Laid low and listless

Oh me, oh my. What a difference one small, sweaty pork pie can make. We are laid low with the collywobbles, and it is not a pretty sight. And of course, the Gods like to tweak our tails when things are at their worst. After a dreadful, unspeakable morning, feeling pathetic and floppy, I was (almost) happily sat with my sketchbook watching a Cirque de Soleil dvd. I've yearned to see them ever since they first came on the UK scene, but live shows being beyond my meagre pocket I've had to content myself with collecting cuttings from the papers. Sad but true.

Then the other week Andy came back from work with four borrowed four dvds and I've been so busy with one thing or another that I haven't watched any of them. It has taken a tummy bug to allow me the time to indulge; thank you tummy bug. So there I was, being quite overwhelmed by the visual cornucopia of Varekai, in pathetic artist-y tears at the exquisite beauty of it all, and almost forgetting my Condition, when I heard a splashing coming from our tiny kitchen next door, and there was water dripping down into the sink from the bathroom; the toilet was leaking again. Pause dvd. Shake my puny fist at the Gods. This fine specimen of seventies plumbing has leaked several times in the last five years and our landlord has had various bodged solutions to the problem, none of which include actually replacing the darned thing and strengthening the floor. Now the panels have been soaked so many times they are rotten and bulging between the beams below, which is the kitchen ceiling. So in optimistic anticipation of a visit from one of the workmen, we heaved our sorry selves up and had a major house tidy. But our landlord was out for the day, so we have been drifting about the Hovel sighing and sleeping and generally being unbearable. But there are more important things going on than my dicky stomach.
My paper cutting mentor has gifted me his vintage Ulano swivel knife. As you can see, (or maybe not), it has a teeny tiny blade a few millimetres long, and apparently needs sharpening with an oil stone (none of yer wasteful disposable nonsense). I am hoping to be able to get better detail in my paper cuts. Thank you Reg, you are a star.

Now you may have noticed the lovely jazzy decoration on the package it arrived in. That is a sample of Reg's paper cutting. We first came into contact nearly a decade ago, when I was printing these little things -

Shop display unit, the very height of sophistication. With tabs!

The entire back catalogue of the Pocket Magic series...

...reproduced in glorious monochrome.

My macro-publishing company had just had a mention in the Country Living 'Emporium' pages and I had several mail order enquiries, one of whom was Reg (another was Lindsay of Border Tart) and it turned out (as far as I can remember) that he liked the scraperboard illustrations because they reminded him of paper cuts, which was his field. And so I was introduced to the world of paper cutting. Ever since, our families - well, his family and we two, have exchanged Christmas cards and in every box of treasured cards I have, there is one of his lovely designs. Now, afer a bit of nagging from me, he has set up his own blog, Paper Tiger, cataloguing his work. He hasn't started writing yet, but I live in hope, because he can be very funny. More importantly, there aren't a right lot of paper cutting blogs around, they are a rare species. Go and look, and enjoy some lovely scherenschnitte.

Oh, my feeble fingers can barely type anymore; I am weak, I am overflowing with self pity and general waffiness. I can just muster the last of my ebbing energy to inform you all of a SOSF event, generously hosted by my very busy fellow admin fairy Tara. It's a tea party!

This event's theme is "Handmade card, favorite tea and a treat"! (One of each.) To keep mailing costs low, be creative with light-weight, flattish items that you personally enjoy and will fit into a small, padded envelope. For example- a couple of packets of your favorite tea, with your great-aunt Tursell's recipe for scones or petit-fours tucked into a beautiful handmade card in which you write your own tea rituals to share with your recipient. Add a wrapped piece of gourmet chocolate or biscotti, or something non-edible, but tea-themed as a *treat* and you will be set! This is just one possibility - use your creativity and love of sharing tea with friends.

To take part, you need to visit her blog, Silver Apples or the official Society of Secret Fairies site where you will find contact details and guidelines. These are Important. Very Important.

I can feel a faintness coming over me, it's all too much...au revoir!

Paper cutting

I've recently discovered the wonderful world of decorative paper, as used in scrapbooking. Reg has inspired me to start paper cutting, and I'm going to start work on a new style portfolio next year, to run alongside my watercolour work. It's really exciting finding a new technique to explore, and I fear I'm going to get a bit obsessed by gorgeous paper patterns...

Little bits and bobs

So, ploughing my way towards the Disney deadline despite a couple of hiccups and a growing sense of anxiety, I have no other illustration to write about...have ventured nowhere except the village shop...if I were a man I'd have three days stubble and a ramshackle air about me. Actually, I think I do have the latter...

It's times like this I bless the Internet, for changing what used to be a lonely occupation into a sociable activity. Apart from my new Blogger friends, I'm a member of a few online art forums - it's the illustrator's equivalent of gathering round the water cooler. They all have their own atmospheres, rather like pubs, and there are regulars, eccentrics, new kids on the block and the ocassional trouble maker. We argue, squabble, sooth and support. You bump into the same faces on different message boards. Sometimes you meet people in the flesh, which is always a bit odd - but nice.

In one group we are doing a 'Secret Santa'. Being freelancers, none of us get an office party, but we can have our own little celebrations. We posted our names and addresses to the co-ordinator and he did a draw at home. We learned our 'giftees' last week; I am very pleased with mine. And there is also the exchange of Real Life Christmas cards - believe me, artists give the nicest cards. It's all welcome distraction from watching paint dry and letting cats out. It's Networking with a capital N and I treasure my online friends. They keep me sane.

Which reminds me, congratulations to my friend Becky, who has had her book published. Well, she did the illos for it, which in my eyes is the really important bit. Andy has finally updated his blog, poor chap has a day off and I boot him out to the woods with his sketchboard! He actually went into the Creepy Hut...*shudders*. I won't reveal what he found there...and Reg, who does the gorgeous papercuts, has sent me two more images, both so lovely I hope he won't mind me posting them here -

'Walking the Dog'

'Kings' Border

'Bebop Boogie'

Even in this age of instant messaging it is still possible to lose contact with people - in my case through sheer laziness. So I was delighted when an old friend and fellow artist mailed me, enclosing a jpeg of his recent work. Reg is a fantastic paper cutter; the picture below is one of his. I find his work so joyous and exuberant it even brightens up this miserable grey day. (The forecasters were right...it is Raining. Heavily.)