Saturday 18 December 2010

Happy Christmas


We've been getting a lot of snow lately, but at least it gives me the chance to be useful for a change. In the first blizzard, about a fortnight ago now, I even managed to dig our car out with nothing but a Wellington boot.

Despite the prospect of having to cross the English Channel on foot, I'm anticipating a high old time over the next fortnight, and I hope all readers of my erratic blog have a very happy Christmas too. I send you my very best wishes, and let's make sure we all have a fab start to 2011 as well.

See you in the new year!

Thursday 16 December 2010

In Training...


A few people have asked me, now that I'm no longer working as an illustrator, if I've also stopped drawing for myself. I can see why they'd ask that, but I couldn't even contemplate hanging up my sketchbooks for good. That would be an intellectual amputation, and no, I don't believe I'm exaggerating.

I've sung the praises of slim Muji notebooks before, but they're so little trouble to carry that there's really no excuse not to, even if you're on a nudist beach (they're so small you could tuck one in your... well, in the band of your panama hat).

Coming home from London the other day I rediscovered another advantage of the pocket-sized sketchbook: it's incredibly easy to hide the fact that you're drawing at all. The people in the sketch above must think I'm highly proficient at crossword puzzles. When it comes to violating other people's privacy, a gentleman does so in secret.

I still think of myself as an illustrator, and finding some black and white line work is one of my aims for 2011, but for now I'm happy keeping the engines in tune with Muji. And now you know what to send me for Christmas, so we're all smiling.

Saturday 4 December 2010

I'm Off Again...

...only this time it's to hide in the countryside with my laptop and my revision of The Ghost Effect. I'll be taking aspirin too. In the meantime, and because I know you'll miss me, here's an interview I have just done on the subject of Harry Potter and my cover art for the book. Yup, still talking about it...

See you soon.