Clockwork Robin...

I have a new Hexley illustration for Christmas! :D It's a Clockwork Robin - what else would you expect to see on a Hexley Christmas painting?!

I was really pleased with how this turned out - it's now my new favourite Hexley piece :) I enjoyed doing the border too - all the holly and cogs took quite a while to do but it was worth it. It reminded me of a few years ago when I spent hours drawing a William Morris style border - time consuming but actually quite fun! I'll have to do some more things like this again soon.

When Edwin Cracknell was asked to make a clockwork animal for Christmas his first thought was a robin. His clockwork birds were held in such high regard that the Clockwork Robin soon became a much sought after item in Hexley.This illustration was drawn in dip pen and ink then painted in watercolours. A print of this illustration will soon be available in my Etsy shop.

An introduction to Hexley...

I began working on Hexley for my final project at uni over 18 months ago, it is a place I have fallen in love with and continue to work on.

My initial idea was to create a journal style book based around someone's visit to a fictional town. The result of this was the creation of Hexley - a centre for science and learning, set in the late Victorian era, Hexley is a town from a past that never was.

The town was founded by a group of scientists and inventors led by Sir Daniel Webb. His obsession with mathematics, and particular geometry, is evident in many aspects of the town.

During my creation of Hexley I was influenced by a variety of things, including steampunk, images of Victorian/ Edwardian Britain and works by H.G. Wells. I have also been inspired by researching my family tree and looking through old family photos. I imagine my Hexley alterego, Elizabeth Bridges, to look like my great grandmother in this photo of her c. 1912.

I will be posting more on Hexley soon, until then you can take a look at my Hexley work on my website, http://haz-elf.deviantart.com/and buy prints in my Etsy shop.