It's been ages. Briefly, I fritzed two laptops in unrelated incidents which freakily coincided with the week my main research paper was due, making for a tricky start to the academic year in September. Our first group crit session of the new academic year was with the brilliant, straight-talking Anne Howeson, (RCA). Group tutorials are a definite strength of C'well's MA Illustration programme - at least that's my experience with last year's full-time students and the strong group of part-timers I'm amongst. I also had a tutorial with Janet Woolley, my professor, so along with my regular SCBWI crit group meeting, it seems like I've received, (and given) a lot of criticism over the past weeks. Today we had a briefing for a mid-point assessment which is around the corner, and afterwards a couple of us chatted about the post-critique haze we sometimes find ourselves in.

It's a lot different than receiving advice in a classroom setting. An immediate difference is the often physical break before getting back to that piece or series. I live a couple of hours a way from college, so for a start there's a lengthy period of reflection. Absorption isn't always immediate, and so, as a starter, working with what I 'get' from the session is the way I've edged forward. At this stage, however, it's become apparent that I need to shift gears and make some gigantic leaps in places! The year is running out and by Easter 2010, it's all over, meaning, there is precious little time for developing anything new before the grad show.

Right now I'm re-reading notes from all sessions I've participated in, in an effort to push my drawing towards illustration. While making another coffee.

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Boy Obsolete's scribblings on styrofoam cups.

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Oxford is a city rich in history, so it's unsurprising to see something new with each visit. I was at Oxford University Press - OUP (pictured) for a Write Away Reviewers' Event, (read author Anita Loughrey's account here) after which we were treated to a guided tour - Oxford and Children's Stories.

The guide I was with normally takes kids around so our tour revolved around scenes from the Harry Potter movies, and spotting the fact we weren't aged 10, she generously tailored the tour and slipped us snippets about about Oxford's literary alumni, from Amis to Waugh. We stopped at sites which provided inspiration for some of the best known children's literature, most famously, 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. In her enthusiasm, our guide accidentally led smack into the centre of a location film set,  and we were politely asked to move off the cobblestoned street... I think it's safe to say we will have been cut from 'Lewis' - an Inspector Morse TV spin-off!

It was clear that our knowlegeable guide was none too appreciative of the post 'Potter' entrance fee charged to enter Christ Church College. Instead, we wandered into the charming courtyard of Lincoln College and visited its medieval dining hall, which as our guide accurately pointed out, has bench seating, not the high-backed chairs you'll find in the the Great Hall at Christ Church.

Lack of true Hogwart style seating notwithstanding, I personally think the entrance fee to Christ Church College entirely worth it - I went some time ago out of my teenage acquired interest in 'Brideshead Revisited', as the desperately self-destructive Sebastian Flyte and his teddy bear, Aloysius resided there. Add 'Alice' history and magical scenes from Hogwart's into the mix and it's an interesting place, if not for the sheer grandeur of the architecture, stained glass, and grounds alone. 

Check out loads of photos here on Flickr's Christ College, Oxford search, and visit Write Away for reviews, book guides and more.

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Pinkit is a group of 5 Chilean visual artists who have begun their 'Pimp It' revolution - pimp in the transitive verb sense - with a Cupcake - Pimp It!Gallery. As I'm working on some Hansel and Gretel colour experiments right now, pimping a cupcake seemed like a fun idea... and now it's on Pinkit's 'Pimp It' Wall. Visit Pinkit's homepage and pick up a 'cupcake template' to embellish.

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EDM Challenge #235 is 'Butterfly', however I've drawn a black London Peppered Moth which fluttered inside the other day.

Jetting around on this whopping set of wings (about 85mm/3.5") is hard work for this big-bodied beast, so it wasn't difficult to catch and return to the wild, or at least someone else's curtains....  Very black, this moth has evolved from having peppered markings, (designed to blend with lichen), in order to hang out in a sooty city environment. A very urban critter indeed.

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New online technology at the Tate - a nice interactive addition which includes close-ups of Richard Long's work, artist statements, glimpses of people in the gallery, etc.

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The Camberwell College of Art MA Summer Shows (University of the Arts, London) went off really well last week, though it's sad to see a lot of great people leaving fromIllustration and leaving a few of us part-timers kicking around the place! The work from Illustration was exciting, and as predicted, very diverse with editorial illos, children's books, graphic novels, animation and more - something I really appreciate in this course. Group crit sessions and regular meetings meant that we all had an inkling of who was doing what, but most went an extra mile towards the end and a few suprises lay in store.

500 people came through the door in the first 15 minutes, and around 2600 through the evening. See some of my photos here and get more on '09 MA Illustration grads here (thanks Tom). The crowds made it a bit tricky to get photos so above are a few Illustrators except for the guy with the toast - a printmaker - who gave out an edition of 'toast prints' at the door.

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I've got the best week coming up - the last week of school (day job) before we're out for summer, but firstly, two-thirds of my Camberwell contemporaries (those on the full-time programme) will graduate. Check out the Grad Show details here, and see who's exhibiting from MA Illustration.

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This is a working colour illustration for 'Hansel and Gretel', based around this piece of text:

'It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They began to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when it had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they came quite up to the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.'

My strangely proportioned candy and cake roof suspension of disbelief, as does the story. In an attempt to break away from the traditional Black Forest cottage look, I've gone a bit oversized on the roof, which inspired by the giant roof shape of the iron age round house, peculiar to Britain.

I may need to rethink the orangey gingerbread - not the easiest tone to scan, however it's back to the drawing board for now.

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See and download the full gallery on posterous

It's been ages - work is full on (exams and marking) and so is the illustrating. My full-time and second yr part-time contemporaries at Camberwell are nearly at the finish line as the July grad show looms.

Meanwhile, I came across these fab photos of painted tower blocks, Russian style, here on Sturman's blog. Worth a look for the McD sign alone. Anyway, some say these look gaudy. Maybe.

Better than grey tower blocks stacked against a bleak, wintery sky?

Infinitely.

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Daphne du Maurier and Hitchcock are brilliant, but this Barbie adds a whole new dimension, yes? Details at Amazon. (thx Mel)

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Here's my response to EDM challenge #161 - 'draw something that smells wonderful'. You can see more illo's of the strawberry tart - before I got hungry - at flickr.

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The Crystal Palace Children's Book Festival went really well yesterday - the weather didn't pack in as forecast, which made walking between events at the gallery, library and bookshop very pleasant.

Today I'm in the studio - drawing, writing and catching up on some overdue scanning and organisation. Here's my response to EDM challenge #161 -'draw something that smells wonderful'. More of these at flickr.

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Latest challenge from college - Write down an object on a bit of paper, fold and chuck into the centre of table, then each draw out random selection and create an illustration using all the words....

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We got a fleeting glance at Spring the other day... 'fleeting' is the IF topic for this week. Please see my new Etsy store for giclee print availability.

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I love the look and idea behind this store in Spitalfields, North East London - A. Gold - which sells English produce. It's the kind of place you wish inhabited London's more ubiquitous High Streets.

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One of my Barcelona photo's has just been Schmap'd - it shows one of the many lovely buildings in the Gothic Quarter. I was there volunteering at a summit, working on ways to build rabies awareness. Check out info on rabiesfree.org if you're in/traveling to a rabies endemic area or click to vaccinate a dog in the Philippines. 1 click = 1 dollar = 1 vaccine. Cheers.

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Here's a little glimpse inside NY Academy of Art studios during the Tribeca Ball...

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