"I can't express anger. That's my problem. I internalize everything. I just grow a tumor instead."

A postcard sized portrait of Woody Allen, 

sketched in ink with a paintbrush

(drawn for a sketchathon with Little White Lies Magazine)

Process pics

A few months back I completed a painting for a client in New York who commissioned a portrait reflecting the style of classical Hollywood.

I really loved working on it - it taught me to plan out my images beforehand, because I have always been someone who draws straight off in pen and ink without any kind of pencil guide, and I always felt like drawing in pencil first was somehow cheating (thanks, Aubrey Beardsley).

But actually, the longer the process of making something, the more room for discoveries to be made, and it's often where the best ideas regarding colour and composition have chance to step in.

Lately my process is: detailed light pencil sketch (focusing on areas of colour) > then watercolour > then add ink lines (sparingly). 

If I draw in ink before I watercolour the tendency arises to stay too strictly within the lines, and the colours can't interact as much. There is still plenty of room for improvement - I always feel that I could paint much more loosely than I do - but it's all part of the learning process.

 

first sketches

 

pencil and watercolour

watercolour, gouache + pen and ink

final piece

close-up

James Joyce & Charlie Parker

James Joyce

Charlie Parker

more Portraits on Postcards

Hugh Laurie

Jeff Mangum

Paul McCartney

Tracey Emin

Portraits on Postcards

Edgar Allan Poe - SOLD

Billie Holiday - SOLD

Etta James - SOLD

Vivian Maier - SOLD

All postcards commissioned through my Portrait on a Postcard Project: http://bit.ly/18W3oTm

Rorschach Calligraphy

Ink on watercolour paper, taking a line for a walk.

Portrait-on-a-Postcard Project

Are you interested in owning one of my original artworks? 
Or would you like to commission an artwork as a gift for a friend?

   For a limited time, 
I am now running a portrait-on-a-postcard project

Inked, painted and posted, for just £10 
(& will post to anywhere in the world at no extra cost)

The theme of the project is "I admire..."

I often make portraits of the people who interest me 
(such as Bob Dylan, pictured) but I'm also interested 
in discovering who other people admire, and why.


The subject can be anyone throughout history - musicians, 
poets, writers, filmmakers, playwrights, scientists, engineers, 
philosophers, artists, designers, actors, activists, comedians, 
journalists, soldiers, saints, politicians, revolutionaries, composers, explorers...anyone. 


As long as you admire them.

The original artwork will be posted to you (on Daler-Rowney Langton cold pressed 300gsm acid-free watercolour paper) and all of the portraits will be collected together on a blog.



If you're interested in taking part, email me at emma.ridgway@live.co.uk with the following details:
_______________________________________________

Your name:

Who do you admire?

What do you particularly admire about them?

Address you'd like the postcard to be sent to:
_______________________________________________

Finished postcards will be sent out on receipt of payment of £10 via Paypal.

If you have any questions, please get in touch via email.

Billy Bragg

Dan and I went to see Billy Bragg a couple of years ago - we waited in the snow, but it was worth it - his gigs are full of such warmth and humour, and he's easily one of the most likable musicians. 

I've been meaning to do a portrait of him for ages, so here it is.

Nana

a portrait of my Nana

A Mother's Day card made back in March 

(my Mum has two guinea-pigs who she adores)

A little watercolour sketch of my brother, Lewis, drawn this morning in a coffee shop.

Were most of your stars out?

These are two new pieces which I made for Bloom at the Garden's Gallery in Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham. The exhibition features work by fellow Falmouth graduates Sophia Bloxham, Lucy Boden and Liz Clayton, as well as our talented friend Katie Thomas, and runs until Tuesday 14th May.

I decided to get away from using the computer to colour my illustrations, and it made me realise how much happiness I get from painting and collaging. There is something about making things with your hands, and discovering through making, which a computer cannot replace. I have a box of collage materials dating back to my first year at Falmouth - different types of paper, sheets painted in acrylic, bits and pieces collected in terms of colour - and it was nice to let the materials shape the direction of the work. 

I have a few of the instruments pictured - the banjo, ukulele, melodica, glockenspiel and autoharp - although I would never consider myself a musician - I have a very talented brother who plays guitar beautifully - but I like to make music in a very amateur sense, for my own amusement.

The typewriter illustration is based on a quote by J.D. Salinger from one of my favourite books, Seymour, an Introduction. 

The quote comes from a letter that Seymour writes to his younger brother Buddy:

"When was writing ever your profession? It’s never been anything but your religion. Never. I’m a little over-excited now. Since it is your religion, do you know what you will be asked when you die? But let me tell you first what you won’t be asked. You won’t be asked if you were working on a wonderful, moving piece of writing when you died. You won’t be asked if it was long or short, sad or funny, published or unpublished. You won’t be asked if you were in good or bad form while you were working on it. You won’t even be asked if it was the one piece of writing you would have been working on if you had known your time would be up when it was finished…I’m so sure you’ll get asked only two questions. Were most of your stars out? Were you busy writing your heart out? If only you knew how easy it would be for you to say yes to both questions. If only you’d remember before ever you sit down to write that you’ve been a reader long before you were ever a writer. You simply fix that fact in your mind, then sit very still and ask yourself, as a reader, what piece of writing in all the world Buddy Glass would most want to read if he had his heart’s choice. The next step is terrible, but so simple I can hardly believe it as I write it. You just sit down shamelessly and write the thing yourself. I won’t even underline that. It’s too important to be underlined. Oh, dare to do it, Buddy! Trust your heart."