Uni POSCA pens ♥

If you follow me on my instagram you will know how much I love uni Posca markers because I use them so much! they are such a versatile pen to use because they draw on pretty much any surface. I like to draw on glass a lot with them but I have also used them on fabric and textured black paper. 

The pens are available in different nib sizes and I have been working with the bullet nib and pin nibs...

One of my favourite ways to use these pens is on glass, you can build up the layers of ink to create a sense of dimension; which is what I did with the rams head below. You can also draw on top of the base ink with a standard fine liner. I also took the design above and applied that to different sized jars to create some tea light holders...

If you have not tried these pens before I really recommend them, they are available in Hobbycraft and I usually buy mine from ebay where they are usually under £3 a pen. If you do try them out I would love to see the results.

Amanda 

Saying goodbye to 2015...

So I am sitting here actually making a start of one of my new year goals...(I want to blog more ) and reflecting on what this year will bring. 2015 was a good year for me and when looking back and thinking about it a lot of great stuff happened...I had a lot of fun and feel like my illustration style started to develop into something that I am proud of. 

I am looking forward to being even more creative in 2016 and to travel a little more and finally get to see Berlin .Hopefully this year will be even better than 2015 and if I manage to actually stick to this goal you will be able to read all about it on my blog  :) (fingers crossed)...

Amanda 

Looking back at 2015...Amsterdam...

In October we went for a little day trip to Amsterdam...I had never been to the city before and even though it was a grey and overcast day I really enjoyed wandering around the canals and trying not to get run over by A LOT of cyclists! 

The architecture in Amsterdam is really inspiring and it's hard not to fall in love with the narrow houses...

There are loads of cute places to eat and grab a drink around the city...I thought this row of mix-match tables was so sweet. 

And it would be rude not to pop into one of the local art shops...even if the array of pens on sale was a little disappointing.

We went into this awesome vintage shop down one of the little streets (which I can't remember the name of unfortunately) and I think I will always regret not buying one of the denim jackets with the sheepskin collar...

Amsterdam is definitely somewhere I would like to go back to and maybe stay for a couple of days so I can really get to know the city...well worth a visit if you are thinking of going. We got the ferry over from Hull and it costs us £90 for two which is a very good deal! 

Amanda 

INKTOBER

It's nearly October which means it's Inktober time again ! I will be drawing an ink illustration every day for the whole month! 

Leave me a suggestion below in the comments about what I should draw. My favourite from the month  will win the illustration of their suggestion...

*You can enter as many times as you like. My choice is final. Closing date 30 October 2015, winner will be notified early Nov.  

Day trip to the seaside

I had been feeling a little bit frustrated artistically lately, I just couldn't get into my drawing or anything really.  I needed a bit of a change of scene and so I went to Skegness for a little day trip with my mate Nic.
I think it was just what I needed as I'm feeling refreshed and inspired. Here's a few pics from the day...

Red's True Barbecue Review

Location: Queens Street, Nottingham

I went along to try out Red's as I'd been hearing good things about the place and it seemed to be a permanent feature on my instagram feed.

It's an American style BBQ place which basically serves meat...it's located where Fopp used to be and it has a really cool interior. Kind of industrial meets tattoo parlour...

As you can see by the serious bible style menu , they take their meat seriously here.

I opted for the pulled pork plate with a side of macaroni cheese and an iced tea.  

The food arrived really quickly. The pork was really tasty and tender and had a sweet bbq sauce flavour, it came with coleslaw which tasted really fresh and light and complimented it well. The macaroni cheese was ok but went cold really quickly and didn't really have much flavour. I was a bit disappointed with it and wouldn't order it again. 

The iced tea was great, nice and sweet and really refreshing. It was served in a cute half tankard style glass.

I would give the food 7/10 and the decor and theme 8/10 . I will probably go back to try something different next time . I did find that I smelt of bbq smoke after eating in there though which although not a surprise didn't like. Overall it's worth a try for sure. 

Lady Luck...

I have been struggling a bit lately to feel completely confident in my illustrations, I've still been drawing a lot but I guess I had hit the block that many creative people get every now and then. 

Yesterday though I deliberately gave myself a day of doing nothing so I could get back in the zone. I was browsing my illustration inspiration board on pinterest and realised that I had not done any drawings in the American Traditional tattoo style...so feeling inspired I got my promarkers out ( they have been neglected somewhat lately) and was pretty pleased with the result...