...braids

...get happy

...grow a big bad beard. YEAH!

...Day Sleeper

I liked her jumper a lot.

...Park Birds # 3

A sort fancy black bird with bigger eyes and a massive beak.

If only Terry Nutkins was still around.

...Fro!

Some 'fro's are better than others and this one was simply awesome. 

... Ugh...

The introduction of new syrups at Starbucks really shouldn't produce massive indecision. And yet, it turns out Pumpkin spice really is a consideration for some and one that takes some real thought at that. Jeez. Please have a syrup free weekend folks. x

...Mr Flynn

Happy Wednesday everyone. Exciting times this week as I'm almost done working up the 2013 calendar featuring my fave faces - more updates to follow! Quick one today of my very own Mr Flynn. I think it's basically a stand-in passport should he ever be without one, though he's argued otherwise. 

...Sad Times

Today my face looks a bit more like this.

(This isn't my face, for the record, if we've not met.) I'm feeling poxy and have a minor dose of the autumn blues. It's just not quite ok to get festive yet, but the nights have drawn in and the heating's already been cranked up. Still, there's no rules on log fires and I'll be sitting round ours with some hot booze before the month is out. God bless hot booze and furthermore - Benylin: the cough syrup of choice to nurse me back to health. It is surely the worlds finest flavour and ticks some, if not all of the same boxes as a hot cherry punch. Delicious any time/  borderline addictive. So there is an upside to having a cold. Just need to tell my face. And this guys as well.

NY State of Mind

Today I'm writing this having just walked the New York Highline down through Chelsea to the West Village. Check out the project here, but if you haven't been to NY for a while, make this your new route down from mid town to meat packing. It's an old elevated rail line that's been planted up with park areas, viewing platforms and some bars and eateries, all with incredible roof level views. I'm currently at Chelsea Piers looking down towards the Hudson, with a beer and the best meatballs I've had this year, so my face looks something like this. Thanks to the Smiths for the recommendation! x 

... Into the Medina

So I was talking about this blog last night at a concert held in Peru, Vermont where my dad was playing piano. What a great night with great folks - thanks everyone! I got talking to a friend of my mums about my Morocco ventures last month, which reminded me of this last doodling that I never posted. This lady was selling oranges as we entered the medina and very beautiful she was too. 

...NY Flight Buddy

When you're staring a 7 hour flight to NYC in the face and this is the face staring back at you, you know it's gonna be a long haul. My miserable flight buddy also had the worlds finest collection of legal highs in her little flight sandwich bag which, you know, you'd think would have put her in a better mood, but not, as it turns out . 

... Another Ahmed

Now I do feel wretched, as he was a lovely man, but this is actually quite an

accurate one today. 

...carpet man # 3

... though I hate to pigeon hole so to be clear, he also had jewellery, scarves and spoons. Oh and a magic box. 

...Ahmed

Carpet Man # 2

More carpets. Always with the carpets.

Carpet Man # 1

Day 2 was all about the carpets. You have to wonder how many carpets the average Berber thinks a modest 1 bedroom flat in North London could possibly require, but they were pretty up for it being into double digits. I bought a spoon, which produced this face and yes, he really did wear a Fez. Well, Fez-ish.

...Ming!

Huzzah and hurrah - it's face 50 and I've chosen Ming*, from Morocco! 

* Not real name. Actually, guess it could be.

...Barber Shop Beard Guy

And so to Morocco where a 2 hour drive out of Marrakesh took us to Imlil, our base for 3 days in the Atlas Mountains. Face number 1, barber shop beard guy. He'd just had a good clipping I think. 

...Nurse Bibi

Before the whole hospital fiasco kicked off, me and the husband had spent 4 days up in the atlas mountains where I got a whole load of faces on the go. So this is the last hospital face for now - my night nurse on ward 5 - Bibi. Thanks for looking after the Gremlins.

...Ward 5 Doctor 2

...Ward 5 Doctor 1

Ok, so if you ever find yourself in London on a Friday night without a bed to sleep in, I've discovered that a quick mention of chest pains to a GP quickly sends you on your way to a 4 hour A&E referral, topped off with a hearty dose of chest x-rays and a bed in ward 5 for the night. You have to give some blood and put up with noises from the gremlin in the bed opposite, but otherwise it's a cheap night. Oh and then this guy comes and stares at you periodically. What's not to like?

...Len Again

An odd weekend that wound up with me drawing doctors and nurses, but before any of that, had to re-post my Leonard sketch up from a few weeks back. 3 blissed out hours last night listening to the incomparable Cohen live at Wembley - just  a total life highlight. What a guy.

...Looking

...at me a lot. Stop looking ffs.

...whiskers

Not all my drawings end up looking like the person but this one really does. Quite pleased.

...Shades

Big Ones.

...Smile

Happy Weekend People : )

...the real greek

And so to greece. Ahhh greece, where 10 days of island bliss began with this chap checking my ferry tickets. He really did have very large eyes. And side burns. And a high top hair doo. So kind of channelling De La Soul circa 1989, but in a greek way. Check it.

...Ginger Scot

So I'm back from some summertime wanderings around Greece, Somerset and Olympic Type Places, but it all started with a quick trip back home to Scotland for my mums retirement/ 60th birthday doo, which is where I sketched up this fella, whose awesome gingeryness was the highlight of my M&S lunchtime trip. He was actually quite a happy bloke but I drew the mouth a bit quick.

More sunny summer faces to follow!

...Potato Dave # 2

Monday morning coffee and I don't think Potato Dave slept well. He seems distracted. Oh and with a touch of the killer about him. (Abandons small chit chat and vacates cafe.)

...Shhhh!

...he seemed to say.

...Pedo Tint

Ok, it's summer (sort of) and we need to talk about glasses. Specifically those AMAZING ones that turn into sunglasses when you step outside. No one seems to mention the horrific in between stage when you step back indoors. It looks to me like it takes approx. 15 minutes for them to return to normal clear glasses, leaving the wearer with what I tend to call 'The Pedo Tint' for the duration of this agonising period. Seriously, I saw 3 folks wandering around with this this week, seemingly unaware that with one innocent step indoors they'd shifted from charming-50-something-Waitrose-shopper to mister-creepy-danger-sex-offender-RUN-KIDS!!!. Seriously, just buy separate sun glasses. It's best for everyone. 

...The Brow

For it really was a truly excellent brow.

...Top Knot

And there it is...another weekend gone, but some super sunnyness here and only 2 weeks til Holiday time - hurrah! Top knot was in the park on Saturday walking a little Boston Terrier called Alan by the way. 

...Angry, Didcot

Homeward bound from 2 splendid days in Bath and a pretty hassle free journey until I was joined by Mister Misery who got on at Didcot. He was also sweaty. Sweaty and miserable with puby brown hair. Garrrgh.

...Watcher

Just a quick one today - I'm in Bath working with the wonderful folks at Wild and Wolf. Have decamped for the evening to somewhere river side with splendid menu and giant bath and gianter bed, which pretty much makes up for the odd bloke in the corner watching me

eat my fish cakes. Night! 

...park birds # 3

Walking Captain Bert today and he makes a run at the red eyed bird.

Don't go for the red eyed bird. It's all angry and that.

Googling it, turns out there's lots of red eyed birds in the world, which is pretty scary really. 

...Sort of Rich

 Funny how sometimes I start a drawing of a random bloke and it turns out a bit like someone you know, this one being my old mate Rich. Sorry Rich, but it's sort of like you're LI pic, right?! I got the hat down anyway. 

...Potato Dave

Professional celebrity potatoes, Jimmy Somerville and Ross Kemp

have got nothing on my new crouch end coffee friend Dave. 

Happy Weekendering Folks! x

...lemon mouth

Starbucks again. I always loved that line in Matilda where Dahl describes the Trunchbulls cook as having a lemon juice mouth or something similar. Anyway, this guy had the same affliction, with his big miserable disapproving bonce - a proper happiness vacuum, so I left early. 

...Hey There

Good to see you!

...curly

As promised. Happy, sunny and with those weird plastic pre-curled hair extensions woven in at the roots. Lovely stuff.

...Misery

Oh dear, a few days of sunny and I'm all behind on this blog. Have been out and about though, from a wedding up the west coast via a weekend in Malvern, through Harrogate and back to London and thankfully picked up some good faces along the way so will fire them up over the next few days. They're mostly happy shiny summery people. Except this one.

Happy sunshine folks! x

...fuzzy

Men get crazy eyebrows when they get older. These ones were frankly pubic, but I still applaud their untamed state. 

...Fashion

ABRACADABRA! Nope, you're still a right bitch. 

...curtains

...hadn't seen these since, well, 1993. Happy weekend folks!

...the grand high witch

...alive, well and on the bakerloo line if you're interested. 

...happy haircuts

Big smiley blow dry.

...dour man

I'm becoming a bit obsessed with peoples natural resting faces - the one where you think no one's looking and there's nothing particular passing through your mind. The variety is amazing. It's when you realise that there really are naturally happy people in the world, just from the way their facial muscles have developed. Even in a resting state, they look happy. And then, there are the unhappy ones, like this guy - what us scots would label as dour. Only he was totally dour, with no let up until his wife showed up with coffee where he broke back into regular guy mode. Which only go's to show that he doesn't have to be dour man, but he'd have to make an concerted effort to retrain his face. Poor dour man. He deserves a happy face. 

...nips

Nips out goal celebrations happen, even in Crouch End.

...big hoops

I don't think men should wear 2 ear rings. I don't actually think men should wear one ear ring but putting that to one side, 2 proper hoops like this is basically ladies fashion on a guy. And he wasn't a lady guy. He was a proper chap but a happy one, happy with his big hoops and all.