Unfortunatley he then ate it! Mwah mwah mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
Because I know you want to know; the day conti
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to be posting this as my Christmas drawing. No, siree. I was trying out some more of those upside down portraits. This motley crew were copied from the newspaper and my dvd collection.
As you can see, at the beginning of this exercise I kept getting confused and getting the book the wrong way up. I absolutely LOVE this exercise, though. Not only are you drawing but you have a real good laugh, too. What can be better than that?
They are all, unbelievably, celebrities. I'd LOVE to hear if you think you might be able to name some. There are the obvious ones; Swelling (as I used to think she was called) Ewing, Boris Johnson (was that obvious, I don't know?). And, then there are some...well...if you could name them, not only would I eat my hat I'd give you my...er...car?
Happy Happy Christmas, one and all.
(Disclaimer: I will NOT give you my car)
I seem to have been saying 'there's not much drawing going on around here' quite a lot recently. But it's true. I've had so much going on. It's not just finding the time, but also getting into the zone. I almost can't wait until after Christmas, when things have settled down and I can start all those projects I've got in my head. Lots and lots of projects.
Here, again, I was kicking around some Christmas card ideas. I like the idea but not the drawing so much. I shall revisit this subject sometime. Just not now.
Still not a great deal of drawing going on around here. So here's a little doodle I did, a while back, with one of THESE PENS. It wasn't my pen, I'd borrowed it to doodle with. However, finding this drawing has reminded me of how truly amazing those pens are. In fact, I do believe they are the greatest inventions of all time. Why don't I have one?
I'm off to source four colour ballpoint multi pens....
This is an oldie, yes. But it's not on my blog, no. Until now.
I did post it, for about five minutes, about a year back, when I'd drawn it. But I couldn't bear looking at it. I don't why I disliked it so much back then. Well, apart from the composition - which I still feel is a bit contrived. I remember posting it and then deleting it later the same day.
Today, while I was looking through the Moleskine drawings that I'd saved to a pen drive, I came across it again. And, with a year or so between us I feel that maybe I was being a bit harsh back then. It's not too bad. It's not great. Not my best. But it ain't awful or owt.
So, especially as I have nothing else to post, I thought I'd give it another outing. Better owt than nowt. As they say up North.
Finally, a drawing.
You know, every year I intend to make Christmas cards. And every year I leave it until it's too late. What makes this scenario more frustrating is that I am actually a Moo designer, so it really is an opportunity going to waste.
But whilst it's on my mind, I was thinking that perhaps, maybe, I could get some Christmassy drawings together now. So by next year I'd be really really prepared. There'd be no excuses. I'd be the kid who doesn't leave their homework until half an hour before it should be handed in.
I was never been that kid. I was the one doing my homework on the school bus. On the way to school. Times they are a changing (I like to think).
This is an awful photo, I'll replace it with a better one tomorrow. I just wanted to say;
a) Thank you ALL for ordering my little Molezine.
b) I've been so busy with packing and posting them that I haven't had time to do anything else, including draw.
c) Every single order, of zines and prints, that has been made right up until this point (21:57 GMT on Thursday evening) will have been posted by tomorrow afternoon.
d) If you want one before Christmas, and live anywhere but the UK, order right now.
e) It's back to drawing. Yay!
THANK YOU ALL for ordering guys. I'm touched by the fabulous response. I do hope you like my little Molezines. Now I'm going to eat a whole packet of Jaffa Cakes. Do you have a problem with that?
So, here it is. My first zine. My Molezine. Oh yeah, you can't believe how much joy it brought me when I came up with that. 'Molezine'. It was, as Oprah would say, a light bulb moment.
You can find out anything you might want to know about it on
Etsy. So I'll keep this brief. It is basically one of my Moleskines condensed into a little zine. Covers and all. I'll just reveal a few of the nine drawings that feature, the rest will be a surprise for those of you who order one or two or five (!). If you follow this blog, though, all of the drawings will be familiar.
To anyone who has already ordered they'll be shipped over the weekend. I'm so excited to be sending them out around the world. I like to imagine you sitting on buses looking through them. I don't know why buses specifically, it just seems appropriate.
Just a reminder, too, if you order before Christmas Eve will be put into a draw to win
THIS DRAWING. Thanks folks.
Buy my Molezine HERE.
Last thing (I can't do brief), any Brits who'd like to buy the Molezine direct from me, email me and I'll tell you how to do that; andreajoseph24 [at] btinternet [dot] com.
I don't know what's going on with me, but I almost like the work I've been making recently. This, I think, is my all time favourite drawing. By me. Moi. AJ. That's it really. Hope you like it too.
Well, there's not been much happening on the drawing front over the last week. So I dug around for some stuff that I hadn't posted before. These are a couple of bits from my travel themed Moleskine. Nothing exciting. I don't even know whether I've finished with these pages yet. In fact, I'm sure that I haven't.
Anyway, I do have a little project, related to this Moleskine, up my sleeve. And, I should have some more news on that towards the end of the week. Now that's something I'm very excited about.
Cheerio, my ducks.
A few days ago I was toying with the idea of drawing everyday for a month. But I'm okay now.
I think it was because I'm not drawing much right now. I was trying to force myself to draw. But that never works. Anyway, I don't really worry about that too much anymore.
I used to really panic about it. Maybe because I didn't draw for years. I used to think if I stopped drawing for a few days then maybe I'll never start again. But now I know that's not true.
Because what usually happens is that a future drawing, or two, will start niggling away at me. Keep me awake at night. Pecking at my head. Sitting in the backseat of my mind saying "saying are we nearly there yet" repeatedly.
Until I give in and get out the pens and paper.
And we are nearly there. I am nearly ready to dive right into a huge bucket of obsessive drawingness.
So, I've been a little distracted recently. Partly because I've been working on something that I've been wanting to do for ages. I wasn't going to say anything about it quite yet, I don't want to tempt fate, but I'm really rubbish at keeping secrets.
OK, if you insist I'll tell you. Next week I hope to have a little (teeny tiny little) zine for sale. It includes a few of my favourite drawings from my Moleskines. They seemed to be some of your Faves, too.
This drawing is, in a way, a promotional piece for the zine. All of the things in this illo are clues to the drawings that will appear in the zine (does that make ANY sense?). Maybe you can spot some of them amongst THIS LOT.
Or, just come back in a few days time to see some photos of my very first zine. If, of course, I haven't jinxed it, by letting the cat out of the bag, before it's actually been printed. Yikes. WHY did you make me tell you?
Until I actually have my zine printed, assembled and in my grubby little paws I've decided to take some pre orders (just found out you can do that on Etsy), so here's a few things about it. A few things you might want to know.
. This is not only the cover to one of my Moleskines but also the cover to my zine.
. It features a Moo sticker by Blanca Gomez, in the top right hand corner, and some lovely stamps.
. The zine is a small, but cute, A6 (105 x 148 mm).
. It has 9 drawings. All are from my Moleskines.
. Some of which have been my most Faved on Flickr.
. There's a couple of doodley ones.
. This is one of them;
. It comes in a recycled envelope and will be sent to you in a Jiffy bag or box.
. It is a really great stocking filler. Or a Secret Santa gift (slick, ain't I?).
. The word s**t does appear in one of the drawings (as in "no s**t, Sherlock"), just in case you are offended by that. It is very tiny, though.
. You might need a magnifying glass to read some of the writing.
. You can take advantage of a special offer if you pre order.
. This is another of the drawings;
. I don't want to show all of the drawings because I think it'll spoil the surprise.
. I can't think of anything else.
. Except that everybody who orders before Christmas Eve will be entered into a draw to WIN the original drawing from the last post. A little Christmas present for you guys. Order more than one zine and your name will be thrown into the hat that many times.
Last thing to say, I suppose, is that I really hope that this the first of a series. Now get your asses over to ETSY!
This didn't really go to plan. I had something quite different in my head. And, the perspective is all over the shop. However, considering this is actually a drawing of a pixie's bunch of keys I think that bad perspective is the least of my worries, don't you?
(Thanks to everybody who has pre ordered my zine. They'll be the first lot to go out, and they'll all be in the mail by the end of this month. I've been really touched by the response. Cheers, my dears.)
I actually can't believe I'm posting this. It's something I doodled on the cover of the address book insert of my Moleskine Diary. A doodle in the true sense of the word. I was working the ink through some old fountain pens. And this happened.
Chances are if you are reading this now, it won't be here the next time you visit. That's if you ever come back, of course.
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This is absolutely the most entertaining and wonderful page ever I believe! You are so funny and such a fantabulous artist! Fringe - okay...I must remember that. I agree - why "bangs" - I've never thought of it...hmmm.
Fringe? That reminds me of the edges of a rug.
The edge of a shawl or scarf? Well, if you say so.
I remember reading Little House on the Prairie and the sequels as a child and being completely and utterly bemused - bangs? What were bangs?
Julie and Mary - like the edge of a scarf or a rug, exactly - the fringey bit! It doesn't go 'bang', does it? Unless there's something seriously wrong, of course!
Beautiful drawing as always, Andrea!
ROFLOL!!! Only you!!!
The origin of bangs (the word is occasionally found in the singular bang), referring to a fringe of hair falling over the forehead (especially if cut square), is uncertain.
A common explanation, and the most likely one, is that bang(s) is short for bangtail. A bangtail is a horse's tail trimmed horizontally, so that the tail has a flat, even end, and hence a horse having such a tail. (By the early twentieth century, bangtail was used generically for 'a racehorse'.)
This leaves the question of the origin of bangtail. The word bang 'to strike violently' or 'a sudden striking blow or sound' has an adverbial sense 'suddenly; abruptly; completely; directly', as in "he walked bang up to me," "a slam-bang effort," or, closer for our purposes, "to cut (something) bang off." Our bangs is probably from this adverbial use, one way or another: either it comes directly from this adverb, or bangtail itself is from this adverb and bang(s) is short for bangtail.
The adverbial bang is recorded in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, depending on how you interpret the evidence. Bangtailed '(of a horse) having a bangtail' is found in the early 1860s, and bang 'fringe of hair' is first found in the late 1870s in America.
Ha! I learned something new! I am still going to call it "bangs" so that my hairdresser knows how I want my hair. *grins* Thanks for trying to change this American, but we have been saying it since the 1870's and I dont forsee it changing anytime soon.
Have a great day!
Oh Andrea!!!! I love it, I love it, I love it. I give up, fringe it is!
hahahahahahah!! Oh Andrea!!! Oh Gosh!!! You courageous woman, you!! hohohhoho chortle chortle
Jules (London!)
Thanks for making me smile this morning. I love your drawing and I heartily agree.
X
I adore your work, wonderful sketches, very strong!
And yes, we Americans stand corrected they should be called "Fringe".
Suzanne in CT
*lol.... oh I agree with you Andrea. I have always wondered what "bangs" are. And I keep forgetting the translation. "Fringe" is the English expression we use, but the German word isn´t better either. We say "Pony". :)
Ahhhmm .. "Bangs" always sounded off to me ... but I'm not sre about the "fringe" either. Brings in my mind many other things with a meaning of something marginal and that, my friend, bangs or fringe is definetly not in our life. It is more like a statement and attention demand .. So we need to work on it ;)
so why do you call sausages "bangers"???
Yes, we Americans can be the obnoxious siblings, can't we? But, it is so fun to say "bang" with an Emeril flair and watch everyone give a little jump! Wonderful sketches!
that was such a fun post and your illustrations are as gorgeous s always! thanks for the giggle!
OK, I accept the word fringe for wispy bangs, and I'll call them bangs when they're cut straight across, like a horse's tail! :D
Ha ha ha!! Tell 'em sister!
Such a great post. Made me smile. I hadn't even thought of the why until I read your commentary. I love the drawing as well and actually thought the smudges were purposely put there! Great design. But, I'm afraid I am one of those Americans that just doesn't like change so much. Calling my bangs "fringe" seems even weirder somehow. Thanks to Panzer for the probable origins of the word. Our language is so full of slang words that it would boggle the mind to try to find out the origins of all sayings.
perruque-postiche-moumoute- ect..
who's the best?
Well, now that you mention it...fringe may be a better term after all.
I love this and whole heartedly agree! Bangs is a ridiculous word!(when refering to hear anyway)
Well, It is and will always be "Bangs". Just ask Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower, first Lady of the United States of America. That is why it is firmly established in our Society. You on the other hand may wear the Rug -Fringe- which also refers to wierd Alien and regrown dead people --- Ehuuuuuuuu!
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Just love it.
ROFL! I have thought for years the British term made more sense! You've given me the courage to start USING it!
Love the sketches! I also thought the ink blots & smudges were on purpose.
Well, well,well, this was certainly a provocative little drawing and posting now, wasn't it? Fringe, bangs, whatever we call them, your drawings and post are wonderfully done and gave me a really good laugh! nancy
INNIT!!! I had no idea what they were talking about, 'bangs'. Took me a while to get that it was fringe. (Not quite up here with the time i was told about a bruised fanny, that one really took some figuring out...)
I'm going to be a rebel here. I have been calling them bangs for most of my 60 years and it would be too hard to change now. To me fringe is a sewing term.
Thank you all, folks.
I'm so glad you took it in good humour - although I have had some messages that didn't quite take it in the same light! My own fault, of course, I should know by now that this kind of post usually gets people going. But I just want to reiterate;
I AM JOKING. I AM USING HUMOUR.
Panzer, thank you. I feel like I have learnt something too. And, when used in the horsey context it makes more sense.
Kristen, pony???
Pete, innit just? I was once told to 'get my fanny over here' and was quite taken back by the very forward and direct request. I might just leave the 'fanny' post for a while, let the bang furore die down.
Thanks again, chucks.
TESTIFY!!!!
It was always a fringe to me, too.
I've lived in America for several years now and along with degrees F, I STILL can't accept them as 'bangs'.
LOL!!! You're definitely on the 'fringe' with that one!
In Oklahoma, here in the USA, they sing:
"Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry
When I take you out in the surrey
When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top
Watch that fringe an' see how it flutters
When I drive them high-steppin' strutters
Nosy pokes will peak through their shutters and their eyes will pop!"
among other things..
(From the musical Oklahoma)
Now, if you don't understand that, don't worry. That's how we talk on this side of the pond (in some parts). So here a bang can't be a fringe and there a fringe can't be a bang.
In other words: You say fringe, and I say bang. "So, let's call the whole thing off." (Louis Armstrong, singing Gershwin).
So there. (Cool drawing, by the way!)
Hooray, I'm behind you all the way here! If you're planning a rant about 'fanny' I can't wait to see the illustrations....
Hahahaha... couldn't agree more! Love the post, love the drawings even more. :)
It's not our fault, you Brits made it up:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_ethnic_origin_of_the_word_BANGS_for_fringed_hair
I can call em fringe, for sure. But what do you say about the hairstyle they call a "Shag"?? Ever since Austin Powers, I can't call it a shag style cuz it's just weird.
Grrrr
I've never heard of "fringe". That'll take some getting used to. I think it's funny that we have pharmacies/drug stores and you have the chemist's.