Astrid

A quick sketch of the stunning French-Spanish actress and model Àstrid Bergès-Frisby, who will soon be appearing as a mermaid in Pirates 4. I'm actually quite pleased with the likeness for once.

More importantly, however, this lovely lady, combined with the gutsy heroine of the same name from How to Train Your Dragon, has pushed the name Astrid cleanly into my top spot. It wouldn't be that traumatising for a child, would it?

HB pencil, adjusted in PS so that it's actually visible

Peck around town

We get these lesser spotted woodpeckers in our garden quite a lot at the moment. Their plumage is just stunning - so striking. Not a great scan, but I know from experience that my scanner can totally take me down in a fight. It's as stubborn as an old mule and you can't help but admire its dogged steadfastness.

Waterproof marker and watercolours

Here comes the sun

An old still life. I know summer is still a long way off, and I'm not wishing spring away, but it's definitely getting warmer!

Pencil and watercolour

Male figure drawing

Some sketches focusing on male anatomy. References from some wonderful stock artists on deviantART: BODYSTOCKS, kjcharmedfreak and justmeina.

HB pencil, paper

Blustery day coloured

Felt like slapping some colour on my doodle from the other day. I tried to concentrate on trying to evoke the light and colours of autmun. I didn't want to add in much shading or highlights because I wanted to keep the picture book illustration style.

Pencil and PS with wacom tablet.

Blustery day

Trying to draw more often and put things up here more often to motivate myself, so here's a little doodle I've been doing in odd moments over the last couple of days. I think it originally started with the tree bent over in the wind and spread out slowly.

Yes, those are some beasty big waves.

Pencil and paper. I had to fiddle with it massively in PS just so I could actually see the drawing since the scan was so poor.

Caught in the slightest wind, everything else unravels

A sketch done while listening to the honeyed tones of The Hush Sound. I felt like experimenting with colouring it in photoshop, but then couldn't decide whether I preferred the coloured or uncoloured version, so I've ended up posting both.

And since the roof fell in I'll lean on what matters,

Caught in the slightest wind everything else unravels.

Paper, pencil, a good dollop of teenage angst and PS (for the second one)

Venetian

Biro and watercolours