Popeye

Just completed this, the bear 634 known as Popeye - pencil, liquid pencil & white acrylic touches on paper.

Transformations & Toadstools

For the past few years, this has been my work station, although not usually quite so messy as this!  Under that heap are two boxes of fabric, two boxes of yarn, so deeply buried that I can't remember what is in the yarn boxes. There are three bags of yarn that I use most often, a wadge of felt that I am currently using, two boxes of habadashery, a couple of books, a few magazines, and several wips.  It's awful, I know!  The only plus side is that it's right next to where I sit on the sofa and everything is within arm's reach.  But it has reached unworkable proportions - and something needed to be done!

I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, and last month events seemed to fit together like clockwork - it started when I made the decision to quit my day job, followed by my son announcing that he was moving out.  Which meant there was a room going spare....  I have worked very hard over the past couple of weeks, painting the walls and door and assembling and placing new furniture.  The room is so small that I cannot get far enough back to take a decent photo, but this will be my desk and those shelves are waiting to be filled tidily with all my clutter craft materials and books.  There are shelves under the desk, one of which is just crying out for the sewing machine.  I'm aching, tired, but very pleased that it is well on it's way.  Now comes the long process of sorting through my stashes and being ruthless with anything that is never used. 

Did you notice that the new rug has buttons on it - buttons! 

I did take half of yesterday off though - a trip to the tip and a second coat of paint on the door were enough for me, and so I could spend a little time on the toadstool which has been sadly neglected over Christmas.  I think one more afternoon should see this completed.

999....But No Emergency!

This is my 999th post...which means the next one will be 1000 and contain a giveaway - hope you return and enter the draw!

This week I received a large envelope from Derwent containing three sets of the re-launched Academy watercolour pencils, each with my illustration on it. I never get tired of seeing my work on their packaging, especially with my name printed down the side.   It never feels quite real - after years of plugging away at painting and drawing to now be seeing some return is still exciting!

On the needles this week, dogs have been the subject.  The Alsatian is due to make his movie debut and the girly fluffy pup will be in my shop just as soon as I make her a food bowl. 

There has been more painting going on too - I'm thoroughly enjoying this acrylic of snow which contains no white whatsoever.  What attracted me here was the light coming through the trees and across the snow as dawn breaks.  There will be a great deal more detail in the foreground by the time it is finished, but I am quite liking it as it is too.

Can I be serious here for a moment?  With the global reach of the internet, I get quite a lot of requests to use  my work (free) for charity purposes.  I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but in the past I have given pieces of art work, knitted dog sets and allowed the use of my images for appeals.  The charities I have donated to  have been ones I feel an affinity towards and also have come to me with credentials in hand - links to their websites and details of their proposed useage of my work.  Being a well-brought up lady, I hate to say no to anyone, but sometimes it is necessary - if I give all my work away or allow it's use willy-nilly for no financial return (and no guarantee copyright will not be infringed), I will be the one needing charity!  Particularly when someone comes to me with no credentials other than just saying they represent a charity - let's face it, I wouldn't hand over a painting to some stranger who knocked at my door wearing a face-mask, having no ID and just telling me that they represent this or that organisation!  So, please by all means feel free to ask me to donate my work and time, but please don't get offended if sometimes I say no.  It's nothing personal, I just have a living to make and need to protect copyright of my work.  Thank you for reading this far, I hope you understand the point I am making.

Let Me Pencil That In....

One of this week's little projects - and I mean little!

Surprising what can be achieved with an inch of I cord in the right colours. Don't ask me to make a whole box of crayons though....

Also been slogging away at these - another mascot design for the USA.  Two down, two to go......

Memories.....

While clearing out a corner of the living room the other day, I came across an old sketchbook which brought back some happy memories.  This was an experiment in painting teasels and dandelions following a tutorial in a book.

This was sketched sitting in the sand dunes on Braye Bay in Alderney, one of the smallest islands in the Channel Isles.  I spent my teens living here and look back on those years as the happiest in my life.  When I went back some 20 years later, it was incredible to find it so little changed.

The view to the left of where I was sitting for the above sketch.  We used to come down here after school (a couple of minutes walk) for a swim before going home.

Some brief studies drawn in the garden of our current house - can't quite believe I did them, they look a little bit like I knew what I was doing.....

The most poignant of them all, my little dog Jasper (a couple of years dead now) who used to spend all summer long sitting on the edge of the patio gazing into the flower bed.....there used to be a mouse that crossed his path in the evenings and he just sat and watched in fascination.
The agapanthus was one of many that I attempted to grow - never with much success - I buy them, they flower, the winter kills them!

I always say that I don't sketch much - maybe not as much as some artists, but there are these half filled books all over the house and it is surprising how a small pencil drawing can bring back so many memories, more than any photo, probably because it takes time and study to draw whereas a photo is a fleeting glimpse.

I'm in the middle of painting a horse at the moment, and best of all, have just parcelled up and sent off a big box of garter stitch scarves to the USA - perhaps now I will have a few days respite in order to get on with something a bit more interesting!

Slow Progress.......

I'm very glad I don't work like this all the time, it would drive me crazy!  This seemed a good idea initially, a painstaking pencil study in minute detail, and I know it will be worth it when it is finished but I have to admit to feeling just a teensy bit.......bored.  Perhaps it's too soon after the three detailed animal pictures, perhaps I should have done something big and splashy instead.  Never mind little dog, you will get finished, honest......

Dog-Fish!

Yesterday I had the day off....well, anyone who knows me knows that a day off doesn't mean sitting around doing nothing!  It was a chance to play with my new book of fish patterns - I have a new great-niece/nephew on the way and want to make a mobile for him/her.  I love how these patterns look like nothing on earth until about halfway through when you get the 'oh there it is!' moment.  I'm really pleased with both of them but particularly like the cuteness of the angel fish - can't wait to make more in brighter colours.

I also got to spend an hour or so working on the Chinese Crested - I had originally planned for it to be purely pencil, but have decided to use a smattering of pink as it is an intrinsic part of this breed of dog, the bare skin.

It's back to work today though - time to plant up those seeds for the garden and to get on with some paid work rather than playing with my own projects!

Just For Fun......

I have no painting commissions on the go at the moment, and after a couple of days resting the eyes from painting that leopard, withdrawal symptoms set in.  A while back I bought National Geographic magazine as it had some fantastic photographs of dogs as well as a really interesting article about their DNA.  (Finding out my saluki is one of the closest breeds in DNA to a wolf was enlightening - wolves spend a lot of time lolling on sofas and pestering for cake do they?)

Anyway, the Chinese Crested caught my eye and I fancied drawing him in fine detail.  It's very soothing to quietly sit there using tiny pencil strokes, working at my own pace intead of breakneck speed.

I also found myself looking up rescue sites on the web to see if any of these adorable little dogs were up for adoption.....but having an almost-wolf (would-be wolf?) in the house might scupper that idea!

Get On This Train......

Now that life has settled down a bit, it's time to get on with all those outstanding commissions.  This is an unusual (for me) little piece - I was asked if I could produce some travel drawings in the style of etchings.  I'm not sure if it has been achieved here or not - still awaiting approval from the client, but it was fun just using a pencil with a sharp point and nothing else.  This is quite small - A4 - but still took quite a few hours.

Now it's time to start those Inktense jungle creatures....

Woohoo!!

Since painting the illustration for Derwent, I check their website every now and then to see if the new collection is on sale yet. Today it's finally there!  Check the link to see, although I am afraid the photos is very small.
http://www.pencils.co.uk/newsitem.aspx?nid=158

I'm so excited - I wonder if this means it will be as an ad in the new painting magazines such as Artists & Illustrated....

Just Monkeying Around.......

With no commissioned art work at the moment, I have been occupying myself with this pencil drawing of a gorilla.  It is based on a photograph taken at a zoo by a friend of mine, and I loved the contemplative look on his face. 

First I stained a sheet of The Langton Extra Smooth watercolour paper with a  few coats of strong tea, which makes for a lovely sepia tone.  The gorilla has been simply drawn using an HB pencil, an Aquarelle water soluble pencil, a white pencil for highlights and a 6B for a few final darks.  He had to be looking at something, so I have drawn in a small fluffy feather floating above his head.

Due to the overcast winter daylight conditions and the reflectiveness of the darker pencil shading, it has been a nightmare trying to get a decent photograph of this.  This is the best I can do, but you get the general idea.

Whilst it is always good to have paid work coming in, sometimes it is even better to have the spare time to draw or paint what I really want to get down on paper.  I've not had much chance to do that this past year,so this opportunity has been very welcome.

On the knitted front.....look out for a whippet with a badly cut tail and an injured paw coming shortly!

Found.....

Inbetween painting horses I have been having some fun with a little drawing exercise. Using very sharp pencils and working true to life with the objects blu-tacked to my drawing board, I have been trying to make some highly detailed drawings of found objects. The feather was good, the shell was quick, and the sea-urchin? The phrase 'never again' comes to mind although I am glad to have attempted it. It's always useful to challenge yourself with your drawing once in a while, keeps it all fresh and makes you glad to get back to what you are comfortable with!

- 0 -

This was in today's paper......

.... a quiz to find out if your dog is an optimist or a pessimist. I had to do it for him as he can't hold a pencil...or read (to my knowledge!)


Despite appearances, he is an optimist...........yeah, OK.....

Portraits, Presents & Painting...

I can show the latest portrait as the recipient is not a blogger! This is done in pencil - some soft fleshtone pencils (no idea who makes them!) as well as a selection of Derwent watercolour/drawing pencils. The end result is a lot softer and more delicate than my animal paintings, but as the subjects are tiny tots, I think it had to be so!


I received a lovely surprise through the post this week - Sybille over on Magpie Magic sent me and my daughter a couple of her fabulous organza flower hairslides, as well as two cute silver zebra charms. I found the perfect beads at out local art shop and whipped up a pair of earrings yesterday. It comes to something when even the proprieter of a shop says to me 'You've got a bit of a thing going about zebras, haven't you....'


...which leads me nicely into a picture of how far I have got so far with my zebra painting. Most of the hard graft is done, and it has been such fun! I've missed doing this over the past week, and was glad to get back to it today - something very soothing about all those orderly stripes!

Done in less than a week!

This is what I've been slaving over this week in order for it to be ready for Father's Day. This is done from a mixture of photographs (including having to remove the father's beard - give me a medal!) in shades of brown pencil on cream Ingres paper. Hope they like it!