Greg Takes All: the last part of the Wonder that is Fifty Shades of Greg

After much toil and procrastination over the past few months or so (during which I had so much to do, and so little inclination to do it that I ended up doing nothing), I am happy to present the final five sketches in my little collection of Gregoire La Souflurre comics. I’ve really enjoyed creating these; I hope you’ve enjoyed following the whole series – I do have another one in the works, but I’m currently working long hours, so that isn’t going to materialise any time soon…

46.A college senior, SJ, and I both participated in a “college adoption scheme”, in which second years adopted and looked after finalists as they panicked their way through Finals. SJ was my adoptee, and, as a keen sportswoman and frisbee player, a pictorial offering was definitely in order. I drew this (though she’s not at all clumsy and very very nimble!) and she loved it – apparently, she kept it as a talisman during dark dark days…

47. My university is very keen on rowing. Very very keen. (Too keen, but that’s a different matter altogether). To commemorate that, I temporarily made Greg an M1/W1 Rower and gave him a college blazer for his pains. It’s a shame that I never reached his dazzling heights, but then again, I’ve always hated anything remotely resembling sheer hard graft…

48. I, a good friend of mine at university, is literally one of the most fabulous people I have ever had the privilege to meet. He’s also quite good at bop costumes, as has been immortalised in the college hall of fame as Freddie Mercury in the gloriously random video “I want to break free”. The vacuum cleaner was, of course, an added touch – my friend didn’t drag one with him everywhere he went in college!

49. My friend M is a fabulous all-round sportswoman, who’s dabbled and excelled in almost every sport I can think of – netball, rowing, boxing: you name it, she’s probably done it. This picture was created to celebrate her fantastic achievements, including being a national champion in youth boxing!!! As you can probably imagine, I try my best not to annoy her.. 😉

50. One of my best friends, J, who has been such a rock of support during a tough three years of undergrad, is (as you can see) is a chemist – and a damned good one at that. She’s also, by her own admission, incredibly clumsy in the lab, and has apparently broken countless test tubes and petri dishes in her time. This last picture of the series was meant to be a fitting tribute for a fabulous gal x

Well, that’s it. Finis. I have no other words, except to say a big *thank you* to all of Greg’s fans who have adored and cossetted him all these months. These pictures are for all those whose motto in life is “Greg is love, Greg is life”…

H & G x

 

Greg at arms: the penultimate post.

Here, as promised, are the next five Gregoire sketches in my now long-saturated cartoon series. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love drawing my Gregs and pretending to be so clever and witty with my “subtle” references and slick visuals. But, equally, I can completely understand if others, less inclined to seeing cross-dressing teddy bears on their computer screen, feel otherwise. None of these are actually dedicated to anyone in particular, but they are some of those which I laboured over the most, and certainly cherish the most. I must warn you, dear audience, though, that flair skirts and tulle feature in four out of five of them!

41. After long and almost painful deliberation, I have decided that it is this Gregoire La Souflurre comic which is my absolute favourite. I had always been keen to mix up Gregoire’s wardrobe a little more with more “international fashion” and there seemed to be no better way to do this than to bundle him to the north pole and give him the fluffiest eskimo outfit in the process. The tableau thus morphed into something beyond recognition, and I love every little piece of this creation: from the snow-boots, to the dead fish ornamentation, to the igloo itself…

42. Again, at risk of being almost unbearably stereotypical in my depiction of global fashion, I really wanted to do something a little different, and spice up Greg’s life. Though I am a rubbish dancer, I adore Latino music and Latino dance, and despite the fact that I never, ever, want to inflict myself upon another person as their dance partner when tentatively trying out a salsa move, I wanted Greg to have the freedom to do so, flounces, flowers, and all! Hence Flamenco Greg was born…

43. Recently, in another attempt to procrastinate from doing what I should be doing (ie, my degree) I decided to gorge myself on old-time cinema and wikipedia browsing. As a teenager, I was very keen on makeup and photography, and loved to experiment with both when I was taking GCSE Art (such a shame that my enthusiasm was not matched by my talent). I was especially fascinated by 50s screen icons and the muses of the infamous David Bailey. A little of this has stayed with me throughout the years, and, in an attempt to make Greg into an icon, I allowed him a little freedom to dress up as one…

44. …You didn’t actually think I would let Greg mimic Monroe without a tribute to Hepburn as well? Part of the fascination with the old-time cinema lay in the absolute glamour and sophistication of most of their female stars, with Audrey Hepburn, in my opinion, ranking high above the rest. The fact that I, dazzled teen that I was, had the iconic poster of Hepburn (in the same pose as Greg above) from Breakfast at Tiffany’s probably makes it fairly obvious that I forced the same obsession with the beautiful icon on my defenceless creation.

45. I am friends with a lots of people who read Science subjects for their undergraduate degree, as opposed to the Humanities. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Well, this means that most of them would take exams at the end of their second year, whilst I, and the rest of my Humanities brethren, don’t need to. This Greg was thus commissioned for them, in celebration of all their hard work during the year and when revising for exams in the summer!

Well, that’s all for now: keep your eyes peeled and ears pricked for the final installment of the entire series! I also have one more trick up my sleeve involving a (specially commissioned) Greg, but that will be uploaded onto this blog once I find a photocopier/scanner big enough to accommodate its mammoth size..

H&G x

A Fresh Scoop of Gregs: a further dose of the highly addictive grizzly

Suitably chastened by my months and months of silence in regards to my books reviews and Greg illustrations, I return to the blogging sphere, determined in my efforts to post at least a couple of blogging efforts in the final weeks of my summer vacation. Unswerving in my resolve, and eager to share my illustrations with the World Wide Web (this collection contains some of my all-time favourites in the series), I now present to you the next five Gregs in the now infamous Fifty Shades of Greg animated series. I hope you enjoy reading and looking at it; I certainly enjoyed creating them.

36. A greater lover of whimsy since young, I have been long exposed to the magic that is Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and have often traipsed along the walkways that accompany the River Cherwell’s lonely journey to the sea. As a big fan of the nonsense genre, and of Alice Adventures in Wonderland, I thought that an Alice Greg would be perfect for my wonderful grizzly. The fact that my mother ADORES Alice also encouraged me to create this in her honour…

37. I adore the Ian Fleming James Bond series (especially Casino Royale and You Only Live Twice), and I fancied that my little inky creation fancied himself a dapper and debonair man of mystery as well. The decision to make my Greg a mild alcoholic and incorrigible womaniser was thus irresistible.

38. I am not sure if I had mentioned it in the blog previously, but I used to take both Latin and Ancient Greek when I was in secondary school. The Classics, and Ancient Languages, still holds its sway over me, especially its plays and its epic literature, even if I moved away from it to pursue an undergraduate degree in Oriental languages. I wanted Greg to have a little something that would represent my constant fascination and worship of the Classical Subjects, and I thought that nothing would be more suitable than a 300-esque Cosplay attempt at being a Spartan.

39. I’m not quite sure what inspired me to do this particular piece, but I do know one thing: I felt that Greg had been far too sober in the last two sketches in his attempts to be a Spartan and a spy (!). So, in the spirit of trying to be as outlandish as possible, I thought to myself – what would Greg La Souflurre dress up as at a college bop? I knew the answer right away: a beautiful mermaid. And thus a new diva-ish costume was born. I love this especially because I was pleased by the effect I managed to create with the scales of the fishtail.

40. I absolutely love fairy tales, and I knew that Greg would too (after all, Greg is definitely the more outlandish, more outrageous, but more wonderful part of my personality that has been locked up within the tower of my soul. Apologies for the attempt at poetry and fancy prose). What would be better than Greg with an excuse to sport a fabulous head of hair. Admittedly, it was partially inspired by a bop costume I had seen in the past, but I thought Greg’s hair was far more lovely than any rushed dye job ever could be…

That is all for now! I hope that you liked this collection as much as I have, and please watch out for the last 10 in the series that will be published in the next couple of months or so 🙂

Hectorella and Greg x

Decline and Fall: A New Offering of Gregs as I Grovel Suitably For My Continued Negligence

I am a terrible person. There, I’ve admitted it. I promised myself that I would have lots of time to write at least one review per month, and have a parade of Gregs to boot – however, life has simply not panned out that way. Ever since taking on my role at The Culture Trip (which I love), I have been so busy that I have barely had the time to breathe, let alone think. Combined with the mountains of schoolwork, paid work, domestic chores, etc. etc…well, needless to say that one thing led to another, six months rolled by, and I’ve done nothing constructive on this blog except look at it every now and then and say to myself “Oops”. So, as a sort of recompense. A review will be forthcoming (it’s been six months in the writing), I just need to get my act together and finish it off, as well as finish editting it, before publishing it to my ever-patient and ever-kind audience. In the meanwhile though, may I present the next five in the “Fifty Shades of Greg” series, some of which are probably my favourite in the entire series (though I completely understand if it is getting boring for everyone else)…

30. This was “commissioned” as a birthday present for my dear friend, A, who was one of the very first people I met during Freshers’ Week. He has remained a supportive and encouraging friend ever since, and I wanted to do something to demonstrate my deep gratitude for all he has done for me. I chose the Iggy Stardust costume as Greg’s grab for one very obvious reason – simply that, at a Bop (a college get-together) with the theme “When I Grow Up”, A chose to dress in the infamous Iggy Stardust outfit, as he had wanted to become David Bowie when he ‘grew up’. Now grown up, he has become an ace Mathematician at university, but still retains that sass and energy that made the outfit suit him so well. And thus this star-spangled diva was born..

32. My good friend D is part of my college family. Describing herself as an “angry vegan lefty feminist” (so true, except she’s much much nicer than the use of the adjective ‘angry’ may imply!), she instantly fell in love with the sass and charm of our ever-effervescent Greg, and asked if she could have one. And who was I to refuse? A Taylor Swift mega-fan and a HUGE lover of cats (she came to a themed-party as the cat-lady once), it was both easy and enjoyable to create her special Greg (especially as I adore cats as well).

33. This wasn’t at all a request from the person to whom it was given, but it was more a sort of votive offering to my “college ancestor” as a thank you for all the support he had given me for my first year examinations. As his mother is Korean, and I have a love for Korean period costume and fashion (spawned from many years of watching historical K-drama), I decided that this would be a fitting way of drawing something I liked that also represented half of what my ancestor is….

34. This wasn’t dedicated to anyone, though many people absolutely loved the wingtip eyeliner! As can be seen from the many costumes, Greg has something of a penchant for dressing in exotic and feminine clothing – what better way of trying to encapsulate that than Greg trying to look mysterious and seductive in a Nefertiti-style diaphanous dress? I think little can top the heights of ridiculousness after this particular stint of Greg’s…or perhaps not.

35. After my mother commented that I dressed Greg in femal clothing far too much, I hit back with a suitably ‘masculine’ rendering of Greg. One of her favourite periods of literature is the early Georgian, with its many lotharios and casanovas. Given that this was so, I thought that dressing Greg as a Lovelace-Valmont-Tom Jones-esque rapscalion was the perfect way to neutralise the acidic sarcasm of my ever laconic mother. And I was right – Greg in a fleur-de-lis waistcoat was indeed enough to ‘placate’ her – for a while 😉

That’s all – for now! Once again, I apologise for being so horribly neglectful of this wonderful little space, and, this holiday, I shall endeavour not to let the entire enterprise slide into ignominy. Come Finals Year, however, I’m afraid I will not hold myself responsible for anything I say, or do, or, more importantly, don’t do….

Hectorella and Greg xx

Grégoire Among the Ruins: an apologia about my lack of creativity, and more Gregs

It is a truth universally acknowledged (according to moi), that all intentions, no matter how good, pure, or sincere, mostly and inevitably get tarnished and eventually chucked. This, at any rate, applies to me: there I was, secure in my own supercilious pomposity, intent on writing and posting exactly how much I wanted to. After all, isn’t time simply what one makes of it. Four essays, piles of translations, and a few panic attacks later, I humbly concede that I am absolutely rubbish at managing my own personal time, and thus it is unlikely that I’ll even be able to produce on critical review per month. Mon Dieu. With a humility that is uncharacteristically French (haha), I present to his adoring fans five more pieces from the Grégoire the Grizzly Comics. Please enjoy. It’ll make me feel marginally less bad about being such an appalling time manager.

26. I am very melodramatic. I am also very good at making a mountain out of a molehill. It is reasonably fair to say that I overreact. In light of this, I decided to make my little creation as ridiculous as me. And, seeing as he is French, and a great aficionado of all things over-the-top and frilly, what better guise could I put him in, than a musketeer’s outfit? The Riot Club mention was merely a throwaway comment to commemorate the awkwardness and stiltedness of the entire film.

27. If it wasn’t already apparent from the previous pictures, I have a great interest in Art and Fashion through the ages. This Greg was partially inspired by the Princess in Braveheart. Despite the lack of historical accuracy in the epic itself, I thought that the film was a nice tribute to epic cinematography in general, and especially liked the costume and the soundtrack. This Greg is an attempt to commemorate this.

28. My good friend J is an awful hack. Truly awful. He was also absolutely insistent on getting a Greg, as he feels ‘he is a little bit of a big deal’ (really now J?). This Greg encapsulates all that is J, and, despite grumbling, secretly, he very much loves the tongue-in-cheek nature of the comic.

29. My college mother L is a Japanologist (as you can probably tell from the Greg). I wanted to thank her for her amazing parental skills (she gave me cookies!), so I drew her this Greg. She approves, she definitely approves 🙂

30. My friend P is absolutely mad. He is obsessed (and I really mean obsessed) with lingusitics and languages, so much so that sarcasm etc goes completely over his head. His enthusiasm was infectious, and so I gave him a Greg comic as a wry tribute and satirical take on his all-consuming passions. Surprisingly, he quite liked it, and said “it was quite accurate” (you don’t say). Watch out for an upcoming review soon, and new installments of Greg next month! I only have seven slots left until I finish off the entire series, and whilst I am excited about the prospect of finishing off a project on such a successful high, I am also sad that the end is drawing near. Oh well, there’s always time for future projects! Best wishes, Hectorella and Grégoire.

When the Going was Greg: My Final Post of 2014

Despite my promises that I would post more Gregs (and, slightly more importantly, more book reviews), I’m afraid I simply hadn’t got around to it. I’ve had an absolutely crazy December, what with end of term essays (two surprise ones in the last week!), helping out with department interviews, and doing the college telethon (again!), I’ve been so busy I’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone rest. So, as a humble offering to all my “fans”, I present to you my last post of 2014, the next five pictures in my ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek “Fifty Shades of Greg comics.

21. I love musicals. I absolutely love them. I love them so much that I have a collection of soundtracks on my music player. As little Gregoire is essentially just the ursine male version of meself, I decided to project that love onto the more flamboyant…and crazier Greg.

22. My mother is quite enamoured with Scotland. I’m not quite sure why, she just is. She’s also quite a fan of the film “Highlander” (to be fair), so I am. This Greg is dedicated to her.

23. Greg has a bit of a sweet tooth. Evidently. This picture is evidence of this, and also proof that, despite being a rubbish cook, he’s not a half-bad baker (thank god for that).

24. My College Sister L turned 20 in October. As well as a present, I gave her a Greg, a Greg in which Monsieur Le Souflurre meets Barnabus, Jedi extraordinaire, and darling teddy bear of L. She loved her Greg.

25. Greg is a little (very) pretentious. As you have seen before, he also loves the theatre. The result? A lot of Shakespeare, a lot of strutting, and not much solid work going on. Oh dear, I guess it’s any excuse to be a Titania, isn’t it?

I’m afraid to say that, that’s all for now! Believe it or not, we are now half-way through the projected series, with several simultaneous projects running all at the same time. How exciting (for me anyway).

At any rate, I hope all the readers of this blog have had a fantastic Christmas, and an equally propitious New Year! I am hoping to write one review a month in 2015, a target that I hope I can keep…it’s been absolutely wonderful to write and to improve (hopefully) as a person, and I really appreciate the fact that those who read this blog is here to share the journey with me. So, a big thank you, and Happy New Year.

Best, Hectorella (and little Gregoire)

Put Out More Gregs: a fresh batch of Greg sketches.

I immensely enjoyed completing these series of Gregs: partly because of the overwhelmingly positive response I have been getting from these sketches, and partly because researching the little details that complete a Greg is so fun! Please find below the next four in the Fifty Shades of Greg series, which this humble illustrator very much hopes that you enjoy!

17. I am one of those annoying Sherlockians. Yes, yes I know. Now you probably think I’m one of those crazy fans that scream every time the letter “B” pops up anywhere (I’m not, by the way). In commemoration of the wonder that is Sherlock Holmes, (modern or otherwise), I drew this cosplay Greg.

18. I met my friend D in the Trinity term, and we got very close very quickly. Sadly, she was an exchange student abroad, so once her year finished, she had to go back home 😦 I miss her a lot, but we manage to communicate via facebook fairly often, so that’s alright. She’s a HUGE fan of Greg (self-proclaimed), and she’s also one of Brideshead Revisited’s No. 1 fans (a love we have in common). This Greg was done to celebrate her (and Waugh).

19. My father is obsessed with Star Wars. Truly, madly obsessed. He really likes Greg too, and kept badgering me to do a Darth Vader Greg. I kept insisting that that would be quite difficult to do; he began to whine some more. As a compromise, I made him a Princess Leia Greg instead. I’m not sure what his reaction to it is, he hasn’t seen it yet.

20. I used to practise ballet when I was little. I wasn’t very good. However, my Greg combines my enthusiasm and a dancer’s talent in dancing, and so Ballerina Greg was born. I think he looks really sweet in a tutu, but that’s just my opinion.

That’s all in the series thus far! Please keep your eyes peeled for the next lot (there’s always something being drawn), and again, I really hope you like them!

A Handful of Greg: more sketches of the Beloved Grizzly, as promised.

In my previous post, I did warn the much abused reader that I would inflict Greg on them at every given opportunity I have. Here are the next series of Gregs (the next four in the series), all showing our wonderful little furry friend in the best possible light. As I’ve said before, please enjoy!

13. My friend T is a massive fan of Greg, and very sweetly complimented me on my creations, saying it was like “a children’s book gone off the rails” (it was actually meant as praise). In light of his much needed flattery (I’m a narcissist that’s very vulnerable to all and any types of praise), I dedicated this Greg to him. He’s a Classicist, but he’s also a “nerd” (self-styled), and President of the Board Games Society; what else could I do but have a Board Games Greg?

14. This was my mother’s idea. She thought it would be funny to have a Cossette Greg, but believed that it would be “too difficult to recreate”. Judging from the smirk on her face when she saw the picture, I think she was proved wrong.

15. Also another one of my mother’s fantastic ideas. She’s a bit of a fan of French art, so I thought it appropriate to have an excessively pretentious Greg going to a (very) comprehensive Teddy-Bear Art Gallery.

16. I love University Challenge. It’s where I gain any snob credibility that I do possess. Also, I liked the idea that my socially awkward ickle grizzly was enough of a knowledge sponge to get himself onto the team (and on television!). Only to embarrass himself horribly by introducing himself in the wrong way (standard Bearlliol Bear behaviour, really).

That’s all, for now! Please watch out for the next lot; I’m constantly creating, and always trying something new. As I said, please comment or post if you have any suggestions/requests.

Blue Mischief : Introducing Grégoire into the World of Greeneland Revisited.

Despite my promise, and my lofty assertions that I would use this “acclaimed” webpage as a way to showcase my flair for a) finishing a book b) writing about it, I have found that I have discovered a new hobby: namely, cartoon-sketching. This started when I was excessively bored from listening to far too many voicemails during my stint as a telethon warrior. With a pad and blue-ink pen considerately placed in front of me, what else could I do but start something new? And thus was Greg, the socially awkward Grizzly bear with a penchant for dressing in women’s clothes and botching up his dates in a spectacular style, born. Each new sketch will be published on this page, and just so that you are aware of my intentions (how considerate am I?), I am happy to tell you that I probably intend to do a series of fifty sketches, all revealing Greg on splendidly top form. I’m hoping that the little artistic talent and dry wit that I do have can last that long.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these first twelve pictures that I’ve already done. Each should have a brief explanatory note revealing the inspiration and the origins of each little snapshot in Grégoire’s (Greg’s full name!) rather troubled life. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, in glorious non-multicolour, the trials and tribulations of Greg, telethon creation, Oxford undergraduate, and failed Casanova.

1. Greg was actually meant to be a cat with a bow (I’m not quite sure I was drawing a cat with a bow, but nevermind). He became Greg, experimental hipster and all-round darling.

2. A friend of mine, who shall be known as V for reasons of privacy, was doing the telethon with me. Whilst trying to “bond” and “build rapport” with the prospective donor, she started talking about mutual interests and hobbies, of which both found a ‘passion’ in photography. V neatly bolstered her claim to a passion for photography by promptly asking whether he had “heard of instagram.” Cue laughs from the entire room. And thus did Greg became a social-media obsessed selfie taker.

3. This was meant to be a self-referential mock at my own Art “skills”. Greg is supposed to like doodling as much as I do, and the horrendous sketch of the Rad-Cam (draw from the necklace I was wearing), became a self-evident symbol of Greg’s (and my own) issues with proportion and spacing.

 

4. I really, really wanted to draw a pumpkin. Also, my mum loves vampires. Thus Halloween Greg was drawn.

5. A friend from the telethon, who really really loved Greg, had been to Russia during the vac. As a Historian and Russia fan, I thought that she deserved a Greg of her own. D still insists it’s the best Greg so far.

6. I am an awful cook. Envious of Greg’s rapid popularity, and I wanted him to share the same weaknesses as me.

7. Greg was created during the telethon. Therefore, what was more appropriate than a telethon Greg? This received huge acclaim from callers and supervisors alike.

8. I love to dance. I also wanted an excuse to dress Greg up in style. Dancin’ Queen was born. Because no one puts Greggy in the corner.

9. R is a massive enthusiast for Greg. Deciding that his support had earned him a Greg, I asked him what he liked. He replied “cinema”. This was the rather “racy result”. R still loves it though (cinema and Greg).

10. I’m, at heart, a Sinologist. I love Art, language, and China. This means that calligraphy is literally my soul-mate. I made sure Greg has the same tendencies. Awkward.

Matriculating Greg (11)

11. Greg is, first and foremost, an Oxford boi. And what does every Oxford boi do? Matriculate, that’s what. #whatalad.

12. My friend A begged me for a Greg, based on “Union hacks”. Uncomfortable with the possibility of being sued, I opted for laughing at A instead. Hence pretentious Greg. Thank God A is very good at taking a joke.

That’s all of them for now! Please look out for future Greg incarnations; I’ll only be posting them on here from now on, as this is the only place where I like to channel my so-called creativity! Please feel free to comment/give advice if anything at all suggests itself to you.