Amongst the Violets…

This cartoon illustration takes me right back to just before the millennium, to when it was created in the spring of 1999.   I had been wanting to do a greetings card featuring a quirky hedgehog for a while and, so one day, I sat down and (right out of my head) I sketched Hedley, the Hedgehog, sitting quite happily amongst a bed of sweet violets* and rustling, crisp autumn leaves. 

This illustration means a lot to me on a number of different levels: firstly, I named the hedgehog in honour of a special lady, Kath Hedley, who is a friend and former colleague from Derwentside College.  Secondly, sweet violets are one of my favourite flowers, as they are purple (my favourite colour), but more importantly, I love the smell of violets.  My friends who know me well, know how much I swoon over a packet of Parma Violets (though I am aware that they are not everyone’s favourite sweets!).

There is a lovely story about this illustration.  Once the illustration had been scanned and printed as a card, I sent one of the cards down to my friend, Dorothy McSherry, who, at that time, was ill in Hull hospital.  She carefully opened the envelope and was delighted at seeing the card; it was one of the first greeting cards I had had done, so it was all the more special then. 

Dorothy said: she looked at the hedgehog and the two small ladybirds on the illustration and turned the page over to read the message within.  Then, seconds later, she told me, she looked down at her bed sheets and there on the bed was a ladybird!  She said she did a double-take at seeing the scarlet insect and had to look at the cover of the card again, as it seemed that one of the ladybirds had fallen off :).  Of course, it hadn’t, but it really was quite the most amazing coincidence!

The nurses also saw the humour in that quirky little event, and after they had had a good look at the card, one of the kind nurses took the third ladybird out to the hospital garden to release it.

I am sure Hedley, the hedgehog, would have smiled and been very pleased that his little insect friend was getting as well cared for as Dorothy was in hospital…

* viola odorata

Ladybirds and forget-me-nots…

For those of you who have followed my work for a while now, you will know that my ‘signature tune’ in most of my drawings is a ladybird. I am not totally sure as to how and when I decided to put these little scarlet beetles into my drawings, but I do know why I am so particularly fond of them. When I was a little boy my Grandfather Lake was keen on growing roses and he and I would go to the site of the old swamp in Tanfield Lea and gather as many ladybirds as we could find to put on his roses. They were very hardworking gardening allies and kept all the pests at bay; my Grandfather’s roses flourished year-after-year. Through the years, the ladybirds became more and more prominent in my work and it now reminds me of dear friends, such as Mildred from Carlisle and Dorothy from Whitehaven.

So, whilst having lunch at Hexham Fish Bar with my friends from Carlisle, Mary and Peter Lupton, Mary turned to me and said, “Darling, what are you going to do for your next blog post?” I wasn’t sure and later when we were talking to Stella, the young lady that works in the fish bar, Mary suggested I give her one of my business cards. Stella’s family are from Cyprus and she pointed out the ladybird on my logo. I asked her what the insects are called in Cyprus and she said she would check with her father. He said that they are called Babavura or Paparouna, which relates to ladybirds bearing the same colours as the field poppy – scarlet and black. Quite appropriate! Whatever your nationality it would seem that ladybirds are lucky or beneficial insects in most countries or cultures with pet names such as ‘God’s Cow’ and ‘Mary’s/Our Lady’s Beetle’ -relating to the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted in early mediaeval paintings wearing scarlet and black robes, instead of the traditional white and blue that people are now familiar with.

So, on this very sunny and warm Good Friday, I decided to sit down and do a very quick coloured pencil sketch of ladybirds on one of my favourite flowers, forget-me-nots. I allowed myself a very strict time limit to do this illustration and I just managed to meet the deadline. I felt a little bit silly for sitting in drawing on such a glorious April day, but with the window open and the sun pouring through it was like being outside inside. I enjoyed doing the illustration and it was interesting to see just how many colours were used to create the final piece of artwork!

Elliot – Boy’s Birth Picture

I am still loving every one of the birth illustrations that I am being asked to do. I have done numerous themes, ranging from dragons, mermaids and jungle animals. Although, I really like all of the themes, I must admit that I do like the animal themes, especially the new ones, that incorporate an animal suitable to each letter of the child’s name i.e. AMELIA: A for anelope, M for monkey, E for elephant…
My latest illustration, for a little boy called Elliot, was one that I have enjoyed doing. The first letter E was given an elephant, as I find that this is one of the animals most requested by parents (giraffes and hippopotamuses are popular too) and was consequently followed by a menagerie of creatures, including a leopard, llama, insects, owls (I love owls!), and a tiger. I also added a toucan in the picture, as it has become an image that I have used frequently in my illustrations and on my corporate and promotional literature.

I have found that matching the colours of the illustration to the theme of the nursery, is also a nice touch and parents like the fact that you are taking a genuine interest in where the final commission is going to ‘live’ or ‘hang’.

Here’s to many more birth illustrations that I will enjoy doing, what will it be next, walruses, pelicans, turtles or flamingos?