The Sixty Second Doodle, and a Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas to all; from myself, Wuss and, of course, Boots. We hope you ate too much Christmas dinner and (gave as well as) got some lovely gifts.

 

I made mince pies. Nom nom nom.

I don't know about you, but my god, I have become a right little fatty. MIND YOU, I actually have got a very ligitimate excuse. After my operation at the end of September (on my back, give me sympathy yeah) I was limited to such activities as lying in bed and walking like a 90 year old biddy. As you can imagine, one puts weight on when one can barely move. Things are better now of course, but I still have to be careful. I think swimming will be the way forward in 2013.

So what's YOUR excuse ey?

Anyway, I digress. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas full of over indulgence and joy, and that you could be with the people who make you happy. One day we may not be able to do that, so we must treasure every moment. Merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2013.

The Sixty First Doodle

I would LOVE to go to New York. If anyone feels like sending me some money so I can do this, please feel free to do so. To turn that down would be downright UNGRATEFUL. And my mama brought me up right.

I did an illustration this year on London, and had an urge to do another city. For New York, I wanted something a little more gritty, something messy but stylish. Basically, how I saw it as a place. 

It's a jumble of famous landmarks and urban, graffiti style mess. And I like that. I used a combination of materials, from coloured markers to pencils, watercolours to chalk. I like the contrast between all the various textures and shades, and I layered the subjects to interlink them as well as create a busy sense of confusion. Are you confused? You better be. But in a good way, I hope. 

I have a plan to travel in Eastern Europe next summer, and I am so jeffin' excited to go and bring my sketch pad with me. I will love to draw my way around the cities Europe!

The Sixtieth Doodle - A week to Christmas!

So Christmas is nearly upon us, hurrah! I confess, I bloody love Christmas. Fab food and drink, and lots of time with those who mean the most to you. Love it.

So the only downfall as an arty type person is there are certain expectations from people that you must make them things. Cards especially. Oh lord. So I have been beavering away on my hand made Wuss 'n Boots cards, drawing them all out, sticking them together and destroying my back in the process. Ohhh I am so dedicated!

Not being funny, but people who get one better be bloody grateful I tell thee, this has taken me a  long while.

So here's to this special time of year, when we over-indulge, get stuck in our own gift wrapping (oh Wuss) and make merry with loved ones. 

In the wake of recent tragedies, not just in Newtown in America but ones all across the world, I hope we all feel thankful for what we do have, and remember those who are in mourning right now. For myself, it makes me realise just how wonderful my family and friends are, and that I really should tell them. 

If you read this my peeps, I blimmin' love you, you are fantastic. Even if I don't know you, I bet your bloody marvellous too.

So go have a lovely Christmas, treasure your loved ones, and enjoy life, 'cause it is very short indeed.

The Fifty Ninth Doodle

So I recently went to a free life drawing class in Shoreditch at the Vintage Emporium and Coffee House, a really cosy and lovely place. And awesome coffee cake nom nom.

My friend took me as a sort of birthday prezzy, and it was so nice going along with someone else. I usually go alone as none of my friends are so keen on drawing, so this was a nice change!

We all sat on our mismatched, vintage chairs and doodled this one lady for various amounts of times in various positions. I just worked in pencil, and as always I really enjoyed it. It is excellent drawing practise and helps pull your eye back in. Also, you don't have to take it too seriously, especially as it's a free event!

Some sketches were literally done in 1 – 3 minutes, so they are obviously far looser, and focus mainly on shape and posture.

With others we had more time, and could focus on the girls features, the shading and details. I was actually really pleased with this last image as hands annoy me intensely (as they do all artists I'm sure) yet I felt I was able to capture not only her facial expression and pose, but her slim hands too. She was a very slender lady, with almost waspish features, so this made her very interesting to draw.

All in all, a great evening!

The Fifty Eighth Doodle

I don't really know why, but I love this picture. I drew it as a quick sketch in a cafe with a cup of tea. 

I do love Boots. He is the one who can often surprise you with his behaviour; he can go from very reserved and judgemental to ridiculous and playful. I think Wuss could be sneaky, but I actually think Boots could be sneakier....

What a crafty lad.

I love 'em.

The Fifty Seventh Doodle

Share the Mo...Love.

So during November I signed up to this fab website, Gallery Of Mo. The idea behind this site was to give creative people (such as moi) a chance to use our skills to help raise money to battle testicular and prostate cancer in association with Movember. What a great idea!

So I got a request for a Mo'trait (haaa) from a chap who donated to the charity, and I did it in this gritty sort of style, almost like an old cowboy Western wanted poster. It's amazing what happens when you slosh a bit of tea on something! The chap I did it for was super chuffed with it too, I believe his exact words were “I love it! Totally awesome :-D” - not bad that! It's always a bit scary doing a portrait for someone, as you can worry that as hard as you try and apply yourself, they may not like the result. Do you flatter them a bit, but risk the image not actually looking like them? Or do you go for as close to their features as you can, and risk them going 'oh, I don't look like that'. Yes mate, sorry, but you do.

Tricky.

Thankfully with this one I had no issues; I kept the line work simple and stuck to the main distinguishing features (the big, dark eyes, the mouth with tash and the hair) , and deliberately kept it dark and gritty. I must admit boys are easier than ladies, as in general they are not as bothered about being shown in their best light; they just want a cool image of themselves that actually looks like them. God bless 'em.

Once I had the line-work and the hair painted in, I went to town on the tea. I love tea, both to drink and to chuck on pictures. Love that shit. It adds this wonderful texture and those bronze or brown colours that adds the feeling of age and depth. If you haven't before, I highly recommend throwing tea on some paper and then drawing on it, or sloshing it all over something you've already done. You never know.

You can still request your own Mo'trait here, just donate to this great cause and get your own unique picture!

The Fifty Sixth Doodle

Naked ladies. Naked ladies are cool. I do love the ol' body.

So this study started as a quick nude sketch in pencil. I used a heavy, soft charcoal mix graphic style pencil to give her a sort of mysterious softness which I really liked. I then put more emphasis on her tattoos so that they catch the eye first, keeping her face enigmatic and hidden under her hair. I then began to develop her from a sketch into a full image, using a palette of autumnal colours and nostalgic textures. I wanted to create quite a gritty and gothic image, with implications of writing and letter stamps layered across our mysterious girl.  

I was quite chuffed with the final image, as an experiment I feel she came out well. This is a little different to what I have been doing over the past year, as I feel it is so important to keep on pushing yourself, experiment with materials and techniques and even subject matter. You never know what you may accidentally stumble across!

The Fifty Fifth Doodle - Movember!

 

Oh yes, don't I look good with a tash.

So Movember is upon us! And to celebrate such a fab cause, I have joined the Gallery of Mo along with some other great artists to help raise money! People can come and choose to have their mustachioed portrait done by an artist for a particular donation - and really, who doesn't look good with a tash?

View my page here and come support a great cause!

The Fifty Fourth Doodle

 

 She started as a quick sketch last week, and here she is all finished now. I like experimenting with the pens and ink, and I like these bold, almost neon colours that are coming out. And you all know I love the old extreme sports. I wanted this image to be very feminine but hardcore and gritty too; the purple/pink colours help to emphasise the 'yes, this is a girl' sort of thing, but the edgy drawing and layering helps to give it that grungy look I love so much. Pretty chuffed with it considering how long everything takes me at the minute!

Ok, more stuff that's been happening (LOL 'happening') while I'm getting better-

 

1) GETTING CAKE AND FLOWERS IS VERY NICE

Well, getting spoilt is what's it all about isn't it. 

 

2) WANTING TO GO OUT BUT NOT REALLY BEING ABLE TO ALONE

Seriously, it's like being a toddler. I get so tired and sore when I try to go out for little walks I always need to go with someone else just in case, well, I need them to carry me home.

 

3) FINDING OLD CRAP I'VE MADE MY PARENTS

God bless people who have creative children, 'cause they're always more likely to get hand made gifts. In some cases, it is wonderful. In others, I'm sure the olds are thinking 'well it's sweet, but I really wanted a book'. But hopefully my ma liked this, as who doesn't like teapots ey? They help us drink tea.

 

4) FALLING IN LOVE WITH SMALL THINGS THAT HELP ENTERTAIN ME

Pens. I love pens. Pens keep me happy. Paint is too tricky at the minute, so pens are my saviours. Yehhh.

 

The Fifty Third Doodle

 

I may not be able to paint much (painting lying on your stomach in bed while propped up on your elbows is very tricky) but I have had a wee bit of joy playing with pens. I confess I hadn't used coloured pens or markers much before, but they are great. This skater girl sketch above will soon have some colouredy (YES IT'S A WORD) treatment, and this makes me happy. I mean my back is killing me, but not much I can do about that right now, so lets focus on the good stuff ey.

So yeah, as an arteeest, I recommend the double ended ProMarker. A bit pricey but well worth it. If you look in somewhere like Cass Art they often have great sales, if you can grab a whole pack it's much better for your wallet. Or your dads wallet. Considering it's a marker you can get so many different shades and levels from just one pen, they're fab.

As for the fineliners, gotta go for the old classic Stabilo coloured pens. Thin and nicely coloured - what more does an illustrator need from a coloured fineliner ey?

So I have found I struggle to draw or anything for more than about 15-20 minutes. Lack of comfort being the primary issue, but also my concentration levels are totally shot. This blog post alone took me ALL DAY TO WRITE. God I'm a tit. 

So here's images to show you what else I have been doing while recovering-

 

1) SLEEPING. SO MUCH SLEEPING. 

Now I class myself as a somewhat lazy individual, but even for me this is getting ridiculous. My bed has a Ruth shaped dent in it, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I aint light and dainty, that's for damn sure.

 

2) PAINTING MY NAILS. BADLY. 

I know right, I'm a artist. Yet I am shite at painting my nails. I'd say I have a good excuse right now though. Not being able to sit up means you have to paint said nails in unusual positions (namely lying down or standing) so I end up splodging nail varnish all over the show. But, you know, I lose my painting mo-jo when I'm stood up. Gravity pulls it all out.

 

3) BUYING TOPS. 

Actually, that isn't quite true, I bought one top. BUT it's COOL. And it was on sale, and it is made by an independant clothing company Own The Night. So really, I didn't buy it for ME. It was a selfless purchase. YEP. I am like a walking charity worker me.

 

4) LISTENING TO BANGIN' TUNES AND THEN REALISING I REALLY AM NOT COOL ENOUGH TO PULL OFF BANGIN'

I got the Of Monsters and Men album as a 'get well' prezzy from my beau, as I do love them so. Other bands who have soothed me the last few days include A Day to Remember, Tool, Deftones, Jessica Lea Mayfield and The Offspring. I know, I have odd eclectic tastes right. 

The Fifty Second Doodle

 

So, as some of you may or may not know, I recently had to have an operation on my back. Nothing terrifyingly serious, but very painful and with a slow recovery rate. 

Fabulous.

And as you can probably guess, I have been bored off my face. The injury was on my lower back, so I am unable to sit up or walk very well; so I am stuck lying on my front in bed (as I am right now) trying to do the odd doodle and communicate with my fellow human beings. So my wee sketch of (the rather marvelous) Mark Strong above is one of my bed-bound drawings; an attempt to stave off insanity and misery. 

God I am such a drama queen (I know, an artist being a drama queen, who'd have thunk it). I am sure I will be TOTALLY FINE very soon, but my goodness, being in pain sucks. It is exhausting. I go for a little waddle (walk is an overstatement) to the shop around the corner, after which I can sleep for hours.

WHAT A LAME-O.

Oh well, I am sure I'll be back to my old self soon. An illustrating menace.

The Fifty First Doodle

Deep down, I still totally love extreme sports. I may not do any sports style work for a while, but it always niggles in the back of my mind. 

I love the energy, the aggression, the passion, the youthful nature. I do enjoy doing other types of sporting illustrations, but I think the reason I especially love skating, BMXing, surfing and snowboarding is because that's what I was into as a 'yoof'. I was part of the 'alternative' gang, I dated skater boys, I went surfing, I thought I was so bloody cool.

Then I grew up. And realized that I am, indeed, very cool.

I have a soft spot for girls who do these sports, as they are generally still very male dominated. Respect to those ladies who are not only trying to improve their skills and do what they love, but are doing it in a industry that is still mostly run by men for men. That's why you need to check out some of the fab ladies like those at Yeah Zine and give them some support!

The Fiftieth Doodle

I am going into hospital today to have an operation, that's a bit scary. Do please keep your fingers crossed for me, I'm sure all will go well and then hopefully I'll be back to my old self within a few weeks. 

Ruth X

The Forty Ninth Doodle

A Paralympics 2012 Celebration Illustration

So here we go, I did my Olympics one now here is my Paralympics one! We did so amazingly well in both games, and the sports men and women who have risen into the starlight deserve all the fantastic attention they get. Team GB just blew us away at the home games, I think we all hoped we'd do well but in reality I think no one expected this! I guess the pressure of  taking part in the Olympics or Paralympics on home soil can be too much for some athletes, and some may buckle under the strain. And yes, we may have had some athletes who left disappointed, but we had so many amazing successes and mindblowing achievements; it's made so many of us bristle with pride :-D

Oh dear, I am lame aren't I, I get excited about everything. MEH. I think the whole experience was just bloody fantastic!

Plus, creating these illustrations has been so much fun - there is so much joy and passion, aggression and life. Work like this takes a while but it is so very rewarding, and don't worry -I did get my own little reward. A big cup o' tea :-D

The Forty Eighth Doodle

This is a fox. Obviously.

I actually drew this chap a while ago, and only recently remembered him. He was one of the first drawings I did when I was in the process of moving my style and work forward, and I remember drawing him and going 'oh, this is a bit different, I like it'. That chaotic way I draw is obviously just the natural way I do things; messy and a little surreal. That's me all over.

Here's the pain now though - I designed myself a wee fox tattoo, as foxes have been a favourite animal of mine for ages. Then what happens??! I fall head over heels for a boy whose surname is Fox. God damn and blast it. I can't get it now can I, I'll look like a crazy woman! The boy in question obviously finds this all hilarious. 

Perhaps I will just have to keep on doodling them on paper rather than on my skin then. Blimmin' men ey.

The Forty Seventh Doodle

David Weir ey, what a ledge!

I did this illustration of 'The Weir-Wolf' recently for an article in Amelia's Magazine on the Paralympics, and you can read the full article here. 

When I first sat down to think about how I'd draw out this bloody amazing athlete, I knew I wanted to give it a really edgy feel with loads of movement and passion. I began sketching him out in a racing pose (cheesy medal shots don't seem quite fitting somehow) and liked this pose; basically shows him at his peak, doing what he does best. But I wanted a bit more, and the nickname 'The Weir-Wolf' was just so brilliant I wanted to built it in somehow. I literally can't think of a better nickname for an athlete like David Weir, a seemingly normal man most of the time who transforms into this powerhouse of energy and focus as soon as he's on the track (obviously he doesn't go around howling at the full moon, or maybe he does, who knows...). ANYWAY, I'm babbling. 

I knew I didn't simply want a wolf sat over the top of the figure, I wanted them interlinked, as one. So after a few experiments the result above began to emerge, and I loved the way you can see just part of the wolfs face and that one fearsome eye. I admit, the red splash in the wolfs eye was more of an accidental find but I loved the slightly blood-thirsty feel it added to the overall image, and I think it really offsets the red in David's team strip. COOL.

I was dead chuffed with the final piece, and was happy to see it up on Amelia's Magazine. And then, naturally, I posted it on my Facebook page and my Twitter. I 'tweeted' it to David himself (I'm not terribly good at this whole Twit malarkey so I hope that's the right terminology) and also to Amelia's Mag, and then I promptly forgot about it. By the evening I suddenly realised I had some great reactions to the illustration from people on Twitter, which was very unexpected and bloody awesome. 

Very often you're pushing so hard but you feel no one is looking at your stuff and that they don't give a hoot, this art/illustration nonsense can be really very demoralizing and lonely at times. So getting people saying, 'Hey, actually, I think that's good and I am going to take the time to tell you so' is just such a great feeling. So thanks to you guys, it's a fab boost!

One reaction I got from a chap on Twitter said 'That is a fantastic piece of art work! Beautiful, dynamic & aggressive all in one.' I could kiss this chap, as that is pretty much exactly want I want to create - work that is visually interesting and attractive, yet full of energy and power and ferociousness. 

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The Forty Sixth Doodle

Oh dear, the London 2012 Olympics are finished, and I am really very sad!

I was lucky enough to have had some tickets for athletics and football, and the atmosphere was truly like nothing I've ever felt before. Everyone was so happy and enthusiastic, chatting with each other no matter where they were from or who they were backing. It was bloody fantastic.

I really hope London can spring from this and get more kids into sports, that would be the ultimate goal.

But for now, here is my wee homage to the Olympics and Team GB. And yep, the Paralympics version is coming in the next few days too :)

Well done to all of Team GB, we are so very proud!

The Forty Fifth Doodle

People love having a crafty fag don't they. I'm not a big fan, but I like drawing smokers. Mainly cause they don't move too much when they're smoking, so I can have a look at them and do a quick drawing. Like a weird art perv.

As a non smoker, smokers irritate me. And not just because I don't like smoking. It's the social aspect that annoys me. 'Oh Ruth can you stay in here alone and look after all our bags, cheers', 10 minutes later everyone returns and they've book a holiday to Bermuda together. You often find yourself totally excluded.

Thankfully now, my non-smoking peers seem to outweigh the smoking ones. Out of my best mates only one or two does it, and thankfully my man doesn't smoke. Nice to have non-smokey smooches.

It's an odd one ain't it. 

The Forty Forth Doodle

Life drawing. So very, very important for artists and illustrators. Having someone say 'Right, you've got 5 minutes to draw this naked chick and if you can't do it then TOUGH.' Ok, well they don't say it like that, but that's the general gist. It's exciting!

I went along to an Art Macabre life drawing class at Cass Art in Islington which was great, though I do find it odd sometimes. I go because I want to practise and keep my mind open to new ideas, and because I enjoy it. However, I often feel like I'm sheepishly trying to hide what I'm doing- not because it's bad, but because I feel a bit self conscious. I was sat doodling away at this event, and heard some people next to me muttering about what I was doing, and start to say how rubbish their work was. One then scrunched up her paper and threw it on the floor. Nice tantrum love.

I don't know, it's odd isn't it. I'd have thought no one cares too much, but apparently we're all still kids when it comes to drawing pictures. 'Yours is better than mine so I'm pissed off now'. Ok mate, well, have you been drawing pretty much non stop since you were 5 or 6? No? Well shut up then. It's taken an awful lot of work to develop my drawing skills, and I'm sure there are still thousands of people out there better than me, but I'm not fussed. 

I do get miffed when people make me feel bad for the fact that I can draw. If you feel the need to compare yourself to others and put either yourself or other people down, probably a life drawing class is not the place for you. Stay home and watch crappy tv. 

The Forty Third Doodle

Well, this is pretty different to what I usually do, wouldn't you say? Well my dear people, you'd be right. 

I recently took on a tit-for-tat project with an animator called Jason Fox (www.jasonfoxcreative.weebly.com), wherein I drew out a tattoo design for him, and he made an animated portfolio for me. It was fab. Watch it here.

We then began talking about doing more together, and he mentioned that he'd be keen to actually animate some of my drawings. We threw around a few ideas and came to the conclusion we wanted to try to do an animated story based on one of Aesop's Fables, the Fox and the Goat. We had very similar ideas about how we wanted it to look - a dark, almost macabre style to it, with old fashioned, human-esque characters, the dominant colours being browns, bronzes, dark greens and blacks. 

So, I began doodling some ideas. Above you can see my first sketches I made to get a feel for how these characters may look, and I must admit, I've had some great feedback to them which I was dead chuffed with! I looked at old illustrations for stories by Dickens and Poe to get this old sort of design and feel, and I think it works well. I'm really excited about this project, I think it's going to be a good 'un!

The Forty Second Doodle

Around commissions and building websites, I managed to do my King and Queen of Hearts card design. Only two to go now!

As a 'red' suit, obviously I wanted the red to be stronger than in the original Clubs design. I wanted to capture that same gritty, edgy look and texture that the original picture had (thumbnail above), only with the red as the dominant feature. I was dead pleased with how it came out, I like how intense and almost blood-like the red looks in the final piece. I was especially happy with the queen here, I wanted to have her looking quite young and pretty, but with a darkness in her eyes that suggests there is more going on here. Ok, maybe no one else notices that stuff, but I do!

Now I just need to do Diamonds and Spades!

The Forty-First Doodle (sort of...)

Oh Wuss 'n Boots, how I love you so. 

For those of you who don't know, I have been drawing Wuss 'n Boots since 1998. So, what, 14 years. Since I was 11. Mental.

I know some people know what it's like to be completely dedicated to one thing for so long from a young age; sports men and woman, musicians, other artists. But even I am baffled when I see it written down. I have been drawing these characters since I was 11. That's one hell of a long time.

Of course, they have developed and changed dramatically over the years. But what surprises me when I think about it is the fact that their personalities have rung true for so very long. Yes, there have been moments of shock in behaviour (oh my, I'm talking about them as if they're real) but in essence, they still behave the same as they did when I was 11, 16, 21. They have come and gone as I have grown up, but they are always there, sat in the back of my head. Funny stuff happens and I am instantly converting it into a cartoon in my head. How would the boys react to this? What would they say.

Mental right?

Perhaps I see little change because, when you get down to it, they are each one half of me. And noticing change in yourself is tricky. Boots is sarcastic, sometimes withdrawn, a little proud. Wuss is silly, imaginative, thoughtful. Sometimes I feel like every reaction I have is not mine, but theirs.

Mind you, neither of them can draw to save their lives.

So this here Wuss 'n Boots desk was made as a gift for my fab baby niece. If you are interested (even if you're not, I'm saying it anyway) it was done with acrylics on wood, and took 2 days all in all. See how clever I am, do I get a lolly?

I love that, while the boys can be very sarcastic or a little cruel in their humour and observations at times (yes, blame me for that too), they can also be all about joy. Just pure, unadulterated joy. 'Cause what's wrong with that ey?  

The Fortieth Doodle

If this makes no sense to you, please refer thine eyes to doodle number Thirty Seven. 

I recently took a commission to draw out a card style king and queen tattoo, which I then turned into an illustration too. I actually had so much fun with it, I thought 'Oh buggar, I want to do all four suits now. Damn.' (I mainly thought damn because things are so mad busy at the minute, and I'm just giving myself even more work to do! I am a tit.)

So here's the line drawings of all four suites, spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts. They are obviously all quite similar, yet I strived to make sure each face had it's own characterisation, each outfit had it's own quirks. I look at loads of examples of old card designs, and sort of amalgamated all the aspects I liked into my drawings. 

I cannot wait to get a chance to finish them all off. As a set, they are going to look SICK.

The Thirty Ninth Doodle

Oh Wuss 'n Boots. How I love you so.

It's been a while since I've done much with these marvellous boys, I'm sure every illustrator and artist gets the same. Things come in cycles sometimes, and something you don't do anything with for ages can suddenly explode out again from nowhere. 

This is a photo of a golf commission I took, and I really did have a lot of fun with it. I had to come up with 4 humourous golf themed drawings with captions which were then to be printed and used as gifts for each member of the golf club. And apparently they went down a storm!

Those golfers obviously had well good taste.

I'm now thinking of expanding them from 4 cartoons to 12, into a proper set of funny golf themed drawings. I think other people would really like them too!

The Thirty Eighth Olympics Doodle

So I had to go there. The Olympics was just, quite simply, wonderful. I do confess, as a Londoner myself I was quite worried beforehand; worried about travel issues trying to get to work, the city getting horrendously busy, all those sorts of things. But in the end, London did incredibly well. And I was lucky enough to go to see the athletics, and the atmosphere was amazing! Everyone was chatting and having a laugh together, didn't matter where they were from or who they were supporting, who was winning and who wasn't. 

FYI I am yet to see this sort of friendly attitude at football matches in the UK.

You know us Brits though, we love a loser. The races I saw had a few runners who seemed to suffer injury so they fell very far behind, but the crowd cheered them on all the way round. It was just fab.

Yeahhhhhh team GB :-D

So I'm working on a wee tribute to our amazing athletes and our amazing city, the whole of the UK. Aren't we marvellous. Keep your eyes peeled for more soon!

The Thirty Seventh Doodle...well, sort of

So this is pretty funky. Seeing one of your doodles being tattooed on to someone. It still delights me when someone sees something I have done, and they think 'Yeh, that's awesome, I'm gonna get that inked on to me for the rest of my life'. 

Hardcore. No pressure then.

So this was my line drawing that was commissioned. The dude wanted a card style king and queen, but he didn't want the suit or an outline, which I agreed with, makes it seem a bit too stiff like that. He brought me a few examples but they were pretty shoddy, so I did some doodles and here was my result.

I have to admit I was so chuffed when I saw the final thing, it's very hard to know how your work will translate onto someone's skin! Though obviously this very careful line work is generally not my thing, so here it is again as a full on illustration in my very distinctive style-

A really good project I had a  lot of fun with!