quickdraw jackdaw

At the café in Richmond Park, jackdaws fly round the tables hunting for food left by customers.  One perched on the back of a chair next to me and I managed a quick drawing.

view from the hill

bridge at the station

the Runs of Brixton

‘Legacy’ was a word much bandied about in the Olympic summer. 

Saturday saw the locals of Brixton in south London start their own tradition by staging the first ‘Brixton Bolt’ sprint event.

In a street near the bustling market, overlooked by the railway arches, young and old competed for the title of the fastest in Brixton.  

Waiting to race.

On your marks!

For all the results go to http://brixtonbolt.com

The runners were way too fast to draw, so here’s a spectator to finish with.

windows,8

deli drawing

building the crowd

Continuing my drawings from summer photos taken when the Olympic torch passed through south-east London.  

I'm planning to scan them into Photoshop and then work out a possible compositions before starting the illustration. 

worshipping the goddess

In the fairytale world of the cookery book, there are Princesses Rachel Khoo and Lorraine Pascale, Queen Delia, Fairy Godmother Mary Berry and the (Domestic) Goddess Nigella Lawson.  With a new book and TV series, Nigella made a lunchtime appearance at Canary Wharf in London today to sign copies of ‘Nigellissima’.

 I arrived early and sketched as the photographers set up their equipment.

Nigella arrives!

A brief glimpse through the throng.

  He ain’t heavy, he’s my minder.

6 characters in search of an illustration

I’m trying to make an illustration about the day in the summer when the Olympic Torch relay passed through south-east London.

I took lots of photos and these are some of the drawings I’ve made so far.

I want to put them all together and make a big crowd scene.  Not sure how it’s going to turn out yet!

pegs

wet washing

Tea at the Palace

As part of the redevelopment of the booking hall at Crystal Palace Station, a new café has opened.

Brown and Green

Crystal Palace Station Road

London

SE19 2AZ

Paradise in Penge

As well as selling plants, this beautiful nursery also has vintage homeware, 

a lovely café and small art gallery.

They are running activities for children in the half-term holidays

 and currently have Surrey-grown pumpkins for Halloween.

(I made this drawing of their great shelving system earlier in the year)

 For more details go to

alexandranurseries@hotmail.co.uk
Alexandra Nurseries is at Estate House, Parish Lane, Penge, London SE20 7LJ

weeds on the path

brand new sketch

Spent the morning at the ’Brand Licensing Europe 2012’ event at Kensington Olympia, London, where I listened to a very interesting and informative seminar hosted by illustrator Helz Cuppleditch on ‘Licensing Design, Art and Illustration’.

It’s amazing to think how many big brands are founded on the work of visual artists and writers.  As it says on the side of the Disney stand, it started with a mouse…

The show finishes tomorrow, Thursday October 18^th.

 Helz Cuppleditch's website is at http://www.helzbelzart.com/

fuchsia flowers

baggage

A busy lunchtime at Victoria Station, London.

busy lunchtime at Victoria Station

bourbon

Mary's Hydrangea

If talent show judges were tools...

TULI-SAW

DRILL.I.AM

PLIERS MORGAN

...and on a similar theme...

SIMON DOWEL

GEAR-Y BARLOW

GLUE-Y WALSH

traffic outside Aldi

fed up

drainpipe shadows

leaves

autumn glory at the Horniman Gardens