Up the hole, round the tree and down the hole.

Another day sitting at my desk; six layers, a woolly hat and umpteen cups of tea going cold before I drink them. It is freezing in here. I've been drawing trees and bunny rabbits for some nitty gritty knot illustrations I am working on. (No prizes for guessing which knot this is!?)

I like to listen to BBC Radio 4. Sometimes I have to concentrate so hard I have to turn the radio off, but today I was listening and drawing. This morning, Woman's Hour had a special "Women in Business" programme, and Jane Garvey was chitchatting with a panel of female entrepreneurs. She asked the successful business women to give an inspirational tip to any small business listener trying to do it for herself...

"Self promotion is not a sin," was the cry I most remember.
The trouble is, I think it is, and therein lies my problem.

Dedication

You have to be quite dedicated to sit through all of that last post. Please forgive me for inflicting such a whopper video-clip upon you, but the amazingly yellow deck paint (which you have to get at least halfway through to see) has got to be worth a smile, and good characters in nice woolly hats are always a joy to see!

Here are some nautical knobs that I promise won't waste more than a second of your time, and a few more for people who like pink.

How to build a boat.

Sheena from christopher Cohen on Vimeo.

Happy New Year

Welcome to the 2012th year of exciting adventures, fanciful painting, drawing, making and all manner of seaside shenanigans to keep you and me amused... see you soon.(I still have absolutely no idea exactly how old Mariner's Way actually is, and nor have the inhabitants.)

Mariner's Way

This gorgeous old house is full of gorgeous small people. They are my lovely neighbours, a pebble's throw from me and a pebble's throw from the seashore. The plasterwork on the front of Mariner's Way says 1624, but apparently the inside dates from even earlier. I'll do some finding out and let you know...

This is how alot of my work begins; I draw then I chop, stick, and chop again, re-sizing, scribbling and jiggling until I am happy. Then I draw it all again!

B is for Beatrice

Meet baby Bea, I like her alot. She is destined for a nautical life, so I made her a little picture,
and here she is in her lifeboat jersey, lovingly knitted by brilliant Lil.

Quiet Expectations

The trouble with a long silence is the growing pressure to break it with a post that is brilliant. Here is a lovely old postcard courtesy of the wonderful Graphics Fairy.