Advent Calender Starts Tomorrow

Iron Hans again

Bright Babies

Some bright babies, cards that I designed using a collage made from papers that I had painted.  The babies were added later, seperate little drawings cut out and stuck on. (I think!)  This was done a long time before the age of computers and scanners, layers and masking, in the age of scissors, tracing paper and glue!

My First Animation.

Sketchcrawl

I amsketchcrawling tomorrow, leaving my house at three, join me if you want to, I will be amazed but happy!

Sketchcrawl

I am sketchcrawling tomorrow, leaving my house at three in the afternoon and walking down to Dennis Head to draw, if you are in the area and want to join me you can, I will be suprised but happy!

Bishop and Wolf and Big Ted

Bishop and Wolf is a pub on the Isles of Scilly.  This is a painting/illustration done for an exhibition of "pub signs" quite some time ago at a gallery called The Portal Gallery where, once upon a time, I used to exhibit.

The other painting is "Big Ted" which is a wonderful song byThe Incredible String Band, listen to it here.

They were one of my biggest infulences when I was a young artist and this is an illustration for the song.  Illustrators have to learn their trade like anyone else so literally drawing upon your favorite things is a very good practice.

The King's Beard part two.

I suppose, if you wanted to know how the story ends you would have to be a publisher and offer to publish it and that would be that!

The King's Beard

Yet another blast from the past, this one was from a bedtime story that I made up for one of my boys when he was about three, twenty years ago.

The illustrations are watercolour and coloured pencil and a fine brush!

I have put the words on just to see how the text sits with the pictures and also include the little rough book that came first.

I will post the other finished pictures tomorrow.

Iron Hans

Another step back in time with this illustration for the Grimms fairy tale Iron Hans.  This is painted in gouache, click on the image for a closer look.
I have re written the text and got a book plan and several illustrations for this project but they have languished in the back of my portfolio for nearly 25 years!  How rubbish is that!  I need a wealthy sponsor so that I can follow up all of these dreams, meanwhile I carry on earning my living illustrating other peoples books!

Two Seasonal Prints

A couple of small prints, I was going to sell them as cards but I think all the chopping and folding would most likely result in not a very proffessional finish.  So I am selling these as very affordable little seasonal prints to be used as cards, or little pictures, who knows.  Anyway they will be up for sale in the Etsy shop.

Free For You

Here is an early Christmas present for you!  I have been burrowing through my old folders to put as many different examples of my illustration work on my new illustration blog.  And I found this little cut out that I designed about 30 years ago!  So if you know any little girls or boys who might like to make a tiny, retro, card dolls house please feel free to print it out.  The images are quite good resolution and should print out well. Click on each image and then print.  You can enlarge it to if you wish but each image fits easily onto an A4 page.  It is all to the same scale and if you print onto thin card it will work better.  Colour it in first, cut out along all the pink lines and stick where the dots are.  When you have made it why not send me a picture of your finished little house.  I will post up any that I get on here.  Have fun and pass it on. 

I am trying to up my "web presence" and to organise my blogs a bit, hence the new one just for illustration and the Facebook fan page and the new Etsy Shop so any help would be lovely.

Drawing on Life

One of the benifits of having a family is that it provides endless oppertunitys to steal those little moments and use them for illustration.  I used to keep a book of little cartoons of the funny, and exasperating things that my kids said and did when they were little.  Here are a few.

Walking Home

This is a reader for young people with autisim.  It was for a series of books dealing with everyday situations.  These are from "Walking Home"

Because of the audience for these books it was important that they be quite realistic.

Holly Gardener

Just before I go out for a walk I will show you Holly Gardener, yet another book plan, unpublished but still quite close to my heart.  Based very loosley on my own family...with a little artistic licence, except for the family history bit, thats all true!

China

A couple of images for a story set in ancient China.

Uganda

A reading series for Uganda about being safe and keeping healthy.

Africa

An example of illustration work for Africa, well Botswana to be precise.

The Picnic

Monty Pymme, ( Reverend, retired.)

Monty Pymme, my beloved alter ego, he always has a red jumper with him. 

Visit From Grandma

One of a set of drawings that I did for a book about a little boy prepairing for a special visit.

New Blog

A new blog from me, yet another, I know but I need a venue for illustration work so...

Not hugely exciting yet, but hopefully soon it will be full to bursting with illustration work.  Please visit Illustration by Sarah Wimperis or watch the link on the side and pay a visit if illustration is your "thing"

I Gaze and Gaze

Silhouette ink work on painted background.

I Gaze and Gaze

I Gaze and Gaze.
I gazes at the moon, the more I look the more I see.
Houses in the trees, full of tiny detail and gothicky strangeness.
The nights are full of surprises

Etsy

I have made an Etsy shop, selling prints. See the badge to the left. If you become a fan on face book it will be possible to get discounts and special offers. So if you haven't and would like to then go ahead, click the link.

Giraffe

I have a friend, who lives down some steps, almost next door, who lives in a row of cottages where everyone is expecting a baby. I don't live in that row of cottages I hasten to add. Anyway my expectant friend has a thing for giraffes. So I made this for her, well for her soon to appear baby.
I have another friend, a chap this time, who is always very rude about the things that I do. I am not sure why he is so rude, but he is and so, just to annoy him I have posted this giraffe here on my blog and now I will go and post it on Facebook because he knows who he is...

Herne the Hunter

Herne The Hunter

A lovely wintry image for a lovely wintry afternoon. Apparently silhouettes are the thing this season according to the Times online. I am about to try to set up a Folksy shop and an Etsy shop for prints and cards, stay tuned...

End Game

These little images are available as prints, they are printed on very fine watercolour paper at a size of 12cm x 12cm or 4.5 inches square. That is the actual image size.

They cost £10.00 which includes post and packing.

Circle

Another card design and now... lucky lucky people... you can join a "fan" page on facebook (see left) It is a great way to show collections of work, go and have a look, (become a fan as well...please!)

Although having a fan page is a bit odd!

Itttts CHRISTMASSSSS!

OK its not yet but I love the Slade shout out for Christmas.
Anyway its the time of year when I start thinking about a card design, the top one might be this years. Truth is, I really enjoy designing them, here is a selection from the past few years...