Cat Art

I finally got around to collaging some of the original art from the new book and some of the alternative paintings that didn't make it in into new bits of art, and I'll be selling them soon.
I've not reconstructed scenes from the actual book this time but had fun combining the characters into all-new scenes. It's nicer that way - book images aren't composed to be framed, and it's more fun for me to make new combinations up, too.

Monster Designs

Alexis came around today to work on our new book... I suggested that one character should look a bit like the creatures he's been making in his drawing workshops, because I want it to be completely different from the other creatures. I also would like it to be a bit aquatic because watery creatures scare me, but won't scare the readers all that much. So he painted a load  of watercolour stains and we turned them into beasts...

Germany

My dad framed a drawing I gave him last year.

When I was small, my parents and I made this trio.

I'm looking though all the old children's books... I had forgotten about this  edition of The Wizard of Oz illustrated by Janosch. So great.

Pebble the Fox will come back to London with me, after a bath.

In the meantime, back home the cat is enjoying the superhero collar I ordered for her. She deserved an upgrade. (Ellan sent this photo.)

MEET YOUR INNER CAT

Here's a new thing I'm doing... painting portraits of people as cats. Not as in cats with human faces, but as in what kind of cat I think that person might be if they were a cat.

I did my first session at the lovely Dinner for Daisy Jamboree...

I mostly painted them with a brush.

I did my best to dress like a respectable artist but I ended up covered in ink. I just had too much fun.

Very important to have a display easel.

My drawing board ended up covered in cat paintings. Most of these are drawn with a reed pen.

I brought ALL the brushes and pens..

Some more cats...

Catherine with her cat

My set-up in transit

The drawing board this morning in daylight

Leftovers

Now that another Cat book is finished I have a whole lot of artwork left over - some parts that made in into the book as well as spares that did not have quite the right expression, but are perfectly nice paintings anyway.

 I'm assembling the best of them into new pictures that I'll sell...

 I like making scenes that aren't in the book (but could have been) like the cats playing with the bass from the music room spread....

 Of some paintings I have many versions.

 I'm also painting a small number of new originals for sale.

They will mostly be sold here eventually.

Edinburgh

I'm spending a week in Edinburgh.
First I slept for a bit, then I got up

sorted out my hair...

And went out to buy exciting books.

This one seemed like useful research.

It contains a mouse flood...

This one is about pointy sky pirates...

...this one from 1949 is about visual communication throughout history...

(also early roller derby)

And I found a copy of Edward's Gorey's Fantod Pack.

I spotted my book in a museum bookshop.

On Sunday, my friend and I went to the seaside to escape from the Edinburgh Festival. We made the mistake of wearing yellow shirts and got covered in insects.

Now I'm back in the house, with no intention of going out again, and I'm working on a novel. All is great.