The name “Aldeburgh” derives from the Old English ald (old) and burh (fortification), although this structure, along with much of the Tudor town, has now been lost to the sea. In the 16th century, Aldeburgh was a leading port and had a flourishing shipbuilding industry. Aldeburgh’s importance as a port declined as the River Alde…

Shingle Street is a small remote coastal hamlet at the mouth of Orford Ness, connected via Hollesley village situated between the ancient town of Orford and the small manor town of Bawdsey. Shingle Street itself consists of a row of cottages of varying age in a minimalist and haunting shingle landscape. It was established as…

One of my first sketchbook exercises was a series of ‘creative cuts’ – emerging narratives from cutting up A4 sheets of quick sketches in my front room. An extension of earlier surrealist experiments in randomisation, the images seen in random lines often reveal ones underlying subconscious thought processes and preoccupations. The actual stories themselves need…

Much of my early illustration work experimented with materials and imagined narratives in textures like torn paper, wood-grain and stone. Torn Relationships I was experimenting with acrylic pain and accidentally closed my sketchbook before the paint was completely dry. When I opened it parts of the surface were removed and remained on the opposite page.…

TASK: There and back again With sketchbook in hand, go on a journey and document the experience. Depending on your circumstances this might be a regular commute from one end of town to the other on the bus, a short holiday, or a day trip. Wherever you decide to go, produce at least three drawings or illustrations…

Bramblefields is a small nature reserve just down the road from my house between the allotments and a housing estate that was built in the late 1990s. I helped lobby for it to be set up, contacting local Green and wildlife organisations, to reserve some green space for wildlife linked to other wildlife corridors along…

Sketches for ‘The Nose’ by Ryunosuke Akutagawa “The Nose” by Ryonusuke Akutagawa “The Nose” was Akutagawa’s second short story, first published in January 1916. It is based on a thirteenth-century Japanese tale from the Uji Shūi Monogatari. The Nose : text with my highlighting. Wikipedia summarises the plot as follows: Zenchi Naigu, a Heian period Buddhist priest,…