It's a dog's life!

Last year Alfie spent Christmas in a dog's home, this year was a bit different . . .
He was really up for having a good time, unfortunately his friends had other ideas.

Merry Christmas

                       
Merry Christmas to everyone . . . .

I've neglected my blog recently, no Illustration Friday either - I'm hoping this will change in the New Year but I'd better not make any rash promises. It's been so chaotic lately work wise - does anyone else find that deadlines are non existent now - to be replaced by "needs to be done immediately"? When work is like this I find it virtually impossible to be creative for myself. Here's hoping for a calm, slow, kind, gentle and creative 2013. A bit of sun wouldn't go amiss either!

Luckily we are not at risk of flooding although lots of roads in the area are closed but my heart goes out to the people whose homes have been wrecked by flood water, just a couple of days before Christmas.

Illustration © 2012 nicky linzey

Available from gibsonholt

Rare Brands

I've been asked by retro furniture company Steel Magnolias to provide prints for their new range of frames. They're exhibiting at the Rare Brands Market this Friday 7th and Saturday 8th at the Corn Exchange in Brighton. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, maybe see you there!

blown in from afar?

It was crowded at the harbour on Sunday - a beautiful day and excitement because Hurricane Sandy has apparently blown in a Hooded Merganser from North America. I had never heard of one before so I googled it and found this weird looking bird! I hope it is happy in England.

Tree

The theme for illustration friday - a subject i love to draw and photograph.

© 2102 nicky linzey

starlings

Apparently the British starling population is down by nearly 80% because of the change in their habitat and they are fighting for food with the invasion of the European starling. I still get a lot in my garden but am yet to see a murmuration of starlings - which I would love to do.  My grandmother hated them - she said they were greedy and took all the food from the little birds but I rather like them. There were about 12 on my yucca tree but by the time I'd found the camera there were only two left. I love that the pattern on the birds matches the blossom on the yucca.

A murmuration of starlings © nicky linzey 2011

autumn leaves

A lovely weekend of walking, it was freezing but sunny and now My Jack Russell is an old man he has to wear his coat to keep him warm. He hates it!

sky

Sky is the theme for Illustration Friday this week. I always feel happy when I can see vast expanses of it.
© nicky linzey 2012

Water

My main inspiration in life is nature, I live near the sea so the theme for illustration friday this week of water is just right.  Water related patterns are used a lot in Japanese textiles, (another love of mine) so I drew some of them for this pattern which weirdly looks very 70s inspired.
© 2012 nicky linzey

paint effects

More paint effects found on boat bottoms! It's the time of year when the boats are brought into dry dock to be cleaned and painted - a massive task. So before that happens I get my camera out and I'm in my element!

mirror

The theme for illustration friday this week is mirror. I love vintage mirrors and so I've layered my drawings with a photo I took of flaking paint, to give that old speckled mirror look.

pom poms

Dahlias always remind me of allotments and are some of the last flowers still going strong as autumn arrives. I love their different shapes and colours.

sea defences

How beautiful are these? They didn't work though and are being replaced further up the coast by a lot of concrete for £1.8m. Mind you I would be glad it was happening if I lived yards from the water, the sea is changing the landscape and will soon be taking the houses with it.
PS You can click on pics to see them more clearly.

Last of Summer?

Walking, sea, collecting, taking pics, sunshine, blues - my favourite kind of Saturday.

Burst

Burst is the Illustration Friday theme this week. I had drawn the background and was going to put dragonflies as the burst of colour. Then on Saturday I saw a Kingfisher at the harbour - a sudden burst of blue and there he was - magical. I've only seen him once before - last year - so he's very elusive.
© 2012 nicky linzey

A bit late but ...

Found that the Fiat 500 blog had featured the patterns I'd designed for their car! Exciting - but I came across this a couple of years late, well better late than never. My original post was here and I'm pleased to say that I did actually get one and I love it - although it would be even better with some patterns on it.

Identical

Nothing in nature is identical so I've resorted to duplicating a drawing! This is a pen and ink illustration - my collection of found items in a bowl - a nest of treasure.
© 2012 nicky linzey

Seasons

My photographic record of our last 3 weekend walks. Lepe in the New Forest, the canal at Loxwood and the South Downs. I think they also show that Autumn has arrived here in the past week - strange how one minute it's summer then the atmosphere changes almost overnight and it feels very autumnal.

Tall

For Illustration Friday this week a drawing of Arundinaria oleosa - a bamboo that can grow up to 30 metres! I have layered one of my foliage photos on top to give depth.
© 2012 nicky linzey

teamwork

The serious business of hole digging. Bill likes to dig but Alfie tears up the grass and earth with his mouth - urgh!

Freeze

FREEZE is the theme for Illustration Friday this week. Not a very topical subject at the moment even though the summer is non existent this year in the UK, however this is an illustration I did for a project that has sadly been frozen in time.

Grass

There are some beautiful colours in the grasses this year, probably because of the rain. Of course my faithful companion has to get his face in the picture!

Lonely

'I wandered lonely as a cloud' by William Wordsworth resonates with me, as nature is my inspiration and helps me in times of loneliness and uncertainty. The clouds this weekend were wonderful and reminded me of this poem (the only one I can remember from childhood!) which in turn gave me the idea for Illustration Friday.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.


Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.


The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:


For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Carry

Finally - after many weeks, I've got round to participating in Illustration Friday again. A simple drawing of my shopping bag - exciting times!

Stop and stare 16

I stopped and stared and so did they. There are four living in the cemetery but I didn't manage to get them all in one photo. They had no fear at all, not even of Bill who stopped and stared too.

Lost in the forest

We forgot to take a map!

Out in the world

Came across some of my work in situ last week. I sometimes don't see the finished printed result and it gives me a jolt to see it when I'm not expecting to do so. A nice jolt though!

Workshop

For the past few months I've been going to a floristry workshop, something I would not normally think of doing, but a friend suggested it and so we went. Last night was the final one and I felt really sad, as it has been one of the most interesting, enjoyable and strangely soothing things I've done. Mostly down to these two girls. I'm already looking forward to the Autumn ones.

Stop and stare 15

Couldn't resist it!

Stop and stare 14

It seemed as if time stood still when I saw this scene. I couldn't help but stop and stare, imagining what pastoral England might look like in the 1950s, not the 21st century. I hope to be doing this when I retire.

Celebrating . . .

Yesterday we celebrated the Queen's Jubilee. We had a tea party at a friend's house and I ate my bodyweight in sandwiches, scones and cake, it was delicious as you can see. I'm not particularly a royalist but I cannot help but admire the Queen at 86 and the 60 years of her reign.

more freedom and another white horse

It seems impossible to get away on holiday at the moment so we are having a few mini breaks. This time to the Cuckmere Valley, which is stunning and we were lucky with the weather again. The White Horse was cut in 1836 and yes .. we did climb up that hill!

king of the castle

It will be a few days before he'll forgive me for this!

gardening

I've had an urge to make a miniature garden for a while and have been collecting things to use. The weather's been so bad in the UK I haven't been able to get out in my garden, so last night I finally got round to making this indoor one.

Hitched

I was recently commissioned to create an illustration to commemorate a wedding. The brief was: fairground memorabilia, birds, old fashioned teacups and a landscape. I must admit to feeling quite ill when I thought about how I could incorporate all these things. However once I started, the picture came together magically and I really enjoyed drawing it. So great too that I was given the chance to produce something with such unusual subject matter in the first place. It certainly stretched my brain a little lot - always a good thing!
Here's to Theresa and William who got 'hitched' last Monday.
For the Illustration Friday theme of 'hitched'.
© 2012 nicky linzey

Jump

I don't know who jumps most when I walk in the room . . .

Part of my collection of ice cream containers.
For Illustration Friday
© 2012 nicky linzey

More drawing

Experimenting with texture, shade and light. Plus practising drawing of course, something I don't do nearly often enough. We've been working on our new website if you have a chance to look I'd be really grateful for any feedback.
© 2012 nicky linzey

enchanted woodland

The atmosphere in this woodland was weird. Not scarily weird but beautifully weird - mostly to do with the unusual twisted tree shapes. I don't think I've seen anything like them before.

healthy

We've been eating meat free meals for a couple of weeks and there are many delicious vegetarian recipes around. This one is from years ago and I'd forgotten how tasty it is.

Lentil Loaf
225g red split lentils
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 onion finely chopped
100g cheddar cheese grated
150ml tomato juice/passata
2 eggs beaten
fresh or dried mixed herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils in a pan and cover with water, add bay leaves and garlic and boil until tender (approx 15 mins). Drain very well and remove the bay leaves. Chop the onion finely and mix with lentils and grated cheese. Add the tomato juice and well beaten eggs, season heavily with herbs and add salt and pepper to your taste. Mix well and put in a loaf tin which has been lightly oiled and lined with baking parchment. Bake for an hour at gas mark 4/350F/180C. Cool slightly before turning out and serve at room temperature.
We ate the loaf with a vegetable slaw. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it.

Oh Alfie what have you done?

For such a tiny dog - a very big hole. You cannot see from this pic just how big. I included my feet to give some scale - just to say that the level of the earth was towards the top of the tree stump. The rescue centre said that he was an escapologist but we didn't think he'd try and tunnel his way out. He definitely should have been called Digger.

Return

I love this time of year and it's a welcome return of warmth in the sun. Having said that the forecast is for snow before Easter in the UK! AND if that wasn't bad enough, a hosepipe ban because we've had no rain for ages. My vegetables will be few and far between this summer.
© 2012 nicky linzey
For Illustration Friday

Freedom

This is my idea of freedom, away for a few days, walking with My Jack Russell , new footpaths, new sights, things to wonder at, inspiration. Plus a comfy bed and plenty of good food and drink of course. The white horse was formed in 1808 and is of George III on his horse. The cliff (top left) collapsed last month - scary. The stones with faces were already on the beach and made me smile. The pony followed me all the way down the hill getting faster and faster, it nearly turned into a chase! 

Shades

Just a tiny selection of shades of blue, my favourite colour, for the Illustration Friday theme.
© nicky linzey 2012