I'm Moving...

So I'm afraid this is farewell, fair Blogspotters, for I am making the move to tumblr. It seems many fellow illustrators have made the move already, and it seems fit for me to follow. Any of you followers who also have tumblr accounts, please do follow me at http://nicolapatten.tumblr.com/ 

I should think I will be checking back on people I follow regularly or delving into the seemingly complicated world of rss feeds, since there are quite a few blogspotters that I still want to follow.

And so, I bid thee adieu - it has been nice but there comes a time in any girl's life where she must travel, handkerchief-on-stick, to strangers tides.

The Bright Agency

SO... Finally, after lots of working, waiting, and tearing out of hair, the fruits of the Undiscovered Voices launch party have borne and I am now represented by the utterly lovely and very supportive Emma Smith at The Bright Agency! My greetings card work is up as of today on the Bright Art Licensing website and features almost entirely new work, which should go some way to explaining why I have been so quiet recently: Take a look!

Eventually my children's book work will be up there too but it needs a little bit of nurturing first before it is ready to fly the nest.

The Death of Chatterton

A couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Bristol and ended up wandering lost in a failed effort to find actual Bristol from the station (this is more difficult than it sounds). As it transpires, however, ending up somewhat off the usual route can be a blessing in disguise, and I found myself, through fate or idiocy, stumbling upon this unfortunate looking property curiously marooned between two very busy roads. The house, as a little oval plaque helpfully informed me, in which 18th Century poet Thomas Chatterton was born. Chatterton was something of a child prodigy - an extremely gifted young poet who took to forgery in an attempt to have his work respected, convincing many that he had discovered a collection of songs written by a fictional medieval monk called Thomas Rowley. He later commited suicide having moved to London and failed to make a living from his work.

I am not a particular fan of Thomas Chatterton - his poetry contains altogether far too many e's for my liking:

The boddynge flourettes bloshes atte the lyghte;

The mees be sprenged wyth the yellowe hue;

Ynn daiseyd mantels ys the mountayne dyghte;

The nesh yonge coweslepe bendethe wyth the dewe;

The trees enlefed, yntoe Heavenne straughte,

Whenn gentle wyndes doe blowe to whestlyng dynne ys broughte.

I am, however, a big fan of Henry Wallis' painting 'The Death of Chatterton' - in fact it has always been one of my favourite paintings without my really knowing why.

I think now, having happened upon this curious house in the way I did, it has become clearer - both painting and house seem to exude an air of hopelessness and abandon. Chatterton, in this painting, a great and later to be widely renowned poet, is presented as a desperate young boy having torn up his manuscripts and swallowed the arsenic that ended his life. On looking at it, it is as if we have discovered the lost shell of something that was once great and is now empty - and this is how it felt to see the house. Boarded up, falling apart; the last house standing where many once stood, and now surrounded by busy, oblivious traffic.

The house looked as ghostly and lost as the child in the painting - both exist now as material objects that have travelled from a time where they made sense to now, in a modern setting - a busy street, an art gallery - and every so often somebody like me will come along, read the plaque, think a while, and then pass and continue with their modern lives. The difference is, the painting is in a frame on a wall behind a velvet rope, and the building, having fairly recently been occupied by squatters (English Literature students apparantly attempting to renovate the property), has now been boarded up and protected by the somewhat less glamorous 'velvet rope' of Sitexorbis empty property security company.

Some additions to my portfolio

On the 9th of February I will be at the launch party of the Undiscovered Voices anthology that features my viking illustration. There will be lots of agents and art directors present (as well as the illustration chair, Nick Sharratt!) so I have been very busy recently preparing my children's illustration portfolio to be shown at the event. Here are some of the recent additions!

A little sketch to reassure you I'm not dead/my hands haven't fallen off

So the other day I went to see my favourite sea birds Guillemots at Koko in Camden, and the journey home involved an hour wait at Paddington for a train that was to take ANOTHER hour to get me back to Reading. I was, therefore, upon this occasion, the happiest I believe I have ever been to have my trusty Moleskine by my side, and this is the result of my boredom. This is Mr Dangerfield.

This Year's Christmas Cards

I realise this pretty much spoils the surprise for anyone receiving Christmas cards from me or any of my relative that buy cards off my this year. Having said that, since I am so incurably lazy, most of you probably won't be anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.

I have been playing with felting and knitting and enjoying it so expect to see more of this soon!

You can buy a pack of all four of these cards for £6 over on my SHOP!

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be...

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact'ry,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!

That I may never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of Unreflecting Love! - Then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
- Keats

Chinese Tea

I have been drinking a lot of Chinese tea lately thanks to the lovely people at The Essence of Tea in Falmouth, so here is a lady sipping from a Chinese teacup. If anybody is wondering, it is oolong that she is drinking.

I will be making a print of this to sell at the Islington Contemporary Art and Design Fair that I shall be exhibiting at again this year! Also more oriental things on their way since I'm feeling that way inclined recently. Quite possibly some more screenprints in the not too distant future too!

Gee Whizz! She's integrating!

It's true, I'm getting all technical and social networky! I have been talked into creating a facebook page for my illustration on several occasions by several people so just to SHUT THEM UP (and also maybe because it's a good idea), I have created a facebook page for my illustration.

It's here: Nicola Patten Illustration

Also, the homepage of my website now has shiny new (and hideously modern-looking) facebook/ twitter/ blogspot buttons, since that appears to be the done thing these days.

They shall probably follow on the other pages some time when it's not half 1 in the morning and when I've not been living in a field for four days.

Viking makes a discovery

You might be seeing this guy around a fair bit now so please be welcoming. He's pretty friendly really.

Capture Cure 2011

Some of you may remember this lady from the illustration I auctioned off at last year's Capture Cure auction for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Well, the time has come around again and here she is sporting a brand new headscarf from her range of eccentric headgear! Also, she's grown hands! Hurrah! Maybe next year she will have arms too.

When the time comes I shall update you with how to vote for it on facebook to appear in the auction.

Website Updates!

I realise I have been neglecting you again. I can only apologise.

In my defence, I have been working really hard (at getting a tan) in Spain.

I HAVE, however, also been making some changes. My portfolio has had many things removed and added and the portfolio page of my website has since followed. I've taken away the crazy projector thing (which, although providing you visitors with hours of unending fun, was impractical; limiting the space for the actual illustrations to be shown. And I suppose, being an illustration website, the illustrations ought to come first. Sorry, I know it's boring).

I've also arranged the thumbnails into two categories - 'children's illustration' and 'older audiences', which encompasses the books market and greetings cards, along with my personal work - prints and so-forth.

I've been meaning to tidy this page up for a while so currently feel like I would imagine I would feel if I'd just given my room a big tidy (I can only speculate as to what this feels like, as I have not given my room a big tidy in quite some time).

If you spot any problems with it or can think of a better way of wording 'older audiences' please let me know!

_________

Also the 'Echoes' book IS on its way still - I'm rather busy recently so it is being somewhat delayed!

Coming Soon!

A little sneak preview of my new book. I shall reveal all soon but for now this is all you're getting.

http://nicolapatten.bigcartel.com/product/echoes-signed-hand-bound-book

Artquirk

Look what just arrived!

It's the cards I designed for Artquirk! They're up now on www.artquirk.co.uk along with a few familiar Falmouth faces. And one of my designs is on the homepage!

Guillemots

I'm not quite sure why I haven't drawn these lovely people before. But I have now so it's OKAY. Always nice to draw liney people and look through my backlog of Guillemots gig photos for 'research purposes'. Who's next to be under the quill, I wonder?

Some Sketches

I have recently been sketching a bit more and this is something I intend to keep up, despite the embarrassment of being spotted drawing people on trains or in Cafes. As long as nobody asks to SEE the masterpiece portrait you've created of them with a hook nose and wonky eye, all is well with the world, no?

easiskins

Today I went to the Apple Store and was pleasantly surprised to find easiskins iPod skins for sale bearing my instruction illustrations on the backs of the packets! And look how modern they are! Neither a top hat nor a monocle in sight!

The Haberdasher

My Human Haberdashery
Is a truly marvelous chap-
He trims loose ends
Makes do and mends,
And all without mishap.

My human haberdashery
Is always close at hand-
Without his skill
And kind goodwill
This life I could not stand.

But then one day, disaster struck!
Whilst tying off a knot-
With awful luck
He did get stuck
And break free he could not.

You see, my friends, I had no choice
But his needle to retrieve-
And continue to sew
The poor fellow
To line the inside of my sleeve.

Some Pigeons

I'm not sure what to do with them yet, so until I do, they live here.

In This Shirt

You don't have to click this but your life may well be better if you do

I've gone terribly colourful with this and may have to draw lots of brown things to recover. Or maybe it's a NEW ME. Who knows.