I love collage almost as much as I love colour.

So naturally, colourful collaging is my dream.

For a while, I wouldn’t let my flatmate or work colleagues throw away a single magazine, newspaper, flyer, pizza delivery menu, nail parlour cost sheet… (you get the gist) until I had flicked through the pages & ripped out bits & bobs that took my attention.

Funny headlines & quotes as well as pictures (often owls) & interesting photos.
I keep them categorized into brimming folders & boxes which I bring out whenever I find a collaging moment.

Aka A LOT

Making people mix tapes with collaged covers is a particular favourite. Despite the fact that CD’s seem to be so two-thousand-and-late I still do this & have a CD player in my living room.

I’ve been collaging books which I use as a diary for the last few years. The diary is my life line for keeping on top of a busy life, so having it colourful & lovely is most important to me.
As it is always with me, there is no surprise that it is full of drawings of nudes. Here a few pages from my recent diary and you can see more here from the last.

You can also have a bit of a insight into what I get up to in life, oh isn’t THAT a treat.

Front & Back covers

Memories of: a charity drawing & dinner party & drawing Vanessa…

Memories of: Sofar Sounds at the Bits & Bobs studio & Glastonbury…

Memories of: A week in Italy with 20 of my best friends & Vanessa’s beautiful gestures…

Memories of: A brilliant weekend in Devon for my friend’s birthday…

Memories of: Bits & Bobs at Myrtle’s in Clapham & Easter Sunday…

Memories of: a week of classes & a charity fundraiser in Emmanuel’s flat in a Church…

Memories of: A Contact Collective clothes swap party at Shoreditch House & yoga retreat…

Memories of: In the Heights musical & drawing Laura in her bedroom in Brighton…

Memories of: Christmas parties…

Memories of: Bella’s Bits & Bobs launch party & drawing Sophie…

Memories of: Swimming at Marshall St. Leisure Centre & yoga with Steffy White…

 

I grew up in Notting Hill, just 5 minutes from Portobello Market.

Portobello is one of London’s (and the world’s) most famous & iconic markets and is buzzing with food stalls, restaurants, vintage stalls, antiques and much more.

When I lived with my parents I popped on my roller blades every Saturday morning & cruised down the (Notting) Hill to the market. I loved the energy & buzz of it.

As well as all the vintage & bric a brac stalls, my favourites have always been:

The sweet stall (perfect for flying saucers, jelly babies, chocolate covered nuts & bags of dried fruit, all at £1)

Temptation Alley (it’s a stall & a shop here) for all the best arts & crafts bits & bobs

The Flowered Corner, a glorious colourful flower stall

All all the fruit and veg!

I was very excited to hear of a new Portobello Road bakery & just had to try it out.

Pearl & Groove Bakery is near Golbourne Rd & Ladbroke Grove Tube: 341 Portobello Road, W10 5SA

Unsurprisingly I was an immediate convert to their delicious array of beautiful little loaf cakes. Plus, they are gluten free & some sugar free AND totally photogenic.

Within weeks of falling in love with Pearl and Groove we had set up a Bits & Bobs class there, adding to their fun event schedule. The evening is £20 and includes cake, prosecco and drawing. DREAM COMBINATION (in our humble opinion)Two final key points if you’re not already sold:

1. You will draw under David Bowie.
2. The bathroom wallpaper is ideal.

Upcoming classes at Pearl & Groove:

Tuesday 26th July

Wednesday 10th August

Wednesday 24th August

Email me or Meg to book:

Bella@bellafranks.com //  Meg@pearlandgroove.co.uk

I am one of those people who just loves a bit of mud.

So yes, I loved Glastonbury, despite getting stuck in the treacle like mud too many times to count. However, sometimes a festival without the likelihood of turning a permanent shade of brown can be very appealing.

And so, when I was asked to run Bella’s Bits & Bobs at Brainchild Festival for the third time running, I was simply delighted.

Brainchild is a glorious three-day intimate festival in East Sussex which was literally the brainchild of some good friends of mine. It brings together young creative minds for a weekend of inspiration and a jolly good boogie.  My class was running on Sunday morning which meant I could enjoy the colours and thrills of the festival on Saturday which was just magic.

My super cool sidekick Mary Martin had travelled over from Brighton to life model for the class & Caitlin was my very glamorous assistant.

I baked tasty oatmeal & raisin cookies to sell during the class – there’s always got to be some bits & bobs to get the creative juices running, right?

We also had Coconut Collaborative chocolate pots. Ideal.

We anticipated 20 festival goers would come, so in a relaxed manner we set up drawing boards with paper and put all the Derwent drawing materials on display..

Then suddenly BOOM people started arriving..one, two, twenty, thirty, forty….sixty…..apparently at one point there were EIGHTY PEOPLE in the tent.

It was certainly the most busy session I have ever run but it was just BRILLIANT. There was so much talent & everyone was very engaged & focused.

I whacked on my current favourite album: Chaleur Humaine by Christine and the Queens and had a proper life drawing (chilled, seated..) party.

I saw them at Glastonbury – totally mind blowing set. Check them out if you’re not already obsessed!

I raised over £30 from selling biscuits which will go to Contact a Family, for families with disabled children.

ALL IN ALL A PRETTY WONDERFUL MUD FREE WEEKEND.