... Not a comment on events of 2021 so far, just thought I’d be dramatic and make the first post of the year Death. This is my contribution to Folktale Week #5. I know I haven’t put #4 here yet which is a lovely festive pic, but as I said - love the drama. Tarot reading is not something I’m familiar with, but I heard once that the card Death doesn’t represent actual death but rather a new beginning, which is good for a new year. Just to make sure, I looked it up on Wikipedia: “According to Eden Gray and other authors on the subject, it is uncommon that this card actually represents a physical death, rather it typically implies an end, possibly of a relationship or interest, and therefore an increased sense of self-awareness. In fact, Gray interprets this card as a change of thinking from an old way into a new way. The horse Death is riding is stepping over a prone king, which symbolizes that not even royalty can stop change.” So that’s okay, then. I like the bit about a change of thinking from an old way into a new way, seems apt. Try telling the bit about royals not stopping change to Harry and Meghan, though ... Thanks for visiting, see you next week!
I don't know what happened to this week's post, I had so much I was going to write about and simply ran out of time. Here is Courtship, day 3 of Folktale Week - a pair of Wally Dugs, in a mantlepiece romance! Maybe later I will update with some interesting facts about Wally Dugs, but in the mean time, as always -
Thanks for visiting, and see you next week! Folktale Week 2020 has just finished, the most enjoyable week on Instagram. People are just so talented it blows me away! Different artists’ interpretations of the prompts were so unique, original and personal I felt quite daunted, if I’m honest - and proud to be involved. For the next few weeks I’ll share the illustrations I submitted here on The Weekly.
This year’s FW began, appropriately, with the prompt Birth; after much thought, I decided to make an illustration of a birth commemoration plate for a kitten. I chose a kitten because of the cat themes running through my work, and of course the name ‘Binky’ being that of all my great-grandmother’s cats. Based on by my own birthday plate (quite vintage now, ahem) I also sought inspiration from contemporary British and international ceramics, having studied ceramics in London for four years; plus, of course, I see so many beautiful examples on show whenever I visit the galleries in Edinburgh. Enough said! The prompts were released and I had such a load of fun making Staffordshire china cats announce them! I am very excited to start work on them, but of course they will not be shared until Folktale week begins on the 23rd of this month.
Thanks for visiting, see you next week! It's all about Folktale Week at the moment, even though it isn't happening for a month. The combination of Hallowe'en, folktales and spooky fairy tales is a heady one indeed for an illustrator, and the unearthly and the preternatural get into our work, often through the back door or creeping in from the edges. The prompts were released today but I haven't seen them yet. I plan on making an Instagram post on Wednesday or Thursday to share them. It's just such an exciting time, and unites the Instagram art community in a bubble of activity; people share and chat to one another like no other time of the year. I don't think the organisers realised how big it was going to be when they launched the first Folktale Week just three years ago, but well done to them for having such a wonderful idea! Please check out their Instagram profiles listed below:
@jennifermpotter @sofiamoore_studio @deborah.j.stein @nicallanart @laure_illustrations @rachaelschaferdesigns @debrastyer @louve.draws @matejalukezic @thebrotherskent @chelslarss @tanja_stephani And, as always - thanks for visiting, see you next week! Yes! It's that time of year again - Folktale Week is approaching! After all the insecurity and doubt about my work last week, I made this image for Folktale Week, and it has been incredibly popular, tripling my likes and engagement on Instagram. It has had several shares, mentions and a repost. It only goes to show decisions about work should never be made in haste!
Pictured below is the piece I was on the brink of tearing up and binning; thankfully something about it made me hesitate at the last minute, because I had it to work with for the Folktale Week announcement. It was great fun to do, and I enjoy lettering in monotype because you have to do it backwards and it comes out a bit wonky! The last two illustrations from my Folktale Week on Instagram. For day 6, Key, I made all the keys in Procreate, and used a photo of textured wall to suggest a baronial castle setting for Binky the cat detective to demonstrate how to find the correct key. I very much had in mind Miranda Hart’s Pussy Poirot, from her hilarious BBC series Miranda: “dressing pets as famous detectives” (Series 1.3. Job). The last day’s prompt was Crown, and I chose a drawing from my archives to use. I made it about 4 years ago and never did anything with it. It was a simple matter to bring it into Procreate and tweak a crown and call it “Stary Mary had the biggest crown in the land”. The beautiful warm quality comes from using oil paint on gold leaf over red bole. It creates the richness of oil painting even though it is on paper. This was my most popular Folktale Week illustration this year, perhaps because of the colours and brooding yet whimsical nature? I never can find any rhyme or reason to Likes on Instagram.
Well, I can't believe it is the 26th of November already - less than a month until Christmas! My next move is to start making cards, and at the weekend we will be getting the decorations down from the attic. I am looking forward to the cheer of sparkly lights and candles and glitter, it has become very dark here in Scotland as we creep closer to the solstice. Thanks for visiting, see you next week! My illustration for day 4 of Instagram's Folktale Week: the prompt was Smoke and I chose to use a drawing I made a little while ago collaged with outlines of trees on different layers of semi-opaque paper. It provided a good smoky backdrop to work on. I brought it into Procreate and added the smoke-dragon monster which made me think of the song Puff The Magic Dragon (1963) by Peter, Paul and Mary. I loved that song so much when I was little, and my Dad used to sing it to me all the time, but only the chorus and a few lines. He never got to the last verses, and I realise now it is really a sad song and I feel so sorry for Puff. It is still one of my favourite songs ever, and I found myself singing as I worked:
"Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee ..." Don't assume the song is about puffing drugs, as many did at the time (well, t'was the '60s). The band insist it contains no reference to drugs, being about loss of childhood innocence. The song was based on a poem written by Leonard Lipton in 1959 (the year I was born). I love the images the song conjures all the way through. There is a charming video with lyrics on You Tube, although be advised the sealing wax clip is a bit of a jump-scare - a bit visceral at first glance! I'll write a little bit about the last two days of Folktale Week in my next Weekly, then after that it's going to be Christmas card making and picking up where I left off on the 100 days project - another 47 cats to go, I think. I should have it done some time in 2020! Thanks for visiting, see you next week! PS Most of my links are to Wikipedia pages. I love Wikipedia, and donate to keep it free from commerce and advertising whenever I can. They are fundraising at the moment and you can donate here from as little as £2. "Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others." - founder Jimmy Wales says it all. If you can, please do help with whatever you can give. One of the perks of working over so many years is an extensive back catalogue to dip into as required. It was a big help over Folktale Week this year as I was so busy in the weeks before it started I ended up with only Sunday 3rd November to work for the prompts, with yet another busy week ahead for Folktale Week itself. Keeping the prompts in mind, I trawled through my archives and came upon illustrations from 5 years ago which resonated with the folktale vibe so much they could have been made specifically for the purpose. I hadn’t ever used them for anything else; the drawing above of a secret door for snails was perfect for Day 2, Secret, especially after bringing it into Procreate for some up-to-date tweaks. I made this one for Day 3, Path, in a similar way and altogether got the first five days done, catching up the following weekend making ‘Key’ for day 6, and ‘Crown’ for the final day on Sunday. I made it by the skin of my teeth, and thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Thanks for visiting, see you next week! Folktale Week began on Instagram this week, I love seeing all the different interpretations of the prompts! This is my post for Day 1, Home: the wanderer returns to a warm welcome. This year I am working with a hybrid technique, this is a watercolour with drawn plant shapes and frosty roundels in white Rotring, with gouache colour accents. I scanned it and and worked it further in Procreate, adding the cat and a few other elements to suit.
Look for #folktaleweek2019 and follow the hashtag to see hundreds of super-talented illustrators all working in different ways! Thanks for visiting, see you next week This year's poster for the run-up to Folktale Week, starring Binky the cat Yes, Folktale Week on Instagram begins one week today! Time has flown since the prompts were released and I haven't done anything for them yet, but I made this poster for the occasion. I love the opportunity to invent weird little creatures and have the license to mix them all together to suggest or tell stories of a folksy nature.
It is such fun how these creatures come about, and once they creep in they are there for good in my stories! They seem to introduce themselves. The other two cat-like figures in the illustration came about from my bedroom curtains. Prone to idle gazing and pareidolia, about two weeks into the 100 cats project, I saw cats all over them, revealed by morning light glowing through the figured cloth. The 100 cats project, incidentally, will continue; it had to go on the back burner for a while to make space for the Artobotic machines project, specifically work for the Brexit Art Machine which was on a deadline for the end of the month. Looks like we've had an extension to that now! Thanks for visiting, see you next week! More can be found on Artobotic vending machines plus pics of the work I have been making for them at The Weekly on my Heather Eliza Walker site.
A poster I made last year in the run-up to Folktale Week
I didn’t manage to get any new illustration work done this week, my focus being on making more confused flags for Artobotic vending machines, especially the Brexit Art machine. Because it is time sensitive with only 11 days left to go (apparently Britain will still leave the EU on the 31st of this month), I had to set the 100 days of cats project temporarily aside in order to prioritise Brexit themed art. When I get back to it, I will be incorporating 100 days of cats with Folktale Week, telling my stories for the prompts with cats! Folktale Week starts two weeks tomorrow, so I thought it would be interesting to look back on what I was doing this time last year. I want to make another “Folktale Week is Nigh” poster next week, so I pulled last year’s from my archives. It reminds me that a year ago I was working exclusively in Procreate on iPad because our house move was in full swing, and my new work space wasn’t yet functional. I could work anywhere at any time on iPad, even when travelling or in the dark. I enjoy mixing things up, who doesn’t love the play and experiment of collage? The main difference between now and then is that since March I have been drawing and painting by hand again. When I was working on patterns in the spring, I found Procreate to be great for cleaning up and ‘cutting out’ hand made elements. It feels natural to use a stylus for drawing around edges with the eraser tool, freeing hand painted images from their paper background to set them into transparent layers. Last week I combined hand painted cats and trees with scanned collage elements and digitally created images. I made the alphabet I use for text in Procreate, too, basing it on Goudy Old Style (my favourite font when I worked as a graphic designer). It’s such a glorious mixup, exciting and playful with endless possibilities - I predict I’ll be making more illustration work with these techniques in future! Thanks for visiting, see you next week! P.S: Confused Flags development can be seen in The Weekly at my HEW website Folktale Week is only 3 weeks away now, my favourite week on Instagram! This year’s prompts were revealed on Monday: Home, Secret, Path, Smoke, Darkness, Key, and Crown. It kicks off on Monday 4th November, and I can’t wait to see how everyone interprets them. The organisers have given us plenty of time this year to think about the prompts and get busy working ahead of time. I decided not to do Inktober this year in favour of making time for Folktale Week. I prefer to have a more or less clear month to schedule a daily post for Inktober, but this month is proving busy on every front, and there is such a thing as an Instagram challenge too far! So, Folktale Week wins, and I will be doing it with cats as I am still in the middle of the 100 days challenge. I may run a bit late with my Folktale Week work this year, but that doesn’t matter; just joining in, having fun with the prompts and seeing Instagram bursting into life with everyone’s wonderful fairytale work is what it’s about for me.
Thanks for visiting, see you next week! Folktale Week 2019 is upon us! It hasn’t actually started yet, but the build-up is a busy and exciting time. It begins tomorrow when the organisers announce the prompts which are shared instantly by everyone, and all participants work in secret on their pieces. Then, on November 4th, Instagram will transform into a week long explosion of colourful folktales when everyone starts posting their work. It’s global and spans all time zones, so each day is a 24-hour celebration as artists from all over the world make their posts. The variety of work is breath-taking: last year saw illustration, photography, papercraft, cosplay, modelling, embroidery, felting to name but a few!
Folktale Week will be running on Instagram November 4 - 10. Fancy joining in? Search #folktaleweekand #folktaleweek2019 to find the talented developers who initiated it last year, and look out for the prompts tomorrow! Thanks for visiting, see you next week! Since we passed the autumn equinox, my 100 days of cats project has taken on a positively festive feel! It wasn’t a conscious decision, just that a cold snap turned my thoughts to winter woollies and hats and scarves and then on to parties and pantomime. Above are the resulting adventures of Dick Whittington’s cat (46), a surprise party (48), butter wouldn’t melt (45) and (47) naughty Pussycat from the nursery rhyme:
Pussycat, pussycat where have you been? I’ve been to London to visit the queen. Pussycat, pussycat what did you there? I frightened a small mouse under her chair. An unexpected and interesting thing has come out of the 100 days project on Instagram: new followers are seeing the account as being about the antics of a cat named Binky McKee, as opposed to illustrations of cats by an artist named Binky McKee. I’m fine with that! I was determined to keep an open mind when I began the project, and I am happy to go along with it. I like the idea of creating a character who can tell stories on my behalf which I can post while working on other projects which can’t be shared until complete. I will most likely do Folktale Week with Binky. I had intended the 100 days project to be finished in early November, then move straight into Folktale Week, but events since the beginning of September forced a go-slow which means I will definitely still be on it during Folktale Week. Folktale Week will be running on Instagram November 4 - 10. Fancy joining in? Search #folktaleweek to find the talented developers who initiated it last year, and look out for the prompts! Thanks for visiting, see you next week! |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to my illustration and patterns blog.
I illustrate under the pen-name of Binky McKee, McKee being my mother's maiden name. Binky was the name of every single cat my great-grandmother kept - allegedly about 40 of them during her 94 years of life. I changed the website address a few months ago, so some older links on previous posts are broken. If you click one of those and it takes you to a strange page, simply replace the .co.uk after the binkymckee. with weebly.com and it will work again. I hope you enjoy your visit! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I keep lots of scrapbooks and sketchbooks where I develop ideas and design little creatures. Here's a peek inside one ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you may know, I am also known as Heather Eliza Walker.
Click the image if you would like to find out more and visit my other website. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2024
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time, take a peek into my ceramic design sketchbook. I actually made some of the mugs, but I kind of prefer the drawings! The plate designs are painted on paper plates, a most liberating process.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These watercolours are from my pattern sketchbook. I used coloured wax crayons to resist the washes of watercolour, also home-made rubber stamps dipped in bleach then printed on crêpe paper - the bleach takes out the paper dyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A sketchbook I used for mark-making with unusual objects - corks, seed-heads, feathers, home-made rubber stamps, my fingers and lots of flicky things ...
|