Activity in a bag

For arts and crafts volunteering over the festive season, I had designed an activity that involved both – decorating a sketchbook and drawing in it. The paper and board were waste, from the Yodomo Circular Hub in Hackney. I like waste for workshops – it’s a good thing environmentally and it takes away … Read More

The story of the Christmas sketchwalk

This year, by way of a Christmas greeting, I decided to sketch London places with Christmassy names and make them into a little book. The project turned out to be more complex, and more interesting, than I’d thought… The sketchwalk is made of several smaller sketchwalks, after meetings, between errands … Read More

Breather

Behind the scenes My preparatory work for Breather, my piece for 26 Inspirations, part of the Bloomsbury Festival, started with several sketchwalks. I know the route well but it was considerably bendier than it was in my imagination of a linear drawing… And then there was rain. Biro is wonderfully … Read More

Colour chemistry

The point of playtime… Away from my desk, I grow things, I draw things growing – and sometimes I join it up, turning growing things into things to draw with. I’ve saved petals from French marigold dead-headings. For a while, I’ve been using the basic method of hot water and salt … Read More

& a cake

Could I provide a logo for a bakery, Bowen Craggs asked. It’s one of the more surreal brand requests I’ve had. But unflappability in the face of events goes with my job so I set to finding out about the production requirements of cupcake branding. I looked at how we … Read More

Just looking

Sent anywhere, I will find time to explore… Thus, travelling to Taunton to be a mentor for Ideas Foundation’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant workshop day at Bridgwater & Taunton College, I travelled early to enjoy the luxury of looking. People-watching at Paddington station. A wander to French Weir Park just because … Read More

The baking of a podcast

Baking. That’s not on the list of things I do in my work… But Studio Snack, a five minute podcast series I’ve been cooking up with fellow designer Narcis Sauleda, brought up the subject of biscuit typography. Baking letterforms is an interesting exercise in itself – it makes you think about … Read More

Just looking

“Ooh, look at that ampersand!”… Exploring anywhere with me is a thing of constant distractions. Here, two signs I designed for a pepperpot lodge house in Suffolk, created to do their job in directing deliveries and visitors while being part of the place and its setting; and from a visit … Read More

A circular illustration

Artist Angie Clarke introduced me to Beaucatcher salon in Stoke Newington, Hackney. Beaucatcher gave me my first exhibition, my first illustrated shop window and orchestrated A Very Stokey Christmas, a local shops initiative, which I illustrated. Through that, I worked with Karen at homeware shop Know & Love – who won … Read More

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