Sean Phillips flick book

How to draw the White Queen in seven easy steps!

There are more photos in the seequence but I didn't want to bore you so I'll post them to my Flickr stream instead. Check out Sean's blog and website for more of his work.








The finished product.

Kapow!

Last weekend we drafted in both sets of grandparents and spent the weekend geeking it up at Mark Millar's Kapow! comic con, the first of its kind in London. It was lots of fun, although I severely underestimated the length of time we would spend queueing (next time I'm taking a flask of strong coffee and a copy of War and Peace). I think the organisers underestimated how long fanboys would be willing to queue, too - bigger venue next year please!

I made it to a couple of the Marvel panels, although I don't know enough to be particularly excited by any of the announcements. The most surreal sight of the weekend wasn't the people in costume (although there were a few!) but X-Men editor Nick Lowe and writer Kieron Gillen in Prince Harry (yes, Harry) and Kate Middleton masks. Very disturbing.



And I saw the debut episode of Falling Skies, Steven Spielberg's new TV series (a fairly generic take on the band-of-survivors genre, but if you think the only thing missing from The Walking Dead is aliens then it's for you).

But my favourite part of the weekend was wandering through Artists' Alley and watching the artists at work. Some of them were big names (Brian Bolland anyone?) and some of them were just starting out but it was a pleasure to watch the creative juices flowing (or not - there were a few hangovers going around on Sunday morning).

I got some Batman sketches from various artists (and a Hulk from Paul Davidson - I mentioned hangovers, right?), which I'll post separately. Mark gave me a little sketch book to carry round, so they're only small pieces.

Mark however went for the big sketches, and got two incredible pieces, by Marvel artist Filipe Andrade and Sean Phillips, who spent the entire weekend drawing and painting for fans and was by far the hardest working man there. Incredible the sort of artwork he can knock out in fifteen minutes! It really was a joy to watch.

Pretty little teasets

I popped into Drink Shop & Do yesterday after lunch with Helen and Barry at Camino (great tapas btw). I managed to avoid the cakes for once and followed the 'shop' rule instead.

They have a lovely collection of tea towels, and some quirky little brooches made from retro crockery. But what really caught my eye was a range of cups, saucers and teapots by Ali Miller. Miller takes vintage ceramics and 'upcycles' them, incorporating her own designs to breathe new life into neglected objects.

I like the bug-painted butter dish but my favourite is the butterfly teapot. Beautiful, I wish I'd seen it last month so I could have added it to my birthday wishlist!

Pretty as a picture

I had lunch in a new vegan cafe in Kings Cross today, really a lounge downstairs in the Secret Society of Vegans shop. I had a very tasty vegan Cornish pasty, and they have an impressive flavoured coffee menu (my marshmallow soya decaf latte didn't taste much of marchmallow or of coffee, but I've got a cold so maybe I'm being harsh). The staff are lovely, and even managed to manhandle Ella's buggy down the stairs. Bought a box of delicious cookies for Logan while I was there (vegan food being handily egg-free).

The space is also used for exhibitions, and the one today - Stitches, by Raquel J Alves - was excellent. I had one of those crafty, handmade "Why can't I do that?" moments. Alves creates 'needle paintings' on canvas, creating images with stitching, painting and collage that are really quite lovely to look at. Want one (or three).

Cake of the day #6: chocolate and walnut brownie at Emporium Tearoom

I was so excited at introducing Mum to the Emporium Tearoom on Fortis Green Road that I forgot to take a picture of the cake, whoops! We had a delicious lunch, chunky vegetable soup with a mature cheddar and homemade chutney sandwich - perfect on a wintry day like today. The brownie was yummy, and mum had a tasty carrot cake too.




The On The Wall art collective have an exhibition on at the tearoom at the moment, their second, on the theme of Love, Peace, Happiness. Each piece, by members of the group and other local artists, sits in a box frame and every one costs £60. I've got my eye on this one by Sandy Thornton.

Cake of the day #1: plum sponge, Emporium tea room

I've never been one to turn down a slice of cake - afternoon tea is one of my favourite pastimes, after all - but since I had Ella I've been eating an awful lot more of it (hey, I'm breastfeeding, I'm allowed). So I've decided to justify continued cake bingeing by introducing a new blog feature. Hopefully it'll last as long as I decide I don't need to diet!



Today's inaugural cake is plum sponge, from the Emporium tea room on Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill. It was really moist and sweet (almost too sweet, I'm not sure it needed the sugar crust - although I still ate it all!) and was washed down nicely with a pot of English breakfast tea.



Mismatched vintage china, Cath Kidston-style tablecloths, tea - and coffee - from Muswell institution W. Martyn and a selection of English staples - beans on toast, egg and soldiers, toasted teacake and crumpets - as well as more substantial lunch specials, accompanied by a '40s-era soundtrack, make Emporium a great destination for those seeking some homely comfort on a cold autumn day.



The walls are adorned with pieces by local artists, many of whom will take personalised commissions - I'm tempted by this Brigitte Herrod drawing. The shop also sells a nice mix of vintage tableware and cutesy gifts (I bought some great Christmas cake cases for £1.50).



They run craft workshops here too - knitting, sewing, storytelling, cream tea baking :) - and will host children's parties or hen nights. A birthday craft day might be in order soon.

Blustons art

Finally Bluston's in Kentish Town has been recognised for its true beauty!

That should be Daniel Pudles, oops

Date night

The Guardian has just opened a new exhibition in its Kings Place lobby, of Daniel Puddles images that have graced the Comment pages over the years. This is my favourite, it's how Mark and I spend most of our evenings these days!

Mrs Klein @ Almeida

Saw Mrs Klein last night, the latest offering from the Almeida just off Upper Street near Angel. It's my favourite theatre - small enough for intimate performances, big enough reputation to have real talent on show.

Clare Higgins played the title role brilliantly, completely inhabiting her character so that it felt at times like you were evesdropping through her Hampstead window, not sitting in the audience. Zoe Waites as her daughter Melitta and Nicola Walker (Ruth from Spooks) as her slightly sinister pupil Paula were also wonderful; particularly Walker, who for minutes at a time was just an observer in the background but never slipped out of character.

The subject matter was a bit wordy at times (all three are analysts, dealing with the aftermath of a death and a complex mother-daughter relationship) but it was truly gripping and the performances made it for me. And how refreshign to see an all-female cast! Tickets start at six pounds so you have no excuse to miss it.

White Night festival in Brighton

James and Sarada took us to the White Night festival on Saturday night in the centre of Brighton. We wrapped the boys up warm and headed out into the dark, encountering pumpkins in the churchyard (you could carve them, or make chutney and lemon curd, and they had a good fire going), graffiti at a new venue on North Street (Logan and Stanley loved running round the rundown building) and music at the library (although it was a bit loud!).



Some of the smaller art projects going on in the streets were interesting - one couple were sending messages from one end of a street to the other with a giant torch, while at the Pavilion a penny slot machine was projected onto the wall.





My favourite event was the graffiti exhibition at the Old Music Library (a temporary gallery attached to Prescription). Not often you get to watch street artists at work!

There was a limit to the events we could experience with the boys in tow (the swimming pool was showing movies, and was open until 2am, and there was a choral recital by the West Pier at dawn) but it was still a great way to spend an evening.



A parade through the streets (they had attached clip bulbs to a bike and a lamp shade).

...is made from these

Clever, n'est pas? I used to collect pencil points (when I was seven - it made sense at the time) but I never did anything as exciting as this with them.

Check out elglinoer.com or pop along to Sable D'or in Muswell Hill for a closer look.

This...

Painting up a storm

Drying on the balcony



Spirals



Footprint (he wouldn't get his hands dirty!)



Fish! Very proud of this one.



More fish (I think)

Another close-up

Present from the Giant's Causeway

Sculpture close-up

Spot the leprechaun

Public art

An artist at Belfast's Europa bus station has come up with the best use of tacky souvenirs I've ever seen - turn them into sculpture! I'd love to have one of these at home. Almost as good as the musical, light-up, spinning Madonna (the Catholic one, not the Kabbalah one) we saw in Portugal years ago.

Saturday family outing - free comic book day!!

Something of an annual pilgrimage for the Stoddard clan (can't believe it's a year since Ben and Kait were over here!). Logan wasn't too sure about the new-look Orbital Comics, now in the old Photographers' Gallery building near Leicester Square tube, but I was mighty impressed with the gallery area (review of my new discovery to follow later).



We went to Souk for lunch (that's Logan bouncing on the sofas to Europop), part of the same annual pilgrimage. If you haven't been check it out - atmospheric decor (candles, tapestries and shady corners) and really tasty Moroccan couscous and tagines. Logan is a big fan, and made us dance to the music the whole time we were there.



From there we made a quick trip to Topshop (not part of the annual pilgrimage, and as hellish as always - Logan wasn't impressed as you can see!), then popped in to the Photographers' Gallery at its new location on Romillies St, just behind Oxford Circus. They had some really cool photos by Maurizio Anzeri, who takes old, anonymous black and white family portraits and stitches sinister patterns over the top.



Then home again!

Clowns!

Logan is obsessed with stickers at the moment. Grandma gave him this book (which terrifies me but doesn't seem to bother him - he hasn't seen Stephen King's IT yet, obviously - "we all float down here...").

The idea is to stick facial features on each clown to suit his mood - a happy one, a singing one etc. One of the clowns has had his clothes stolen (!), so you're meant to make him look sad. Below is Logan's interpretation (a Dali in the making?)...

Tube art

Saw this at Highgate tube yesterday, I like the idea that taking the underground is a lottery though I'm not sure that's the intended meaning! It's by Stuart Cumberland.