lifestyle
A quick trip across the channel, and a weekend in Paris in August. Lovely. 
This is the view from our hotel, right in the centre of Saint Germain des Pres, on the left bank. Not many shops were open, it being the weekend, and also August, so we spent the time strolling in the parks,
sipping chocolat in cafes, and generally just having a relaxing time...
My HK toile design has again been adapted by Lane Crawford, the high end department store in HK, in new neon brights, for their summer collection electronic gift card.
You can purchase it on the Lane Crawford website...
Hurrah for the Olympics in London! It's going well, the sun is out, and everyone is happy. This week I went to see the men's weightlifting. It was fascinating, and we saw the Chinese gold medal winner break two world records. Amazing...
It was pretty hard to sketch, as it happens so quickly, but it was sort of like this!
I went to visit the art department of the Wall Street Journal in New York, and got a copy of the 'Off Duty' section of the paper that I did a fashion cover for in December. I'm so happy with it! It features catwalk photographs of models, in an illustrated party setting.
I did this fun little illustration for the Chicago Tribune not that long ago, that featured advice from top chefs on cooking at home. Imagine you had an army of little chefs to help you when you're making that complicated dish...
I recently illustrated a little piece about the best ways to sleep, for Woman's Day magazine in the US. My favourite drawings were these little sleep-inducing sheep...
So, it's that time again. I'm working at the thinkgadgets lighting stand at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia in London next week (2 - 6 Nov), please come and say hello!
I've worked for thinkgadgets since it started, over 10 years ago, designing light-shapes, creating illustrations for their packaging, and doing work on their website (check out the link above). The lights are all decorative, and are usually sold in large stores, like John Lewis, Libertys, The White Co etc. But the Fair is a chance to see all the collection together!
This is a drawing of one of their colourful light-chains, and here's one of my favourite light mobiles (I designed the shapes, they change colour!)
I help out every year at the Christmas fair, it's great to get direct feedback from people buying lights I've designed. Hope to see you there!
Hello! I've just found out that an illustration I entered into the Cathay Pacific competition 'connecting your world' won a prize! I'm very excited. The competition was for images or text that showed how air transport connected Hong Kong to the world, in a creative and inspiring way, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight to HK in 1911.
My winning picture...
And the photo I entered, that didn't win, but that I still think is pretty good ...
My favourite view in the world (Hong Kong island) ...
So, my good friend Ping got married this May, and I designed his wedding invitations, and also created a special map for him of Central Park in NY (where he made his romantic proposal). The style brief for the invitation was a vintage, country feel, with a quirky, hand-made aesthetic; light-bulbs hanging from wooden rafters and flowers in jam jars, that sort of thing.
I created a simple, hand-lettered invitation, in two slightly retro colours, with a few illustrative details. Inside, the card was also hand-lettered.
The card design was used as a detail throughout the wedding, with cards on the tables as menus, place settings and memory cards, where everyone could write notes for the bridal couple and hang them up on a washing line...
The map I created for them was a narrative of where they walked that day, where Ping hesitated, where they got lost, and where he finally proposed.
It was used as an animated feature in a mini-movie of the wedding, and also as a back-drop for the stage at the reception:
What a lovely wedding...
*the photographs were taken by Tec Petaja
Today I'll be talking you through my portfolio: how I've divided and sub-divided the sections and why. The first section is 'editorial'. This features illustrations I've done for magazines and newspapers. I've split this into several themes: 'food', because I like doing work on this subject the most, 'lifestyle', because so much fits under its umbrella, 'people', because they’re always engaging and 'horoscopes', as every illustrator quite simply must have one.
The next section is 'special commissions'. This contains projects that are unique and don't necessarily fit easily into any fixed category. These are the projects I love best. Among them are ceramics for Tiffany & Co., backdrops for a photoshoot for Martha Stewart Weddings, and drawings on napkins for a charity exhibition.
'books' features all the large publishing projects I've worked on, from the detailed illustrations throughout the River Cottage everyday cookbook, to the many children's books I've illustrated, finishing with my book covers for various international novels.
I've been making maps for many years, almost from the beginning of my career, and the 'map' section shows a highlight of the various kinds: 'large scale' shows maps that are close-up and detailed, with road names and exact locations. 'small scale' tends to be maps of large areas, or whole countries, where capturing the atmosphere is most important. 'Penline' shows maps with a looser line, in a more graphic style, while 'concept' features more unusual maps, with a specific angle.
'editions' showcases my art prints: etchings (of ceramics and travel), Japanese woodblock prints, lithographs, and also a small selection of my medium-format photographs.
The section entitled 'personal work' shows the more intimate side of what I do. Sketchbooks are my constant companions, where all that I see and think are noted for future reference. 'things I've made' are objects I create, decorate and make interesting, 'greetings cards' is where I show the special cards I've designed, while 'exhibitions' contains photographs of the shows I've had of my work.
'about' tells you a little about me (you can see what I look like too), 'clients' is a list of some of the people I've worked for, and 'contact' tells you how you can find me to tell me, well, anything you'd like really. Or better still, that you'd like to commission me for something....
Oh, there's also a discreet 'links' button at the bottom of the page to let you know other websites I like.
