19th August 2009

I am really excited to tell you all about a great new commission that I’m working on just now!

I have been asked by the wonderful Edinburgh music venue, The Queen’s Hall, to create four original illustrations for their events brochures for the forthcoming year.

The theme I have been asked to design around is musical instruments and each brochure will feature a design created from my own drawings and sketches of a different instrument. The designs will be used as a wrap around print for the front cover of each of the four brochures, starting with the Autumn 2009 brochure which will be out this September.

To get started I went along to the Reid Concert Hall Museum of Instruments which houses an amazing collection of antique fiddles, violins and brass instruments. I sat and sketched to the sounds of a musical show in the background, part of the Edinburgh Festival which is in full swing up here now. I felt like I was sneaking a freebie while I was working! I’ll definitley be going back to do some more drawings for the next three programmes.

The illustrations are well into development now and I will post some of the contenders for the first issue soon.

Meanwhile here are some sketches that have inspired the first designs.

6th August 2009

Anne Bonnar, trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland and founding director of the National Theatre of Scotland, first contacted me about a month ago when I joined a great social networking site for designers in Scotland called 38 minutes.

Anne sent me a lovely message saying how much she liked my designs and that she would love to have a dress made from some of my fabric. We arranged to meet up at the next Edinburgh Coffee Morning, where a mix of arty peeps and techo wizzes meet up to swap ideas (and show off their new toys!), so that Anne could see the designs up close and choose one for a bespoke dress. Here are the results!

Anne has already worn the dress to the Dublin Theatre Festival and is planning to wear it again tonight when she attends the openning of the Edinburgh Art Festival! So far Anne’s being getting lots of positive comments and even a few requests to buy the dress!

Watch this space for news about more limited addition and bespoke dresses!