I don't think I ever posted this on here...

I wasn't a huge fan of this quick little painting when I first did it, but it's grown on me. I wanted to have a go at a fairly naive and simple drawing of an imaginary yet typical British house.

The original is for sale over on Etsy.

I actually made this tee before Christmas, but it was never the weather to photograph it whenever I remembered about it... 

It was created by dragging a paintbrush dipped in diluted bleach solution over the fabric in horizontal stripes. I love how the pink works against the grey and the scruffy uneven lines.

The t-shirt is available on Etsy. I wanted to experiment a bit with the photographs because mine aren't the best. They still aren't fantastic, but they are a pretty vast improvement! It's difficult to find a setting.

This reminded me also that I purchased freezer paper whilst in the USA. It can be used to make stencils for bleaching shirts. So far, all my designs have been created by freehand painting. With the weather warming up, I'll have to get outside and create.

A couple of weeks ago I fancied practising drawing buildings and using watercolour. I'd been collecting reference images of medieval and piratey style buildings.  This is an observational drawing based on this awesome rendering. 

I like the brick detailing on the bottom front of the building but the rest is a bit pants actually...

A local theme park to me, Chessington World of Adventures, recently announced an upgrade following the removal of large theming pieces on their log flume called Dragon Falls. And on their website, they've asked for people to send in their designs of what it should look like for the chance to win a season pass.

I know it's meant to be for kids... But I couldn't resist. Besides, it gives me the opportunity to practice. Here's what it used to look like...

The greatest success of this old design was that it was superb for spectators and made the drop look huge. The giant Cambodian style heads were not actually that big. It was forced perspective and the distance away guests view this scene that made it work. So, I want to make sure any new design replicated that, whilst being fresh, new and perhaps a better ride experience. The attraction has raised the height restriction for children since opening, so I thought it would be good if it could be a little scarier or mature. With this in mind...

I really like the idea of it being partially enclosed, as it provides opportunity to use some kind of narrative and theme within the dark... But it doesn't look as nice as I'd hoped. Maybe that's just me sucking.

 Pretty for onlookers, but boring for riders?

I had this idea of the exit being like a dragon's mouth in the rock but... It doesn't really fit the park vibe or look very oriental.

Another dragon mouth idea.

This is a very under worked concept, inspired by a real temple waterfall in China This could be a way to enclose the top of the drop, perhaps.

Hopefully more to come!

On Friday after work, a few of us met at the Natural History Museum in London to make the most of the late night opening they do on the last Friday of every month. It turns out it's not the best environment for drawing as it's both dark and fairy busy, but the atmosphere is nice. We didn't see anyone else drawing, either. I think it's best to stick to the V&A for evening doodling. 

None of these turned out great. But it's the process that counts... Right? Er.