The Scenic Route

It's been a long time since I blogged - too long! I thought I'd share a couple of things that I've been working on:

I had this terribly ambitious idea that it would be really cool to create an entire city out of little cut-outs made from my own illustrations. However I don't work that fast. This would probably take me a lifetime, so I decided to start off with this which is a San Franciscan scene assembled from some of my illustrations. The basic idea comes from the pop-up theatre.

I first saw these in a London toy shop that I visit from time to time. They're sort of old-fashioned but always had so much depth. It took quite a bit of 'paper engineering' to work out the best design. It's a bit of fun and I wanted to create something that was a ready made and inexpensive 'art' that you can just hang on a wall to brighten things up a bit. I'll be looking at adding in a cable car between the houses at some stage.

This is my latest illustration which is a house on 18th Street, San Francisco. Yup, still got a lot of inspiration for this body of work, it has shielded me from any kind of creative block that's for sure. Some of the most interesting houses are off the beaten path in this city, away from the Alamo Square's and Pacific Heights. Don't get me wrong though the houses in these areas are also very beautiful. I was recently visiting the city and returned to look at some of the houses that I had previously illustrated and was curious to see that one of the earliest houses that I drew has since been re-painted! It sounds silly but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this, and yes, I have thought about it! As it goes I was happy to see the change and decided that I would have to re-visit this subject again and paint it afresh.    

A Note About Inspiration...

Sometimes it can be hard to maintain your creative inspiration and motivation and continue your journey as an artist or creative. I call it a journey because it truly is and each person has their own path to follow. I have drawn inspiration in a couple of different ways recently but both come from looking at and understanding a little more about other people's work. I recently attended the annual children's book illustration show at Chemers Gallery in Tustin, Ca. Hearing about another artists' thinking process makes you realise that we are all fighting our own battle. Whether it's time, inspiration, economics, personal hardship - we're all in the same boat.

I enjoyed looking at the work of Mary GrandPre which is so colourful and confidently executed. I also enjoyed hearing about the personal touches that she adds to her work which relate to aspects of her own life. Making your work personal can be a real challenge but doing so really creates a connection with your audience. I also spoke with Raul Colon, an illustrator with quite a resume. His work conveys a strong sense of a personal journey and reminds you of the bigger picture. It also brings to mind ideas surrounding identity and of finding your place in the world. Consequently, he is often asked to illustrate stories of historical figures whose journeys through life are an inspiration to us all. I asked him to sign one of his books for me. Specifically, I asked him to write something inspirational in it for me that I could look at during those creative slumps. Which he did.

Looking at the work of other artists is such an important part of the creative process, which can be isolating and quite detached from the 'goings on' in the outside world. Above is an illustration I made in the spirit of these artists, depicting some of the major landmarks of San Francisco. It was created quite quickly and is not concerned so much with realism or perspective but more in capturing something spontaneous and trying to convey a sense of place.

Swensen's Ice-Cream Parlour

This is my latest completed illustration. Swensen's Ice Cream of Hyde St, San Francisco really captured my imagination as I passed by one day. It had to be a drawing. As a move away from earlier images I have included the sidewalk to indicate just how steep the streets here can be! In the very near future my illustrations will be available as greetings cards. As sets and individually. Check back for further info or drop me a line through the email to your right.

San Francisco

I have spent the last week in San Francisco. It's like all the best places you have ever visited all rolled into one. We used the City Pass which can be bought for around $60 and gets you free entry to numerous attractions as well as free transport on the Muni transport system which includes buses, streetcars (trams) and the cable car. We saw Alcatraz, Aquarium of the Bay, the De Young museum and San Francisco MOMA all on the pass. Other highlights include Coit Tower, the Streetcar Museum, the California Historical Society and the Exploratorium. The Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate are spectacular, as is the cityscape. There are many beautiful Victorian houses and the choice of food here is exceptional. It's a very inspirational city.