Here in Britain, it's almost the Diamond Jubilee weekend! And what better way to celebrate than to make a lino cut print of a mad corgi? Here you go: In corgis we trust. That's written in my best fake Google-translator Latin. I made this for the BBC! Well, actually, this was a practice run, the night before. I got a call awhile ago from producer Veronica Thorne, asking me if I wanted to spend a full day making a picture of the Queen to celebrate the Jubilee... with Rolf Harris!



Oh my. Funnily enough, because I grew up in America, I didn't really know much about Rolf Harris, except that he had painted a portrait of the Queen. And he's consistantly rated Britain's most popular artist (which irks the fine arts establishment to no end, so hurrah, good for him!).



I thought I'd better look my best for telly, so I bought a new work apron and stamped the corgi onto the front of it. The ink on it was still wet the next morning, so I tried not to touch it, then rub my nose and wind up with a smudgy face on the Beeb.



The Fleece Station studio has a proud history of monarch-related activities, generally involving yarn or silly wigs. So I figured I had everything I needed to do a good job on set.



Oh, and a new fancy hat. With which I surprised Mr Harris when I met him at breakfast.



When I told people I was meeting Rolf Harris, they all reacted very animatedly, and several people mentioned videos I absolutely had to go watch. Here's one from 1969, Jake the Peg. Poor Gary had to listen to me keep accidentally singing this in the studio for the next couple days. So fabulous.



And here's an episode from The Goodies, when they breed Rolf Harrises in captivity and they escape. The guy's originally Australian, but he's a legend here in Britain. (If you like, you can watch that Goodies show from the beginning here.)



So here was our set-up! We filmed in the vaults of the Old Vic, under Waterloo Station. Which was a bit tricky for the camera crew because the trains kept rumbling overhead. But they set up the area like a street party and it looked very welcoming and festive. They'd invited 60 artists in total, one for each year of the Queen's reign.



If you're interested, you'll be able to watch the whole show, Rolf Paints, on Tuesday, 5 June, BBC1, 6:30-7:30pm.



( Click here for lots more pics under the cut! )

Hello! Would you like to meet some of the fabulous characters at Greenwich Market? Let's start with this little fella here. *Quack*



( Click here for lots more pics under the cut! )

If you're in Wales at the Hay Festival this weekend, don't miss what sure to be an AWESOME PANEL by six of the comics creators who made NELSON! I'm so completely proud of this book.
I'll also be doing a 4pm reading of Morris the Mankiest Monster in the Family Area, if you want to stop by to say hello.



And if you're at Hay the following weekend, I'm doing a bunch of other stuff, too:
Fri, 8 June:
6:40pm Sarah McIntyre, Philip Reeve, Martin Brown and Cathy Brett: Illustration Game of Consequences: Inspired by suggestions from you, these amazing artists draw live on one giant piece of paper. It will be random and it will be fun. Chaired by Paul Blezard (SOLD OUT)

Sat, 9 June:
10am: Cartoon Craziness: Meet this brilliant illustrator and learn how to invent your own cartoons. Expect pirates, monsters, princesses, dinosaurs, cowboys and, of course, Vern & Lettuce. Bring a pad and pencil.

1pm: Philip Reeve talks to Sarah McIntyre: Come and discover a wild world of magical creatures and heroic adventures from the extraordinary imagination behind Mortal Engines. Plus, we're (not so) secretly hoping Sarah and Philip will mention their forthcoming series Seawigs.

Booking details here!

I mentioned at the end of blog post last week that I'd gone to see an exhibition by Feltmistress and Jontofski, Hey! Who's This Guy?, but arrived at the party too late and missed the whole thing. Argh! So this week I made amends, and while Philip Reeve was visiting for the Science Fiction panel event, we went back. And it's fabulous! Look at these dudes!



Feltmistress (Louise Evans) and Jontofski (Jonathan Edwards) are this amazing couple who live over in Wales and produce mind-boggling amounts of some of the best artwork you'll see in Britain today. You might recognise Jonathan's work from The Guardian Guide, and Louise used to specialise in making wedding dresses, but I think she's making her felt creations pretty much full time now. They work together on them, Jonathan making drawings and Louise crafting them. Often Louise won't be allowed by her clients to post images of the finished work right away, but she'll take photos of details and post them on Instagram, and I love seeing them come up. (If you're on Instgram, definitely follow feltmistress and jontofski, and the same on Twitter: @FeltMistress and @jontofski.) I think they're having a big illustration exhibition at Foyles next month, follow them to stay posted. The display at Nobrow will run until 23 June.



Isn't this guy great? His name's O'goob, and apparently he was surrounded by a celestial ring of Tunnock's teacakes at the opening, but they've all been snarfed up. I had to meditate on that for awhile.


Asymetrical-collared blue jumper knitted by comics artist and craftswoman extraordinaire Ellen Lindner

( Click here for more pics under the cut! )

Do come along if you're in London! The panel will be held in the upstairs room at The Talbot and it'll run 7pm - 8:30 or 9pm. Brockley's only one stop down the London Overground line from the Fleece Station and lots of trains run from London Bridge station. More event details on the FPI Blog here.


Brockley Max, 1-9 June.