Sneaky

(Black marker, colour in Photoshop)

A contribution to the latest brief from Illustration Friday: Sneaky. I find I still get enjoyment from doing this sort of thing, but reactions (or more accurately, the lack of reactions) from readers of this blog suggest that these posts are of limited interest. I'm thinking that it might be useful therefore to set up a new blog to post cartoons and related drawings, such as Moleskine Exchange contributions. Watch this space.

Moly Once More

(Markers, fibretips and coloured pencils in Japanese accordion-fold Moleskine)
[Illustration Friday - "Burning"]

It's been well over a year since I was able to add to any of the moleskines in the Totem Pole Moly exchange, Moly_x_63. Unfortunately, this seems to be the nature of the beast. Things are on the move again, however, and this is my latest addition.

Star Gazing

A rare return to a cartoon for Ilustration Friday. It was drawn with a fine point marker and coloured in Photoshop, for the set theme, Star Gazing.

It comes at a time when the Perseid meteor showers have been shooting through the earth's atmosphere. As usual, the clouds moved in after sunset in the north east to ensure the display was hidden. Perhaps they're only available on pay-per-view.

Poise

Fibretip with digital colour.

I haven't felt much like contributing to Illustration Friday for the last few weeks, but I stirred myself for this one. This is for the current brief - Poise.

Snow Time

Snail (fibretip, digital colour)

The Captain of the Guard was ever vigilant, but was known to take his time in arriving ...

Snow stopped play. I received an email today to say that the heating had broken down at the Art Club, and since it's been snowing constantly since 10 o'clock this morning, I decided to stay home. It still felt too cold to venture outside to the studio, so I hibernated for the day, but found time to do this contribution to Illustration Friday's Time.

Flawed

(Ink, digital colour)

This poor chap is for this week's Illustration Friday brief: Flawed.

Contained

Tree in rock, Blawearie (Charcoal and pastel, cartridge paper)

This tree had struggled up through a crack in the rock in the garden at Blawearie, a place I've written about before. It seems to exemplify the qualities of the new Illustration Friday subject, Contained, while suggesting there is always a way out.

Resolve

Kevin and Harry resolved never to drink there again.

(Fibretip, digital colour)

Another fanzine cover, this time entirely my own, from a fanzine produced in 1982. Now with added digital colour for Illustration Friday 's brief, Resolve.

Rambunctious

(Fibretip, digital colour)

It's a bit difficult trying to illustrate a word that isn't in my normal vocabulary, but that's what Illustration Friday has invited me to do. I mean, I've heard the word in Westerns and on tv, but I can honestly say I've never used it.

So despite the Concise OED telling me it's US Colloq., - "uncontrollably exuberant", I'm not entirely sure I've got a proper handle on it. You'll have to let me know, those of you for whom this word is part of your everyday conversation, is this ... well, rambunctious enough?

Similar

(Pen and ink, Photoshop, digital colour)

For one reason or another, I haven't participated in the recent Illustration Friday topics, but I thought I'd make a stab at this week's Similar.

Here I must acknowledge the primary source of a cartoon character created by my friend, the late Arthur (Atom) Thomson , whose work always inspired me to do better.

Donuts

Donuts (Oil on board, 9 x 9 ins) £185

This is a contribution to Illustration Friday's Sugary.

Sail

(Crayon on cartridge paper)

This is for Illustration Friday's brief, "Sail."

It's a bit of a cheat, really, , because it's actually a picture of a beach windbreak, and belongs in the Old Drawings series. It's something I did while at University as a study for a painting which included a figure. Didn't work out.

Poof!

(Fibretip, digital colour)

This week's Illustration Friday brief is "Poof!"

Canned

(Fibretip, digital colour)

I dunno. This is what I think of when I think of the Illustration Friday brief, "Canned."

Enough

Belgian Bun (mixed media)

This is for this week's Illustration Friday brief, Enough. Since I rarely eat anything like this, I'm sure it would be quite enough.

I went through a short period of painting still lifes when I first started painting seriously. There used to be an annual show in town called Small Works, and I often submitted still life paintings to that. They did rather well, but the size requirement for the show changed every year and when it got down to 5cm square, I gave up on the basis that what I could ask for them was considerably less than the cost of framing.

Good fun while it lasted, however, and I often feel a desire to get back to still life painting again. After all, a still life is just a townscape on a table, isn't it?

Sour

(Fibretip, digital colour)

This week's Illustration Friday entry.

Fierce

(Fibretip, digital colour)

This is my entry for this week's Illustration Friday. It's a section from another old cartoon, with colour added in Photoshop. The bubble background was added with the bucket tool, although I'm still not sure where the pattern came from - it was just there.

Punchline

Punchline (Fibretip with Photoshop colour)

Mr Punch has been a character of great interest to me for some time now. One day, I think he may take on even greater significance in my work, but for now, this will have to do. It's for Illustration Friday.

Forgotten

Robin Malcolm's Chair (2B Pentel pencil, A4 sketchbook)

The Laird allowed us into the castle at Duntrune to draw and paint whatever we wanted. I'm not sure he was impressed with my choice of subject.

Worry

I'm still thinking over Tina Mammoser's suggestion that I create another blog on which to post sketches, and possibly these exercises in Photoshoppery. Meanwhile, because the trip to London interfered with time available to do an original, here's another of my cartoons newly coloured in Photoshop in response to Illustration Friday's brief, Worry.