Litter arty…

Location: Hammersmith. A delicate balance of unrecyclable jumbo paper cups and king size filter tip on a real slow burn. I suspect two coffee (or tea) drinkers and at least one light smoker. Maybe a first time smoker who has a bad memory or was distracted by something. Both drinkers makeup free. Most likely has had some art school training or works in a shop where they are responsible for window displays or folding things. Maybe someone who has worked as a Japanese zen rock gardener.

Caution: contents may be hot.

Missing: tablecloth (lace) (white)

In a tree along the river.

Premier League Writing Stars launch...

Tonight the Premier League launched the new Primary Stars poetry book ‘Beautifully Different, Wonderfully the Same’ in Pall Mall. 

The book is full of children’s poems on the subject of diversity and some celebrity poems too, inspired by Joseph Coelho’s poem, whose title was used for this book’s title. One of the winners of the poetry prize was there too, travelling down from Birmingham to read her poem to a packed room of adults drinking champagne. Maariya signed my copy of the book and when I asked her what she and her dad were doing that night in London she said she was driving back to Birmingham because she had school the next day. 

Whether they had written a poem before or not, children are always fearless and candid when they try writing and this anthology is no different. 

Maariya Khan’s poem ‘an Ordinary Girl from Birmingham’.

Festival of Ideas was a great idea…

Thanks to everyone who made it along to the Royal Academy Festival of Ideas yesterday. And thanks to the RA, Catherine, Amy, Mary Sackville-West, Abi Sparrow, and to everyone who sorted out the AV. It’s a fine venue, and we were very comfortable being in the hot seat there.

Making Stories at the Festival of Ideas…

Tomorrow at the Royal Academy in Piccadilly I’ll be speaking with Children’s Laureate Lauren Child about making Lauren’s illustrated books. We’ll be giving away a rare signed slipcase of the original Charlie and Lola picture books too. I have questions to ask about what it takes to develop an idea into an illustrated book and we’ll be looking at how Lauren works and makes her pictures. And there’s book signing afterward. Come along and say hello.

Chair used by permission of the Children’s Laureate.

A chance meeting…

These subjects have nothing to do with each other and there is no explanation for their sequence. They’re not great drawings, but I like finding spreads like this in old books.

Note: absence of the word ‘juxtaposed’ in this post.

Librarian graffiti…

Your paperwork seems to be in order…

A relic and its reliquary.

I don't remember drawing that…

Good weather, bring earplugs…

In France it was hot, with noisy insects (cicadas) creaking forever. Outside the gite, there was an ant nest that was populated enough to spoil the tranquility of breakfast and lunch. But it was hot.