Blue, blue, electric blue...

I know it's the time for chilling out and letting the glitter settle but I can't not draw. It's like having an itch I can't scratch, like those weird ones you get behind your kneecaps that drive you insane (or is that just me?) Having said that, I needed something swirly that I didn't have to think too hard about so here's an experiment in blue ballpoint pen (just to see what would happen). I thought the vibrancy of the blue ink would lend itself to the ethereal qualities of a jellyfish and do you know what? I think it does. Something has made me display it upside down to the way I drew it, it just seems to work better that way*, like he's diving down to...well I don't actually know what jellyfish do, just float about by the look of things. That's fine by me (we must be related). 

*Feel free to spin it round and take a look at it from my viewpoint.

From my window to yours...

I can't say much about this really, it is what it is. A little festive ballpoint illustration to bring some joy (no irony in the voice or anything...) I'm not going to say I like it because I'm not so sure...it's colour again. In paradox to the real world version of me, the planet inside my head where the drawings live is a monochrome place. When I get the inks or the coloured biro's out, it's never quite the same. I think they lose something of the original idea and then it's too late. 

If you're interested, here it is before I coloured it (I feel much better now).

Anyway, I'd like to wish anyone who actually reads this stream of consciousness a very happy festive season. If Christmas isn't your bag, I hope you're able enjoy some peace anyway. A lot is going on in the world, good and bad. Everyone is trying to get somewhere and everyone has lost something precious. Think on. Merry Christmas. 

Where everything is possible and nothing is what it seems...

Focus your visuals...Look closer...Zoom in...Do you see it? I've always been intrigued by the sort of artwork and illustration that has hidden elements. Pictures within pictures and tiny details. They were always the illustrations I'd gaze at for hours as a child so I suppose they've worked their way to the surface. I'm quite pleased with how this has turned out, it went from one idea to the next and settled itself on a dragonfly with a body made from a variety of human skeleton parts. And I didn't even leave it neglected for months on end, this was done from start to finish over the weekend. I don't know why I keep torturing myself with drawing these tiny, delicate bones but I hope I'm getting better at it... 

Come on let's crawl...

I really love these shield bugs (yes, apparently they're officially bugs not beetles). This little fella landed on me back in the days when the sun shone, so I quickly took a picture before he flew away because I knew I'd end up drawing him. I seem to come back to dots when I draw insects but this is what you might call mixed media. Oooh, branching out! Here we have dots in fineline pen; acrylic ink then not one but two shades of green ballpoint. Oh yes, my friends, acid green biro exists in the world, rejoice! I'd drawn this and inked it up but I really wasn't feeling it so once again it was neglected for a few weeks until I recalled the existence of the green pens (after stating that I had no use for green pens). Now he's a sparkling peridot. Quite a bit more vibrant than the real life bug but wouldn't we all add a bit of glimmer if we were to illustrate ourselves? Don't get used to it, I'll be back in black soon enough. 

I think I'll let you decide...

The idea for this strange little ballpoint drawing came to me when I read a line about a derelict building that "loomed like a giant ribcage" in this book. But I'm not going to discuss that here, let's move on. 

It came and went and then returned again the other day when I found a little sketch I must have made at the time. I wanted to capture the sort of feeling you get when you're amongst the sculptures of Antony Gormley. Beautiful but eerie at the same time. Did it just move? Has it got closer while my back was turned? Is it dead or alive? Organic or man-made? I've purposely left it a bit sketchy and scratchy looking, I didn't want to overwork it, I just needed to get it out of my mind and onto paper. I could have done a lot more with it really but I think the emptiness kind of works. For once I stopped at the right time...