Crack Heads

Where does the word 'Crack', describing military units originate?
Today's question from BBC History. Troops made from the letters might be a little obvious - but I like it!

Reclining Nude Lion

Tonight's illo finished and sent off at 11pm for tomorrow's deadline. A very odd offering even by my standards! The article mentions the fact that 'Passant Gaurdant' lions in heraldry were known as 'leopards'. The small incidental I based my illo on was about a heraldic painter (back in the day) that visited a real lion for the first time in a zoo and remarked that this couldn't be a lion as he had painted many in his career and they definitely didn't look like that! The reclining nude Lion model being ignored just seemed to fit the bill!

Hair Raising Money

My hair raising exhibition as part of the Peebles Art Festival. I was delighted that my wee heids raised £367 for a worthy charity. The idea was to encourage everyone who got a haircut at the venue (as it was in a gents hairdresser) to buy a heid and stick a clipping of their hair on the heid.

Wash out burn out

In a day of frustrations (due to couriers and campervan fixing problems) I did produce an illustration I was really happy with. This month's BBC History Q&A is 'were public executions by burning ever stopped by rain?' I collaged in some photos of the sky and rain in the puddles that I took outside my house. The very rainy July we are having was of some use afterall!

Keep yer wig on!

The story goes that a young boy laughed at Louis XIV's baldness and was put into the Bastille for the rest of his life! Louis XIV was known for extravagant wigs so I though an exaggeration of this was definitely the route to take! The pencil scribbled hair was influenced by an Illustrator called Oliver Jeffers - I love his scribbled trees! (also additions from my 5 yr old daughter who came across the unfinished picture and added her own scribbles when I was out of the room - she got into a little trouble!)

The Virgin Olympics

Some of the things that Virgin Trains will be up to during the Olympics - keep an eye out for the in-train magazine for details!

Apollo VIII

Henry the 8th in dress armour on the moon? NASA looked at this particular suit of armour when designing the space suits worn by the Apollo astronauts. I thought a combination would make a good image :)

UK Surgery

What will happen to the NHS if Scotland becomes independent?
- A question asked in BMA News

ring a ding dong

Boy this was a tricky one. The Q&A article for BBC History Magazine asked why the practice of giving funerary rings 'died' out early in the 20th Century. For some reason I thought designing some funerary rings for noteworthy famous 20th century people was a good idea. Liked the end pieces but jeez what a lot of work for a daft idea!

Swarm of Vs

I really like the way this one turned out.
In WW2 the V was used as a symbol of resistance and was used wherever possible to harass the germans. The morse code version of V - dot dot dot dash - was also used in a range of ways from the playing of the start of Beethoven's 5th symphony on the radio to train drivers peeping it out on their train whistles.

T vicar?

More T shirts (and a couple of iphone covers) available!

Kiss kiss

Slightly different angle to this month's BBC History pic. 'Why are kissing gates so called?' is the question.