I've begun working on my radiotherapy mask for You , Me, and the Big C in earnest now. The aim is to repurpose a radiotherapy mask as a piece of art, based on the story of the person whose mask it is.

(For more details about what this is and why, see this earlier blog post).

The person whose mask I have is Lisa Reed, and you can read her story of living with cancer here. Please note that it is very frank, and speaks of the physical and mental anguish the cancer caused her. 

As you may already know, I have become involved in an art project initiated by You, Me, and the Big C to repurpose people's used radiotherapy masks as pieces of art based on their own unique experiences of cancer treatment. [EDIT - 7/11/18: Now that this piece is finished, you can read more about it's progress in this blog post]

For more information on how, why, and who, see my previous blog post.

As I continue work on the mask, I thought I should share the story behind the mask I have been given. Just a heads-up: it's not the easiest of reads and speaks of both physical and mental hardships.

Below is Lisa Reed's story:

I've been told her story, which you can read here, and I have some ideas for the mask, but I'll need a few things [EDIT - 7/11/18: Now this piece is finished, I don't need any of these!] and it's an odd shopping list. I will try to source or create these things myself if I can't get hold of them another way, but initially, I'm asking for anyone who may have some of these things and would be happy to donate them towards this project to get in touch with me please:

(Please let me know if you have anything similar to what I've listed or any broken versions or bits of them too.)

· Any soup recipes or nutritional information, from recipe books/labels/leaflets etc.

· Any kind of Wonder Woman t-shirt

· A Wonder Woman toy or figurine

· A doll or action figure's arm, preferably doing a "thumbs up" 👍🏽

· Any doll-sized body parts; limbs, heads, eyes, any small model bones or organs etc.

· A toy crane (maybe like you might find in a pound shop bag of assorted cars and machines)

· Any toy-sized engine, machine, or car parts

· Any kind of combative headgear (army helmet, boxing headgear, etc.)

· Dollhouse-sized dining table and chairs (even better if they have people sitting in them)

· A Wonder Woman tiara/circlet

​Thank you so much for reading, and thanks in advance to anyone who can donate anything.

[EDIT - 7/11/18: Now this piece is finished, you can read more about how I got on with it in this blog post]

Last week, on March 5th, I held my first ever market stall, selling my illustrated wares, at the Bradford Steampunk Market, ably assisted by Jess and Justin.

Having never held a stall before, I was a little nervous beforehand: Would I have enough stuff to sell? Would anyone want to buy it? What if I got there and I was missing crucial?!

My stall was upstairs (reached by means of a wonderfully clunky old-fashioned lift with manual doors).

As I arrived at my pitch, I was at first a little worried. I was up on the first floor and in the corner. I was thinking I wouldn't get a lot of footfall, but I needn't have worried. As the morning went on, I started getting a fair bit of interest - not least of all from The Captain of the Lost Waves, who came up to the first floor and improvised, on the spot, a song for each of the stalls. I only wish I'd had the presence of mind to record him doing it, instead of standing there beaming at him!

The setting was great: the archaic industrial machines of the Bradford Industrial Museum suited the steampunkery down to the ground! As expected, there were some fantastic clothes on display on both the stallholders and the visitors to the fair!

I only have a few photos - I didn't leave my stall all that often - , but Lady Cumberpatch (the organiser) has added some great photos to a Facebook album if you want to see some more of the fun!​

It's late and I'm tired.

I'm a bit low on dosh and despite having worked all the hours my bank care job can offer, plus other bits and pieces of work, payday is quite some time off and the bastard car keeps springing problems that need money splashed on them.

I could do with selling some more of my illustration work but sales are slower than I'd like at the moment.

I've spent quite a while this evening trying to figure out how to have more of an online presence - or at least a more appealing one, and how to extend my reach in order to get my work in front of more people and I'm feeling a little baffled, a little stuck, and a little overwhelmed.

I'm not drawing often enough.

I think I should resolve to draw more often. It really should be a daily thing as much as possible.
It would help me improve and help with my peace of mind I think. Help me focus. Help me remember that that is the part of illustrating I actually like.

I want to draw something beautiful rather than purposeful.

This I shall endeavor to do.

​Curt -xXx-

A recent portrait/caricature commission for the dad's 70th birthday.

This was a lot of fun to do, incorporating his work in IT, his love of travel, and his love of bridge, as well as his immediate and extended family.

You can commission your own here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/495733654/steampunk-portrait-customised-portrait