tall

Yes, yes...

It's a giraffe...
                   and it's tall...

and this week it belongs on IF!

:)

who's who in the...

Awright, not quite a zoo but given time I'll have drawn them all!

While these were for Heinemann specifically, animals are still one of my favourite themes so I'd probably have drawn them anyway :)

meerkat and co

That's right, another ink wash and there'll be plenty more to come...

Ever since I discovered the medium in college, I was hooked. I use the best value for ink I can find, and many artistes have scoffed at it or at least raised an eyebrow, is Parker's 'Quink' - the black one!

What I like about it is the spectrum of colours that are revealed as I work, depending on the ratio of ink to water and even the way it's allowed to dry, it gives off blues, greens, ochres and everything in between. It reacts really well to water, bleach, salt and probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't tried yet, like soap... hmmm...

I think I'll try that today...

Incidently, I added the clouds in photoshop, I like playing with photographic elements and inkwashes, a la McKean ;)

What's been pointed out and I've seen happen to my older drawings, it bleaches quickly in the sun and the colours keep changing over time. For some that's a bad thing but I like it, it's as if the drawing kept on drawing itself!

I did these two in 2000/2001, over time the palette seems to get warmer but no less richer.

Nat Geo

So.

Wednseday drawing was cancelled again yesterday so no new updates. Instead, here're a few more illustrations-for-hire, I did these for the local NAT Geo Kids mag last year. The article talked about a ranger who'd set up a wildlife rehabilitation center called Moholoholo.

I've done a few more for them since but these are still my favourite, and what a pleasure drawing for kids who like animals :)

The Foolery

So as I was saying... Malone and I have started up The Foolery where we stew up comics and other vehicles of entertainment.

Here are a couple of sketches from our most recent endeavour: a children's book!

This is an exciting new style for me, I try to experiment as much as I can and sometimes it plops out and sometimes, like here, it doesn't.

Pages are trickling in, I hope to finish all the illustrations before this year's done. I better get cracking...