cygnus papilio

cygnus papilio & only fools and peacocks

 last thursday my very good friend joseph goode held his first exhibition and with the help from a few friends, his launch party was suitably fabulous.
along with myself, 9 other girls - and the man himself dressed up in vintage burlesque gear provided by the brilliant peacock sisters and their fancy dress company 'only fools and peacocks'.

the lovely kiki helping me with my eye makeup

getting ready

ready to mingle - an outfit straight out of the moulin rouge!

i fell in love witht his bowler hat from only fools and peacocks

a quick visit to cygnuspapilio.com will fill you in on everything you need to know about joey and his incredible artwork. a little bit vintage, alot quirky and very very beautiful. we did some professional shots for the peacock sisters and sas soon as they are available i will post them for all to see.
the event was held in a venue called netil house in east london and reflected the tone of the work perfectly. there are so many directions in which joey could go now and goodness knows, i throw suggestions at him left, right and centre but, for now, he just wants to make the world a more beautiful place - one butterfly at a time.

special skies

 one of the last sunny days of summer here in london and the day was spent with a special person at my favourite london landmark, tower brigde. the part of the embankment between tower and london bridges is pretty spectacular too. mr whippy icecreams and holding hands makes my heart flutter....

13 years in london and it still gives me goose bumps

beautiful skies

im concentrating on taking pictures!!

and my wrist decoration, made by me!

this is sky to take your breath away

special skies spent with a special person

i love love love sky. clouds can produce the most beautiful colour and textures. alot of the scenic pictures i take have the sky as the main focus of the image, especially when they are as dramatic as some of these images.

biro happy

i start by sketching a pencil outline that sets the scale and  gets the features in the right position, then i just start filling in the face. By varying the strength of the pen mark i can create lots of different strokes and effects. the biro ink also creates alot of texture and thats why i favour the biro over a pencil.

i love sketching these girls. and i always sketch girls, never boys... i sometimes change my style and the medium i use, but you can still see that they are mine. i'll post more as they happen. and they should happen rather quickly because i'm loving how much time i now have to be creative.

a very special new addition

baby eva joined us a couple of weeks ago after many many years of trying and wishing and hoping and praying. 2 rounds of IVF produced nothing but because she was wanted so so so much, and just when my lovely friends had all but given up hope, along she came, totally naturally and as if  she was just waiting for exactly the right time.
she is beautiful and healthy and her parents, my wonderfully patient, marvellous friends are the happiest people alive.
so welcome, baby eva. we are so happy to have you here x

i started her 'welcome' card with graphic pens and made large swirls and simple patterns with romantic colours. i have never been one to stick to blue for a boy and pink for a girl so all the colours went in there. then, i took my weapon of choice - the humble biro and doodled her welcome message.
mamma loves the card,and i have it on good authority that eva was very impressed too.

helluva sexy lady

doodle cards

good news and personal cards. scribbled with my favourite medium, the humble biro.

for a gorgeous couple who just announced their engagement.....congratulations ladies.

and for the lovely julie who chose to celebrate her birthday with a babysitter and then drowning us all in wine and jack daniels...CHEERS!...hic!

London and LA

A sunny day walking around brick lane, deep in the heart of the east end of london. city boys mix with street sweepers and stall holders. the market is being set up and everyone is busy going somewhere and doing something. food smells waft past my nose and i am distracted from my graffiti hunting with the invitation to an american brunch. pancakes,waffles,french toast,sausage and bacon all drenched in maple syrup and washed down with coca cola poured from glass bottles.

peace out