Oki's shapes

We make shapes with pancakes and train tracks :)

funny boy

He's a funny little boy, that Oki. At 20 months old, he's full of surprises and a whole lot of fun :) Each day brings new words and sentences, conversations and observations, games and giggles. 

He has an incredible memory. He likes singing, making up words, lining things up. Among his favourite things are trains, Totoro, pine cones, ducks, chicken, grapes and books. 

He still walks a bit like an orangutan, and now does a funny little squat, points and shouts 「あっ」(OH!) when he's found something.

A couple more snippets from our daily life...

 ...thanks Oki. You really do make me smile everyday :)

circles and lines and colour

I've been enjoying making patterns and exploring colour - colours that I don't often use in my children's book illustrations. I wish I could do this kind of thing all the time as it's so much fun, but I'm constantly worried about making a living these days, which makes me feel guilty if I'm not doing something that leads directly to paid work. 

But sometimes, you just have to forget it all, loosen up and have a little fun. It helps lift my mood especially during these loooong cold wet months :)

birthday bear

I received these cards in the post recently. They are birthday cards that I worked on for Peaceable Kingdom Press last summer, just before Oki turned one - my first paid job since becoming a mum :)

brush brush

Here are some personal pieces I've been working on, inspired by a certain little boy and his daily routine, his impatience, and his likes and dislikes.
After a long break from illustration being a full time mum, I'm now wanting my work to move forward in a slightly different direction, to try a little experimenting with materials, colours, facial expressions etc. This will take some time, and that is the one thing I don't have much of these days, but I feel the need to explore and be excited about making pictures again.

tunnel

I made Oki a tunnel today which seemed to keep him amused for quite some time :) The cut out pieces also made fun puppets and a good puzzle. Who says you need to spend money on toys?

Little egg

We are all sleeping a lot better since we moved Oki into his own room, hooray! We still have the occasional bad day, but at least we're not getting beaten up anymore...
I often find him like this, at the top right corner of his cot, out of his blanket, curled up like a little egg. Very sweet :)