Drawing through writer's block

Working on the outline for book two I've run into a spot of writer's block. I'm having trouble figuring out a plot point that allows me to get the characters from A to B.

So, in the mean time I've done some more drawing of Rhe'zan ferocity. I kind of want to turn it into a tattoo.

Pencil on paper

Digital colouring

Enjoy!
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The more things change...

1999 Christmas card - water colour

A friend from home, Don, sent me a Christmas message that put the biggest smile on my face. He stumbled across one of my earliest holiday cards in his office!

It was done way back in 1999 and was the second one ever. It was done in water colour.

I remember having to take the massive page (about A2) down to the local copy shop to get it copied and reduced. They were all printed on plain paper and were just folded in half to make a card. I could only afford to make 20. I was so proud to hand them out to friends and family because I couldn't at the age of 17 afford to buy gifts for everyone I cared about. Don, at the time, was my boss at Barnes and Noble (obviously someone who I was right to hold in high esteem!).

I'm touched he's saved it all these years because I honestly believed they'd all been lost to time by now. I can't even find the copies that I'd saved for myself!

It's nice to see the characters that I conceived all those years ago as just silly ideas have made it through time pretty much in tact. I think you'll recognise them all. The only difference is that Sem was once 'Ben'.

2012 Christmas card

And while the characters may not have changed much what's even spookier/heartening (spookening) is that neither have I really. In 1999 the thing that I wished for is the thing that, over a decade later, I am holding on to; friendship. I suppose the desire for belonging and closeness is a tenant of everyone's life, especially around the holidays. It's a thing that I've learned to appreciate just how much of it I have.

This little reminder of my past is quite possibly the nicest Christmas gift I've had this year; a nice reminder from past me that I'm exactly where I want to be.

Enjoy!
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Synaesthetic drawing: Darkside

One of the things I discovered in college was that I have synaesthesia. Long story short when I hear music I see colours* or chromesthesia.

For my senior dissertation in design I used my chromesthesia to create a book that was a colour symphony. As part of the project I created synaesthetic drawing from the various songs that inspired colour planes in my mind. Some were literal representations of what I 'see' others were images inspired by my experience of the song.

For the first time in ages I heard a song that set my synaesthesia alight. The Glee version of Kelly Clarkson's 'Dark Side' hits all the right notes and every time I listen to it I see brilliant reds and yellows on the colour plane. So, here's an interpretationof what I see**:

Bright side of the dark side - Photoshop

Enjoy!
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* In addition to being just plain old cool, my chromesthesia is incredibly helpful musically. For me the note A always appears yellow and D appears red. This means I can usually find an A (giver or take a semi tone) by singing the colour yellow.

** When I'm actually listening to the song the colours flow and move like waves. When certain notes are hit they ping, a bit like fireworks.

Previous prints:

Cherry Lips - Garbage

Cherry Lips - Garbage

Bigger than my body - John Mayer

Ghost Train - Gorrilaz

First Taste - Fiona Apple

My Immortal - Evanescence

Mahler Symphonie No. 2

Manuscripts and kittens

I've always said the secret to success is persistence and proliferation.

Persistence:
I sent out my first manuscripts at the beginning of November and this last week I got my first rejections back (Booooo!). But, in true Themo fashion I ate some comfort food, stoked the fires of righteous indignation, became decidedly contrary in a 'you-reject-me-so-I'll-show-you-when-I'm-rich-and-famous' mood, made some edits and posted off three more manuscripts for the two I got back. Ha! Take that publishers!

I don't know if 'spite' is what motivates most writers to keep going. But, as long is I'm getting my work out there, right?

Proliferation:
Well, don't stop me now! I've started blazing ahead on the outline of the second book so when the 'your book is amaze-balls' call comes I can say 'Yes, I'm working on the second one'.

The biggest hurdle has been deciding exactly whether the Rhe'zan people (who feature heavily in the second book) are more canine or feline.

Well, as I was helping decorate my mate Gareth's Christmas tree this weekend I was staring down his cat Martha. As I looked at her, staring into her saucered eyes, I felt locked in a contest of wills. A tiny shudder ran up the back of my neck and suddenly I thought 'I better stop before she rips off my face'. This tiny (tubby) little house cat despite her doe-ish demeanour still carried a glimmer of the primal danger of a big cat. And, as cute as she is, I still didn't really want to mess with her. Gazing into the eyes of a dog I find them more doleful than dangereux.

So, little miss Martha sold it for me. Rhe'zans are feline. Cute and cuddly with an edge of ferocity.

Here are some sketches I've done of the refined (refelined?) Rhe'zan look.

Built for action - ballpoint pen

Up close and personal - ballpoint pen

Enjoy!
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Christmas Letter 2012

When I thought about what I want most for Christmas this year, the only thing I could think of is that I want my friends to be happy and healthy. I look back on this year and it has been a stressful one. Never have I seen the people and things I value in my life come under such attack. There have been great losses and accidents, failing health and deaths, physical and mental attacks, fights with jobs and break ups.

But, the one thing I’ve gotten out of this is how much my friends mean to me. It’s been sobering to see the people I care about the most ailing in a way that made me fear more for them than for myself. I’ve tried my best to be there to help where I can. It’s meant a lot to me to be able to help, but it’s also shown me I need to look after myself as well. Empathy comes with a terrible downside when not tempered by practicality and self-preservation. It’s a very strange lesson to learn. And, one I imagine I’ll keep learning.

There have also been triumphs in the year. So, how to go through it all?

I had a nice Christmas in York with my mate Keir’s family so that helped to recharge me for the start of the year. It was visa renewal time and that came with its usual caravan of angst. But, thankfully it went through with less hassle than last time and I'm now in the UK until 2014. 

Our clootie dumpling

January saw me back to work full-time after a health crisis at the end of 2011. It was slow going and I had a few wobblies on the way but really felt ‘back into it' by April. Easter was my first proper time off and ended up seeing it through looking after a mate who was in an accident. :-/ But I kept myself together and we ended up having a great Easter dinner with him, his mum and another mate. We also made a ‘clootie dumpling’ from scratch which was about 5lbs of amaze-balls!

PPA Awards

Because I work on a magazine I remember my life by the production schedule. February was a great issue and I got to use some of my illustration skills for the cover. And, it appears I was doing something right at work because we managed to win ‘Staff Magazine of the Year’ from Professional Publishers Association. The ceremony was in October in Glasgow and I was presented the award by Nina Conti, a ventriloquist, and her creepy monkey puppet.

My fav bus at Bridgeton!

I've started helping my mate Shug repair his vintage buses which has been endlessly fun. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy working with machinery and suddenly recall my childhood desire to be an engineer. Well, I can't really be chewed with the maths side of engineering, but I do enjoy hitting things with sledgehammers and using power tools. I mostly stand around and move things as needed, do all the fiddly jobs like repainting signs and making tea, but the lads at Bridgeton Bus Garage are good fun. And, it's awesome to see something (slowly) restored to an actual working beautiful machine. 

"The" Royal Wedding happened. There was some jubilee business and in June there were Olympics in London. Barry Obams is President again. Woo!

Sadly, I’m not playing rugby with the Thebans anymore. I left on less than happy terms in the Spring which was hard. I’ve spent five years taking pride in and supporting the team and to have things go sour was and is upsetting. It’s the first time in my life I’ve parted with something so acrimoniously. But, I’m proud of myself for drawing a line on what I find to be acceptable, standing up for it, but also having the wisdom to just walk away when fighting wasn’t doing ME any good. However, that’s not the end.

Shug, Kade and me at dinner

I still helped plan the 10^th Anniversary celebration for the Thebans as I couldn’t walk away from the good friends, good times and hard work I’ve put in over my five years with the team. Before the dinner Shug and I planned a masterful treasure hunt. I also planned a book launch because some really uber-talented designer and writer put together a book chronicling the team’s first 10 years. Then me, Kade (my twin), Shug and Neil put together a great gala dinner to celebrate the occasion. It was a black tie event hosted at Murrayfield (home of Scottish rugby). There were speeches, presentations, raffles, food, drink and a ceilidh. It was amazing to see support for the team come from across the world (literally). I also hand caligraphed all the invitations which was great as I’d gotten rusty and needed the practice (I only messed up two!!) I’ll never forget the night of the dinner. It was great to have so many friends and good memories around to wrap up my time with the current team on a high note. And even better, out of the event a group of former players have been meeting up socially.

Scotland vs New Zealand

I finally went to my first live rugby matches at Murrayfield thanks to my mate Iain. We watched Edinburgh get humped by several teams. :( In November I got to see two of the test matches for the rugby world cup as well. The atmosphere in a packed-out Murrayfield is out of sight. Scotland played a cracking match against NZ and a less than spectacular one against S.Africa. And, showing my true colours, I finally bought a Scotland rugby top as an early Christmas gift. I had a great Thanksgiving at Lindsay's, as usual, with lots of food and good laughs too and even watched some rugby in place of a big Football match!

Me, Ryan and Dave

I turned 30 this year! I planned a big party at a local pub and had a pub quiz. It was lots of fun and great to have so many friends around to celebrate. My friends in Scotland gave me an amazing send off because after my birthday I had a flying visit to Boston to visit my best friend, Ryan, who is very unwell with cancer. It’s an experience beyond bitter sweet. It's like being grateful to have had the chance to have your heart ripped out face-to-face. At our age, time should still be on our side. But, I was given the overwhelmingly touching gift of financial assistance from several friends to be able to make the trip and steal back some of that time. And I would pay a thousand times a thousand to do it again. So, I’ll just leave my trip to Boston down as harrowing, heartbreaking, humbling, and happy all at once.

The Mighty Orange-Peel bound

I’ve continued with my book binding and most importantly, I finished my book! (I even got a mention on a professional's website for my maker's mark) As part of my trip to the States I wanted to make sure I had finished and bound a copy to give Ryan. I always promised she'd be the first to have one. So I spent the majority of the summer writing up a storm. Sadly, at the beginning of August I lost a friend and mentor, Mark O'Donnell. I had literally just finished my book when I got the news and I think Mark would appreciate the dark irony of it. I had Mark as a professor at Yale and we stayed in touch, both of us sharing our writing with the other as projects developed. It was because of him I started this blog. I’ve sent the first three chapters out to publishers and I’m still going through and making edits but it’s almost at the point where I just have to stop. I'm sure Mark would be proud.

I learned to play the ukulele this year and I even get to perform with my choir playing it. Admittedly, Hamish, my band mate, carries most of the music as I'm barely good enough to strum, but I really enjoy it. And having Iain at my back in the choir now has made it a lot more fun too. 

Well, that’s 2012. I’ve learned a lot. Wasn’t the greatest year but I survived it in tact. Christmas this year is going to be a quiet affair, celebrating with Iain and Shug. And, even though I can't have the thing I want the most, I have many things to be grateful for. So, I think, for this time, I'll just concentrate on that.

I hope you all are happy and well. Please let me know how you are.

Happy holidays!
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