Just drawing a massive horse for my Niece's 2nd Birthday Party this weekend!

Primary Drawing and text done.... Next stage: COLOUR!

(She prefers horses to donkeys, and children her age aren't allowed pins.)

Cookie Monster Tom Waits.

New "Beavis & Butthead" clips released at Comic Con 2011!!!

When I was in my early teens. Beavis & Butthead pretty much informed my world view. They are back, and they are still damn funny.... thank hell.

"The Gruffalo" Mural in Tysoe...

My friends and followers on Twitter will know that at the end of February I was commissioned to paint a mural in Tysoe for a children's preschool group. They asked specifically for me to paint a Gruffalo scene in the style of Axel Scheffler. It's not an exact page from the book, but I like to think that it could be...

To promote myself as a mural painter, I have made a short time-lapse film of the mural coming together:

I welcome your comments and and hope you like the video.

Below is a high resolution photograph of the Mural. Please click it to view the detail.

Anyone interested in getting a mural done by me, please contact me at patrickc@hotmail.co.uk

( Have brushes, will travel. )

Patrick's Sketch Diary 25

I think this guy was inspired by a mixture of Columbo, Bexi from The Firm, and Dr. Seuss's characters.

I've only realised recently that a lot of my drawings are quite Dr. Seuss-y. (That's not a bad thing.) It just proves that your childhood experiences and likes etc are really quite important in establishing your form.

Tomorrow I go on holiday for a week...

So don't expect any blogging until I'm back.... But I will leave you with these thoughts:

Holidays Shmollidays.

I've never really been a holiday person to be honest. Sure... I've enjoyed holidays that I've been on, But I can go years and years without even considering one. I think it's to do with the fact that my family never really did much holidaying when I was growing up. We already lived in a hot climate, so there was no need to travel for that, and as a kid... you can have just as much fun with a cardboard box and some marker pens as you can by travelling to the beach.

Well, at least I know I could.

In fact, I find beaches in general to be a bit annoying and always have. The only holidays I remember genuinely enjoying were camping trips. Mostly because they were times where my dad truly came out of himself and tried to connect with me. I'm not trying to paint some sort of sob story here, but my dad seemed more at home in the woods, or fishing on lakes and rivers, than he did at his actual home... And it was nice. Camping trips are different in America, because there is a lot more wildlife and nature to experience. The British countryside can be beautiful, but it is mostly tamed, so not really camping country.

Back on to holidays in the more general sense, For me... unless it's for some sort of cultural experience, (travelling somewhere historic etc) the idea of trying to get away from what you do confuses me.

Normally, I do the things that I do because I want to do them. So getting away from them for a long period of time doesn't make much sense. In actuality, it usually stresses me out because I'm off in some other place, powerless to achieve anything.

Regardless of all this anti holiday ranting, I shall endeavour to enjoy my week away. Even if it's just for my girlfriend Kate's sake. We are off to the Canary Islands, (aka Hot Britain) and I intend to, if nothing else, come back with the ability to breathe underwater.

Here goes...

"Handa's Surprise" Drawings...

My mother, Gillian, works in a preschool in Warwickshire...

She's always been amazing with kids, and ever since I can remember she's looked after other people's children. I can recall, as a young boy in California, getting home from school and there being at least 2-4 kids (who I wasn't related to) running around in my house. I was obviously involved in helping to keep them entertained, and perhaps that's where my overtly social disposition began. In any case, this is all background to the image in my Blog today.

My mum approached me last week to draw some pictures which she could use in one of her 'Story time' sessions (at the aforementioned preschool). She asked particularly for me to draw an image from a picture book I read as a child... A charming book called "Handa's Surprise".

CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW IT LARGER

It's the story of a young girl who goes on a journey to collect fruit, which is subsequently eaten by loads of rather naughty animals on her way home, without her knowledge (as it's all balanced on her head).

Just when the whole journey seems like a bleak waste of time (for the viewer), she walks under a heavily laden tangerine tree which refills her basket, again without her knowledge.

She arrives home, and Handa and her friend eat the tangerines, visually stoked.

Above is the pencil drawing I did today of Handa's arrival home.

P.S. Corn Rows are really hard to draw.

Welcome back childhood, You keeping well?

Coming soon to the cinema, are two films that I am very anxious and excited to see. Both of them are based on books that I absolutely loved as a kid, by writers that inspire the overactive imaginations of children. I urge any readers of this blog to go and watch them both.

The trailers are available to watch now.

"Where the Wild Things Are"
directed by Spike Jonze
based on the book by Maurice Sendak

"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
directed by Wes Anderson
based on the book by Roald Dahl

Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson are literally the perfect directors for these projects. Each with their own unique visual style, tons of credibility and integrity, but more importantly, a firm hold of their own childish imaginations. I am so pleased that these stories are finally coming to life on the big screen, and opening the door for new children to hear these great stories. They truly enriched my young life.

Welcome back Childhood.

Life Trek: The Next Generation

At 2:22 on the 22nd of August, my niece Imogen Judith Lines was born. 6pounds and 15 ounces of pure miracle child.

Here's a close up of the new Cub.

Going to the hospital to visit her reminded me of one of my earliest memories... the birth of my younger sister Johanna. At the time, I was only 5, and my elder sister Camilla (Immy's mum) was 8. It was a baking hot summer's day in central California, and my father made us walk all the way to the hospital, (which was literally miles away from our home).

We were made to wear masks to protect the baby from germs (which apparently I was very unhappy about... as if I have germs), and I can remember finding the whole thing very strange indeed. My mother had bought us presents, which she said were from Johanna, and I genuinely believed that they were... Although I couldn't work out how she had had time to go get them, what with just being born and all.

I can remember having to get up on my tip-toes to see into her little cradle thing, and seeing the strange discoloured banana protruding from where her belly-button should be. This, of course, turned out to be the umbilical chord. (As a side note, "Belly-button" in Spanish is "Umbligo" which I think is far more fitting.)

Imogen shares a lot of similar features with Jojo, so I'm sure that made the connection all the more potent. But it really was strange how I felt so much like a small boy again when I met her. Of course, I became very aware of my size in comparison to her... And I was very scared about holding her for the first time. Such a delicate thing should only really be held by a ninja master.

Here I am holding her for the first time.

But I couldn't very well miss the opportunity to meet her properly and give it a go. If only to be able to show her the picture when she's a bit older of the day we first met. She is a joy and a blessing, and I am so happy she has joined us here.

Congratulations Camilla and Mark. Your baby is beautiful.