Outpourings of the hand

Hello friends -

I have no idea who follows this journal, if anyone, but I wanted to let you know that today I will be crossposting a lot of the old entries from the blog I actually use to this one. I'm doing this for several reasons, which for courtesy's sake I will explain below:

- The site I've been using has been having some problems and have been saying things that make it seem that there's a possibility they might not be around in the long run. I like my blog, I like looking through it on days when it feels like I never get anything done, and I like telling people to look at it so they can see the extent of my randomness. I don't want it to disappear and LJ, being one of the grandaddies of the blog world, seems a good place to keep it.
- To comment on my other blog you need to be a member of the site, which not many people are, and certainly not any of the people I know regularly read my blog. Thuswise I never get any comments, although I know people are reading it, which is a shame.
- I know a lot more people on LJ and none on the other blog site, so it just seems logical.

Anyway, as I'm not sure whether all of my posts will slot them into your reading page on their original dates and thus not be annoying, or whether I am about to destroy your reading page by bombarding it with my tat, I thought it best to apologise and explain.

Lovelovelove xxxx

Hello lovely people!

I have been absentee once more, although I have been back in the land of the tubes for a few days now. Things are strange here; I am getting all sorts of things done, none of which are the important things, or the malingering things which have been nagging me to pay them some attention for months. Why can't I focus? Having missed four days of uni due to work (which may or may not become permanent, we shall see) I feel very out of the loop and am not sure how to get back on track. Perhaps if I had been genuinely part time from the start I wouldn't feel so odd, but as it is it's very strange. I have yet to critique the AKA project, which ended up with me producing a lino which I am very unhappy with and not enough back-up work. Hopefully this next project ('Appropriation') will be better, although I have basically already missed a week of the two week project. Argh! As my teacher said, it will take some time to find the balance.

Anyway, although my visual arts activity has been minimal recently, I have been doing things. Lloyd and I are planning to do the open mic next week with a cracking set list. Firstly the two-djembe version of 'Young Henry Marten', which I love playing and singing, not least because it's a massive racket. Secondly 'The Hours' which is a non-too-chirpy song about insomnia and depression, but it's pretty, honest. Thirdly 'Caught', Lloyd's lovely little (a minute long) love (or is it?) song, and then 'The Ballad of the Mourning After' to finish because it's loud and dramatic and ridiculous (see previous post). I'm really looking forward to it, if a bit nervous. I love the buzz of singing live but something tragic happens to my ability to sing in tune when I'm nervous, or at least I think it does. I'm seldom happy with how I've sung, which I find frustrating. However I want to get past it so I shall persist.

Also I have written another song (woop!) or at least found the tune for some lyrics I wrote while we had all the snow. I sent Lloyd a recording (he's away at his parents) and he likes it, so hopefully it will become a Left To Bees song. It's slow and quiet and about a dear, dear friend of mine, and it's one of the most personal songs I've written. Here are the lyrics ( (if you want them) )

I will try to sort out a picture of the disappointing lino, just in case you fancy seeing it. I am hanging out with Sven and Mattie and t'other Hannah tonight as Sven is going out for the first of his two birthday parties. I went swimming with a lady called Kirsty today and did 60 lengths of the 25m pool, which is nearly twice as much as I've ever done in one day before. Tomorrow I will ache massively, but today I can bask in the glow of self satisfaction at having *got off my arse* for once:-)

Have a good evening lovely ones, and I will return at some point soon... xx

Well actually it hasn't been all that lazy, but it's been the kind of week where I have nothing to show you. Well, almost nothing, as you will soon see.

This week's been a busy one at uni, and last week was too, what with attempting to get my essay done and working on the 'Sound' project. That one turned out beautifully, although not in any way which I can convey to you here, so I won't attempt it. Suffice to say I think people liked it and my teacher called it "a very complex piece" which I am taking as a compliment. No news on the mark for it yet - I'll let you know when I do.

I have also had exciting news in that I have three nights of care work from Sunday to Wednesday next week. I couldn't be happier as this will hopefully cover my rent gap for the next two months. I'm pretty sure that will help my stress levels somewhat, which can only be a good thing. Also I have lost 4lb in the last fortnight, which has cheered me up too. I've managed to avoid biscuits and chocolate for nearly a week now - miraculous!

Today I have some horrible RSI-esque pains inn my shoulder, so I can't actually work on the lino I am doing for this week's project ('AKA'). Also I did something to my back this morning and have spent the whole day una

Lloyd and I have been getting together and jamming quite a lot. We were going to do the open mic next week but now that I'm working it will have to wait until the week after. To prove that I haven't been creatively idle though I shall post the lyrics of our newest song for your perusal:-) If it works, they'll be hidden behind ( this cut )

Heaven only knows why I thought it a good idea to write a 16 verse song in what are often tongue-twistingly trickisome lyrics, but there we go:-)

Right, I'm off to attempt this lentil rissole recipe I got out of a second hand copy of 'Organic Life'. Wish me luck!

xxxx

Ok, so now I know the outcome I can share the results of my secret mission: I am going to have a piece of work in an exhibition! It'll be the 'Crone Self' lino, and it will be gracing the walls of the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea for five weeks from February 16th.

As you can probably guess I am gleeful beyond belief. It's one of those things that makes you feel 'proper' in some way that you didn't before.

Just thought I'd let you know:-D

Hello lovelies!

Below is the fruit of my late-night lino-fest, and I am *so* happy with it! The idea was to do something as a precursor to a larger green man, so it was conceived as more of a sample, but I'm terrible at doing samples, so I always try to make things feel resolved in some way. That's a bad habit really, but for now I'll let myself off:-)



'The Woods Are Watching', lino print on paper, 13cm x 13cm

This has *even finer* cuts than the one of Lloyd, which seems astonishing to me. If you run your fingers over the block you can barely feel most of them. I had to sharpen my tiny V chisel yesterday, but luckily I seemed to do more good than harm. I really need to get someone who knows what they're doing to sharpen all my chisels though, their edges are definitely what they used to be...

I'm going to try to get hold of some nice paper and do a run of this print, and offer it around the place for sale. I have a lot to learn though, about how to get things together for sale. Scary stuff!

I'm off out soon on a secret mission, but if any good comes of it I will report back to you all about it. In other news, my moth is up on the website! Have a look here at mine and all the other brilliant submissions. Plus you can giggle at my hideously pretentious statement-thingy:-)

Ooo, I'm off to a gig with the amazing Erin McKeown tonight - how exciting!

I'm just swinging by to say hello, and that I haven't forgotten you, but I've been busy with my current project (photography and sound). Tonight I didn't have much to do though, so I ignored even that small amount and spent the whole night doing a new lino instead. This one is much teenier - 13cm x 13cm - but I am SUPER pleased with it. It has even finer cuts (who knew twas possible?) - they're barely even scratches, some of them - but it's come out beautifully. I shall show you tomorrow, as right now I am too tired from carving/printing it and need my bed:-)

xxxxx

I really need to think of better titles for my posts you know:-/

Anyway, I have three things on a lino-theme to show you today. Two are better prints of ones you've seen before, and one is brand new:-)

The first is my 'Crone Self' lino, redone in black on the sexy printing press at uni.



I got a mount cut for it which is also black, but leaves a slim white border around the print. I think she looks gorgeous, if slightly funereal...

The second print is my final submission for the "Moth In The Motor" music/art project. I decided to do it in a dark brown as the first two lines of the song are "brown like mud/moth flew into town/over my gate/with the flags hanging down". It's a beautiful song, and no doubt a beautiful EP, and I am eagerly awaiting my entry appearing on the record company's website.



The third print is one I did to see how finely I could cut lino given the chance. It was going to be me in the same pose but none of the pictures Lloyd took of me came out as well as the one I took of him to show him the shot I wanted. I used my smallest Flexcut chisel (which is a tiny V) and did very very fine lines. It was a bit fiddly but I loved the way that it shows the texture of all the tiny lines on the skin. I had to keep sneaking in and looking at Lloyd's face to make sure I was getting things the right way.

You can't see it very well at the size that Dreamwidth puts all pictures, but it's about A4 and the individual details such as the nose and his beard hair are much clearer.



There are things in it that I would change but overall I'm pleased with it, and although this print isn't perfect it is the best print I've ever managed at home, and with oil paint to boot. I think that the next step is probably practicing more linos such as this so I can get better at different textures and working out how to express things with the chisel. I have a long way to go, but at least I'm on the road:-)

Anyway, I hope that something in this post has given your eyes a treat and that you're cosy and well wherever you are.

xxx

Lovely ones, I shall be here but briefly to say hello and little more. Progress is occurring though, as yesterday I learnt to use a proper printing press and oh my! the difference is exquisite! Once prints are collected on monday I shall show you. Also this weekend I have two inner tube wallets to make, a corset pattern to draft and my uni project to finish. It's in on monday and entails me building three boxes. There will be pictures when it's done:-)

So I shall bid you adieu for now, but promise to return with exciting pictures soon. In the meantime look at the 'Moth In The Motor' site and work on your own entry!

xxxx

Dear readers, (who may or may not exist, though I generally feel that that doesn't matter, as it's quite enjoyable for me to see quite how busy I've been recently), I have been promising you a proper catch up for a while, and tonight I find myself at a loose end and this willing to provide it. Of course I *shouldn't* be at a loose end as I could be doing any number of things, but this is more fun than any of my available options just now:-)

Anyway, jibbering aside, I am still trying to wake my brain up from it's Christmas-holiday-induced torpor. The holidays were great but secretly I have been looking forward to the enforced routine of uni. Also I have been sorely missing seeing other people's work and the ideas I get from being around so many other creative people. Everyone is seeming a bit slow but in general things are getting back to normal. We have the critique for our 'Process' project on Monday, and although I was feeling that I had little in the way of ideas/work done for it, I know have an idea I am very pleased with. It involves lots of playing with wood and nails and paint, which can only be a good thing. There will be pictures when it's done:-)

I have also been working on/procrastinating with a lino entry for Rachael Dadd's 'Moth In The Motor' project which I must say I am well pleased with. Just for you, a sneaky print of my first proof print...




What do you think? Bearing in mind that this is the first proof, and I have quite a lot of small improvements to make, I am still thrilled with the idea, composition and general awesomeness of it. Phew! Lino is one of those things that can't be majorly changed once you've started, so it's always scary until you see the result. Also trying to visualise everything backwards is a bugger, but I am getting better at it. I'm going to the printmaking department on Thursday to get a proper print of this and 'Crone Self' done in the press there. Fingers crossed for good results please!

So what else? I cut a lovely stencil the other day and did a big ol' batch of screen prints with it. I might do another tonight actually, I'm in that sort of mood. Anyway, the stencil in question was of the word 'alive', which is an extreme distillation of one of my favourite quotes: "Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. The world needs more people who have come alive" (Howard Thurman). Also what with the grim depression hanging over me, sometimes I need reminding.

I did four prints of it; two t-shirts, one random bit of cloth (it was too pretty a stencil not to print it muchly while it was there) and a paper version. These pictures are terrible, but in lieu of me taking decent ones they will have to do.

First t-shirt




Second t-shirt




Random cloth




Paper




I like this idea with the pictures in the lettering and suspect I may end up doing it again:-)

Right, what's next?

This is the wallet I made for Sven from inner tubes. It still has some improvements than can be made, but I'm definitely getting there - which is a good thing as I have two to make in the next week! This one has a change pocket inside, but I think I'll experiment with putting it on the outside next time.







For Christmas Joe got a joint present from Lloyd and I, in the form of a tablet woven hat band for his top hat. Lloyd designed the band on the computer and we took it in turns to weave. It was a bugger to warp but I think it came out brilliantly and Joe loves it:-)



I (rather egotistically) made a stencil for a Left To Bees t-shirt as well, and it ended up being so popular that Lloyd and I printed four: one for me (on purple), one for Joe (on white), one for Sven (on camo green, what a surprise!) and one on this reddy orange t-shirt for Todd as a Christmas present. Running before we can walk? Us? Surely not!




The brain's not been too bad recently which is a relief. A bit wobbly over Christmas but nothing major. I think making things genuinely helps, with the added bonus that recently very few of my projects have been abjectly failing. Hang on, I can't believe I just said that! Silly, silly British girl... (By the way, does anyone know where that quote comes from? I swear I didn't make it up!).

Anyway, now that I am well and truly caught up I can get on with researching taxidermy for my forthcoming essay on the subject and/or drawing a plan for my woodworking mission. I hope you have such an interesting choice of things to do before you sleep!

xxx

I have been MIA for a while now, and although I do have things to show you they will have to wait. In the way that these things are inevitable I have frolicked and frittered away my festive three week holiday, and am now facing the fact that I have not done any work (that I was meant to be doing, as opposed to the fun kind of work) for my project. Also circumstances have conspired to mean I must miss uni in the morning and go somewhere else first, which means I cannot take in most of the things I actually have done. Bugger!

For now I shall have to love you and leave you, as I am in need of a wash and an early night, and watching the second episode of Day of The Triffids. I know I should be working, but the "fuck it!" attitude has arrived and I shall just have to face the music instead.

Here's hoping tomorrow is not one of *those* mondays.

I shall return. In the meantime read Emily's blog. It rocks:-)

OK, this post has been pending for days, and dinner will be ready when the mash is done, so I am going to be quick!

This is the t-shirt I did for Lloyd. It has some issues but was a great learning experience and he loves it. Woop! Big thanks to Alex Clatworthy for her enormous help and providing inks and emulsions, t-shirts and expertise.





This is a bit of screen printing I did yesterday, finally something for me! I loved the peacock design and I think that even without the purple it's come out beautifully. Plus this one runs around the side of the top rather than stopping at the seam, so it looks a bit more professional I reckon.



This is Joe's Christmas present: a demonic goat pot mat to protect his lovely table. Made from scraps, quilted and appliqued. He liked it muchly.



Yesterday Joe and I skinned and filleted two pheasants and a duck. The pheasants have been cooking in a casserole in the haybox all afternoon and will be consumed shortly with the much-vaunted mash. This afternoon Lloyd and I printed four t-shirts with a 'Left To Bees' stencil which I made the other day, and they look bloody brilliant. I will show you shortly!

Now, I have to serve the casserole, and generally socialise with my lovely housemates.

It's good to be home:-)

Lovely people! How was your Christmas?

I have had the most wonderful time staying with Lloyd and Joe's family in Pembrokeshire. I made everyone happy by volunteering to be designated driver for the week and my offer was well used with *at least* one party each day. The record was four! I met so many wonderful people and was greeted with open arms wherever we went. Magic. Also, I got *awesome* presents:-)

Anyway, I am aware that I promised you a bumper posting when I returned, with pictures of my secret present projects, but alas I cannot deliver! Shocking, I know! I only have one to show you so far, as I didn't realise I had failed to photograph Lloyd and Joe's presents, and Sven hasn't had his yet. Doom! Anyway, by way of a down payment here is a picture of my sister's t-shirt print, a second version of the Lanyon Quoit stencil.



The t-shirt was from a charity shop, a lovely soft Marks and Spencer one, and luckily it just fitted:-)

We got home about lunch time today, and then I had more of an epic tidy/sort out inspired by my friend Emily's blog. I only really conquered one small corner, but it still felt good. I also put a few new frames on the wall, one with a lino print of mine in and one with a lovely photo of my best friend Lily, and put up a lovely metalwork dragonfly which Lloyd's parents got me for Christmas. The problem I have with this de-tatting business now is that I wanted to car boot it and now I don't have a car boot. I think the answer might be my lovely friend Julie, but it will have to be a bit later in the year as it's quiet at the car boot around now. It's just a shame that all my sorting out currently leads to is a tower of tat in one corner, but it still feels good:-)

I also had an epic two hour phone conversation with my brother and my niece which I most thoroughly enjoyed. The good news is that Amber and Tane loved their t-shirts, and so I finally gain some positive Auntie Points. Phew!

I'm off now to daydream about Left To Bees starting to record in the new year (very slowly and with no sense of a finish date) and to try to forget, at least until tomorrow, that I have a project due in in a week which I have yet to commence or have any ideas for whatsoever:-/

xxxx

... A little too much perhaps? My ex and I once picked up a hitch hiker in Llandeilo who was on their way home to tipi valley in mid Wales. He was an awesome fella and had a lot of wisdom to share even in the relatively short journey. One of the things he said which has always stayed in my mind is that you have to make space for new things to come into your life, even if you don't know what it is you want to make space for. Once there is a space, something amazing will fill it, but while everything in your life is full wonderful things will pass you by. He said it in a much more succint way than that though:-)

Yesterday I fixed my long broken wool storage (one of those hanging shoe holder things) and then had access to an entire corner of my room/craft space that I have barely been able to access in months. This provoked me to have the most massive sort-out I have had in a ridiculously long time, and made me realise why I feel so overwhelmed with stuff all the time. It's because I am! I've been thinking about my friend Emily's awesome de-tatting blog (http://thetangledyarn.blogspot.com), and then looking at my room in despair. I literally feel mentally and physically snowed under by it all.

Anyway, I am nowhere near finished, but HOW MUCH BETTER DO I FEEL? It's ludicrous! And as soon as it was done I just had to make something so I made a new knitting needle roll to replace the handstitched bag (which none of them fitted in) which I made years ago. Here it is!







I was up late doing it and finished it this morning, having woken up at 7:30am. Ick! So today I am running on four hours sleep, which can't be a good thing. It's 3:30pm and I'm not dressed yet, although I have done lots of good musical things today. The insomnia has triggered a sombre song about how long the night feels when you can't sleep, which Lloyd and I started working on today, and we have practiced a few of our other songs which we haven't played in a while. I'm off to town in a minute to stretch my legs, but I might be about later, internet fiend that I am:-P

Just quickly popping in to post the pictures of the inner tube belt prototype!






Sadly they're not great pictures, I need to learn how to take good product shots, clearly. Anyway, here's the specs:

- One wide upcycled inner tube
- Internal coutil reinforcement
- Narrow inner tube belt loop
- four lines of stitching to prevent stretch
- shiny silver hardware:-)

What do you think? I'm thinking of doing some with contrast stitching too, and the price that seems reasonable to me is £12. Too much? Too little? I'd appreciate your thoughts:-)

Must go - finally posting presents for the parents and my sister!

I've been busy this week so far, and luckily no longer need to get up at 5am - hooray! In fact on Tuesday it turns out I could have stayed in bed, but there we are. It did mean I got up nice and early in time for my delightful friend Julie coming over. She wanted to make a corset (her first dressmaking project!) before Saturday (!) so I said I would help. With the pattern made on Monday and the pieces which Julie had cut out and sewn overnight, the next step was to cut and tip the bones and set the grommets. We managed to get all of the bones cut and tipped, about half of the bones in and all the grommets set before lunchtime, when I had to go and get the train to Bristol to surprise my friend Lily for her birthday.

It turned out to be a crazy journey which took four hours instead of one and a half due to some of the signal cable having been stolen. Crazy! I missed the "surprise!" moment but I had a lovely time nevertheless. Lily's present was a screen printed hoodie (pictures below). The design is taken from a photograph of her horse Franki who she sadly had to have put to sleep earlier this year. He was a lovely wall eyed piebald cob with the most enormous arse I've ever seen on a horse, and he was gorgeous. Lily was chuffed with the present:-)






Last night I finally got to have a proper go at some inner tubes very kindly given to me by someone on Freecycle. I made a wide (nearly 2") belt with a big shiny silver buckle and silver riveting and eyelets. It's pretty sexy, I have to say:-) Sadly I keep forgetting to photograph it. I also finished Joe's Christmas present and the tea towel for my parents, which I sewed beautifully if I do say so myself. I incorporated one of my lovely "Handmade by Hannah" woven labels as a hanging loop. I hope they like it!

Today I was back in college after a morning spent jobseeking. The last bit of my planned Christmas screen printing was a t-shirt for my sister, having decided she wouldn't like the peacock one. I used the Lanyon Quoit stencil again but reduced it to A4 size. I also made some of the changes I was thinking of the other day and now I like it *much* better (not that I didn't like it, but now it's awesome!). There is one small bit of ink where it shouldn't be - it escaped between some strips of masking tape - but I will have to cope as I only had the one t-shirt. Hopefully she'll like it too.

Sadly I can't show you a picture as my computer is FULL once again! She's refusing to take even the two pictures I was trying to download onboard, so you will have to wait.

In other news I have my three month review at the job centre tomorrow - wish me luck!

xxxx

The weekend went by in some kind of epic blur. I enjoyed myself, I got a bit of stuff done, but I couldn't really tell you much about it. Weird.

Unfortunately Sunday started badly with me being awoken at 5:30am with horrid stomach pains. I have IBS and get this particular pain about every few months or so. It's vile. It wakes me up and then I am both tired and in pain and nauseous and unable to eat anything for most of the day without feeling dreadful. IBS sucks. Anyway, this morning I got up for my alarm at 5am and felt the same, but this time I had to go out and do things. Hideous! By 8:30am I was hugely depressed, still in pain and feeling like the world ought to give me a break.

But who knew such a wonderful day could come out of such a bad mood? And it's all thanks to one lovely lady: my gorgeous friend Julie.

Julie came into uni especially today so that I could help her make a corset pattern and mock up. She's teeny tiny so she's not looking for reduction, just something that fits lovely and shows off a fabric she has in her stash that she really loves. We got the pattern made (with some pretty drastic alterations to the bottom edge - lopped a good few inches off so that she can wear it with jeans. As she has no squish whatsoever there'll be no sneaky bulging because of the corset finishing mid stomach. Also it won't have a busk, to save time/money, so perhaps it's more of a basque. But it will have grommets and steel bones.

Anyway, the enforced socialisation pushed me out of my bad mood and I had an incredibly productive day of screen printing, some of which will have to remain secret for now! The bits that I think are safe to show are a t-shirt with peacock feather design, originally destined for my sister but now destined for my shop, as I realise she probably won't like the design. Back to the drawing board for her:-/ The other is for my parents and is of a neolithic monument near them, Lanyon Quoit.





Printing these (and them going well) massively improved my mood, and I have been chirpy all evening. Lloyd and I have been bimbling together, him drawing and me working on my secret project. Joe and Sven are out so it's been a very quiet, and very lovely evening.

Tomorrow is my last 5am alarm clock and I have lots of busy things to do, so I had best be off. Until whenever, stay warm!

Hello lovelies -

I have been in a better mood since I last posted, luckily for all those surrounding me. The early starts (a week of 5am alarm clocks) have been tiring me, but I'm doing better than I thought I would be. With all this knackeredness I have been stunningly creative and productive! Well, maybe not stunningly, but I've been doing pretty well. The sense of mental wellbeing this gives me can't be underestimated. I seem to need constant reassurance that I am the creative person I purport to be and the evidence is in the objects I create. If the quantity isn't up to scratch or it isn't recent enough, massive doubts creep in. I am easily discouraged it seems.

Anyway, today that is not the case, so I should stop harping on about it! On Wednesday I was extremely busy with screen printing, and managed to get a t-shirt each for my niece and nephew and one extra of each design to sell. Also I did 12 Christmas cards in two different designs. I love screen printing! Here are the beauteous t-shirts, now somewhere between here and New Zealand, in the hands of the postal service:-/ Please let them arrive!






What do you reckon?

Because they went so well I have decided I will probably do a t-shirt for my sister as well. Not sure about my parents though - maybe a shopping bag? But, like most of us I imagine, they probably have 20 already. *Sigh* - I am bad at present ideas.

Back to the productivity: Yesterday Lloyd and I had an epic jam and started work on two new songs. One is a slide guitar riff (Lloyd plays that, naturally) which I drum along to on the djembe. The other is a version of 'Young Henry Martin' with TWO djembes and my vocals. We're trying to use the drums to emphasise the events of each verse, and I must say it's going bloody brilliantly. I can't wait to get it all polished and perhaps do an open mic with it; it's always interesting to see what people say.

Then today we had life drawing at college, and to my shame it was the first lesson I made it to (the fourth for everyone else). It being the last day there were only 6 of us in, but the day was really beneficial to my drawing, with a bit of drama thrown in when the life model fainted during a standing pose. She did lying down ones after that and felt a lot better luckily. These are my attempts:







I really hope to do lots more of this in the future so I can really progress. I have always loved drawings of nudes so producing them myself is really exciting. Ooo, tea's ready, I'd best be off!

I didn't wake up grumpy today but around lunch time I got drenched on a thoroughly depressing mission to town. My attempt to buy plain kid's t-shirts abjectly failed. They all have crap designs on them with mangy transfers, thus leaving no space for my beginnery attempts at screen printing. Doom! It is frustrating enough to be broke at christmas, and saddening enough to have relatives so far away as New Zealand, without the added feeling of failure engendered by sending crap presents late yet again.

It's just that kind of day today I'm afraid.

I was meant to be going to the Chattery tonight for the women's night christmas cabaret but I can summon neither the energy nor the inclination. Also I have to be up at 5am. Ick! There must be something I can achieve tonight, though I can't work out what it is yet. I shall leave you be before I spread any more gloom though. In an attempt to ameliorate the sombre mood I have just constructed, I shall leave you with last night's drawing, commissioned by my friend Lottie. There is work to be done on it, but here it is anyway.





xxxxx

OK, I know I said I was going to bed, but things like this bug me! Anyway, the pictures are now fixed, and just for you here's another one:-) This is my portrait piece, although it looks massively better at A2. Can anyone spot any references?

xxxx

I found out that my lovely friend Emily has started a blog and it was such a lovely and entertaining read I realised I should be putting more effort in here. Unfortunately today I am too tired for that sort of thing, so you'll have to take what you're given:-)

I had a great weekend in an oddly knackering and unproductive way. You know when you start the week tired and you realise there's no way you can catch up on that sleep before the next weekend? It's kinda like that. I still have a mountain of christmas presents to make, and I am desperately trying to get the rent together for the next couple of months. Luckily I still also have a £45 of potential income on my joyous spreadsheet to go towards it:-)

We had a critique at uni today for our 'Portrait' project and it went really well. Lloyd came along out of curiosity and I think he enjoyed it. It's pretty hard going even if you're really interested though, and that's added to my knackeredness. I had to cancel plans with Sera tonight so that I could tidy up a bit and have a rest. I spent the rest of the evening doing a poster that Lottie asked for last week. It's to go in the loo of her new house and she wanted it to say "If it's yellow, let it mellow". The rest was up to me, and I've done a very dense design that reads in full: "If it's yellow let it mellow. Be a water hero. Every flush takes ten litres!" I'm not very happy with the text, but the drawing has come out lovely. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow, but Dreamwidth isn't showing my recently uploaded pictures at the moment, seemingly for no reason. Very frustrating!

This week I have something pretty much every evening, plus some very early morning stuff to do, and uni. I'll be properly knackered by the middle of next week when I get my lie-ins back. Oh well, I am trying to appreciate always being busy, although it has to be said that I am still getting used to it even after 4 or 5 months. It is good to be producing work that I'm proud of at such a rate though:-)

Right, I'm off to sleep. Tomorrow brings a new project and a new essay. Eep!

xxxx