t & c

The Tea & Crayons ladies are very excited to be taking part in 'Uncontained' - a 30-day pop-up event in the 55DSL store in the Boxpark, Shoreditch, London. Join them on Tuesday 5th June for live illustration, cups of tea, a slice (or two) of cake, mini workshops, and drawing on the walls! There will also be lots of lovely little prints and goodies to buy. The girls would love to see as many of you there as possible, so please come and show some support for Tea & Crayons. 

sad i can't make it down for this, so if you do go make sure you have a slice of cake for me!

tuesday treasures

all the T's for today's triangular tueasday treasures! and what's even better is that all items are produced by uk sellers ∆ ace ∆

i missed last weeks #tt as i was busy swanning off to london to attend the opening day of clerkenwell design week. one of my illustrations was on display with etsyuk, so we headed on down to the farmiloe buildings to check it out. other work on show included illustrations by sandra dieckmann, jamie mills, faye moorhouse and rowan stock moore (to name a few) ... i managed to pinch a few of their lovely postcards.
it was fun to meet some of the lovely ladies behind etsyuk and also jimbobart, who was entertaining the crowds by drawing a bear in a bath! all in all a fab day out (apart from the fact i chose to wear black jeans in the swealtering weather)
... here are some (shockingly awful) photos i took on my phone that day

dear dilemma

every now and then i get approached to work on projects where the end result is really quite different to my usual style of work; a mural in a school, a personal portrait, or like this weekend some medical illustrations.

i personally enjoy the challenge of doing something a little unusual once in a while, it's a nice excuse to experiment and sometimes leads to finding a new technique which i can apply to my 'normal' style.  in the end, no matter how well the project has gone i am always left with the dilemma : should i include the final piece in my portfolio?
more often than not i decide against it.
interestingly i came across this article the other day discussing this very matter.
my portfolio is mainly built up of personal work; i have a clear direction/path laid out in my mind of what my style is like and where i want to go with it, so i feel it makes sense for me to only show work which portrays that.
i guess there is no right or wrong, and it ultimately comes down to showing work you are most proud of, no matter what the original intention (personal or commissioned). what do you like to share in your portfolio work? do you include things which step away from your usual style?

lizzie

i realised the other day that i hadn't posted this online yet, so thought i would share it today. a little while ago i was commissioned by the very lovely lizzie from ifeelsmug.com to draw her portrait (for use in press releases etc) it was a really refreshing project as it's a little different to my usual work, i also made a coloured version too. 

this project actually made me realise that i don't often draw clothes! definitely something i'm looking to change as i love studying all the natural folds, creases and textures. i have a feeling i'll be experimenting with this a little more in my #bbloggers project

... incase you were wondering, i am available for all kinds of illustration commissions, including portraits (and pet portraits too!) so if you are interested in commissioning me, do say hello : harriet@harrietgray.co.uk

#CDW2012

i am rather excited to announce that i will have a piece of my work on show at clerkenwell design week 2012! if you are on the etsyuk mailing list you may have seen the above email already, t'was a nice surprise when it appeared in my inbox on tuesday!
etsyuk are taking over a room in the farmiloe buildings, where jimbobart will be live drawing over the three day event, along side a small exhibition of selected uk based etsy selling illustrators ... including the lovely sandra deickmann, jamie mills and moi
be sure to check out the clerkenwell design week website to register for free tickets and for more information about the event
i will be heading down to london for the day on tuesday and can.not.wait!

winners

wowzers, thank you to everyone who entered my little competition, and hello to my new followers *waves*

i numbered you all up (blogger comments and twitter tweets = 49 entries in total) then headed on over to ye olde random number generator, and out popped #25  and #21 ... which means the lucky winners are
♥ lizee barry and rosepetaldeer ♥

huzzahh! thank you again to everyone who took part, i wish i could give you all a prize, you lovely, lovely people

owlsome deal!

i have a special deal going on over at my owl barn right now that you should go and check out :) 

only available for the next 7 days (or whilst *very limited* stocks last) 

tuesday's treasures

today's treasures are inspired by my newest additions to my shop (i was naughty and included a couple in there)

incidentally, don't forget to enter my giveaway which is also full of kitty goodness
... meowwww

giveaway

all my new items are now live in my shop for you to go and 'purrrr'chase if you so wish :)

to celebrate finally finishing all that sewing (which involved many pricked fingers, burns from the iron and totally losing all feeling in my right thumb from excessive scissor use), and to celebrate 160 followers on gfc and 1000 followers on twitter (hopefully they're not all spambots!) i thought i'd treat you all to a giveaway ...

i made some mis-matched purses using some spare kitty fabric and some colourful zips ....
i have two teeny tiny purses to giveaway (they're approx 3x4 inches) - i like to call them kitten purses as they are tiny versions of my new cat purses, n'awww
i'll also throw in some other bits and bobs too, like postcards and stickers etc. lovely.

to enter all i ask is for you to be following my blog (and/or) twitter, and to leave a comment on this post, competition is open to the whole wide world, not just the uk.

you can also have an extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway (remember to tag me in the post @harrietgray so i can see)

two lucky winners will be chosen at some point on friday 18th may 2012

^-.-^ good luck!

new 'purrrrr'ses and things

i have been a busy little bee the couple of weeks, working hard making lots of new little things for the shop. i thought you might like to have a little peek at what's to come ...
i have also been making some cushion covers, which i am *so* tempted to keep for myself, but i shall resist!

all will be available from my shop by this weekend. if you'd like to reserve an item let me know and i can make a listing just for you :)

tuesday's treasures

so after a lovely week away, i've become a little obsessed with wanting a place of our own again. in between working like a mad woman to get some projects finished off, i have been compiling 'want' lists on etsy, of things i'd like to fill our new home with *one day*

i realise i haven't posted any new drawings in a while, i'll put some up soon, promise :)
i've spent the last week and a half purely on the sewing machine, making new stock ... which i'm hoping will be finished and in the shop this weekend ... yays!
keep an eye out on the blog over the next few days for i have decided to hold another little giveaway for my followers, 'cause, y'know, you're all so lovely, and all that jazz

sale ends sunday!

... and so does my holiday! *sigh*
this weekend is your last chance to bag yourself some bargainous sale items
*and i warn you* i won't be having a sale again for a long time
*SALE ENDS SUNDAY 6TH MAY* sale items are very low in stock!

oh, and incase you didn't know already, every purchase from my shop earns you a 10% discount code to be used on future purchases ... YES that's plural. the code will always be live for you to use on anything in my shop, forever and ever! isn't that nice.

... and as i've been working on a whole load of new items for my shop, to be unveiled in about a week's time, it makes sense to treat yourself now, really. just look at it as a money-saving venture!
you know it makes sense

tuesday's treasures

so! i am spending this week on the isle of wight, catsitting a very elusive cat who i have seen only twice since arriving ... which is certainly a little different to the 24/7 feline company i am used to at home!
it's lovely to have a change of scenery though, with the beach just a short walk away, i am without doubt enjoying myself. even if it is a little drizzly!
so here are some tuesday treasures inspired by the beautiful life that has sprung from all this rain .. so much greenery & wildlife everywhere now! #goodbyedrought ♥

i am spending today sewing some new items for my shop to be listed *very* soon, you may notice me post some photos of my progress if you follow me on twitter

don't forget the sale in my shop will be ending on 6th may, there are lots of bargains to be had!! sale items are *very* low in stock now, so don't say i didn't warn you!
all orders will be posted when i return home on 7th may