IF: Clandestine

Although pets were allowed at the lighthouse, the tenants thought they ought to keep their particular pet a secret.

IF: Wise

Keen to start learning!

IF: Repair

Someone had better repair the lock on that door before these creatures escape!

IF: Strings

IF: Island

What a great word! Wish I had time to do something new this week, but I will have to settle for posting an older one.

IF: Clutter

This is a pen drawing I did a couple of years ago when practicing illustrating to a story. I looked on the internet for a short childrens story that might be suitable and came across a website called 'Short Stories', and using the Children's section I found a simple story about a girl with an untidy bedroom.

It's a great way to discipline yourself and develop a character...that said I only got as far as this line drawing and a rough story board!

Faces

IF: Detach

As I've been a bit lapse with my IF posts recently I'm hoping this just about covers the last two topics...see how the ballooning bunnies 'detach' and 'sail' away...

IF: Poof! (Tinned Genie)

The lid of the can sprang open and 'poof', a genie appeared!

IF: Canned Creatures

Lunch anyone?....

IF: Enough

Bunny decided he'd had enough of the bath tub and made for his escape [click on image for detail]
(Rather a tentative link, but I needed to draw a bunny this week!)

IF: Foggy

Quick sketch in my moleskine.

IF: Hoard

'With the advantage of unusually long arms, Molly is able to hoard her favourite toys so that the other children don't get a look in!'

IF: Electricity

Renewable energy?...

IF: Primitive

Possibly stretching the topic a bit this week, but here goes....

I've been experimenting with last weeks dragon sketches (middle picture) which were drawn from a dinosaur toy (above) with the aim of creating something new. Here comes the tentative link... so, this entry shows the earliest or 'primitive' stages in the process and the newly enhanced version!

I'll keep playing around with the new dragon character if he proves to be a hit.

IF: Homage to Pooh

A double homage, to the wonderful characters of A.A.Milne and inspiring illustrations of E.H. Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh.

I wanted to interpret the characters and stories into my own style, but have found myself needing to study them a bit first, so for now I've included essentially a copy of one of Shepard's illustrations (above) and a couple of sketch studies (left). The wonderful thing about Shepard's simple, effective drawings is that you just can't capture the Pooh character making it even more special.
This weeks IF has inspired me to revisit these lovely stories and images, not least because they are loaded with lots of philosophical and zen thoughts too! (see 'Pooh and the Philosophers' by John Tyerman Williams and 'The Tao of Pooh & The Te of Piglet' by Benjamin Hoff).

IF: Pet Peeves

I imagine a pet peeve of many children may be to have their favourite toy hung out to dry and worse still, when all their favourites get strung up at once!

As for my own pet peeves (and pet related ones at that...)

Why don't our cats realise from our reaction to mouse body parts in the house that we don't view these as 'presents'?

And will Claude please use the proper cat door instead of expecting us to let him in (and why do we keep letting him in!?)

IF: Heavy (or...'is kittys luck in?')

Thought it might be nice to continue the 'kitty & bird' theme from my entry for IFs 'Leap' topic and to have a go at applying a bit of watercolour in this sketch... small steps, I hope to get more confident in this medium.

IF: Wizard's Hat...a spell gone wrong?

'The seventh of a seventh son

born with wisdom rare

hush falls as the chosen one

casts an ancient stare.

A lifetimes work of sorcery

the burden soon to come

this the price of wizardry

only claimed by some.

Sacred books to read and know

an endless task for most

novice failings soon will show

as misused spells will boast!'

Wizard's Hat (in pen)