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.

Illustration Friday: Children

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

Illustration Friday: Sweet

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

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

Illustration Friday: Wool

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

Illustration Friday: Wheel

A bicycle, obviously. The best sort of wheels. And a companion piece to my 'zoom' for Illustration Friday back in November.

Illustration Friday: Wings

A pretty obvious interpretation of this week's topic, wings, but sometimes simple is good.

Illustration Friday: Myth

Another nixie! I didn't really mean to go back to drawing fish-ladies but I've been reading Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War books featuring the family of Jacquetta of Luxembourg -  rumoured to be descended from the water fairy Melusina. Hence this week's Illustration Friday topic, myth, making me think of her.

Melusina tends to be depicted with two tails, rather than the single traditional mermaidy one, so I decided they could well be a bit foot-shaped at the end...  She was probably also the inspiration for the original Starbuck's logo.

Illustration Friday: Ocean

'Ocean' is this week's Illustration Friday topic. Rather than a mermaid or some fish, I ended up thinking about Aphrodite being born, fully grown, from the sea. Which must be quite a nice way to be born, I guess. 

With a little bit of inspiration from Botticelli, obviously.

Illustration Friday: Edge

Still struggling a little bit to get back on the creative bandwagon, I wasn't very inspired by this week's Illustration Friday topic: edge. I was trying to ponder the word on the train home last night, half asleep, and this phrase was the only thing my tired brain seemed to want to come up with. So here it is.

If it snows, you'll thank me for the wise advice.

Illustration Friday: Snow

Busybusybusy, but here's a quick illustration for this Friday's topic, snow.

Although, no snow for a few days please - don't really want to move house in a blizzard!

Illustration Friday: Explore

Think I'll just get this Illustration Friday in before they announce next week's... Due to the busy, just a quick drawing collage for 'explore'. I love old maps.

Illustration Friday: Stretch

It's clearly creature week for me or something as, following the pup on Wednesday, I've ended up with a cat for this week's Illustration Friday. Cats are the masters of stretching though, so it was a pretty obvious choice.

Illustration Friday: Whiskers

As a child, my favourite books were the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. In the last one, Rilla of Ingleside, there's a character nicknamed Whiskers-on-the-Moon (because 'his face is so round and red, with that fringe of sandy whisker about it') and that's what I thought of for this week's Illustration Friday.

No kittens or puppies, just a big smiley moon-face with a moustache.

Illustration Friday: Zoom

After impressing myself last week by finding time when I thought it would be impossible, I've gone the other way and am terrifically late with this Friday's illustration... so much so they've already announced next week's topic.

Anyway, better late than never, here's my 'zoom'. It had to be a bike, really.

Illustration Friday: Tree

I've surprised myself a little this week by finding time for a Friday illustration after all. The topic is 'tree' and it made me think of Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost.

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of the easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.

Except my woods aren't snowy, as it's still too autumnal here to be thinking about that sort of thing.

(Inspired by this image I spotted on Pinterest.)