This is a quick programming note to say that I won’t be blogging for the next two weeks. I’ll be back (with a vengeance) after that, so don’t worry (assuming you were worrying, that is).
… But you can still find me on Instagram where the fun never stops.
Over and out.
Hello! This is part of my Natural History Museum series – I’ve been taking photos for the beetles department (aka the ‘Coleoptera section of the Terrestrial Invertebrates Division’). I will be sharing my favourite images with you every week!
Last week at the museum, I was looking through drawers of new specimens when I stumbled across trays of butterflies. It was a surprise to find them in the beetles department – butterflies are not beetles! They’re classed as lepidoptera, and they have their own museum hangout! However, after weeks of looking at compact little beetles, I was struck by the sheer novelty of broad, soft wings. I couldn’t help but whip my camera back out of my bag to take a few quick snaps.
These particular butterflies were brought back from Tanzania. Aren’t they beautiful? I love the vibrant colours and crisp black lines and fuzzy little bodies. There’s just something so non-threatening about them, which probably explains why they’re loved by even the most passionate of insect-haters. How can you hate something so delicate and good-looking? It’s just not possible.
Hello. I’ve been quiet for too long, and this is part of the reason why: WISDOM TEETH. Evil, evil wisdom teeth making my gums look like angry red balloons. I have a history of drawing my way through pain and illness, and this episode has been no exception. Behold!
That’s all from me today – I’m off to gargle some salt water! I should be back to regular programming shortly and have a bunch of new drawings and photos to share with you. Oh, and, If you get a spare second, please send some good vibes to my miserable mouth!
Hello! This is a weekly feature where I share my photos with you. I carry my camera everywhere, and I constantly take pictures of things that excite me. Prepare to see lots of colours and patterns through my lens.
I went to the Beach House concert in London last week, and the stage was filled with ethereal lights and smoky colours. The show seemed to subconsciously inspire me, because I’ve been taking a lot of foggy photos in a similar colour palette. I’ve thrown all the photos together in this post, as I think they play off each other nicely. I hope you enjoy them!
Hello! This is part of my Natural History Museum series – I’ve been taking photos for the beetles department (aka the ‘Coleoptera section of the Terrestrial Invertebrates Division’). I will be sharing my favourite images with you every week!
I had an extra-good time at the museum last week. The design team needed images of Madagascan beetles, and I was handed the keys to the collection and given free reign to photograph whichever specimens I liked! Lucky meeee! You should have seen me, peering into tray after tray filled with beetles of all shapes and colours, muttering to myself in a state of sensory over-excitement. Unsurprisingly, I picked out a bunch of shiny ones. Of course. (In my defence, they’re harder to photograph, so you can’t say I went for the easy option.)
Above: The spectacular underside of one specimen. So beautiful that I can hardly stand it.
Subtle (and not-so-subtle) copper and rose-gold tones, with the occasional flash of green.
These ones were particularly shiny! Whenever I look at them, I think of molten metal.
Madagascan wildlife is often unusual and striking, and the beetles are no different. I’m so lucky to have access to the Natural History Museum’s beetle collections – a big thanks to the department for letting me loose in there!
Hello! I’ve got more work to show you! These are sort-of-but-not-really new, and if they look familiar it’s because they are. You see, I spent yesterday afternoon playing with Photoshop (again), converting this drawing into a set of stylized images. It’s so easy to get sucked into a Photoshop black hole where several hours disappear – it’s my equivalent of a Playstation 3. No joke.
Which one’s your favourite? Mine is the blue/purple one with a rubber stamp-like treatment. The last image is a bit cheesy, what with the mosaic texture, but I really love it! It makes me want to touch it! Ha!
Hello! If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that I’ve been (whining about being) ill all week. It has not been pleasant. However, there is a silver lining! I sketch a lot more when I’m sick, simply because I spend less time working on front of the computer. So, life really is good, oh yes.
Drawing is a kind of meditation for me; I get completely absorbed in the activity (which is GREAT because it means I forget about my sore throat and throbbing ears). I’ll often come out of a drawing-trance and be almost surprised at what I’ve made. My miserable sickly self was definitely surprised when I looked down and saw that I’d spelt out ‘Life is good oh yes’. Ha.
This drawing makes me happy. I like the way the floral pattern obscures the text, so that the words don’t jump out at you straight away. That way, you get a nice surprise a few seconds later when you squint and read it. Another silver lining, I suppose.
Hello! Happy Monday! I hope your weekends were better than mine – I have a cold and haven’t left my house since Thursday. Since Thursday! Anyway, germs aside, there are a few bits and pieces I’ve been meaning to tell you about:
If you love arts + the environment, you should join us! I blogged about it last month – details here.
Come and join the lonely new kid at the party.
Killer Design / Cake Styling / Paintings / Accessories
If you follow Thefty on Google Reader, fear not! You can transfer over to Bloglovin’ and keep following!
Hello! I rarely post on Saturdays, but I’m stuck at home with a disgusting cold, and it’s snowing outside. I woke up at 7am this morning to take my delicious flu medicines, and when I pulled back the curtains I got a shock of the cold/ white/ flaky kind. Urgh, thought I, this is awful, I must draw about it. And so I did.
Now, let us not pretend that this is the finest artistic endeavour I’ve ever undertaken. It’s a messy sketch produced by bleary morning eyes and hands shaky with SNOW RAGE. However, I needed to share it with all of you, especially the ones who might be feeling the same about our snowy springtime friend. Share it with your friends, Londoners, and maybe Mister Snow will take the hint.
p.s. On a lighter note, I joined Instagram today – come and find me! I’m theftypix.
Hello! This is a weekly feature where I share my photos with you. I carry my camera everywhere, and I’m always taking pictures of things that excite me. Prepare to see lots of colours, patterns and good times through my lens!
My latest jumper + necklace combo. It’s still really cold in London, so I’m trying to keep my winter clothes interesting!
I’ve been eating a lot more soft boiled eggs since I bought these fluoro plastic egg cups. Aren’t they great? (Yes.)
Speaking of fluoro, I think this is the brightest lunch I’ve ever had.
So. I’d been perving on this mug from Design House Stockholm for a very long time…so when I spotted its doppelgänger on sale for a mere 95p in a charity shop, I had to buy it! So, so pleased.
Now, this was even more exciting than the mug. I was photographing specimens at the museum when this label caught my eye. It’s one of Charles Darwin‘s own specimens! Argh! This resulted in a complete fangirl meltdown moment.
These biscuits are Iced VoVos, a favourite treat from my Aussie childhood. I finally cracked open the box I’d brought back from my holiday last December, and they were good.
On my desk this week: Jars of paint water, bowls of fruit, and brand new drawings.
It has been a bright and jam-packed week! What have you been up to?
Hello! I finished this illustration yesterday, and have been eagerly waiting to show it to you. This one is really quite special: It’s a private commission, and is going to be a gift for someone who is unwell and deserves some cheering up! I love the idea that my drawings could make someone feel even a tiny bit better, and I really hope my drawing fulfils its purpose. I’ll definitely be posting this one off along with an extra pinch of good vibes.
On a more technical note, I really enjoyed going back to my roots with this one – it’s just watercolour and pen on card, with not a bit of Photoshop in sight! I’d forgotten how much I relax when I sit down and work on a detailed piece, with the radio playing in the background. I hope you like it.
Hello! I’m very excited to announce that two of my prints have been selected for the Blog & Buy Sale Spring Wishlist! You can see my items here and here.
The wishlist is a showcase of ‘the very best creative products from independent artists & designers’, and runs until the 5th of May. I’m thrilled to have my posters selling alongside the work of so many other brilliant designers – If you want to see some of my favourites, scroll to the end of this post.
It was very difficult to choose favourites from the wishlist, as there are too many great items to choose from. However, here’s a small list of items which really caught my eye.
Beardy Man Malcolm Cushion, by Laura Gee Illustration
Sign Language ‘Well Done’ Card, by JollyGoodStudio
Miss Floral Hand Illustrated Shoes, by Sam Pierpoint
Badger Stud Earrings, by A Girl Called Boz
Woodland Critters Temporary Tattoos, by DB Illustrations
Knit & Loop Mug and Plate Set, by Room 39
Cheetah Says Fuck Off A4 Giclee Print, by Laura Gee Illustration
Solitude Screen Print, by Enclosed Spaces
And, of course, don’t forget to check out my posters!
Be Happy A3 Poster, by Thefty
Chin Up! A3 Poster, by Thefty
Hello! I’ve got something very different for you today! If you were a follower of my old blog, you might know what a teleidoscope is. I’ve had mine for years, and it lives on my desk in my pencil mug. Whenever I’m feeling uninspired, I pick it up and walk around my house peering through it. Yesterday, I took this to another level, and decided to shoot a short film through my teleidoscope!
The film is completely silent, but I strongly recommend you play this track by Andrew Bird at the same time!
I also took a series of photos through the teleidoscope. If you look closely, you’ll see books, wooden flooring, a fireplace, and even my slippers. I’ve uploaded many more to the Thefty Facebook Page. Go and have a look!
Hello! This is part of my Natural History Museum series – I’ve been taking photos for the beetles department (officially known as the ‘Coleoptera section of the Terrestrial Invertebrates Division’)! I will be sharing my favourite images with you every week, so stay tuned!
Today I’m showcasing some stripy, golden beauties (click here for a detailed close-up). Aren’t they stunning? I love the contrast of soft metallic gold vs. glossy black stripes and swooping antennae. Have a look:
My (accidentally) matching gold nails and black ring.
Nature: Just Too Cool. When I stumble across specimens like these, I can’t help but marvel at how much style nature has. I’m a complete sucker for shiny metallics and bold stripes (in case ya hadn’t noticed), so it’s nice to know that I share the same tastes as mother nature! Those are my hands in the photos – I happened to be wearing matching nail polish and jewellery on this particular day, which made me extra excited.
Hello! This is a weekly feature where I share my photos with you. I carry my camera everywhere, and I’m always taking pictures of things that excite me. Prepare to see lots of colours, patterns and good times through my lens!
Last week was oh so colourful! For a brief moment I convinced myself that spring had arrived.
A snippet of my embarrassingly large and tacky earring collection. The fish bones are my current favourites.
Isn’t this mask beautiful? I love the colour scheme and those crazy yellow eyes.
I dug out my old headphones last week, and realised that they’re the exact same colour as my new phone case. Ha!
As soon as the sun came out I ran to the flower nursery. Sadly, I was too indecisive to buy any plants.
A massive pan of melting marshmallows: Rice Krispie treats in the making.
Hello! I had some free time yesterday, so I picked up a red pen and started scribbling on scraps of paper. I scanned one of the drawings – a doll in a party hat – and went wild on Photoshop. As you can see, I’m a fan of creating repeating patterns and layering one on top of the other. I get really excited when I get to play around with colours and patterns – I guess my retinas really enjoy being bombarded!
A funny thought: Although red is the colour I wear the most, I hardly ever use it in my artwork. On the contrary, you’ll find shades of blue all over my drawings, but I don’t own a single piece of blue clothing (except for a single pair of electric blue tights). Isn’t that strange? I wonder why that is.
Random observations aside, I reckon the last image would make for some excellent wrapping paper. What do you think?
Hello! This is my entry for To Dry For’s annual design competition. ToDryFor is an online boutique specialising in designer tea towels, and I love them in the way I love anything that combines illustration and puns! Below is a mock-up of my tea towel and me. (I already own one of their lovely towels, so I had the perfect template!)
All of the towels are screen-printed, so I needed to work with a limited number of colours. Naturally, I chose four of my very favourite shades of blue/green. The phrase ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ immediately sprung to mind when I started brainstorming for the brief, so I decided to go for a text-based design.
In case you’re wondering: I don’t believe in god, but I most definitely believe in cleanliness.
Hello! This post is part of my Natural History Museum series – I’ve been lending my photography skills to the ‘Coleoptera section of the Terrestrial Invertebrates Division’ (which roughly translates as ‘beetles department’). I will be sharing my favourite images with you every week, so stay tuned!
This week I want to show you some pins. Yes, pins. Have you ever looked at museum specimens? If so, you may have noticed that they’re perfectly laid out, with their six wiry limbs in a neat, symmetrical arrangement – see above. Unfortunately, this does not happen by magic. It is done with pins, and lots of precision.
Before specimens go on display, they are soaked in alcohol and left to dry while in a ‘cage’ of pins. Think of these pins as scaffolding, holding everything in place. I know I’ll be called a crazy artist (again) by the people in the department, but I think the cages look quite beautiful! Sort of like crowns of thorns, or rays of light beaming out. Here’s my artistic representation:
The final product, after the pins have been removed:
P.S. I know some of you are squeamish about insects, so I’ve been trying to only publish pictures of the pretty ones. The problem is, I think they’re all pretty ones! I hope you agree – and please let me know if you don’t!
Hello! It’s the 1st of March! I’m so happy that winter is (theoretically) over that I made a celebratory doodle.
That is all. The end.
Hello! This is a weekly feature where I share my photos with you. I carry my camera everywhere, and I’m always taking pictures of things that inspire me. Prepare to see lots of colours, patterns and good times through my lens!
This is meant to be a weekly feature but I’ve been oh so busy over the last…er…month. To apologise, I’m giving you a mega-mashup of my favourite photos from February. They include a couple of market trips (to East London and Camden Passage) and some colourful ones taken at home. Also, because I’m feeling extra-generous, there’s a bonus video at the end. Oh yes. Enjoy!
For the record, I don’t think the East End sucks. I love it. I spent a freeeezing Sunday walking around Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market, snapping at street art and old-school bric-a-brac.
A sneaky self portrait taken in a vintage mirror.
My flat is often full of rainbows. (I’ve got crystals on my windows, you see.)
More pictures after the jump. Read the rest of this entry
