are you ready?

well, are you?

technorati tags: Art, illustration

blogstoryreaders, attention!

Chapter Five's Illustration by bonojerry is up.

go on, admit it...

...there's an aspiring foxtrotter in us all.

I wish we could do "Strictly Come Dancing" in the blogosphere.

Or even better... in real life.

*sigh*

technorati tags: Art, illustration

a bit of a write-off of a week

I wonder if it's just me who sees new years approaching with so much promise that it's all a bit daunting.

Why on earth should a number make a difference?

There's nothing like a week stuck at home with two small over excited mad people to de-concentrate a girl. Can't think of anything to draw. Can't think of anything to write. Can't, can't, can't. And yet, as of the new year, I'll have lots of work to do, some old projects, some new. Lovely.

Then all I'll want to do is blog.

La la la.


technorati tags: Art, illustration

can't sleep

night time and small things asleep

Isn't Christmas a surreal kind of time? Does my head in, whatever.
Thank god for fireplaces. And wood.

technorati tags: Art, illustration

oh, father christmas and the tooth fairy, what have I done?

chapter six. gulp. is up. gulp. sorry it took so long... strange week in Azeitãoville.

the trials of natal/christmas - a crap open source free range poem

Gosh, Christmas.

Me in blog-hiding.

Me bad.

You drinking so not noticing anyway.

Me still trying to get to
finish writing my chapter.



But too many THINGS





going on for christmas.

Too gefunct in the head.

Leaving England hit me hard this time.



Too much stuff .

I think my few days off
has been mereced/deserved.

Don't you?

oh, and by the way,


HAVE A

HAPPY CHRISTMAS
BUSY NEW YEAR
REGULATE YOUR BREATHING
AND YOUR BLOGGING
OTHERWISE THERE'LL
BE NOTHING TO BLOG ABOUT
EXCEPT BLOGGING!

kiss kiss kiss

some scribblings from london, while we have our pretend christmas day for the kids cos we're going back on christmas eve.

(if you're wondering what the gay mafia thing is all about... well... erm, I'm not sure yet. but I WILL be)

technorati tags: Art, illustration

freakish times

what with no posting here for DAYS, WHOLE DAYS, and now I'm back AND with interwebnetjobby, I have a job to finish by tomorrow and a chapter to write and blllleerururururururugh. I promise, something tomorrow/today/erm depends on when you read this....

the definition of a modern nightmare

four days without an internet connection
one night in hospital with a child with pneumonia (no, I don't know how that hapened.... bloody aeroplanes)
vodafone that won't do that roaming thing where call costs go onto a bill at home instead of coming off one's meagre carregamento/pre-paid thingy... so can't even resort to using phone as emergency modem (which works a treat in the middle of nowhere... when there's money in it)
a thirty minute limit in the town library and no way of uploading pictures at the moment! grrrrrrrr.

double grrrrrrr.

ps. CHAPTER FIVE IS UP, by Zoe.... my turn next then. gulp.

a little interlude (another one!)

Look, I know I look like I'm on holiday, but I'm not, and I have several jobs to finish by the weekend... er... is that tomorrow? blimey...better get on with this then.

This girl can't stand having more than one day blogless, so here's a little something I did a couple of months ago for an article about speed dating. (i have a strange feeling I've posted this before... tell me if I have, I don't think I have... but feeling a bit cotton woolly about these things).

Now there's a topic for discussion in the comment box. Speed Dating. Ever gone speed dating? Would you? Did you? How was it for you? Ah, go on.


technorati tags: Art, illustration

and because I get nostalgic

We used to have all four grandparents for Christmas when I was a kid. Four people who had nothing in common except for being of vaguely the same species.

That made for some fun conversations.

Not.

disclaimer: this drawing isn't a true representation of our christmases. before vitsma gets on and says "Hey, that's not your grandparents! and it sure as hell ain't me!"

Not that my mother would ever say the word "ain't".

That would be a boat too far.

technorati tags: Art, illustration

because this is going to be an odd christmas

inspired by an e-versation about what christmas pudding tastes like, I thought it was a good time to vitriolicate the many forms of christmassing that goes on in and around the ken of this vit and her world.

disclaimer: no real christmas puddings were injured in the making of this series.

breaking news: clair's illustration for chapter three is up AND chapter four is there too! DON'T WET YOUR KNICKERS WITH THE EXCITEMENT! (but it IS thrilling).


technorati tags: Art, illustration

a quick impression of a slow sunset

A very quick impression of a very slow (i.e. northern europe sunset rather than five minute southern europe sunset) that we were treated to yesterday as we drove down the M4 to Devon from the airport.... YES, we've come back to britainlandia for a couple of weeks (back to pt for chrimbo) with a huge pinky orangey bluey purpley sky with a huge orange for a sun, and misty fields all around. sent me all lyrical and teary eyed (as we listened to Winnie the Pooh on the cd player). PROPER winter.

ps. Chapter 3 is up!

technorati tags: Art, illustration

emergency request to the blogstory writers...

guys, i'm in the middle of travelling, but I just heard from Lost that the poor thing has done her back in and can't do chapter 3. So, would anyone (preferably from later on in the list) like to do a swapsie, to give Lost time to recover? First blogstorier in the comment box gets it. kisses all. later. innit. xxx

more from an afternoon waiting around in Lisbon

technorati tags: Art, illustration

we are ALL a type

One of these days I WILL finish drawing my book of international TYPES.

Of course, not being a type myself, it is easier for me to look on dispassionately and tell the exact workings of a person's life and goings on by a swift glance (or a stern look up and down)....hang on, hang on "of course, not being a type myself"... I caught my reflection in a shop window in Lisbon the other day...

OH, MY GOD, I AM A TYPE.

I HAVE BECOME A TYPE.

I THINK I HAVE PROBABLY ALWAYS BEEN A TYPE.

My type, (at times, at times, I am off another type, like we all probably are) is the one on the right. All I need to say is:- thirtysomething and above illustrator, art teacher, sociology lecturer etc. Oh god. Used to dress to horrify/impress/entertain when a young illustrator/art teacher/sociology lecturer, but has accepted that it is now time to try to go the more elegant-though-artistic-and-not-conventional way. How depressingly predictable.

The lovely lady on the left (who I saw the other day in town giving stern looks to everyone else) is obviously an owner of an art gallery or an art director, at a push a jewellery maker or fashion designer. with low levels of sense of humour. has no children. has very low maintenance husband/female life partner.





technorati tags: Art, illustration

I thought we were getting fatter.

But I swear that for every fattie I see, I see an ultra skinny. What's wrong with being kind of middle sized?

breaking news: THE NEXT THRILLING INSTALMENT, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS CHAPTER TWO, BY ANA, IS UP!

oh, for a 12-bore shotgun

Wouldn't you just love to shoot the back end out of these bastard midget father christmases that are crawling macabrely ('nother new word?) up buildings all over the place at the moment? I hope the lame-ass who had the idea of miniature santa clauses hanging from buildings gets a good come-uppance one day. I mean, REALLY.

Take me to live in a field with a couple of trees and grass and stuff. It would be cold, but at least there wouldn't be any bad taste christmas crap everywhere.


breaking news...do...do...do...do...breaking news: first blogstory illustration by julie is up!


technorati tags: Art, illustration

memento of a weekend shut up in a hotel

All that I got to see was this raucous wedding party that was going on in the hotel. where, it seemed, everyone was wearing black. women and all. well, an awful lot of them. especially this liza minelli lookalike who would have been perfect trouser-wearing gruff voiced tia material if she hadn't insisted on hanging a fag out of her mouth. very very un-pt.

must get out more. anyone got any miracle cures for feverish colds, sore throats and irritating children? gotta be an all in one though.


don't forget to check out Chapter 1 of Blogstory!

never promise anything till it's a fait accomplit (or however you spell fait accompli, I can't remember any blooming french)

yeah, yeah, where's the exciting Porto post?

spent the whole bloody weekend stuck in a Gaia hotel, (nice hotel, lovely staff, fucking grumpy guests (no keith, not me) who refused to even say good fucking morning ) taking copious quantities of drugs to keep my temperature down, not being able to shout at the children because my voice was lost in the wilderness and being too whacked from driving cars while sick (it was an emergency academic mission! don't ask). so no lovely porto pics or drawings. grrrr.

clare's chapter 1 is UP!!!!!! so now we can ALL be on tenterhooks for Julie's illustration.

added on to above particularly DULL post:

lookie, lookie, lookie!



me, finalist, best european blog, ha HA! (i'm in tough company though, Petite's in too!) I'll link the polling page when it's up. So you HAVE to vote for me. In a post-modernist-retro-ironic-pink kind of a way of course!

Thanks weblogawards.org people. (and Mike x)

painting software.... *sigh*... ain't it wunnerful?

We were supposed to go up to Porto first thing this morning, but I woke up with a sore throat, aching muscles and a temperature... not the greatest condition for driving. So I went back to bed and got up an hour ago feeling much better, but still needing to chill out and take it easy before I load the kids and other 'arf into the car and drive the three hours up north. And what better way to relax than a little bit of painting. Get out the oils, the palettes, the wet paint rags, ready to make a lovely mess for half an hour before having to clean it all up again before I go out?....nah.... just switch on painter.

I bet it's not just me who's spiffingly excited about miss Sudbery's first chapter.

Anyway, I'll be Porto-blogging from a warm hotel room this weekend. Have I told you lately how much I love Porto?

*ducks as all lisboeta friends hurl crap at head*

technorati tags: Art, illustration

do you ever ask yourself questions like:

"WHAT is going through this woman's mind when she gets dressed in the morning?". I mean, really!

Now. I'm so impatient. I pulled the names out of the hat (actually an out of an Ikea alumumium pot thing) and have assigned the chapters.... and all the illustrators get TWO chapters each. The last chapter is still illustratorless. Oddly, it will be written BY an illustrator (you'll see, you'll see).... ready, yes? here goes. (disclaimer! if I've missed you out, please forgive me, i'm doing this at one in the morning.... let me know straight away and I'll fix it!).

there are some very strange and unintentional combinations there... I promise this was all done randomly... that's how andre ended up with himself and dr rob got dr F! cool.

Right, Sudbery, get on with it! The only thing I have to say to you is...erm... Culpepper's Complete Herbal. :)


technorati tags: Art, illustration, twaddle