerset House in conjunction with Pick Me Up yesterday, and I managed a sneaky peek inside as I signed up to AOI!


Then it was off to the Flying Eye/Nobrow Press event at Foyles. Such an interesting talk hearing how they got started. I also may have bought a book I can ill afford, but the illustrations were lovely. I really wanted to buy Wild by Emily Hughes but it's not out til June!



24/04/2013

Featured in Fake Magazine!

The lovely ladies at Fake Magazine have put up a feature on me on their blog! Click here to have a look!


Pedro's brother and nephew come to stay!

So we've visitors here this week! Youngest nephew is a huge fan of Paddington Bear and optimistically set out in a blue (luckily not a duffle) coat and wellingtons and embarked on a bus sight seeing tour of London, taking in the changing of the guards, a picnic in Hyde Park (where the hyacinths smelt amazing) with marmalade sandwiches and finishing of with a cruise down the Thames. 
It was lovely watching him see a tube train arrive and travel on one for the first time and him dawdling about walking through the stations when you kind of need to be a bit quicker on the escalators!! :D 
Whole new appreciation of how my mam managed with me as a toddler in London!




It took it's toll on the Kirk boys! :D 

More flowers blooming!


Wyvern wakes up!


23/04/2013

Sweetpeas!

Coming on nicely! I'll be able to put them out soon :)

20/04/2013

From my garden


Aren't these lovely? I had to cut them as they'd fallen over in all the rain we've had lately, but they are making my living room smell divine!

Day 3...

Well last night Pooey went bat shit crazy. Sorry for my language but she did! She was hanging upside down under the sofa hissing and swiping at Lionel! He tapped her back and gave her a good hiss. So today she's much better behaved!
 They even managed a bit of breakfast together in peace, and when she goes to look at him having quiet time under the bed she doesn't growl now :) Hopefully he's taught her a lesson!





19/04/2013

Later on...



Working on drawing some boys!

Here's todays doodle (tidied up a bit!) I'm going to start drawing just a few more boyish things as I generally don't really! So here's a boy drawing.

Day Two cont...

Pooey is still hissy! Lionel is acting like butter wouldn't melt, but I'm sure he's not completely innocent :)

Day two...

Pooey Cat's aversion to Lionel has now become physical, after the cat nip left out to calm her down brought on a fit of furball hacking. Lovely.

18/04/2013

Tables are turning!

Managed to coax Lionel out from under the bed and he had a good bout of paddy padding, purring and head bumping whilst Pooey looks on aghast that he's so bold!


Lionel's come to stay!





Lionel has come to stay with us for a little while. Pooey has been less than friendly. She was sneaking in to where he was hiding under the bed, growling and hissing at him, eventually calming down a little to peeking at him and running off tail like a bottle brush. She's now left him alone, so might try and coax him out poor love! :) 

More flowers blooming!

All the daffs are pretty much out and my tulips now! :) 

Prints have arrived!


These arrived today from www.dottodotprinting.co.uk the colours have come out fab!
They are being sent to a lovely editor at Mega City 6Music, after the 'Cheers' pic I sent to say thanks to Radcliffe and Maconie was put up in their office and she thought they would be lovely for her little girl, as everything is either Disney or Peppa Pig. So wonderful of her to say and get in touch! :)

Day two and three at London Book Fair!

Well, again, didn't get many photographs! But I did have an amazing time there. I have had the best amazing useful feedback in which to carry on with in a clearer direction.
Here is my trusty partner in illustration crime Amberin!

(helpfully pointing towards her name!)

A well earned whisky and coke and gin and lemonade. *It's exhausting stuff book fairs!*

Day 3 was all about the Illustrators afternoon. We arrived at midday to get a good spot at the front and in with a definite chance of meeting the speakers that afternoon, Nick May Orion, Mike Phipps Igloo Books and Strawberrie Donnelly Little Tiger Press.
 I first spoke to Nick May, but I very luckily managed to sneak in at the end and see Strawberrie who I was desperate to talk too, but I have to say London Book Fair, the afternoon was poorly organised. A lot of disappointed illustrators were not able to talk to the editor who was right for them. Some sort of ticketing online and for which editor beforehand would have been a better way of doing it perhaps, as the majority of the illustrators in my queue knew they weren't right for Orion and wanted to see Igloo or Tiger.
I also bumped into a few twitter and yoillo folk which was brilliant! David Stevenson, Sarah Underwood and Emily Rose Lambert, Jane Heinrichs and I spied Grace Sandford too :)
I also met Amberin's chum from uni Cathy Hookey. Good times all round, especially the quick gin at the pub after the fair!  
Anyways, that aside it's been a wonderful time. I can not recommend enough that you go. It is so good to talk to people in person about your work and where you should be heading. 

L-R Nick May, Strawberrie Donnelly and Mike Phipps.

Amberin and David :)

So then after a quick drink I hotfooted it across to Shepards Bush Empire to watch British Sea Power!! My faves! They did a mellow set first in which they played my fave fave fave song Blackout and then the support band Toy were up who were very good, (although maybe a bit indulgent towards the end!) but they looked so very cool, how you'd want to be if you were a band. And then BSP did their main set. Opened up with Remember me! The Great Skua was probably the best bit, absolute magic.
Here are some crummy mobile phone photos! 

Toy
BSP



Go listen to The Great Skua here :) 

15/04/2013

My daffodils are finally out!

I don't think I've ever waited quite so long for daffs to bloom!


London Book Fair 2013 Day one

I need to remember to take more photos! First day was really productive and positive other than that!! Met up with my chums Amberin Huq and Sarah Underwood who you can find here and here
 Managed to get a free cupcake and spot that Dennis Bergkamp, my ultimate football hero is publishing his memoirs!
Kate Wilson's talk on the Little Red Riding Hood app was incredibly fascinating, she's a super character too! :D
*note shaky camera skills over excitement of free cupcakes*



Kate Wilson, Nosy Crow