January light

Spending saturday afternoon in the studio with the company of Maggie and the most beautiful light. She's not the best behaved photography assistant, though :)

Porto Polaroids

My trip to Porto was short but so much fun! We laughed, walked, talked, and photographed like crazy, and ate way too many portuguese sweets. I shot more Polaroids in four days than in the last two years, and finally opened one of the very expired Time Zero packs I had in my fridge. I was waiting for a special occasion, and this was definitely it.

It was amazing to see my friend Cristina again, and have the chance to finally meet Kit, whose photography I have admired for many years, and Charlyn, who makes the sweetest toys. Such a bunch of talented ladies!!

Lately on Instagram

Some recent photos from my Instagram acccount:

1. Birthday sushi dinner 2. I got tickets to see Rafa Nadal play as a birthday gift 3. A nice cup of coffee 4. Maggie, always in a box 5. My new polkadot sweatshirt from Zara Kids 6. I was cooking this and a face appeared when I poured the vinegar on the pan 7. Painting with snoopy 8. Roasted broccoli and shrimp for lunch

Lately on instagram

1. Maggie on her classic pose this morning 2. Iced tea with pretty teal straw 3. Massamam curry with eggplant, chicken, carrots, onions and cashew nuts 4. A haircut for summer 5. Gouache painting 6. Freckles! 7. Maggie on my drawing table 8. The freakiest double banana (It was yummy, though)

And that last instagram inspired me to draw this little silly gouache on my sketchbook. Long live the banana twins!

Random film photos

I finally scanned my latest roll of film. It's always fun to find these random photos I've taken in the studio and had completely forgotten about. In the third one, my drawing board had already arrived from the UK and Maggie decided it was a good place to sit like a lady. Then she had to make up for it with her silly signature box pose. She just loves having her picture taken, can you tell? :D

A hint of spring

In the last couple of years I have neglected my Polaroid cameras. Even though I still have quite a lot of the original film stashed, I haven't found the inspiration or impulse to take my sx-70 out as much as I used to... But last saturday the day was beatiful and sunny at last, the first plum trees were in bloom and you could feel spring in the air. So I took this tiny branch home with me.

Busy times

The last few weeks I've been extremely busy since I'm working on a new illustrated book that keeps me in my studio most of the time. Luckily, it's a really fun commission and I'm enjoying my confinement quite a lot.

But a couple of weeks ago I sneaked some free time and went on a short trip to the pyrenees. It was great to spend some time in the small village where I spent so much time as a kid, and hiking in those beafutiful mountains. There was also great food involved, including lots of wild berries. I came back with my eyes full of green, my heart full of happiness and my body full of energy.

Vacation

I got my film from vacation developed, these were shot with my Contax 139Q and Konica Centuria film. They make me miss the beach and the endless summer days spent with my loved ones. And the food, of course!!

This year we took Maggie on vacation with us and it was a great experience. The car trip and the first couple of days were rough (she spent them under the sofa mostly) but as soon as she got used to the apartment, she became the happiest kitty ever! She had lots of new places to explore, sunny balconies and open windows, birds, bugs and the lovely, humid seaside air. When we came back home and she realized vacation was over, she was more depressed than us...

BRB

I'm going here until the end of the month. I hope to come back relaxed, with a tan and full of freckles. Of course, I'm taking my cameras and sketchbooks with me. See you soon!

The sea

A couple of weeks ago I visited my hometown and snapped these pictures while taking a long walk on the seaside, breathing the fresh air and resting my eyes on the endless horizon. I just got the film developed and scanned, and they made me a bit homesick. They remind me how much I miss the sea in Madrid, but someday I'll live by the sea again.

Good morning

I hope you have a great week! :)

Maggie with the Draculas

I've been scanning the shots from the first roll with my new camera, the Olympus MJU II. I got some pretty nice results even though the Agfa Vista film I used was very expired. This is Maggie posing in front of my favorite artwork at home, this print by Scott C in its new awesome blood-red frame. I never get tired of looking at this illustration.

Also, I forgot to mention that this ginger lady and I were featured in the lovely blog We Say Meow. Thank you, Anke!

Lately on Instagram

Remember, you can find me on Instagram as juliabe

Weekend in Porto III

Right now I'm working hard on a new comission, so it's always relaxing to look at vacation photos. These are almost the last ones from Porto.

Creepy dolls on Polaroid

A while ago I came across these amazing Polaroids by Anne Bowerman on Flickr. They're a perfect mix of delicate and creepy.

Weekend in Porto II

More photos from my weekend in Porto. It's like living in a dream world for crazy cat ladies (like me).