Another new project coming to life

Podcasting is something I have always wanted to get into. Now at long last I have started the process to get me started.

My podcast 'redapples' is coming to life at long last!

Click here for the website where the podcasts shall be

At the moment I have only managed to create the intro music for the podcasts and that is up on the site, so please do stop and take a listen and let me know what you think.

Over the next few weeks I shall be making my first official podcast and of course, will let you know when it is up and ready to listen too!

Rush commission

Click on image to view full size

This was a rush 'meet the deadline' job that I really did not mind getting done, as well as the client having used me before that made my mind up to do it for them, usually I do not like to take on such 'rush' jobs as I have so many live events to draw, it can quickly get out of hand and I do not want to let a client down.

Anyway, it is a car mechanic singing while he works, but you could see that, right..?

The client called me to say that they loved the 'mechanic cartoon' and have now given me another 'cartoon illustration' commission that I am working on right now as you read this!

I just love a happy customer who gives me more work!

Christmas card

This was completed on Monday of this week and the client was very happy with the result!

SKYPE:

I am on Skype and try to be 'online' when ever I can and accept the free calls that Skype allows it users to make.

So if you would like to talk with me, download the Skype software, if you do not already have it and add me as a contact. On the right you will see a short cut link to allow you to do this easily!

Calls made in this way are FREE of charge, so if your a friend or customer or just stopping by and would like to say 'Hello' or have a question, please feel free to make contact and 'Skype Me', please no sales calls as htis will make me angry...

Snow Leopard install report

OK, I purchased the new Apple OS Snow Leopard the other week as we were going through Duty Free at the Airport, so I saved a couple of pounds or about $5 (and every penny saved is a good thing in these times of financial issues).

Anyway, yesterday I wanted to install my all new OS to my iMac.

But first I had to sort out a backup of my system to be on the safe side.

So I visited the Apple Store and bought a Western Digital 500Gb My Book External Hard Drive. I set this up and ran the software that came with it. This was easy and the hard drive made a backup of my user account and all the data, ....simple. I did not use Time Machine.

Then I went ahead and put in the Snow Leopard dvd and ran the install......

It worked OK and took around 40 minutes to do it all.

So the result:

No data loss and Snow Leopard has appeared to load all OK.

Issues?....

Yes, my printer would not work! After reinstalling the drivers to no effect I was a bit worried. I did a search online as my printer is only a few months old and is a new model from Epson, the results from google showed me a forum that had such a previous issue for another user and had the answer. I went into system preferences and removed the printer, then added it back as a new printer, having to tell it which drivers to use but after that it worked!

iPhoto: I installed an update for this earlier in the month, I think, and since then I have had an issue with it, while under Leopard and before the Snow Leopard install. It failed to recognise my Nikon when we came back from Portugal last week and I also tried to delete some 'Events' to clean it up before doing my backup but it 'hung'. So it still hangs now when I open it in Snow Leopard, so unless anyone has a solution they can share with me, I am going to call Apple Care and see if they can help me out?

Overall, the Snow Leopard install was OK apart from the Printer issue but that was a minor thing.

Birthday illustration

I did this a few weeks back for a friend who wanted something different for a gift to give her son on his birthday.

Her son just happens to be my old school friend, we spent a lot of time hanging out together and getting up to all kinds of tricks.

He now lives and works in the San Francisco area of the USA and I am hoping to visit as soon as I can get some time off in my busy schedule.

Catch up...

Straight back from my vacation and had 2 weddings to draw at which were great fun! Now working on a commission and fighting a threatening cold or man flu as we like to call it, shall post more later and get back to full fun stuff as from tomorrow......

How I get on with loading Snow Leopard.......

Christmas Card commission art.....

Winter on it's way.....

Back to the drawing board for now.....

New iMac

Yes the new iMac is out... (pant, pant...) and it looks like a winner!

Trouble is mine is 2 years old and I cannot really justify spending all that money on a new toy such as this, well I could just spend it but I may have my wrist slapped by a significant other!

Apple may have a real winner here so I will have to be patient and wait a while before I can go out and get my hands on the new iMac.

I now have purchased Snow leopard and in the next week or so shall load it up and see how it goes......

Im back!

Above is Alvor beach in the Algarve, Portugal where we stayed

Yes after a week's vacation that went far to quickly, as they do, I am back in the studio and looking forward to posting more fun stuff for you all!

I will report more on my holiday but for ow I have a ton of emails and phone calls to catch up on as well as 2 weddings to draw at tomorrow!

Recent wedding..

Click on image to view full size

Here is one of me caught in action by photographer Colin Leonard (click here for his website) when we were working at a wedding at Prested Hall (click here for the Prested Hall website) a few weeks back.

It was a great wedding and everyone was very nice and I was non stop drawing all night, which was great!

We all had a good time!

Big nose?

I get asked this question all the time: "You won't make my nose too big will you?"

I can understand why people ask and it must difficult if a person really does have a big hooter.

Will I draw it big? Mostly likely but in context with their face.

many times I have made the nose smaller and still people feel that I have drawn their noses larger than they really are. It seems that i can;t just win so I draw them big if they are big.

If someone has a small nose then I draw a small nose.

I am trying to get a likeness of the person so you can look at the drawing and say: "that really looks like them!"

No doubt I will get asked this question over and over and I do not mind, I just wish they would trust me.... :)

Travel advice

As I travel a lot all over the place I am always amazed at how some people seem to have too much luggage.

I have learnt over the years that if you travel light, it will make your journey much more enjoyable. Especially when flying!

So here is a website that has some basic but good advice/tips on traveling light.

Click here to visit the website and take some time to explore all that is there!

Often if I am flying around Europe, I try to only have a carry on bag if it is a short stay. Not having to check in and then also wait at the carousel for luggage to appear, makes for a much faster journey in and out of the airport.

But if you have to take luggage to be checked into the hold, then try to take one bag only and if you need to buy a new 'suitcase', choose one with bright colors or patterns as it is so much easier to 'see' on the luggage carousel when you pickup. So many people still have black bags and they do all look the same. making it very difficult to see which one is yours! And also, you will find other people look at the black bags, lifting them off sometimes, because they think it is theirs and in fact it could be yours!

Cartoonists

Here is a cartoonist based in the USA who I admire and respect, Randy Glasbergen.

I bought Randy's book 'Getting Started Drawing & Selling Cartoons' way back in 1997 or maybe it was 1998 but anyway, it is a great book all about cartooning and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in cartooning and thinking about trying to make some money at it.

Randy has a very cool website where he posts a new cartoon everyday!

Click here to visit www.glasbergen.com

Randy has been a very positive influence on my career and is a great cartoonist.

I am sure you will enjoy his cartoons!

Up coming travels

My wife and I love to travel, it is our hobby I guess!

In 2010 we are taking a trip we have always dreamed about. We are going to visit and stay in Sri Lanka & the Maldives!

Click here to visit the Sri Lanka tourist website, worth a visit trust me!

We shall be there in March next year and I understand that the weather should be very good.

The holiday is based on a tour so we get to go around some of the country of Sri Lanka and stay in a few different hotels. We are really looking forward to seeing the elephants as we are big elephant lovers!

We are supporters of the WWF and make a monthly donation to their Elephant 'rescue' program.

After Sri Lanka we shall be then going to the Maldives for our chill out and relaxing week to recover from the Sri Lanka tour and to think about what we will have seen in beautiful Sri Lanka.

It is going to be a great trip and we are so excited!

Have YOU been to Sri Lanka & the Maldives before? Post a reply and give me some tips and advice if you can, I would really appreciate it! THANKS!

favorite places...

One of my favorite places to visit is Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida!

The two theme parks there are great fun and have some EXCELLENT thrill rides that are world class!

You can visit their website by clicking here

I have been there on a number of occasions and always enjoy going back as they are constantly updating and adding new rides and features to the parks.

But as well as the theme parks there is also City Walk which has shops, restaurants/bars and a multiplex cinema as you walk down to the theme parks entrance's.

We often eat at the HARD ROCK Cafe there and have always had a great meal and loads of fun inside the restaurant, the staff will all stop and sing when a certain song comes on over the sound system. Great FUN!

So if you have never been, well just make sure you go soon! You will love every minute of being there!

iFanClub...

HOT NEWS!

COMING SOON... yes this is something I have been wanting to do for a long while and I am now really making it happen!

I am creating a fanclub that readers of Pencildreams can join! My new Pencildreams iFanclub

What membership brings in exchange for the £10* 12 month membership fee, is a hand drawn caricature of the member that I create on A4 paper in pencil and then post 1st class! I also scan that sketch in before sending it, and create a digital full colour version that is then emailed to the member for their use on the web (avatar use etc etc..) and you can also be bluetoothed to your iPhone or other mobile device, to be used there too!

Members will also have a password only access to a brand new Pencildreams iFanclub website that will have exclusive content such as wallpapers that you can download and you can even have your own wallpaper designed by me for your twitter account! Also unique wallpapers for use on mobile devices like your iPhone!

So in the couple of weeks I will be making the iFanclub live & active and shall let you know here when it is ready to accept sign up's for new members!

(*membership payment will be via paypal)

Off on holiday

Today we fly to the Algarve in Portugal, for a weeks holiday!

We are staying in the town of Portimao and our hotel is part of the marina there, as you can see from the pictures above.

The weather forecast is perfect, sunshine and very warm everyday!

My wife and I are looking forward to a week of relaxing, sunshine, good food and simply taking each day as it comes!

I have prepared my blog to keep posting each day so do come back and see what I have in store for you...

I will post what the holiday was like once I am back, until then.... 'waiter, drinks please....'

Watch this youtube vid!

How to Draw Hammy from Over the Hedge:

I have posted this before but here it is again (always worth watching!) as it shows David Burgess, a real pro drawing hammy. Watch his technique with the simple bold shapes he draws as guide lines and then simply darkens his finished lines to create this great character, Hammy!

Technology stuff!

I often listen to 'TwiT' or This Week in Tech as it is known with Leo Laporte.

It is a great way to sit ay my desk and get on with my work while I have the podcast running and listen as I draw and respond to emails.

It is a podcast show that talks and discusses all tech stuff from computing to photography.

It mainly focuses on computing and covers both the PC & MAC platforms.

I fond this interesting and it also helps me to keep up to speed with all the changing tech stuff out there! Along with the fact that Leo keeps the show unbiased, it really makes for interesting content that can often be surprising and informative, things that I may not have know about are always in the show and I love hearing about stuff that I didn't know about!

You can find the podcast on iTunes, just type in twit on the search bar.

You can also stop by the Twit website here twit.tv

I can recommend the show as it is informative and produced very professionally with some humor sprinkled in!

It's MAGIC!

As you may know, with the work I do I have the opportunity to work with other entertainers. Yesterday at the wedding in Old Windsor, I was working with a really good magician, in fact he was excellent!

Jamie Raven is one of the best magicians that I have ever come across and had the pleasure to work with.

I recommend you stop by his website and take a look at his wonderful skills and services he offers:

www.jamieraven.co.uk

We both had a great time at the wedding and the guests loved both Jamie and myself!

I do hope I have the chance to work with Jamie again!

YouTube video's

As you may know, I now have a dedicated YouTube channel!

The purpose for this channel is to upload video's on topics that are related directly to the work I do as a caricature artist.

So this means that there will be video's about my live work at weddings and the like, some already on and available to watch right now and other video's on cartooning and the process I go through using photoshop as well as some video's on tips on how to draw.

I am really hoping that it will be become fun and informative and that people will enjoy watching my video's and stopping by the channel.

So below is the link to my YouTube channel, please click on it and take a look and why not subscribe to my channel so that you can be the first to know when I add any new video's!

Click here for www.youtube.com/langdonhillsman

Happy viewing!

Last minute things

Another busy weekend that extends over to Monday with another wedding!

As we are off on holiday soon I need to get the loose ends toed up here in the studio so today and tomorrow my post shall be limited but I will have more for you on Monday!

I am now making short video's from my mobile phone of the venue's I attend when drawing and I will load them up to my Youtube channel and share them here once they are ready! So a new feature I hope will develop and be of interest.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back!

Caught in action!

Please click on the image to view full size

Here I am finishing a caricature of a couple at a wedding I was drawing at earlier this year. You can see my multiple chins in this profile shot... lol

At this wedding was Kim Taylor and it turns out that Kim just happens to be a fantastic wedding planner and helps couples with organising their weddings.

Kim has a really nice website and you can visit it here www.evise.co.uk

It was a loverly day as you can see from the photo above, the sun was shinning and the wedding party were just perfect and really enjoyed all the fun!

Clones...

Simple cartoon to show what it may look like when you and your clones go to work.....(click on image to view full size)

I wonder if it will ever happen? The medical technology seems to show that they are able to create clones although I am no expert and can only go on the news reports we have seen over the past 20 years.

The funny thing is this, if I were to be cloned I could help more couples with their wedding entertainment! And of course I would earn more money!

From the summer..

Click on image to view full size

Earlier this summer I was hired in to draw and entertain at the Royal Free Hospital Kidney Patients Association, RFHKPA for short, at their summer party in London.

It was a great afternoon and we had lots of fun.

Above is the page in the RFHKPA newsletter magazine that has just come out, showing just a few of my caricatures and a picture of the back of my head while I am in full swing drawing, probably the best view you would want of me!

The RFHKPA is a very important group and they support the hospital and the kidney patients on dialysis, many of whom I met at the summer party. I was humbled by the people I met, they have such courage and strength during such tough times while they are on dialysis, sometimes for many years! I heard many stories and the one thing that came through all the time was hope, hope that sometime a transplant would be available for them and they could come off of dialysis. I do hope they receive the transplants they so urgently need.

You can support the RFHKPA by making a donation via their Just Giving website - click here

Their chairman David Myers is a great guy and has such positive vision for the organisation, I take my hat off to him and it was wonderful to meet him at the summer party. It turned out that David used to work in the Advertising business in London, where I also began my art career!

At times like this I know I am privileged to have such a career and to hopefully bring some smiles and sunshine to peoples lives through my caricatures.

A 'thank you' message

Click on the image above to view full size

Received this email last night from one of my couples who very kindly booked me to draw at their wedding that took place at the begging of August this year.

It is always wonderful to get such positive feedback as this is what I am working hard to achieve for my clients.

I draw at 100 weddings each year and I can say with hand on heart that we always have a fun time!

This coming weekend I have two weddings that are both taking place in Windsor (I was there earlier this year with my god friend Tom Richmond and his loverly wife Anna), and that is a strange coincidence as one is Friday and the other is on Sunday. Strange how I can be in the same location on different days over the same weekend. It has happened before to me on a few occasions!

Had lunch with some friends...

YouTube vid of a wedding venue

News!

On Monday, October 5th I shall be meeting up with my friends Sam and Kathlynne, (seen above in London last week, amazed at how fantastic the blue skies are in old blighty!).

We also have our friend Wayne Savage (love his surname don't you?) joining us for lunch.

Sam and Kathlynne are on vacation at the moment and are taking time to explore England and then France and Spain.

So we are having lunch together on Monday, meeting at midday at StPancras Station under the main information train time board.

If your an artist and are able to join us, well come along and enjoy a few hours of outrageous fun!

Let me know if you would like to join us so we know to expect you!

BUSY AT THE MOMENT

As you can guess, I have a whole stack of things on my desk to get through as well as all the live events to draw at.

What I shall do is post this graphic of myself (above) to show that I am unable to post due to deadlines and commitments to work priorities.

I will be keeping my postings here on a daily basis but from time to time I simply cannot keep everything on the go at once and somethings have to be delayed for a day or three.

I do hope you will understand and keep reading my blog as I shall be making every effort to post quality content for you to enjoy.

One aspect I want to post more of is video's that I can make on my iMac and post to Youtube. These shall be art related and also other topics like photography, so keep an eye out!

Many thanks, now back to the grind....