Sandcastles and the sea.

We are the sandcastles.
Life is the sea.
In the end each wave strips everything away.
Scatters it.

I had a dream on Sunday of a giant cloud of fire spreading on the horizon- like a pyroclastic cloud- but fire. I could see how fast it was travelling and I knew we had to find shelter but of course there is none. But what is interesting is how real the vision was-considering I haven't seen anything like it really.
Like when I was about 4 having a dream of waking up and going to the front glass door and seeing the skeleton of a horse walk up stop and look at me then keep going- but very real and I remember it still,
I think I might have sleepwalked as a child which could explain why walking to the door was so real- doesn't explain the dead horse or how I could know what its skeleton looked like.
Or when I was twelve- a dream of a nuclear strike on a city- I and everyone killed but transformed into  points of light in  a kind of 'out of phase'/'out of plane' view of the destroyed city- and these strange creatures hoovering up the 'souls'. But they were not angels or devils,not a religious vision - but weird sort of energy vampire things that fed on suffering or life energy- like parasites that provoke war in our world so they can feed.
But again very real. (Unlike the usual sort of dream which I normally sabotage mid dream by realising they're not real.)

Ah well.

I'll post some more work in progress.
Possibly once I finish these last books I can rebuild my web presence, my blog, and my social life as I have neglected my friends and people I'd hoped to befriend as I've staggered to the finish line the last 8 months.

Actually sometimes when I'm drawing in public people ask if I was always good at it. Having found the drawings of mine that my mother had conscientiously hoarded the answer is "No", and possibly "never", but a constant has been the drive to keep going. that seems to be all there is.
It looks like it was all good until about 5 yrs old .........then this patch until now. When I start my own stuff again I will try to regain what I lost when I was 5

A few more

Dinosaur hunter roughs

Book 7 interior roughs

Some of them.

Dinosaur Hunter Book7- Leaellynasaura

Leaellynasaura
What colour should he be? I would go for a scrub turkey look but black isn't good when its in a burrow too.
Variously puffin,pukeko, ground parrot, owl, ground dwelling forest birds inspired.

W is done

Yes well that leaves me with a week to finish X.

New Little Mates books

Advance copies arrive.
Serving mainly to remind me that I desperately need to finish W and  X.
Yes- my cheap scanner is grubby, no my lovely a3 one isn't fixed.

Wombat Swag!

New book! New board book version and sweet sweet plush wombat.
(A ray of joy in the last 5 months of family illness turmoil and resultant work turmoil)
The team at Hachette have done a brilliant job- it's weird to be presented with something made from your work that's so beautifully done. Also I'd normally pick apart my work and tut tut about it, mutter about what to do make it right next time- but am so overwhelmed by the designers work (+their skill in obfuscating things I might tut about).