Kumiko Brocklebank Illustration

IF - Craving

2009-06-11T11:17:00.002Z

I missed IF last week because I was trying to do a masterpiece - so this week I have gone with a sketch on the back of an envelope.

One craving that does pop up occasionally is for a double chocolate chip Ben's Cookie warm from the oven!! Goes well with a nice cup of tea. I do often crave a cookie when I take my tea breaks during the day. In my student days my housemates and I would treat ourselves to a warm Ben's cookie (they seemed very expensive on our meagre budgets) to cheer ourselves up.

However my IF sketch is a bit inaccurate, because I would NEVER drink my tea near my wacom tablet for fear of having the accident that my fellow illustrator friend had. Tea all over the tablet, resulting in massive short circuit. Not what you need when a deadline is looming...

The good news is that the tablet worked again after it had been dried out.

Illustration Friday : Cracked

2009-05-28T11:45:00.003Z

Oh dear - I haven't been contributing to IF for ages and ages...

This week the theme is CRACKED!

I have many items in the kitchen that I continue to use even though they have cracked.

A bit of super glue ands some imagination means that things can be recycled.

Not sure about my tea cup though : (

Freddie and the Fairy

2009-05-21T15:03:00.002Z

Here is Bessie from my Waterstones illustration competition entry. Am feeling a bit stupid having messed up the printing for the double page spread but am determined to carry on with my picture book aspirations!!

Illustration Friday : Canned

2008-07-30T13:47:00.003Z

I looked up "canned" and discovered it can mean to be "drunk". There has been a lot of getting "canned" outside at the moment with this lovely hot weather!

It's such fun packing a picnic and sharing it with friends. Do come and join us if you spot me in a London park...

I prefer a chilled wine to a "can" of lager though...so does that count as getting "canned"?

Illustration Friday : Baby

2008-06-06T09:27:00.002Z

I designed this card for a friend's baby shower last weekend, but never got to give it to her because she was in labour!

Congratulations Katie and Nick on the birth of your little boy : )

And it suits the IF theme this week, so here it is.

Illustration Friday : Seed

2008-05-07T12:33:00.004Z

This week's theme for Illustration Friday is "Seed".

And it just so happens that I have been sowing seeds this week!

I have been growing tomatoes for a few years now, but this year I am going for some more salad vegetables!

Last year, the cos lettuce I grew from mini plants went a bit mad and turned into tree-like things, but this year I will make sure I pick the leaves early!!!

Can't wait to serve salad that is fresh from our garden! (actually, they are being grown in pots and propagators...)

Illustration Friday : Primitive

2008-04-25T08:47:00.005Z

Here's a very quick IF.

Last weekend I was at a dinner party discussing how "primitive" our old ways of communication seem to the younger generation...

I learnt to type on a type-writer, and even wrote LETTERS rather than texted or emailed my friends and family. My brother calls my era "pre-mobile" and it's not REALLY that long ago...

This illo is of a properly primitive telephone. It does work, but is more impressive with a longer piece of string...

Illustration Friday : Fail

2008-04-15T22:35:00.004Z

Oh dear... I feel like I have FAILed with my IF efforts.

First post of the year and it's April!

Must try harder.

Chose to illustrate this, because I feel that a hug is what everyone needs when they have failed.

Got another rejection email from a publisher yesterday.

I need a hug...

(Sniff)

Illustration Friday : Superstition

2007-11-21T09:27:00.000Z

In Japan the numbers 4 and 9 are considered unlucky because they sound similiar to the words for death and suffering.
In hospitals they apparently sometimes don't have the 4th floor or 9th floor (like in over in the West they often miss out the 13th floor). I've never been to hospital in Japan so I can't confirm this...

Anyway, I've always been a little scared of the numbers 4 and 9 (4 is more scary because in parts of China they too avoid it too).

You have to be careful not to send someone a bunch of flowers containing 4 roses, for example. It's easy when you're in Japan because the shops would not supply 4 only, but no one knows about it in England, so I have to be on the look out. Not that my English friends care... I know it's just a superstition, but I still feel I have to be careful.

When I discovered that 13 and 666 are unlucky over here I was a bit older so was not so concerned. But 4 and 9 have haunted me since I was very little...

Illustration Friday : Scale

2007-11-13T22:13:00.000Z

Correct use of a scale is VERY important when cooking and baking...
I find digital scales quite unreliable, and the one I have only measures in units of 25g.
So what do I do if I need 40g or 85g!?

But actually, the most confusing thing about cooking from various recipe books is that a "cup" means different things in different countries... A US cup vs an Australian cup vs a Japanese cup. Luckily UK recipes hardly ever refer to ingredients in "cup"s...

My picture this week is painted - am experimenting with different styles.

Illustration Friday : Hats

2007-11-06T22:59:00.000Z

I love hats.

I love dressing up too.

This bear has lots of hats for his dressing up games.

Which is your favourite hat?

Illustration Friday : Grow

2007-10-22T14:21:00.001Z

This week I knew exactly what I wanted to draw for the theme of GROW.

Once upon a time, I could not WAIT to grow (up) and do exciting things.
Now I wish I would STOP growing - because I seem to be GROWing in the wrong directions...

illustration Friday : Extremes

2007-10-19T08:49:00.000Z

Have you heard of extreme ironing?

I think it's a rather extreme way of making ironing slightly more interesting.

Ironing is a sport that I extremely dislike and go to extremes to avoid.

Not sure being halfway up a cliff would make it any better...

Illustration Friday : Open

2007-10-12T07:59:00.001Z

When some people open their mouths, intelligent comments flow out.
When others open their mouths, beautiful words tumble out.

When I open my mouth, not a lot comes out...or if it does, it sounds all wrong.
Why is that?

ps. Thanks to IF for organising an exciting competition! Hopefully this will provide a springboard for me to get back into submitting again : )

Tagged!

2007-05-30T13:06:00.000Z

Oh my word - I haven't posted since January.
This is TERRIBLE.

But here I am again, responding to Kwoozy's tag!

Seven random things about myself?
Here goes:

1. I first met my husband when we were 16, in an A-level French class. I was the only girl, because everyone else got lost and didn't make it to the classroom (I only made it because one of the other boys in the class recognised me and stopped me as I walked in the opposite direction)

2. I am very squeamish (blood, gore, gunk, bodily functions, YUCK) but have tried to overcome this by working for my university first aid team, giving blood, and working in pharmaceutical market research (interviewing patients and doctors on stuff)

3. When I was three, I lived in Switzerland and wanted to be Heidi.

4. I do not consider swimming to be a recreational activity.

5. When my oven broke and I had to cook a cake for 3 hours before it solidified, my friends told me it was the best cake they had ever tasted...

6. My dream is to own a cafe-gallery-shop, so that I can sell tea and cakes, my artwork, and imported items from Japan!!!!

7. I have a very short attention span.

Now, I have to tag SEVEN people!!! But I don't know enough bloggers well enough... SO I want to tag the first SEVEN bloggers who read this post (if you haven't been tagged yet).

It's up to you to admit that you are one of the first seven. Just leave me a comment so that I know who you are!! THANKS :)

Illustration Friday : Red

2007-01-28T22:02:00.000Z

When I first moved to England I was 5 years old.

There were lots of things that amazed me. but one thing that is really vivid in my mind is the shock of discovering that the sun is yellow, and not RED, in children's pictures over here.

I guess it is because of the Japanese national flag that the sun is associated with the colour red in the Land of the rising Sun.

I did try to persuade my new friends that the sun should be red in our pictures, but I was quickly defeated. All it took was for them to point at the sky... well really, it's more white than yellow, anyway!

Illustration Friday : Superhero

2007-01-25T15:49:00.000Z

New Year, New Me, New Style.

Chose to illustrate this because I think all parents are superheros!

I guess my parents were always my heros when I was little (I thought they knew EVERYTHING), but I didn't appreciate just how hard it is to have children and a house to run until my friends started trying!

At my age, my mum had a seven year old, a four year old and a baby, was living in a foreign country and... okay we didn't have a cat then, but we had goldfish.

No wonder our house was always chaotic.

Illustration Friday : Might

2006-12-05T13:25:00.000Z

Every Christmas, my previous workplace used to host an office fancy dress party which was always hilarious. The chairman would choose a letter, and you would have to dress up as something beginning with that letter.

One year it was "M" and I went as "Merlinette". The judges thought I was a magician, but I got a prize anyway (a bottle of champagne!!). But I wonder if I would have got first prize if I had gone as Mighty Mouse!??

Can't remember who WAS first, but "Marge Simpson" was great, and "Millenium Dome" got a prize too.
Other memorable "M"s included my friend the "Mop" and a girl who covered herself in "Marshmallow". The "Mummy" didn't last very long because he used toilet roll for his bandages...

Illustration Friday : Ghost

2006-10-25T12:47:00.000Z

When I was at uni (many years ago) our shared house was rather taken by surprise when some children knocked on the door "trick or treat"ing. All we could give them were some old bashed bananas and the boys were mightily unimpressed.

But frankly we were unimpressed by the most rubbish (!) ghost costume EVER. All this boy had done was put a hole in a bin bag and put it over his head. His friend had done nothing, but he was actually just as scary.

Illustration Friday : Quiet

2006-09-30T18:11:00.000Z

I thought about lots of quiet times that I could illustrate, but I chose this because I think it's funny that we try to be quiet for the baby to sleep, but actually, most of them can fall asleep even when there is lots of noise.

Personally, I find it easy to fall asleep wherever - much to the amusement of some of my friends at uni...

Illustration Friday : Farm

2006-09-10T23:39:00.000Z

This is a picture dedicated to a little friend of mine who recently went to stay on a farm. I think she was a little scared at first, but helped to feed various animals at the end of the week!

My brother used to hate going anywhere near farms. He said they smelt pooey...

Illustration Friday : Safe

2006-09-03T22:46:00.000Z

"You'll be safe in here!"

That's what everyone kept saying to Kitty on the way to the airport.

Kitty was not so sure.
She had never felt particularly safe in this cage...

ps. This summer, we were walking by a river when we saw a family on holiday. They had brought their cat with them, and it was on a lead. It did not look very happy when another family passed by with their dog...

Illustration Friday : Run

2006-08-31T09:27:00.000Z

This year, we went skiing in Austria - and for the first time in my life, I went down a BLACK RUN. It was snowing... my goggles were steamed up...and my legs were shaking. I kept thinking: "Am I supposed to be enjoying this!?"

Well, thankfully I lived to tell the tale. But I haven't fallen over so much in a long time!

Illustration Friday : Match

2006-08-24T22:57:00.000Z

Is it just me who finds it impossible to find socks that match?!

Illustration Friday : Capture

2006-08-09T23:23:00.000Z

Once upon a time, in an office in London, there was a little mouse who was SO excited to find a yummy piece of chocolate that he failed to see the big mug that was about to capture him!

(We let him go in the park, and he was allowed to keep the chocolate.)

Illustration Friday : Dance

2006-06-22T08:12:00.000Z

Blue bear just couldn't help showing off his sexy new moves when he realised that Kit and Bunny were at the dance too...

: ( Tried to use Illustrator this week, but failed miserably and have gone back to Photoshop.

Illustration Friday : Jungle

2006-06-15T14:56:00.000Z

Blue bear started to wish he had chosen a different coloured top for his journey into the jungle...

This week I have had a go at a different kind of technique - inspired by my new Screenprinting class. Thanks Linz!!

Illustration Friday : Cake

2006-06-09T13:48:00.000Z

Here is my belated IF attempt for CAKE!

When I was little, I used to dream of eating a massive chocolate cake like this and swimming in yummy custard...
Now I get headaches if I eat too much chocolate... boo hoo.

Illustration Friday : Portrait

2006-06-09T09:14:00.000Z

I used to hate having my portrait done.

(bit behind with Illustration Friday at the moment... will do the cake one another time!)

Illustration Friday : Sorry

2006-05-22T11:32:00.000Z

3 ways to say SORRY.

With love from Blue Bear and his friends.xxx

Words, actions or gifts?
I think a combination is best...

Illustration Friday : Angels and Devils

2006-05-17T11:10:00.000Z

I was such an ANGEL when I was little...

and my brother was such a DEVIL.

Illustration Friday : Fat

2006-05-07T21:52:00.000Z

Deep fat frying is one of my favourite methods of cooking...

Perhaps I'll cook tempura tomorrow.

Illustration Friday : Under the sea

2006-05-04T07:21:00.000Z

Blue bear's class had a dressing up competition.
The theme was "Under the sea."

I wonder who won?

Illustration Friday: Robot

2006-04-23T19:09:00.000Z

Here's a slightly different style for this week.
A grayscale vector attempt.

If I had a robot, he would be a little bear who would bring me cups of tea and carry my shopping for me.

Illustration Friday : Spotted

2006-04-20T13:58:00.000Z

Blue Bear and his friends are playing hide and seek.
Who will be spotted first?

Illustration Friday : Speed

2006-04-13T17:51:00.000Z

Speed makes me think of the Dodonpa ride that used to be the fastest rollercoaster in the world. I couldn't close my mouth once I started screaming because of the speed we were going at (>_<)

illustration Friday : Spring

2006-04-05T23:38:00.000Z

Hello and thanks for your comments!

Depending on whether I have my British hat on, or my Japanese hat on, SPRING signifies different things to me...

Illustration Friday : Monster

2006-03-26T20:16:00.000Z

Illustration Friday : Feet

2006-03-23T17:41:00.000Z

Here is my first Illustration Friday attempt!

Hello

2006-03-23T16:30:00.000Z

Hello!

Just testing out my new blog site.

Bit new to this...