mique moriuchi

Lovely things!

2012-01-03T23:07:00.000Z

Happy new year! I hope you had a good winter break :)
We have some new residents in our house. The moustachioed 2 on the left are by Bobby Dazzler, and the 2 stripy fellows on the right are by the wonderful Donna Wilson. A funny little motley crew to keep us entertained!

I received a surprise package from Japan, which included beautiful handkerchiefs spelling Oki's name in Japanese, and a fantastic book by Bruno Munari. This lovely package was put together by Nishiyama-san from children's book publisher Froebel-kan, who I met in Japan nearly 3 years ago. Oki and I enjoyed the book very much :D

A couple more beautiful picture books we received this Christmas...oooh very inspiring stuff!! It makes me want to make pictures!

Little star

2011-12-24T13:52:00.000Z

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year, from me and him and our little star :)

New in my Etsy shop :)

2011-12-05T21:57:00.001Z

These framed original Lion illustrations are now in my Etsy shop!

2 new woolly creatures have also made their way into my shop!

CHRISTMAS SALE!

My limited edition Giclee prints are now at a discounted price, including this one, which is 30% off AND free delivery!

Jolly Hobbies Market

2011-11-13T18:39:00.001Z

We will have a stall at the Jolly Hobbies Market this coming Saturday, in Hornsey, North London. I will be selling some knitted toys, felt toys, limited edition Giclee prints, original artwork and greeting cards. My partner Sam will be selling beautiful bespoke ebony and silver jewellery. Oki will be doing Oki things!
Maybe you can pick up some Christmas pressies :)
Here are the details:
Hornsey Parish Church Hall
Cranley Gardens
London
N10 3AH
Saturday 19th November
11am-5pm

Hope to see you there!

Oki's sky

2011-10-31T13:26:00.000Z

We're in love with these mobiles we bought for our baby boy, to hang above his cot. Really simple designs by Danish mobile makers Flensted. They move beautifully and cast lovely shadows too. They're so hypnotic and soothing, I could spend hours looking up at Oki's sky :)

what I wore today...

2011-10-03T23:20:00.000+01:00

Oooh it's been a long time since I've picked up a paint brush!! Today, our little boy was very good and gave me a bit of hands free time, sleeping somewhere other than on me during the day, long enough for me to eat lunch, do some washing AND make this picture for "What I wore today", hooray!!

For the past 11 weeks, I have been mostly wearing our little baby boy, bags under my eyes and a tired but big happy smile :D

books!

2011-09-26T15:39:00.001+01:00

I'm so happy to finally be reunited with my picture books!! I missed them so much.
Someone else also seems to be enjoying a good book :)

Packed!

2011-09-26T15:29:00.000+01:00

We are still unpacking since moving house at the end of May. A certain little man has been keeping us occupied :)
It's always such a pleasure opening up the boxes - it's like Christmas! I feel so happy to be reunited with my goodies. This box pleased me a lot, all the little toys crammed in there. Hope they were having fun in there.

hello from us :)

2011-08-13T08:29:00.002+01:00

I'm so glad I did our baby card before the baby arrived as I have no spare time for anything these days! It was a little strange but lovely trying to imagine what our little boy would look like :)

curious

2011-07-25T05:28:00.002+01:00

Who is this curious looking fellow? The animals decided to investigate...

New boy in our life!

2011-07-23T09:31:00.000+01:00

We have a new little addition in our lives. His name is Oki, and he joined our world on Monday morning, 18th July. I'm averaging about 2-3 hours sleep a day since sunday so am a bit delirious from sleep deprivation, but over the moon that he is finally here with us :)

This is where he was just last week, in my belly.

New toys in my shop!

2011-07-15T21:57:00.001+01:00

Here are some newly knitted toys, some of which I've added to my Etsy shop, along with a few felt toys :)

I've been knitting, cleaning and doing odd little obsessive things whilst waiting for baby to arrive. No sign of him yet, so I'm going to carry on knitting!

New print!

2011-07-09T17:42:00.001+01:00

"Bubbles" (シャボン玉) is now available as a limited edition Giclee print in my Etsy shop. All prints in my shop are now free delivery, hooray! :D

not long now...

2011-06-30T11:51:00.000+01:00

I'm about 2 weeks away from my due date now! I feel BIG and have developed quite a waddle, but am loving being pregnant :D

Art in Brixton

2011-06-09T18:19:00.000+01:00

I'm crossing the river this Sunday, to take part in Art in Brixton, where I will be showing and selling a few limited edition prints, along with some other talented arty friends (The friends aren't for sale, but their work will be!)
It will take place at Windrush Square, just outside the Ritzy cinema in the heart of Brixton, between 11am-4pm. Please pop along if you're in the area :)

Some good news - "Into the Woods" will carry on through June and possibly July too, so there's still a chance you can get hold of some lovely treats!

Bye bye bun

2011-06-09T00:22:00.001+01:00

Here's my first bit of illustration from my temporary new studio set up. So nice to make pictures again after a little break, although I have to be careful not to make a mess here, which is no fun!

I went for a hair cut the other day - a once a year event, and came back bun-less! I miss it a little bit, but it feels so nice to shed that big messy mop :)

Into The Woods shop!

2011-05-27T00:11:00.005+01:00

We have now moved into our new home, hooray!
It was a full-on super chaotic busy sleep deprived weekend. It took me all week to pack up my studio, which left me with 1 day to pack up the rest of the flat!
In between packing and cleaning the flat, I went to Brighton for the day and popped into the artist open shop "Into the Woods". I thought the shop window looked great, and inside it was crammed full of a whole variety of lovely treats. Lots and lots of fun :)
It's on until the end of the month so please pop by if you have the chance!

7 day madness

2011-05-16T11:24:00.001+01:00

I don't know how but I did it...7 spreads in 7 days!! I think that has to be a record for me. I went a bit bananas half way through. It's no fun being cooped up, trapped in a messy dirty studio.
Now I can finally start packing up the flat, getting ready for the move. But first, I will enjoy my freedom by stepping out the flat for a bit, and have a little wander through town :)

If you go down to the woods this weekend...

2011-05-13T19:21:00.000+01:00

...you'll meet these felt toys! I've been making extra toys for "Into the Woods" which will be in the shop this weekend. Please pop in if you're in Brighton for the weekend :)

I imagine

2011-05-13T19:10:00.002+01:00

I received copies of my 3rd picture book for Lion Hudson the other day, titled "I imagine", by Rachel Rivett. It's a child's book of prayers. These are interesting commissions for me as I'm not at all religious, so I try to place my focus more on the narrative and feeling of the words than the religious context.
Overall I'm pleased with how the colours and textures came out :)
The book comes out on 15th May 2011 and you can find it here.

moving house...

2011-05-11T10:50:00.000+01:00

We'll be moving house very soon, so in between all the deadlines and chaos that's going on at the moment, I made some quick illustrations for some cards I may send out - depending on how well they print!
This week I have to start and complete 7 spreads for a picture book - mission impossible!!! Better get back to the studio...

What I wore today

2011-05-10T19:54:00.001+01:00

I've got so much work to do but couldn't resist stepping out the flat for a bit to feel the sun on my skin :)
I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to draw my growing belly. I end up looking HUGE!

"Into the Woods" has been mentioned in the Selvedge blog, hooray!
Mia has told me 4 knitted toys and 2 felt toys have so far found new homes :)

The Green Parent

2011-05-05T17:27:00.000+01:00

"Into the Woods" is on the front page of The Green Parent magazine website! And they've used my 3 felt bears picture yay :D

Into The Woods...opening 7th May!

2011-05-04T21:01:00.002+01:00

Here's the flyer for the Artist Open Shop "Into the Woods" that I am taking part in throughout May. We got on the train to Brighton last weekend with a suitcase full of knitted toys, and a bag full of felt toys, a selection of limited edition prints, original artwork and greeting cards.
I'm hoping to visit the shop later on in the month, as I'd like to see how it's all looking, with all the other artists' work too :)
There is also a facebook page, if you'd like to see more pics. Just look for "Into the woods - Artist Open Shop, May 2011".

some new things

2011-04-24T00:02:00.000+01:00

I will have some original artwork and new greeting cards for sale at the Artists Open Shop next month.

Getting ready...

2011-04-23T23:51:00.001+01:00

..."Bubbles" will soon be available as a limited edition Giclee print :)

...some new additions to the felt toy family.

...I found a lovely old suitcase in a local secondhand shop - perfect for my traveling knitted toys :)

My studio (and head) have been a complete mess, getting stuff ready for the Artists Open Shop "Into the Woods", which will take place in Kolkata Fairtrade shop in Brighton throughout the month of May. We're heading down tomorrow to set up, and I still have lots to do!!

Spring news!

2011-04-17T21:04:00.000+01:00

I've been loving these longer brighter sunnier Spring days :)

You may have noticed in my last and current "What I wore today" illustration that my belly is getting bigger. This is partly due to my love of ice cream, cakes and biscuits, but also because I am about 6 months pregnant! Our baby is due this Summer, and we are very very happy and excited :D

This is also the reason why I have been taking things a bit easier lately, although in typical unpredictable freelancing style, I am suddenly faced with a HUGE mountain of stuff to do, including preparations for an Artists Open Shop, illustrating a picture book for a Korean publisher, immediately followed by moving house, all to be done within the next month...I'm trying my best to stay calm!!!

My life by me

2011-04-17T20:07:00.000+01:00

I worked on a book cover last month for Magination Press, from the American Psychological Association. It's an autobiographic scrapbook for kids with chronic or terminal illness. The text was beautifully written, using a tree as a metaphor for life. It was a powerful, moving and challenging project to be involved with, and I look forward to its release on 15th October 2011.

Into The Woods

2011-04-06T23:04:00.001+01:00

I will be taking part in an Artists Open House "Into The Woods" in Brighton during the month of May, so have been busy busy preparing for it. I'm planning to include some original artwork, limited edition prints, greeting cards, felt toys and knitted toys for sale.

Below are 3 small new illustrations...

...and here is a brown bear I knitted recently.

I went along last year and thought it looked great, so am super happy to be taking part in it this year :)
You can find out more information here, here and here.

what I wore today

2011-03-16T23:40:00.000Z

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I've been taking things a bit easy, having a bit of a break from illustration and getting into knitting!
A few months later, I think I'm now ready to get back into making pictures again :)
I did one of these to dust those cobwebs off my paintbrushes. It's nice to be back in the studio making a mess!

Happy Valentine's!

2011-02-14T11:14:00.000Z

Here's the latest pair of knitted creatures, a monkey and a giraffe!
I think they make a fine pair :)

tiger!

2011-02-01T00:09:00.003Z

Bob and Buna have a new friend :)

meet Bob's friend

2011-01-22T18:07:00.001Z

I knitted Bob a friend yay! We've named him Buna :)

more new things in my shop!

2011-01-19T23:10:00.000Z

Tweet tweet! These little bird paintings are now in my shop too :)

New in my shop!

2011-01-18T14:12:00.000Z

These illustrations are now available as limited edition Giclee prints in my Etsy shop, hooray! Colour is really important in my work, as well as all the layers and textures, which often gets lost in reproduction. I feel like these prints came out very close to the original artwork, so I'm very very pleased :)
Thank you George at Digitalarte!

meet Bob!

2011-01-11T00:39:00.002Z

A happy new year to you all!
Thank you for visiting my blog lovely people...your comments and visits mean the world to me :)
This winter I've become slightly obsessed with knitting! I get into it every winter, but this year it's been particularly exciting as I have managed to knit my very first toy elephant, hooray! (Thank you Harriet for the brilliant book, "Knitted wild animals" by Sarah Keen!) My boyfriend has named him Bob. He's about 30cm tall - it's nice to make something you can actually hold, sit in your lap and cuddle!
Here he is hanging out with his felt toy cousins.
My boyfriend caught me taking photographs of them in my studio and asked "Is this what you do all day when I'm at work?" ...mm, yeah pretty much.

Happy Christmas!

2010-12-24T00:01:00.000Z

Wishing you a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

etching

2010-12-14T16:52:00.000Z

I took part in an "Introduction to etching" class at City Lit recently, which I really really enjoyed :) It was great to do something a little different, and to learn new things.
Our tutor Cath was brilliant, and crammed so much in over the course of 2 days.
I did do a bit of etching when I was studying for my BA, but that was over 10 years ago so I was a little bit rusty. I particularly enjoyed Chine-colle, which was something I'd never done before - a process quite similar to collage, and a great way to add colour and texture. I loved the unpredictability of it all, not knowing the result until you peeled the paper off the plate. Very exciting!

three bears

2010-12-09T11:24:00.001Z

Two of them have been added to my shop :)

in my shop!...

2010-12-08T23:56:00.002Z

...some Thank you postcards...

...and some more felt toys...

I will be adding a few more bits and pieces to my Etsy shop soon :)

in my shop!

2010-12-06T10:10:00.001Z

I've added a couple of things to my Etsy shop - limited edition Giclee prints of "Autumn Bunny" and a set of Christmas cards.
More things to come soon, including felt toys and more limited edition prints :)

what I wore today

2010-12-02T00:58:00.001Z

I haven't done these in a while..."What I wore today".
I had a lovely weekend with friends and in-laws, bulking up with lots and lots of layers and yummy food :)
Since then, I've been mostly cooped up in the flat, wrapped up in a blanket and attached to the radiator. It is so very cold...brrrrrrrrr!

Just a few more...

2010-11-14T04:22:00.000Z

Here's the rest of the "Thank you" cards I've been working on :)
One thing ticked off my list...now onto my Christmas cards.

Thank you cards

2010-11-13T02:39:00.000Z

Suddenly it's November!
I've been working on some cards recently...some "Thank you" cards and I'm finally starting to work on my Christmas cards for this year - bit late as per usual, but I hope I get them printed in time!!
More to come soon...

Exhibition pics from Berlin :)

2010-11-04T02:32:00.000Z

Thank you Olesya for some great photos from the Ohrannik Spravok ne daet exhibition which took place in Berlin at the beginning of last month. I can see my shrimp on a bike!

Exhibition next week!

2010-11-04T02:08:00.001Z

I will be exhibiting some work at Hankyu department store in Osaka, Japan between 10th-16th November. It's a group show with a selection of Japanese artists who have taken part in the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition over the years. In addition to the pieces I exhibited at 14th Moon Galerie Centennial earlier on this year (which you can see here, here and here), I will have some small bird paintings and a selection of limited edition prints for sale.
Unfortunately I won't be able to make it, but please tell all your friends and family if they are in the area! And ask them to take photos too :)

fun fun Japanese books :)

2010-11-04T01:48:00.000Z

I picked up a couple of great picture books at the book shop in Japan Town, in San Francisco.

The first is by Colobockle, and it is all about "sound". The Japanese language is really rich in onomatopoeic and mimetic words. They're hard to translate, but I've always found it fascinating how you can describe the way rain falls or the sound of laughter in so many different ways.

The second book is by brilliantly funny Yoshifumi Hasegawa. Here, he makes puns with the name of each prefecture in Japan, and illustrates it with great humour. It made me laugh out loud reading it in the book shop!

A couple of stops

2010-10-31T22:04:00.000Z

We made a couple of stops along the way to Santa Monica; the first in Santa Cruz, where we stretched our legs in the strangely deserted amusement park, then onto Carmel-by-the-sea, where we spent a lovely evening relaxing :)

Big Sur

2010-10-31T21:50:00.000Z

We left San Francisco and drove along the Big Sur in a Big Car! We followed windy narrow roads with a steep drop to the ocean through heavy mist, it was quite thrilling! It felt like we were in the clouds at times, and then suddenly we found ourselves above the clouds...!

San Francisco pics part 2

2010-10-31T19:42:00.002Z

I wasn't my usual snappy-happy tourist on this holiday for some reason. Maybe I just wanted to experience it directly, rather than through a lens. Above are a just few I managed to take on our wanderings.

I was SO excited to find a couple of my picture books in the shop at the SF Museum of Modern Art!!! I also saw a Japanese version of "That's love" (Ai no uta) in the Japanese bookstore "Kinokuniya" in Japan Town, which made me very happy, although I failed to take a picture of that one so you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

San Francisco pics

2010-10-31T01:47:00.005+01:00

We got back from our fantastic 2 week break in California on Tuesday. I'm just about recovering from jet lag, but can't seem to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature...London feels so very cold, brr!

San Francisco was brilliant, a charming city full of diversity, culture and surprise. We walked a lot (up and down hills in the scorching sun and in the pouring rain), ate a lot (big portions of dim sum, Mexican, Japanese and American food) and saw a lot :D

One of the places we visited was the brilliant Musée Mecanique on Fisherman's Wharf, a big warehouse full of antique arcade machines...oooh fun fun fun!

holiday :)

2010-10-13T07:33:00.001+01:00

I'm off to San Francisco and LA for 2 weeks from today :)
Didn't get much sleep from late night faffing and packing and general excitement!!
See you soon!

tweet tweet

2010-10-11T23:38:00.000+01:00

I've been painting lots of little birds to sell at my exhibition in Japan this November.
Here are some finished pieces, although I might still tweak tweak some of them.

my moo cards

2010-10-10T01:24:00.000+01:00

I received my MOO mini cards and business cards today, yay!

I'm happy with the colours, and even happier to be able to tick one thing off my big list :D

lovely treats :)

2010-10-08T08:53:00.001+01:00

I treated myself to a couple of lovely books by two of my favourite artists.

The first is by the amazingly talented and inspiring Camilla Engman, titled "Troppo tardi". I love her colour palette, compositions and sweet little characters. There's lots of little surprises on each page. So lovely to see her work in a children's book format :)

The second is by the equally talented and inspiring Carson Ellis. I love how she portrays people - their facial expressions, posture, movement...I find her compositions, use of colour, pattern, detail and white space endlessly inspiring. Every page is a treat!

I'm so happy to have these two beautiful additions to my ever-growing book collection :)

mini pics

2010-10-04T03:41:00.000+01:00

A few more mini illustrations to turn into mini cards :)
...now time for bed...zzz

mini cards and birdy pics

2010-10-01T00:39:00.000+01:00

Been a busy bee working on these mini-quick-pics for my exhibition in November. I'm away the second half of October, so I've got to do it all before I go!!

I've been enjoying doing these little illustrations - some characters are familiar, but it's nice to put them together like this. They are going to be mini cards soon :)

in my studio...

2010-09-27T02:52:00.001+01:00

...pile of mess

...clean and tidy, but won't last for long...

...I'm enjoying colour :)

...my paper collection :)

...oh no! I couldn't do it in time...my attempt to illustrate 5 pieces for the Bologna exhibition in 5 days, mission impossible! I read "The stone raft" by Jose Saramago recently, which was full of wonderful imagery and inspired me to start creating these pieces. I'll finish them off when I have more time.

I'm having another exhibition in Japan in November at "Hankyu", a big department store in Osaka. I'll be exhibiting the same pieces as I did at 14th Moon earlier this year, as well as some mini new pieces of work which I am frantically working on now. I am also planning to get some Giclee prints done of my previous work. Oh, and I want to get some minicards made by the brilliant MOO, so I'm quickly working on some pieces for this too...frantic!!

Bicycle map project exhibition!

2010-09-21T15:31:00.002+01:00

Here's the whole bicycle map in B/W, hooray!

Mine is the second from left on the top row. I love seeing all the different styles and interpretations :)

The exhibition will take place 24th September-10th October, at a different location than I mentioned before, at Mein Haus am See in the Mitte District in Berlin. I don't think I will be able to go sadly (unless I win the lottery...sigh...) Please take some photos for me if you go, as I would LOVE to see all the pieces together in colour :)

You can find more pictures, videos and information (in German and Russian!) here.

Ooh special magazine!

2010-09-18T23:59:00.001+01:00

I got a lovely surprise through the post this morning, a copy of dpi magazine from Taiwan yay!
I'm featured in this special edition, titled "Fairyland of Bologna Illustration". It's a collection of work by illustrators selected for the Bologna Illustrators' Exhibition over the years. I'm so pleased to be featured amongst so many talented illustrators :)
I'm a HUGE fan of Kumi Obata. Her etchings are so so beautiful!

work in progress...

2010-09-18T22:06:00.004+01:00

I'm almost there with the illustrations for my third picture book for Lion Hudson, hooray!

Here's a picture I took some days ago of my studio floor. My carpet is so very dirty, covered in all kinds of bits and pieces. I can't wait to make everything nice and clean once this is all over.

I love the light that comes in through our window on our staircase :)

To the sea

2010-09-11T23:12:00.000+01:00

I watched a beautiful Mexican film today called "Alamar". It's quiet, slow, tender and says so much without so many words. Beautifully shot, the characters, the sea and the mood are all still lingering in my mind. I loved it.

treats

2010-09-06T00:35:00.005+01:00

Shopping in Spain.

I couldn't resist this beautiful picture book I found in a shop in La Alhondiga in Bilbao, titled La isla de los cangrejos, by Xavier Queipo and Jesus Cisneros.

I love it's simple colours and brush strokes, so so lovely.

I found these lovely packets of cigarette papers in a book market in Santander.

I'm looking forward to doodling and writing in this playful notebook.

holiday pics part 8

2010-09-06T00:03:00.000+01:00

We played chess on the ferry. I won! :D

holiday pics part 7

2010-08-28T02:57:00.003+01:00

The second half of our 30 hour ferry journey back to UK.

holiday pics part 6

2010-08-28T02:42:00.002+01:00

Goodbye Bilbao! Sailing back to UK by ferry.

holiday pics part 5

2010-08-28T02:29:00.001+01:00

Bilbao, Artxanda Mountain

holiday pics part 4

2010-08-28T02:08:00.004+01:00

Aste Nagusia, Bilbao.

We arrived in Bilbao on 22nd August, to find out that there was all kinds of things going on as part of a huge 10 day fiesta, celebrating the end of summer Basque style.

There were thousands of people on the streets, partying all day and night!

We saw amazing fireworks every night, street performances, parades, chess competitions, cooking competitions, live music...it was so much fun :)

You can find out more about this wonderful fiesta here and here.

holiday pics part 3

2010-08-28T01:43:00.003+01:00

Guggenheim, Bilbao

holiday pics part 2

2010-08-28T01:22:00.004+01:00

Santander

holiday pics part 1

2010-08-28T01:14:00.002+01:00

Oviedo, Gijon & Ribadesella

Back in cold cold London...

2010-08-27T20:28:00.000+01:00

I'm now back from sunny Spain. It was GREAT! So good to get away from it all and immerse myself in a different culture - really stimulating and inspiring. I'm slowly getting myself back to reality, sorting through all my bits and pieces and trying to catch up with everything.
I did a few quick sketches for Gemma's "What I wore today" - a bit different to my normal style of collage, but it's good to try something a little different :)

...I don't much like this new green colour for the type, I want the old colours back...

Nearly there...

2010-08-17T01:22:00.000+01:00

My holiday starts tomorrow, yippeee!

I've had a very very busy week, doing as much as I can for various projects before setting off for Spain.

In amidst all this chaos, I was invited by Olesya Shchukina to submit an illustration for the 2nd issue of the Russian/German magazine Ohrannik spravok ne daet. It sounded really interesting, so despite my ever-growing and worryingly BIG list of things to do, I decided to take part.

The project involves 30 illustrators taking 1 square of the EuroVelo map (a bicycle map connecting various cities in Europe), and interpreting and illustrating it in their own way. The magazine will piece together all these pieces, forming a big poster of the whole map in B/W. It will also appear in colour as a big map made of 20 x 20 cm printed canvases during an exhibition dedicated to presentation of the 2nd issue. The presentation will take part on 24th september 2010 in Nest gallery above Nest cafe in Kreuzberg district, Berlin.

My square was a whole square of sea, just to the east of Iceland. Simple enough, except I only had a little over 24 hours to start and complete it! Slightly sleep deprived and delirious, but I'm so happy I managed to do it!!!

At long last i can finally start thinking of my holiday...bliss!

See you in 10 days :)

on my desk...

2010-08-13T02:26:00.122+01:00

...some coloured pencils

...today I bought some lovely coloured and beautifully textured patterned paper :)

...the board I work on

hmmm, what's going on with this new blogger malarky? I can't work it out :( how frustrating!

work in progress...

2010-08-13T02:15:00.001+01:00

I'm off to Spain on holiday next week (yay!), but first I have to tackle a BIG mountain of work (boohoo!).

I'm working on my third book for Lion Hudson. Here's a pic of my studio floor.

Animal Parade!

2010-08-04T10:38:00.004+01:00

Here is the birthday card I worked on for PK Press.

I had fun with this one. Maybe I should make a felt toy animal parade!

more toys!

2010-08-02T00:48:00.007+01:00

More new toys in my Etsy shop!

bits

2010-08-01T23:34:00.003+01:00

August already!

I will possibly be spending the rest of this Summer buried under a mountain of work, working towards a couple of deadlines in September.

I just finished working on a birthday card for PK Press. Here are some left over bits.

I'll show you the card soon!

I am it

2010-08-01T23:16:00.004+01:00

Many summers ago I went on a big road trip with my mum around USA. I picked up this notebook in a junk yard. Such a strange and funny book. I wonder how old it is and who it belonged to...

London Drawing

2010-07-13T10:24:00.014+01:00

Yesterday I went to an amazing experimental life drawing workshop run by London Drawing, which took place in the Tate Modern after closing hours. We had the luxury of having the Turbine Hall and bridge to ourselves, and it was a little overwhelming at first trying to capture the huge space that surrounded us - the models looked so tiny! But they also looked very dramatic and the whole thing was like stepping into a performance piece.

I've always loved life drawing but this workshop was so different and exciting, and I left feeling really inspired. It feels great to make pictures in a completely different way to my normal work.

I've rediscovered my love of drawing!

Just a few more...

2010-07-13T01:51:00.009+01:00

...felt toys!

I made this little fella for my very good and talented friends Jon and Anna :)

The toys below are now available in my Etsy shop.

me at work

2010-07-13T01:13:00.011+01:00

I found some photos of me at work from a few months back when I was making pictures for my exhibition in Japan. Can you can see the r esemblance?

quick pics

2010-07-07T03:15:00.005+01:00

Here are a couple of illustrations I did today. I like working on these kind of quick pics in between commissions. It's almost like sketchbook work, where I can be carefree and have some fun without too much pressure :)

A day of happy news :)

2010-07-01T21:58:00.010+01:00

How quickly the weeks go by!

Since my last post I've been enjoying the sunshine, in between bits of sewing, visiting exhibitions and degree shows and starting some work for a couple of new commissions. Better make the most of the great sunny outdoors while I can, as no doubt soon I will be cooped up in my little studio...

Some exciting news!!!

My good friend Yuki spotted my picture book "My Village" in the V&A museum shop, so of course I had to go and have a look. I couldn't believe my eyes! Here they are...

I also found out today through my agents Arena that the very pink Fairy cake packaging I worked on earlier this year for Marks and Spencer is now live! I'll have to go check it out, and sample the cake too! :P

new toys in my shop!

2010-06-03T02:46:00.006+01:00

There are now a whole range of my felt toys in my Etsy shop!! Please pop in and have a look :)

correspondence

2010-05-30T01:46:00.004+01:00

I've been enjoying a bit of correspondence with the amazing Iranian illustrator Morteza Zahedi lately :)

I came across his work at the Bologna children's book fair some years ago, and have been a huge fan ever since. He has shared with me some of his latest work, a series of sculptures - quite different from what I have seen him do before, but still exciting and inspiring nevertheless. This is my favourite piece :)

It's always exciting to see artists work in a different medium - something I have been thinking about for quite some time now. I need to leave my comfort zone and try new things, make mistakes and new discoveries. I also want to go back to basics and start drawing from life again. I always have a sketchbook with me when I leave the house now - all I need to do is give myself some time to just sit and watch and draw the world go by...

more toys!

2010-05-25T20:37:00.006+01:00

It's official: I have developed a new addiction...sewing! Well, I suppose it's a lot healthier than some of my other addictions so it can't be a bad thing!

The elephants look so silly with their huge trunks :D

new book!

2010-05-25T19:59:00.007+01:00

I received copies of my new book "Prayers for a better world" for Lion Hudson through the post today, hooray! It will be published in June.

I was working on it frantically last summer.

It's a bit of a strange one for me as I'm not particularly religious, but I guess that's one of the challenges of being an illustrator, to be able to tackle a range of subjects whilst maintaining my own style. Hopefully I'll be working on my third book for them this summer :)

postcards for sale!

2010-05-09T22:52:00.006+01:00

I've just listed 2 sets of 4 postcards for sale in my Etsy shop! You can find them here and here.

i like sewing

2010-05-09T19:56:00.004+01:00

I haven't picked up a paintbrush since finishing my work for the exhibition over a month ago - that's the longest I've gone without making a picture in a very long time! Instead I've been enjoying a bit of sewing. Here are my latest felt creations. The green bear above I sent to a lady in Argentina, as part of the Art Exchange. I hope it reached her ok, and that he is happy in his new home :)

exhibition ends...

2010-04-22T13:19:00.006+01:00

So my exhibition at the 14th moon Galerie Centennial finally ended a couple of days ago.

My huge thanks to friends and family who sent me emails and photos from their visit! So nice to see the exhibition through different eyes, and to hear their thoughts. A special thank you to Masae-chan and Deko-san, whose pictures I have posted here on my blog :)

Ooh, looks busy!

My postcards sold out!

Oh look, there's my comments book!! I am most looking forward to getting this back, to hear the thoughts of everyone who visited the show.

Ibe-san from the gallery has also told me I've sold a painting (hooray! I wonder where it's new home will be?), and there is some possible exciting news, but I don't want to say anything until I know for sure...

conker and flump

2010-04-18T23:48:00.005+01:00

I've been getting back into sewing felt toys again.

Here are a couple of new friends...

I spent a lovely sunny afternoon in town the other day, just wandering around. I popped into one of my favourite shops in London, The Cloth House. They have such lovely fabrics there, as well as some beautiful ribbons and buttons. Like another favourite shop of mine Loop, it is a place I like to just hang about in, looking at all the lovely things, wishing I could sew or knit properly. Usually, I just buy one tiny little inexpensive treat after spending so long browsing. I must be such a disappointing customer!

I bought these ribbons at The Cloth House and good old John Lewis. I'm hoping to use them on my felt toys soon :)

the exhibition!!

2010-04-13T18:36:00.008+01:00

Here are some photos of the exhibition space, kindly taken and sent to me by Mr Ibe of the 14th Moon Gallery. It's so strange and exciting to see all the work now in place, hanging in the space that I could only imagine from my messy little studio in London.

I hope people will pop in to have a look!!

The gallery website has added a couple more pictures to my post. You can see them here.

14th Moon part 3

2010-04-11T16:21:00.010+01:00

These pieces were also difficult to translate, so I didn't for most of them...

The title of my exhibition is "おはなしの森" (Ohanashi no mori), which roughly means "The forest of stories".

"銀河鉄道" (Gingatetsudou)

"わたり鳥" (Wataridori)

"ぞうの丘" (Elephant hill)

"カシオペア" (Cassiopeia)

"やどりぎのまり" (Yadorigi no mari)

14th Moon part 2

2010-04-11T16:01:00.007+01:00

I didn't do so well with translating these titles - it's tricky as different languages can completely change the feeling of a word.

"あやとり" (Ayatori)

"コン" (Kon)

"コンのしっぽはせかいいち" (The best in all the world)

"しっぽ" (Tails)

"すかんぼ" (Sukanbo)

"電柱" (Denchuu)

"輪まわし" (Wamawashi)

"椿" (Tsubaki)

14th Moon part 1

2010-04-11T15:28:00.012+01:00

For those who won't be able to make it to the 14th Moon gallery in Osaka, Japan (including myself...sniff...), here are the pieces one by one, with the titles in Japanese, loosely translated into English - the English titles are a bit weird!

"雨のすきま"　(The gap in the rain)

"雲ひつじ" (Sheep cloud)

"シャボン玉の森" (The forest of bubbles)

"シャボン玉" (Bubbles)

"まよなかのお客さん" (The midnight party)

"まよなかのバス" (Midnight bus)

"まよなかのタクシー" (Midnight taxi)

The three walls

2010-04-11T01:45:00.006+01:00

Here are my pieces grouped together for the exhibition.

This is wall one, consisting of pictures inspired by the stories of Miyazawa Kenji. These canvases are roughly 40cmx50cm.

This is wall two. Canvases are 25cmx30cm. Inspired by the words of Aman Kimiko and Niimi Nankichi.

This is the third wall, inspired by the stories of Aman Kimiko.

20 pieces finished in 1 month...I don't know how I did it but I did! I'm enjoying a bit of time off these days yey :D

The pieces have reached the gallery safely (phew!), and the exhibition opens on Monday!!

waiting, tidying, gathering

2010-04-01T20:46:00.009+01:00

I spent most of today waiting for the man from Fedex to pick up my big box of artwork, to be delivered to Japan for the exhibition. I hate being stuck in the flat for these kinds of things...I've had bad experiences in the past, waiting all day for the man who never showed up, so was really anxious.

I needed to keep myself busy while I waited, so decided to tackle the big mess in my studio. As I went through the big pile of paper bits on my desk (a very boring task, where I go through all of it, deciding what to keep and what to throw away, when really I should just chuck the whole pile in the bin!), I thought about the words of Tove Jansson from her brilliant story "The Magic Forest":

"Gathering is peculiar, because you see nothing but what you're looking for."

I started gathering bits from my big pile, and stuck down the pieces. This is what I ended up with. I don't know what it is, but it helped pass the time :)

I think I prefer it cropped.

metamorphosis!

2010-03-28T22:28:00.009+01:00

Because of my indecisive nature, most of my paintings go through a LOT of changes, and sometimes turn into something completely different. I turn them on the side, upside down, trying to work out what they want to be.

This one here....

...ended up as this:

And the one on the right ended up as...

this!

postcards

2010-03-28T22:01:00.007+01:00

Here are the postcards I ordered through moo.com. My photos are bad, but the prints came out pretty good, so I am pleased :) I've ordered some more, with 3 additional paintings - I'm not sure whether these will arrive in time to send to the exhibition...cutting it fine, as per usual!

I might add these postcards on my etsy shop soon. I've still got my Christmas cards on there...oh dear, I need to update!