This is Arnold, who will be helping me today. ^_^

I’ve been told that the resemblance between myself today and this doodle has been uncanny, but, y’know, I had reasons! Like my books having been delayed when today I was meant to be setting my stuff up in the gallery, and me being halfway sure they wouldn’t even be done by tomorrow evening  (as had been the predicted worst case scenario). Also like arriving at said gallery to find that, instead of being wedged in somewhere with the necklaces and stuff, I have in fact been given an actual huge exhibition space with a massive table and display board and all I have is some non-existent books and a tray that was probably meant for bathroom accessories or something but which I’d decided would have to do for lack of finding a more suitable bookstand and that it was fine since I’d have plenty of time to work out a way to make the books fit in. Like *insert third thing because these things work in threes in good narrative* but yikes, I mean, aaaaa!

Now that I’ve calmed down again though I’ve decided it’s all fine, and may even be good. First of all, I NOW HAVE THE BOOKS THEY ARE BOOKS THEY WERE PRINTED THEY HAVE PAGES AND EVERYTHING and I will want to tweak them a bit admittedly but BOOKS and a guy at the print shop who as far as I know was not my friend or paid to be nice to me asked to look at them and OF HIS OWN ACCORD liked it and said they looked really fun to colour! ! And they even look like they’re going to be fine in the stand, though I am not saying that officially yet for fear of jinxes.

Second of all, I have decided it’s less of an exhibition and more of a colouring-in stand, which is much less aaaaaworthy. So I’m improvising a colouring-in stand/exhibition/something with the books, a selection of my old blogdoodles and essentially anything else I can find, including random fake flowers possibly and also Arnold and Barry whom you haven’t met yet but will be showing up shortly. It will probably be rather unprofessional-looking but should also be rather fun and if it’s raining people might just come in and do a bit of colouring which would be lovely, because I always worry about holidaymakers here when it rains.

Thirdly I am now going to breathe quietly for an hour or two. You can join me if you like. In… and out… and in… and out…

 

 

 

 

In a fight between cat and blobmonster, who will win?

Actually no matter who the poor wizard is going to get at least a scratch or two

Another actual doodle, just my brain pootling about. I *was* going to show you some paper mache creatures I am making but it’s taking me aaaages! It’s mostly the drying really, I suppose I’m rather spoiled with the whole ‘take paper, add pen, woo picture’ immediacy of drawing…

 

So after a somewhat frantic weekend today is my last day finishing off my colouring book! I am so excited, it’s the first thing of mine anyone outside of family/you lovely people are going to see and it’s going to the printer’s tomorrow! It’s going to be part of a little exhibition in this lovely shop right by the beach, hiding among the work of actual real artists and everything! My entire brain has turned into an exclamation mark!

I’m not sure about having the cover in black and white; I thought it would be nice to be able to colour in the cover as well (since it’s not really a very big book!), but it’s looking a bit anaemic now. Admittedly I have reached the stage where I can only see the flaws and have mentally redrawn at least three quarters of my material and don’t start about the layout of this page and-, so… But anyway, it’s just the first run, and… Book! Look! Book!

!!!

Please hold the line… your call is important to us… Please hold the line… your call is important to us…

When I am an internationally despised concept artist, I’m going to show a whole exhibition of my actualdoodles, with answerphone/call waiting messages played on a loop in the background. It will be highly intellectual and a scathing commentary on society, oh yes.

 

 

 

 

It’s my superawesome mum’s birthday today!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

So here’s a sneak peek at what I’ve been working on lately – a colouring book of Brighton, an absolutely lovely place everyone should come visit at least twice in their lives, because the first time it will probably rain but Brighton does not believe in rain and therefore the visit won’t count. The colouring book is A4, so you can imagine the amount of nonsense I can cram in there – hence just some cutouts for you!

These bits are from our most famous tourist attraction: the Brighton Royal Pavilion, a palace/oriental fantasy/party house made for George IV. It is, needlessly to say, an utterly ludicrous building, sort of Indian-y on the outside and cheerfully mish-mashed Chinoiserie on the inside. It contains (among *many* other things) a chandelier dragon that is so heavy it actually had to be integrated into the structure of the ceiling lest it bring the roof down. In my own highly realistic depiction, the thing is flying around with a friend, because confining dragons inside is mean.

The dudes on the right are Indian soldiers, as the Pavilion was used as a military hospital for them in WW1. The combination of war, wounds and what the why is there a dragon this surgery has iron palm trees and what’s with the optical illusions everywhere whyyyy was undoubtedly compounded by medically administered opiates, and historians have collected many joyous/concussed quotes by soldiers wondering if they’d managed to land themselves in a really *weird* heaven.

The Pavilion is also really hard to draw, what with being all full of turrets and onion domes and things, but still- best place ever!

 

Rightyho, I don’t think I shall get around to a new installment of our witch today, so instead, voila: my subconscious! Yes this is a genuine actual irisdoodle, an example of the things my brain throws around when whatever I’m trying to watch on tv is really not worth it.

I am sure you are grateful for my usual restraint.