So long, farewell

Today I finished off my last illustration for the Big Issue magazine. I think it’s been about a year since the lovely Gina Morris and I began collaborating on a fortnightly basis and I am a little sad to see it go.

In truth, when we first began I didn’t want to really hear about her stories of breast feeding, lack of sleep, mother’s groups or any other baby antics. It was all something that was still so tender to the touch for me. I was in total denial and didn’t ever (ever!) want to go back so fortnight after fortnight I tried to be professional and illustrate a scene of early motherhood without actually thinking about it too much. Occasionally this wasn’t possible as I would find myself having to draw something like Gina using a breast pump and had to sit at my computer recalling the way it was held by searching my memory and physically posing it. But time went on and life has (most definitely) become better, and both Amelia and Lillah Rae have grown older and the smell of a new born doesn’t send me running, screaming with some kind of primal terror any more. Instead, I realise that I have been really enjoying these illustrations over the last six months. I am really enjoying being a mum. I am going to miss both Gina and Lillah.

I have uploaded a gallery of images from the past year over on flickr. Here you can see my pictures but if you want to read Gina’s stories that go with them, you will have to find a Big Issue (Australia) vendor and beg them to get you the last 25 issues. Of course, I highly recommend this!