BUSY BEE

Only 19 days to go (that sounds worse than 3 weeks...) and busy just got busier. Not really any time to write a post at the moment, but here are some sketches.

TWISTED TYPE

In progress: mapping letters to map projections, showing off the distortion. Time consuming but fun! 

A DAY AT PICK ME UP

Pick Me Up, if you don't know, is a fantastic annual graphic arts exhibition full of lots of aspiring illustrators, designers and print makers. It's held at Somerset House, and as you wind your way through the rooms there is plenty to delight the eye. I always enjoy going simply because it is so inspiring! There is a lot of talent showcased at this event. It makes me want to get creating some beautiful illustrations myself. However I do often come away a bit morose because I've seen so many prints or books that I want to buy, and sadly cannot afford! Another fab thing about Pick Me Up is the participation. There are events going on each day, some free and some paid, but all fun and exciting and you usually get to meet the artists themselves.

On Monday when I went Seb Lester was doing calligraphy, and there was a monster making workshop courtesy of Felt Mistress and Creative Review. How fun does that sound?! It was free and hugely popular, but Jed and I managed to squeeze onto the table, joining adults that had all turned into 8 year-olds at the sight of felt and scissors - the lengthy sewing process soon lost it's charm on most though!

Another hugely entertaining exhibit was Face Stamp by Human After All, where you could create your own faces by using stamps designed by them. Such a simple thing, but mixing and matching the different facial parts was so much fun! We all got stuck right in.

 I grabbed my notebook and stamped out a few faces:

Jed made a face:

Hattie's faces:

Here are a few more photos of some of the prints I liked.

And lastly, I found a perfect book for me. Might have to treat myself to a graduation present...

JOHN WAYNE

This is an old pencil drawing I did for my Grandad, because he was a huge fan of western films. It was supposed to be a Christmas present for him one year, and I remember staying up late on Christmas Eve still finishing it off! Typical. Unfortunately this drawing is coming back to me now, I'll have to find somewhere good to hang it. Looking at it I can't wait to do some more portrait drawing!

BEST SANDWICH FILLING

A new week, a new loaf of freshly baked bread. There is a wonderful texture on the sides that I love, it looks and smells just as good as it tastes. 

This loaf was out of the oven just in time for lunch! I used one of the tastiest fillings for a nice Sunday treat, a version of coleslaw from Innocent's cook book 'Hungry?'. It's a brilliant book, I would definitely recommend it for the recipes and the design. 

I don't really stick to the recipe completely, it depends what I have in the fridge and it's more fun to make it up as you go along! While it may look a bit of a mess, the taste more than makes up for it. All you need to do is grate a small carrot and half an apple (I found peeling slices off the apple is easier) and grate in some cheese. Then add some lemon juice, pepper and mayo of your choice - I love garlic mayo. Mix it up and plonk on some bread, done!

Perfect for a sunny day.

BROWNIES

A girl's got to have something wickedly sweet to keep her going, these brownies are just the thing. 

Everyone has their own brownie recipe. These are only the second batch I've ever made, but they taste pretty damn good. I'm looking forward to experimenting to get the kind of result I want - I remember the ones in school were almost like a biscuit!

This recipe is from 'She's Leaving Home' by Monica Trápaga
(I reduced the ingredients down slightly because I didn't want to use 6 eggs!)

Ingredients:
230g butter
90g unsweetened cocoa
4 eggs
450g caster sugar
160g plain flour, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a 20 cm x 30 cm baking tray with greaseproof paper (v. important, unless you want to leave half your brownie on the tray!).

2. Melt the butter with the cocoa over a low heat, mixing with a wooden spoon until smooth, then remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Beat the eggs well, then add the sugar and beat a little more. Add the sifted flour and vanilla to the egg mixture and combine until smooth. Fold in the melted butter and cocoa. Pour mixture into the lined baking tray and cook for a bout 35 minutes, or until just springy to the touch. 

4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes in the tray before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into squares. Turn out once cooled completely.

Enjoy!

SOCKS & BAGS

A while ago in this post I showed a bag I had started to hold my knitting in. It has taken me forever just to finish the knitting part, I still need to add some fabric to add shape to the bag and add a bit of height to it. Not being as keen on sewing as I am on knitting, that has been put to the side for a bit! I will get it done soon though, it's looking a bit sad and floppy at the moment. 

For my next project I really wanted to try a pair of socks, and luckily I found a fairly easy pattern to follow that didn't involve circular needles. I think I've already messed the heel up, there might be a few holes too! Oh well, we'll see if it actually looks like a sock when it's finished.