The Versatile Blogger

I must thank Rebecca, whose Stuff & Nonsense blog is a real treat, for nominating A Certain Line for a Versatile Blogger award. For someone fairly new to blogging this was a great vote of confidence and a real incentive to continue these weekly posts. Many thanks, Rebecca. Thanks, too, to all those who clicked on her link, some of whom now follow A Certain Line – much appreciated.

The conditions of the award are that I nominate a further 15 blogs and tell you seven things about myself.

Blogs first:

Monochromia: photography for lovers of black and white;

Jeff Ryan takes compelling, atmospheric photographs of Brisbane and elsewhere on Brisstreet;

Between Scarlett & Guest: a fascinating ‘dialogue’ in pictures between two people on opposite sides of the world;

Christophe Gowans: he can do anything…

Art Calling: so can Sarah…

Pilgrim on Horseback: Caro Woods is a superb artist who is currently riding on horseback from Lindisfarne to St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall;

A sail, a sail! is Rosemary Shojaie’s illustration blog – one day she’ll win a Kate Greenaway Medal and you’ll remember that you read it here first;

Claudia McGill does fascinating things with junk mail and collage and, er – a blue comb;

David Apatoff’s Illustration Art should be read by everyone who enjoys or practices illustration;

Illustration Age: Long Live Illustration indeed;

Matthew Midgley Illustration: he draws food, beautifully (look at his poached egg – go on…):

Carol Marine’s Painting a Day was a great inspiration when I started painting in oils and her wonderful Daily Painting was my book of the month a while back;

Sarah’s Swedish Moose (2014 ink and watercolour A5)

Katie Metcalfe is a young English writer with a fascination for all things Scandinavian in her fascinating blog, The Girl with Cold Hands – unique surely?

Chris Riddell is the new children’s laureate and Chris Riddell’s blog is his blog: look at those videos of his seemingly effortless, beautiful drawings;

I have to include cartooning genius Richard Thompson’s Cul de Sac blog for all sorts of reasons, not least of which is that he’s a cartooning genius.

Do you really want to know seven things about me? Probably not, but here you go:

• I own a pencil that is over 70 years old.
• I once met Todd Rundgren’s keyboard player in a bar in Half Moon Bay, California.
• I’d love to have a beehive – and some bees to put in it.
• I have a letter from illustrator Edward Ardizzone describing how he draws.
• One thing that would prevent me from embracing vegetarianism is lasagne (and the best I’ve ever had was one made with Italian sausage in da Umberto, NYC).
• I don’t like cats much. Dogs on the other hand…
• I believe that you probably should clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.

Thanks again, Rebecca.