A tea ceremony of sorts

I only realised after drawing this that the abstract shapes might resemble the different ages of a person through their life, from cells to an elderly figure.

Stowaway

I started drawing a comic tonight, curious to see where it will take me.

My new website is now online: http://www.emma-ridgway.co.uk/

Beginning to animate my drawings...

I've been learning how to turn my illustrations into GIFs this morning.

Patreon

I've joined Patreon. It's a way for people to support artists/designers/musicians etc by pledging a small amount of money each month - as little as $1 (60p). A bit like Kickstarter, but ongoing, and without the focus on one big project. And you can cancel at any time. (see FAQ)

In return for this support, I'll be creating and posting new work each week - with a focus on comics - and I'll share a bit more of the process that goes into my work. I've also added rewards for anyone interested in pledging over $10 (£6) a month, including badges, linoprints, and original art.

If you're interested in supporting my work and want to know more, click here: http://www.patreon.com/emmaridgway

(Captain Quote Man takes a line for a walk)

Cyril

A drawing I made of my Grandad Cyril while he was having a conversation with my Dad.

From my notebook (entry dated 25/5/14):

My Dad looks younger when he talks about my Grandad. He looks more like pictures of him when he was 17, when he talks about the things my Grandad had to deal with during the war. They've fallen out, at the moment they're not talking, but tonight, in a small Indian restaurant in Brighton, my Dad tells Dan about all the different things my Grandad experienced and I see it as a form of forgiveness.

Garden pictures

Cookie the Hamster

a little thank-you card for a friend's daughter

Tiger spells

I'm working on a very detailed portrait commission at the moment, so while I wait for the paint to dry I've been drawing quick little sketches on postcards.

Self-portrait

Miniature Schnauzers

A recent pet portrait commission. 

Process picture - pencil prior to adding watercolour:

Portrait on a Postcard - Amelia Earhart

 My Dad is an engineer and for a good part of my childhood and teenage years he built model aeroplanes. Gliders, spitfires, an Utterly Butterly biplane...we spent many days out at Cosford and Duxford at air shows, and while my Dad and brothers could recognise and name each plane on sight, I felt a lack of connection towards all mechanical flying things. I can appreciate now how beautifully aeroplanes are designed, and the skill that goes into making them aerodynamic, and the role they played in history, but back then I used to say "I hate aeroplanes!"

Anyway...I'm a different person now. I really enjoyed drawing Amelia Earhart's Lockheed model 10-E Electra.

I was reading about how when she was a child she kept a scrapbook of clippings about successful women working in male-dominated professions. Not only did she go on to become an aviation pioneer - the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic - but she also did so much to help other women, as president of the Ninety-nines (organisation for female pilots) as a careers advisor to women at Purdue University, as a member of the National Women's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.