for such a long time now

Another from the travel Moleskine.

I'll be exhibiting my Moleskines, including the travel Moleskine, at the Biennale; Carnet de Voyage event in Clermont Ferrand this coming weekend. If you are planning to visit the exhibition stop by and say hello.

so listen up baby

(Click on drawings to view)

These are a couple of pages from my travel Moleskine. This drawing has become a dumping ground for all sorts of odds and sods; stickers, stamps, tickets, labels. I'm not sure that I've finished with it. It lacks something. Something that I can't put my finger on. Yet. Some of the pieces on the pin board are movable, they lift up or across. I was trying to create a pop up, of sorts, but it seems I can't get my head around the kind of paper engineering that that would call for.

So the question is can you spot the difference? There's one small fluffy difference between these two uploads. Can you chuffing well spot it?

Yes. He's only holding a bloody chick!!!

the world is turning

Unbelievably, people sometimes ask how I me how I make my drawings. Here's a little insight. Actually, not so little. Yes, this is the biggest blog post in the worldiverse.

So, as you can see, with this one I started by mapping a little bit of the drawing on the page. Not too much, just somewhere to start, because I like the rest to unfold. I like the drawing to reveal itself to me.

Contrary, to popular belief, I actually am rather inpatient and usually want to jump right in. So already I've started drawing the bits and pieces. For this spread I am treating each card as an idividual drawing. I'm mostly using colour ballpoints and colour pencil. Ah, Bangladesh Airlines. Now that was an interesting airline. And, an interesting flight. It was cheap, though. VERY cheap.

Actually, it was the red and yellow of the Bangladeshi baggage label that first appealed to me when it came to turning this collage into a Moleskine drawing. I love the pop art colours. Ooooooh, British Columbia and Alberta. Probably, still, after all this time, my most favourite place I've been lucky enough to visit.

I know, drawing wise, this kind of subject matter isn't much of a departure for me, but this drawing in itself was certainly challenging. Emotionally speaking, that is. I do believe this was one of the most emotional drawings I've ever created.

Obviously it took quite some time to complete, and it was spending all that time with all these memories. All the places and people I've left behind. All the things I've done. Some joyous and others not always easy to be with.

And there are times and places and people I'd never have remembered if I hadn't made this drawing. Most of these cards and tickets came from a five year period between 1991-96. There was so much I'd forgotten about (probably a selective memory lapse). But still, I think there is something really symbolic, I suppose cathartic about laying all these things down on the paper.

Back to the drawing, and the latest addition - the green Koh Phanghan card showing a map of the island is probably my favourite bit. Not sure why that is, but I do enjoy drawing those little details. I love the handwritten phone number on the card, and the food stains. It's those kind of tiny details, that you might never have noticed, that really float my boat.

By this point of course, there are things that are starting to annoy me. I'm not happy with the addition of the comic strip and that Jasper Taxi card is really starting to get on my nerves. I am happy with the texture on the pink card for SP Resort, though. I did that with pink pencil and ballpoint. I think it works. And again, I love the yellows, which were both done with a yellow ballpoint and finisheded with a yellow pencil.

What the hell and how the hell did I get a card from a Canadian Mountie officer? I was a bit wild back in the day but I don't remember getting arrested! In Canada! By a Mounty! Surely that is something you'd never forget. And ,where on earth is Nyah Village Caravan Park?

After a little Googling I find that Nyah Village caravan park is in fact in Australia. I've never been there so how did I get that card? Who gave it to me? I like these kind of questions, even though they'll probably never be answered.

By this point I really want to finish this drawing but I keep obsessing over what should be the last things to be added, and how should they be placed. The best thing to do at that point, I find, is to just stop thinking and put something down . Anything. When I started this drawing I never imagined that my own little ballpoint card would turn up, it's next to the Vancouver book store card. Do you know that I had four days in Vancouver and on the first evening I went out for a Chinese meal and spent the rest of the stay with violent food poisoning? So basically, I didn't go out of the motel. The motel bathroom to be specific. Of course, there is absolutely no reason why you would know that.

Now I must stress here, I did NOT draw the picture of my mother and father. I am not that good! This photo, though, was the reason for making this drawing. I really wanted it in my Moleskine. Forever.

I deliberated for ages where I should place the photo. It was originally meant to hide the Vancouver book store card, but the Jasper taxi card was annoying me so much it ended hiding that. Unfortunately, it hid some of the pink card but, again, I think there is something symbolic about what is lost from the drawing. I don't know what it is symbolic about it, but no doubt it'll come to me one night when when I've just fallen asleep.

So there we go, that's it. Finished. Finito.

If you've liked this, you might like to order my new zine - the travel Molezine one. This is one of the drawings featured in it. You can buy it HERE for a very small price. You can be guaranteed that a whole lot of time, energy, emotion and love went into it. Thanks.

tell me have you ever seen me

I was looking through some old stuff yesterday. Throughout my life I've always made books. Books of stuff. Books about nothing much. Just about life, I guess. I found this one which is about 15 years old. It's jam packed with drawings, photos, thoughts and ideas. I hadn't looked through it for years.

This page, particularly, made me smile. Not just because it looks like one of my drawings. And not just because Weller and Young can all be found amongst the stamps and other bits and pieces from places I've visited. But mostly because this is, without a doubt, my favourite photo of my mam and dad. Looking fabulous. Looking like a couple of young Mods.

I'm getting this urge. A feeling that I might just draw this entire page in one of my Moleskines.

so may i introduce to you

Ok, I'm pretty excited about this. It is, I have to say, my most favouritest piece of work I've ever come up with. And, there's hardly a drawing in sight! But, if I tell you I am a mad Peter Blake fan it might just explain why I love it SO much.

The response I got to the call for stamps has already stunned me, and they keep on coming in. Originally, I only needed them to fill up this - the inner cover of my travel Moleskine. But I'm loving them so much that I've already started another big mad drawing collage incorporating them. To those who have sent me stamps, if you can't see yours in this one, keep tuned in. Because this could be just the start of a new stamp based obsession.

Thanks for helping me out guys. I knew I could rely on you.