Music Crush - Iron & Wine

I don't think I need to justify why I have chosen this song this week, it has been on repeat this morning in the studio, awesome tune and I also have a mini crush on the singer Sam Beam, it's the beard I think.

New Years Resolution - No.25 Watch the love

We have so many birds in our garden, so many little love stories going on. No.25 is to be a spy on their date nights and watch their little bellies brew up little ones.

New Years Resolution - No.24 1920's stylee

Seriously behind with me resolutions, our studio is crazy busy this week.

Anyway enough of the excuses, no.24 is to be a bit more adventurous with me old hair and branch out from the boredom of straight hair and flapper it up every now and again.

Yes Please

I was going to try and find some other love to display than shoes, but I came across this site via all the mountains and oh my! The ones with the lavender are just perfect, they look super soft and I love the detailing. I'm not a big fan of hard soled shoes, there's something about the clinky clonk that makes me feel like a secretary, but these look just right. Now I am in a dilemma; get these or these ones from last week?

New Years Resolutions - No. 23 - Fancy hat and a Ratatat

With all this glamourous munching and sipping I need to smarten my mug up with a posh hat and all that. Budget probably won't stretch to a spanky Stephen Jones spectacular creation but I will try and make more of an effort to wear one. I love them in the summer but it seems I only have a seasonal love affair with hat wearing, I shall venture out!

Ratatat - go check them out, they are a NYC duo that my boyfriend's band played with the other day

Kaleidoscope of love

Just found this mooching through the world wide web, its from a guy called 'bubs' no less. A Birthday cake from his mum! Pretty epic I reckon, wait until you see his wedding cake! A whole lot of effort and a pretty rainbow outcome, jees I need to get my baking on!

New Years Resolutions - No. 22 - Fancy Cup & Saucer

To go with those rather lovely biscuits I'd like to try a bit of sophistication and take a dainty hand to a vintage cup and saucer instead of my old mugs.

New Years Resolutions - No. 21 - Dodgy Jammy anyone?

Make more time for biscuits! I tend to work quite late in my studio and I need to stock up on rations, chewing the end of my pens doesn't satisfy my nutritional needs!

Baa Baa

In the midst of gathering up all my animal friends that are trotting through the pages of my sketchbook. This fine fellow is having his fur finished off and is starting to get a little cheesed off with how long I am taking.

New Year Resolution to follow shortly.

Nordic Giants Through a Lens Darkly

My music genius lover is in a spectacular band called Nordic Giants with another lovely fellow Dai. They do huge instrumental tunes which are synched with incredible short films (they work with Shorts TV). This one is shot in a barn in Wales and edited by my fine fellow, it's one of many epic tunes they have, go check out the others here there all as ace!

Oh yes we will!

I came across this illustration the other day and I've had it as my screen saver, it's a great morning boost when I turn my laptop on, so I thought I would share it with you guys. Check out Julia Kostreva's website for more of her rad work!

New Year's Resolution No. 20

No 20. is to go to the dentist more. I went last week for the first time in 2 years, pretty shocking, luckily I have pretty good teeth but I would like to keep it that way.

A fine purchase indeed!

Check out these beaut's that just arrived in the studio from the marvelous Tonwen Jones! That is a spectacular pose if i ever did see one.

New Year's Resolutions - No. 19 - Organise my time better

No 19. is to organise my time better. I'm on it with organising my work flow but my personal life is pretty shambolic and I find myself running round like a headless chicken.

A thank you

This is for the awesome Charlie Davis who has done me another (of many) favours! Thanks love your ace! (last giff for a while I promise)

New Years Resolutions - No. 18 - Go to more events

So I did yesterday's Resolution last night; go to more work events. I went to a drinky doodle night, a pint of ale and a speed round of drawing, twas ace - though there were a few deaths via drowning, with the odd pint spillage.

Here's a portrait someone did of my mug, not bad but slight claw nose me thinks. I went with Ant aka BigABand, definately going to make that a regular thing, was a blast. I'm off out again tonight with a bunch of fine illustrators, to discuss which pen weight is best, I joke!

photos via someone ace that took them last night, I will update when I find out who. You can see more that I took on my iphone on my flickr here

New Years Resolutions - No. 16 - Woo

No. 16 is to stain those lips of mine every once and a while. I have a thing about lipstick, I would love to be the sort of girl who could pull off lipstick but I can't help but feel a little more like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman than the beauty that is Hepburn. I shall over come my fear of looking like a prostitute and give it a bash, hopefully I won't get any slow moving cars behind me!

Oh yes please, these will be mine.

What a fine pair of shoes! I can't quite get over how amazing they are, I was trying hard to just show one pair on this blog but I loved so many I had to make a selection. The whole ethos of the company is brilliant, using fair trade materials; the soles are made from used tires! Love that. Go have a gander.

I found these babies via this ace sweet blog. Kempt has a beautiful writing voice and great taste, another place to get lost in for hours with a nice cup of tea.

Testy testy

Someone has asked me if I could do them a giff animation and this is a super quick little testy, the tail is wrong but it makes me quite excited.

New Years Resolutions - No. 15 - Fancy Dress

I'm a bit of a t-shirt and jeans kinda gal and even though I love beautiful shoes and dresses I rarely wear them. So this year I will find/create an occasion where I have to dress up all fancy! Though I doubt I'll slurge on this Matthew Williamson stunner, well unless I blag myself into the V&A design party again.

New Years Resolutions - No. 14 - learn an instrument

When I turned 21 my boyfriend brought me an amazing guitar, after a rather embarrassing episode trying to learn Postman Pat of all things I gave up, this is quite unlike me - I hate failing. So No. 14 is to not give up, a saxophone would be pretty cool, though perhaps I will start this resolution by picking up my beauty of a guitar first.

New Years Resolutions - No. 13 - Be more optimistic

So I'm having to catch up on my resolutions, last week was just so manic, a lot of late nights drawing away like a crazy person.

This one is to be more optimistic - 'the glass is half full'! (Yep a good whiskey is my favourite tipple)

Music Crush - The Besnard Lakes

I have had some mega late nights in my studio this week beavering away and a buddy of mine who is a music encyclopedia and a pretty smart VFX guy (go see) put me onto these peeps. The are ACE! Put up the volume and prepare to sing! enjoy.

p.s I know I am behind on NY resolutions illo's a couple coming up later, I just haven't had the chance to scan them.

New Year's Resolutions - No. 12 - New Lingerie

After 7 years with your boyfriend you get a bit slack, out with the grey and in with the pink.

Skola School - Map of London

This is the map of London I sneak peeked a while back. I illustrated it with Tonwen Jones before Christmas for Skola schools. I had an awesome idea for a slightly different take on a map tonight, definitely one I will have to do, actually I may make that a New Year's Resolution!

New Year's Resolution No. 11

This is a double whammy really - 1: being that I need to get away more, I haven't been on a proper (I class proper as in back pack and a few weeks) for a couple of years. These week here and there aren't cutting it for me and I don't really class anywhere in the UK as a real break, well maybe Cornwall. 2: not to be such a perfectionist, I made myself do this drawing in 1 minute (well 1.05 seconds) and to just leave it be and be happy with it. There are bits that really drive me crazy but I also love the simplicity of it. Maybe I will do a series of 1 minute drawings too!

New Year's Resolution No. 10

I've had a blast today drawing a few animals for a commission, since they are pretty sparse in my portfolio (and I've been longing to draw a Bison for ages) these bad boys are No. 10! I feel a collection coming on.

New Year's Resolutions - No. 9

I have a growing collection of unusual lamp's in my flat which means I need a lot of random light bulbs. No. 9 is to replace them as soon as they blow, we have a tendency to walk around in the dark until the other one remembers to replace it.

New Years Resolutions - No. 8

I'm 27 and I don't drive, pretty lame! I grew up on a tiny island so that's my excuse.

Yes please

clockwise from top left

David Shrigley duvet , Clementine Henrion metallic rainbow!, bearded woman plate and the wire handled crate would be ace to store the millions of illustrations I have on sheets of paper!

New Year's Resolutions - No. 7

Learn to do the tango with some sexy Argentinian male dancer!

Music Crush - Vampire Weekend

Another pretty sweet tune for a Friday and this is a spectacular video! I have no idea what it is about, I'm guessing it's not the official, ha! I really want to meet the lead guy, I shall be adopting some of there stupendous moves for my dancing laters this weekend - perhaps when drunkered!

p.s another sweet VM video, this time official - watch here

New Years Resolutions - No. 6

I unfortunately don't have any Grandparents, I only really knew my Dad's Mum, who was awesome but lived miles from anyone. I always felt terrible that I didn't pop round for a brew often enough, so No. 6 is to go hang out with some older peeps, soak up all their knowledge and become a master at bridge!

New Years Resolutions - No. 5

So yesterday was pretty stressful with a large work load and the sorting of my tax; I missed my posting which in itself has created No. 5.

New Years Resolutions - No. 4

I have a habit of buying shoes just because I like the design and have no intention of wearing them - something I shall have to resolve or I will relive the poem 'There was an old lady who lived in a shoe'.

Banish my inner sloth - No. 3

My studio is always super clean and organised but I can fall back to my inner sloth every now and again at home. So this year I need to bring those cleaning feathers of mine back home more often.

New Years Resolutions - No. 2

So here is number 2, I'm still feeling a little full from the serious over consumption!

New Years Resolutions! - No. 1

Happy New Year! I hope you had a grand time seeing the clock tick over. I am setting myself a blog challenge; to draw a resolution a day! It is going to be tough as this month is going to be a busy one but I'll give it a go.

1. Go see more live gigs. I'm really into my music and I don't go to see bands as much as I used to. I might make a feature of my music crush and introduce you to the bands I am going to see.

2011 is going to be a good one, exciting times.

(today I am cheating and using a drawing I did a few weeks ago, not a great start I know but it is also my sisters Birthday so I off to hunt for the candles and party hats).