Happy NEWS Year!

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! ! !

And a Big hello to all the lovely people who commented on my last update and have since started following my blog!

I had a lovely Christmas (involving a trip to Paris and the circus! More about that soon!) and am now back in the studio working away on lots of exciting, and sadly for the moment, TOP SECRET things which I hope to share with you soon!

But first, some NEWS:

FANTASTIC FRANKIE and the BRAIN-DRAIN MACHINE written by Anna Kemp and illustrated by me is out now available to buy and, most excitingly it's been nominated for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize. The winner will be announced on 9th Feb!

And on Friday I had an email from my lovely french publisher Editions Nord-Sud telling me that the french language version of my book EGG is publishing next month under the BRILLIANT title 'Omelette Surprise!'

The above image is a New Year greetings card they've made to promote the book!

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas to all you lovely people who come and peek at my blog, look at my pictures, leave lovely comments and read my wafflings! I hope you have a fantastic, white (fingers crossed, please,please,please) Christmas and a new year full of excitement, adventures and fun!

Thank you all for looking at my blog and for all your kind words.

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For another Christmassy treat - dash over to my CLAUDE blog!

What I Wore Today: Visit to the doctors

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Oh croak, croak croak!

I have lost my voice almost completely. I sound like a sad, croaking frog!

Here is what I wore to visit the doctors.

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REMEMBER:

Check out the new blog for my new children's book character CLAUDE and his best friend Sir Bobblysock.

It's the place to go for silly pictures, funny stories, sneaky (pre-release) peeks of the new books and all sorts of other CLAUDE related things!

Waiting...

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A little portfolio piece drawn on my newest discovery - Langton Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper. Lovely - and available in pads rather than sheets.

The image above has ( in real life) a pale grey background, but for some reason that hasn't scanned well...?!

Claude's new BLOG!

My new character CLAUDE now has his own blog! CLICK HERE and be whisked off to a world of berets, bobbly socks, and adventures. Keep checking back for news on the Claude books, events, silly pictures and some of Claude and Sir Bobblysock's musings on life.

Letters to my Nephew - The Polar Bear

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Yesterday we had even more snow! There was a blizzard blowing when I walked my wife to work. When I got back home and had thawed my feet out I wrote a letter to my nephews telling them about what happened when a polar bear came for a visit. All true I promise you (!)

Anyway, here's the picture I drew to go with the letter...

Bella and the Snowflakes

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Well, I appear to be living in Narnia!

Outside my studio window the snow is falling thick and fast and everything is under a duvet of the chilly white stuff! I love it and I'm not the only one! Bella Boo, our chihuahua/jackrussell cross is finding the whole thing very exciting. She likes nothing more than scampering about outside, nosing the snowdrifts and making patterns of footprints all over the garden.

It's all very cute, but I'm exhausted from having to have a series of tiny jumpers warmed and ready for her to change into when she bothers to come back in! The other two dogs are much more sensible - they are having a brilliant time WATCHING the snow from the snuggly safety of their blanket on the sofa.