childsplay

<when I came back from Prague I continued to try and develop children's fairytale ideas. Unlike the Czech lands, Scotland doesn't have a tradition in this, so eventually the focus of my experimentation moved elsewhere.../>

<continuing the dragon theme from Ondra, nessie was conceived as a short film project telling the story of why she was the only sea monster to survive extinction.../>

<the founder of the Brothers-in-Tricks animation studios in Prague was Jiri Trnka who was primarily a pupeteer and film-maker but he is also well-known for his beautiful children's books. His work was a great source of inspiration for my own experiments in children's illustration.../>

< being able to describe a form in as few lines as possible is the ultimate in draftsmanship, according to my uncompromising art teacher in secondary school who had a considerable influence over the development of my style. This is probably why most of my work is highly linear. This small group of experiments was an attempt to break free of the tyranny of the single line.../>

bits 'n bobs

<some ideas were never developed beyond a few pencil lines dashed off in haste as with these sketches for which no explanatory notes exist.../>