Lions and Dragons dancing

During the two weeks of Chinese New Year (until the lantern festival at the end) there are plenty of opportunities to catch a Lion and Dragon dance in Hong Kong. At any time of day you may be out and about and the sound of crashing cymbals and beating drums will travel through the air as a nearby troupe burst into action. The Lion has two performers inside and leaps and prowls at the crowds that eagerly await the spectacle. Businesses will offer the Lion something - often a lettuce or foodstuff hanging at the door. The Lion, it's roars represented by the loud bashing of cymbals and drums, scares away the bad luck from the previous year. Mandarins are thrown to the crowd to represent gold and good fortune.

A Dragon often accompanies the Lion to offer good luck in the coming year. The Dragon is carried high on sticks by lots of performers, their number depending on its' length. It weaves around and looks spectacular!

Year of the Snake

I have just been in Hong Kong absorbing the wonderful sights, sounds, smells and peculiarities of Chinese culture. Everyday was a sensory overload. Since my return I have begun digesting into illustrations the noise, bustle, skyscrapers, temples, food and hectic pace of life lived in a haze of red and gold.

The Lunar Chinese New Year was celebrated while I was in Hong Kong so lots of dragon and lion dances occurred to the sound of clashing cymbals, scaring away the bad luck to herald good luck in its' stead.

 

It was great to be in a city full of activity and familiar things but one that felt very different to London. A trip to Kowloon Park amidst tower blocks and busy roads and you can find a tranquil pond inhabited by flamingos.

Cockney rhyming slang

I enjoy incorporating lettering into my imagery. Recently I have been exploring Cockney rhyming slang and these images are in response to that. Cockney rhyming slang originated in East London and is often used as a comical/cheeky way of referring to things without saying the actual word(s). So please give these pictures a butcher's and feel free to let me know your favourite Cockney expressions. I am sure there are many I don't know! Tom Hanks! (Thanks....)

 

Peace and joy

Greetings from frosty London!
Recently I have been working on some Christmas designs to mail out to friends and family as a festive e-card. It is the first year I haven't made a physical card and that fact does sadden me a little. It is a small, delightful pleasure to receive letters and cards in the post and I hope it doesn't die out entirely as a practice. I am between homes at the moment and doing some stints of travel. This is all very exciting but with all my papers and materials boxed up I resorted to some digital creativity instead. I shall endeavour to make an extra effort next Christmas to get back to making some home made cards. Until then here are some digital messages of goodwill. I created two images, unable to decide which one I prefer. Perhaps the first. You can decide for yourself!
Wishing you all a happy holiday of peace and joy. And gingerbread.

 

 

Stopgap Dance Pack

Recently I have been working on some illustrations for a resource pack for the dance company - Stopgap.  Stopgap is the UK’s leading integrated company for dancers with and without disabilities. The resource pack is for dance teachers to aid them in including dancers with physical disabilities into their classes.  Here are some examples of the work I produced to accompany and support the text. I am still working on the cover and also doing all the layout too!

So if anyone would like to get involved in dance - whether you are able bodied or not - check out Stopgap's website - http://www.stopgap.uk.com and see some clips: http://www.youtube.com/user/StopGAPDance and be inspired! It is amazing what people can do!

Sport hangover and DoeDeMee update

London goes back to work with a bit of a sport hangover.

A glorious summer of sport has left us elated here in London and wondering if it really happened?! So much to celebrate. Yesterday I went to the athletes' parade in town as the last hoorah of the games. Yet again Games Makers were out in force, encouraging endless mexican waves. I think they, like the rest of us, don't want this vibrant and happy feeling to end. So it's spontaneous mexican waves and foam finger high fives on the work commute from now on. Here is an illustration of a Games Maker going back to work but full of happy memories. Yes - it really did happen, hooray! 

My Moby Dick cover design (see earlier blog entry) is featured in an exhibition currently in Antwerp City Hall. The exhibition called - DoeDeMee ('join in' in Dutch) features all 100 designs from a list of 100 greatest books of all time. The original concept for the project is to create artwork inspired by these books and use the results to promote literacy around the world. The exhibition was launched on International Literacy Day 2012 (8th Sept) and is on until the 16th of Sept. 

Click here for exhibition information.

 As part of the promotion my image was one of a selection from the show to be featured in the national newspaper de Standaard:

All the posters in the show are available to buy here.  A percentage of the proceeds go to charities that promote reading. This venture is endorsed by UNESCO who run the International Literacy Day amongst many other global science and cultural initiatives.

The DoeDeMee team behind the exhibition are hoping to launch the show in other cities including London so watch this space for more news.  More information can be found on facebook here.

Olympic legacy and meatballs

I've been working for a while on some animation projects and then the 2012 Olympics came along so my mind has been a little diverted from illustrating for a few months.

The Olympics were a great time to be in London. I think I am still in a post Olympic funk. So in trying to get back to reality, this is a picture of how happy and obsessed I was when the Olympics were on - Looking at the world through an Olympic Haze;

I've been going back into my picture book projects and here is an element I have made for possible inclusion in a spread.  Anyone for meatballs?