London Town

I LOVE going to London, and I’m lucky to live within a reasonable distance. I’ve just got back from an excellent long weekend, and what a weekend! Three, no, four birthdays were celebrated if you count mine too; I saw a stage show, a film at Leicester square, rode the London Eye, ate out in restaurants, went to a house party, went shopping (oops), drew pictures and of course took lots of photographs. I got a precious day to myself where I just wondered about, drawing, looking up at all the great buildings and taking photos. Very soon I’ll have my own digital SLR, but for now these are all on my iPhone.   

  

It was great getting back into the mindset of a photographer – snapping anything that moved basically. I often put the camera away only to whip it out again as soon as I saw something else that interested me. A lot of these are mediocre but that’s okay, in some of them I was trying to capture a nice composition, in others it was a shot of colour or a small moment that caught my eye. I’m just glad to be practicing again, and things can only get better!

5 Highlights from the weekend in London town:

• Witnessing a marriage proposal at King’s Cross Station in front of Platform 9 ¾ . Four hundred tired people facing long delays breaking into applause – not a moment I’ll forget in a hurry.
• Feeding the tame squirrels in St. James park by hand.
•  Eating sushi for breakfast on Oxford Street as the sun comes up.
•  Closing my eyes during a showing of Les Miserables at Leicester square to hear people crying into handkerchiefs.
•  Dancing to Florence and the Machine in a packed living room at 3 am, whilst eating crisps.

Mini Puppet Theatre Craft

As this blog goes along you’ll see I love all things miniature. I first made a mini puppet theatre for my friend back at university – the great thing about being on an arts course is you can make your friends bizarre presents like this for their birthday and they don’t mind.

This craft is great to do with a child as it’s fairly easy, they can throw a lot of their personality into it and make it their own. In fact, this craft is basic, the nuts and bolts are shown here but the final design will be very much down to you and your ideas. If you run a craft group or youth group, it’s also ideal, as the necessary materials aren’t hard to get hold of. 

You’ll need:

A smallish cardboard box

Scrap cardboard

Scissors/craft knife

Glue

Cutting mat

Paints

Paintbrushes

Lollipop sticks for puppets

First, you need to cut a hole in the front of your theatre for the stage area. I found it easiest to work the cardboard box apart so it’s flat, and draw a square with a ruler. Cut out the hole with a craft knife or scissors. 

Glue the box back together, and use masking tape to tape shut any flaps. The bottom of the theatre needs to be open for you to use your puppets, so cut these flaps off, or tape them inside the box to make the theatre more sturdy. If you want, cut out curtains from a piece of painted card, or fabric, and glue these behind the stage, making sure they don’t crowd the space for the puppets.

If you’re feeling adventurous you can use scrap pieces of cardboard to give your theatre more structure. I cut castle battlements and a house shape for my theatres. The possibilities are endless – a rocket, a tower, an opera-house… or why not theme your theatre around a favourite film or TV show? Perhaps make puppets of your friends or family? Next time I do this I’m making a Tardis theatre with little Doctor Who puppets… 

Next, paint your theatre. I used my trusty Plasti-kote craft paint, but acrylics or poster paint will work just as well. Again, this part is up to you and your imagination. If you’re stuck for inspiration, bright colours and simple patterns work well, or you could go for a Punch and Judy stripy effect.

I’ve painted lollipop sticks for my puppets, but feel free to go one step further – you could make cardboard or fabric puppets and stick them on the lollipop sticks for a more 3-d effect. Or maybe you could cut pictures of people out of magazines and mount them on some card.

That’s all there is to it really. Enjoy!

Hello...

Welcome to my new blog, Have a Go, Hannah. In this blog I want to write about all the things I love to do, that don’t fit into my illustration blog.

For most of my life, I have loved to create… stuff. Painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, writing, restoring, adapting... Along the way I’ve roped in helpers, learned from family members and friends, and made big mistakes which have helped me improve for next time. I also love to dabble and experiment, often flitting from one project to the next. If you’re reading this and share the same haphazard approach to making, you’ll hopefully feel at home.

I’m hoping this blog will be a useful read for people who are up for having a go at something, who like to make presents or want to know how to make a certain occasion just a bit more special.

I'm also hoping to use this blog to learn and improve - improve my art, my writing, my photography, my sense of exploration.

Another thing that interests me is embracing life and opportunities in one’s local area. I’ll be aiming to explore customs, traditions, special days and holidays more closely, and writing about what I find.

It goes without saying I welcome comments and feedback. ;-) Please bear with me whilst I tweak the design and add to the blog over these next few months.

Let’s get on, shall we?