Moving

So, the time has come for a new website. It's a little bit more focused, I hope, and excitingly includes details of my new Etsy shop where you can buy prints of some of my work.

Thank you to everyone who's read the things I've posted here over the last few years - you're all very much appreciated! And please come and visit me at the new site: www.jenrussellsmith.co.uk

Please bear with me...

I know it's been rather quiet round here recently, but there is a (fairly) good reason. I'm in the throes of creating a sparkly new and hopefully less cobbled-together and more focused site for myself and it's taking up all my internet-time. Link to follow as soon as it's ready!

Sunday Sketchblog #63

On Tuesday I found time to pop along to this month's Art Macabre drawing salon at Cass Art Islington. The theme was A Midsummer Night's Scream...

Either I mistake your shape and making quite;

Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite

Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he

That frights the maidens of the villagery;

Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern

And bootless make the breathless housewife churn;

And sometime make the drink to bear no barm;

Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?

Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck,

You do their work, and they shall have good luck:

Are not you he?

Sunday Sketchblog #62

If I'm not feeling very inspired, or just want to warm up my drawing fingers, I like to open up Pinterest and just draw the first few things that catch my eye. Hence this alarmed llama, terrifying clown-child, man vs chicken selection. 

Illustration Friday: Worn

This week's Illustration Friday topic is 'worn'. I was thinking about things you wear than then get worn out. And how hard it can be to throw those familiar old favourites away.

Sing a song...

A little choir sketch from a poster I've been working on. I think the chap at the end might be a frustrated chorus dancer, longing for a life on the stage...

Sunday Sketchblog #61

It's Nick's birthday today, and I usually give him a hand-drawn card.This year's features Vince and me in our usual pose, with him looking as uncomfortable as possible...

Illustration Friday: Children

I'm a Tuesday child myself, full of grace apparently... 

Sunday Sketchblog #60

Still thinking about swanning about in that lacy frock, clearly...

Visit Emma to see what lovely green things have grown in her sketchbook this week?

Illustration Friday: Sweet

To be honest, that much cake would probably be a little bit too sweet...

Flowers in her hair...

The sun is finally shining and all I'd like to do is swan about in a lacy frock with flowers in my hair. Sadly, real life intervenes and the reality is more nude tights and hair stuck in lipgloss. Oh well...

Sunday Sketchblog #59

I've had one of those weeks where nothing I draw seems to turn out right... sometimes trying new things is just exhausting and frustrating! So I ended up reverting to something familiar and straight forward, a self portrait. 

Lucky

A little thought for today.

(Apologies to anyone who now has that Britney Spears song stuck in their heads...)

Sunday Sketchblog #58

I've decided to try and fill the next few pages of my sketchbook with illustrations rather than the usual drawn-from-life studies. Interpretations of whatever image or idea happens to catch my mind's eye.

Whilst whizzing through my blog reader, trying to catch up on three weeks' worth of posts, I happened to notice someone (can't now remember who, of course) talking about emerald green and how it was thought that the dye used to create the colour in wallpaper may have contributed to Napoleon's death. Hence this sketch, and what seems to sound a bit like a Sherlock Holmes story title.

Pop and see if Emma has any more puppies in her sketchbook this week.

Illustration Friday: Liquid

Clearly all the recent celebrating has gone to my head, because my interpretation of this week's topic, liquid, has ended up like this.

When I started drawing her, I think she was going to be in blue and drinking water. But it turned into Champagne. Or maybe ginger beer? That could explain her slightly confused expression... trying to figure out just what is in that glass.

Back to reality

So, the wedding and honeymoon are over (all successful and and lovely!) and it's back to real life. Whilst it's a bit sad to pack away all the wedding paraphernalia, I'm very excited to get back to having time for other things and other interests again.

A little sketch from one of our wedding photos

Sunday Sketchblog #57

I often wondered why planning a wedding seemed to be such a big job. I still do, as I'm not sure what's taking up all our time, but take up our time it does. So this week's sketch was just a quick one whilst attempting to sort out the music... nothing like a bit of multi-tasking!

Sunday Sketchblog #56

Usually I try to make sure my Sunday Sketchblog is something I've drawn from life, but not this week...

As you read this, I will hopefully be recovering from my 'hen party'. I have no idea what we're doing, except that I've been told to organise myself a 1920s outfit. I'm pretty confident there won't be any L plates or strippers, but I'm not sure we'll manage to comport ourselves as elegantly as these ladies...

Illustration Friday: Egg

A very seasonal topic again, although I've tried not to give in too much to the obvious Easteryness.

For those who might not be familiar with some of the rarer types of egg I've featured here, a Scotch egg is a hardboiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and breadcrumbs, a curate's egg is one that is 'excellent in parts' and a century egg is one that has been preserved for a terribly long time.

Tea

Especially when the question is 'how can we ever get warm during this never-ending winter!'

Sunday Sketchblog #55

Happy Easter! I hope the Easter Bunny has left plenty of chocolate eggs under your pillow...

A seasonal sketch - this little chap has been sitting on my desk all week. I have a (convenient, if admittedly slightly indulgent) delivery of little snacks from Graze every week and at certain seasonal times of the year they like to include a little figurine to assemble out of cardboard.

(If anyone has been tempted by my slothlike ways and also fancies having food delivered to their desk, using the code 3GFHMX5 when you sign up will give you a free box and me a pound off, I think!) 

Illustration Friday: Swim

This week's topic is swim, so here are some very aquatic (and probably rather chilly) swimming ladies. 

I must admit that I'm not great with water - I get seasick when on it, and am very worried about eels and drowning when in it.

Stripes

I seem to be very keen on stripes at the moment. I was put off them at an early age after my aunt dressed me and my sister in sailor suits (sort of...) for her wedding, but am now making up for lost time.

Sunday Sketchblog #54

I don't actually paint my nails much. I know it's the current thing, to have nails covered in tiger print or seasonal flowers or made to look like beetles or whatever, but for some reason whenever I paint my nails it makes me look like I have old-lady hands and I find that unnerving. 

Nonetheless, I have some in my desk drawer so that's what I seized upon when looking for something to sketch this week. 

In case anyone's worried, that drip didn't.

Visit Emma and Hayley to see if they've been sketching this week, too.

Illustration Friday: Eye Glasses

Eye glasses to distinguish them from drinking glasses, I suppose. Or field glasses. Or opera glasses? Anyway...

Inspired by the famous saying, which felt needed a slightly more spectacle-positive update. On which subject, when Nick and I were first dating I mentioned in advance that I might be wearing my glasses the next time we met. And he told me not to, as he might not like me as much in them! I can't remember whether I did wear them or not, but I like to remind him of his bad behaviour sometimes and point out he was lucky he got another date at all after that...

Lurgy

I'm afraid the ominous silence around here for the past week has been a result of my being stricken by a terrible lurgy. My view has pretty much consisted of this:

Sunday Sketchblog #53

Today's sketch was inspired by Danny Gregory, who posted something similar to his blog recently. But I think he must have taken it down as I can't find it anywhere to link to... Anyway, an apple as I ate it.

New Pens

I had to pop into the art shop for a present earlier this week and couldn't resist treating myself to some new pens. A bit of a departure from my usual black Noodlers ink, but I've quite enjoyed the change and I really like the effect of a grey line.

Sunday Sketchblog #52

New shoes! (Said in the manner of that Clarks ad from the 90s which apparently doesn't exist anywhere on the internet...) These are from Modcloth and are so pretty they deserved the first page in my new sketchbook.

Remember to visit Emma and Haley to see if they have new shoes, or anything else sketch-worthy this week.

Oh look! February!

February is a short month, so I'm excused for spilling this over into March...

Knobs // Marmalade making

And finishing // New sketchbook

And some pleasing arty things I've seen this month:

Daniel Danger is tumblr-ing the progress of his latest illustration (which I'm hoping is zombies). His commitment to one image is pretty inspiring.

Some useful drawing tutorials.

Loosely related to illustration... it shouldn't really be surprising to learn that Dr. Seuss was an avid hat-collector.

Illustration Friday: Whisper

I'm not sure what these two are whispering about, but it reminds me of being at school. We used to spend most lunchtimes in the library... pretending to study whilst actually eating our lunch and gossiping.

Day Job

An illustration for a new little project I'm working on. Not that I'm usually that smart...

Sunday Sketchblog #51

Another puss. He was going to be part of this week's Illustration Friday, but the little kits seemed more suited.

Illustration Friday: Wool

Trying to just squeak in before they announce the next topic... Wool, to me, means playful kits.

Sometimes...

When I first started working in a real job, I had a policy of not wearing black. Everyone else seemed to have a uniform of black 'work' trousers and a colourful top and it just seemed so boring. I stuck to it for years and then gradually forgot about it. But it's come back to me today as I look down at my... black trousers. Which I'm wearing with my stripy red cardigan. Sigh.

Maybe I'll wear this to work tomorrow. Just to get out of the rut.

(Inspired by this shoot from Rock n Roll Bride.)

Marmalade. Again.

Marmalade time again, and quadruply so this year as we've decided to have little jars for our wedding favours. Suffice to say, I'm very glad the final batch has had its lids screwed on and there will be no more chopping and boiling for a while. Especially as I don't even like marmalade...

But Nick does, so I made him a Valentine's card to match last years' recipe birthday card. 

Sunday Sketchblog #50

I'm never very sure that I like orchids. They seem a bit... pushy to me. But we always have one in the office, and they are fun to draw.

Do go and see what Emma and Hayley have in the sketchbooks this week.

A little reminder...

... not that you need it, I'm sure. But it is Valentine's Day tomorrow. Nothing wrong with ignoring it, or course, but it might be good to know that you are.

We shall be celebrating with our traditional, very romantic trip to the all-you-can-eat Chinese place. And we will be the last to leave, I suspect. We might not be very good at romance, but we're second to none at value.

We had the very talented and lovely Hannah Millard come on a visit at the weekend to take some (slightly late) engagement photos of us before she shoots our wedding in April. This illustration is based on one of them... and yes, the cat featured.

I want to...

...ride my bicycle. But I can't, because it keeps snowing and I don't like it when all the flakes fly in my eyes.

Hurry up summer.

A pencil sketch, for a change. From this photograph.

Sunday Sketchblog #49

Some of the people on Bond Street on Friday afternoon. This is a pretty good sketching exercise as people in London walk really really fast - I think I had  about five seconds for each of these before they were gone forever.

Visit Hayley and Emma to see what they've been sketching this week.