Small Things...

I've been playing around with yarn while I waited for a larger project to be confirmed.  I bought a book called Amigurumi Dolls a long time ago but never made anything from it until now.  These little babies are about 2 inches tall and cute as a button.  I love the teeny-weeny teddy!

This one is also the same size.  Not sure what I will do with these, it was just fun to crochet them.

I've also knitted a Katmai hat from the book Knit The National Parks - Ithink this one has a home already.

These two baby Katmai hats are already on their way to their new home - twins!

On the easel - a new dog portrait, a Yorkshire terrier this time.
 

Handsome Fellow...

I completed this yesterday - a very handsome German Shepherd dog that is sadly no longer with us - which is a private commission.  I have painted this in acrylics on Dalerboard - I have not painted in acrylics for quite a while and thoroughly enjoyed this one.  The subject was great, and the painting seemed to just flow right from the start - I love it when that happens!  In fact, I am quite sorry this one is over!

So now I am free to paint anything I want until the next commission rolls along.

I have also been knitting - this is a lace shawl/scarf knitted in a fine kid mohair mix yarn, pale cream coloured with a hint of sparkle.  It is light as air and very pretty - it will be in my Etsy shop in the next few days.

I am just finishing off another couple of baby hats, and after that I have no more work for the time being.  Perhaps I could get on with some Spring cleaning?

Happy New Year!

 Sorry I've been so quiet over the past weeks - it's been a busy time, organising and celebrating Christmas, which was the best Christmas since Covid struck.  I have been working away on various projects, none of which are finished and ready to post pictures of just yet.

On the easel - a wonderful dog portrait that I am having so much fun with.

On the needles - a lacy shawl, just needs a few more rows; a baby hat, part of a commission.

Hopefully I will have something to show inthe coming few days.

Charlie...

This is what I have been struggling over for the past couple of weeks - it is a private commission but is a surprise for someone so I only had some very basic photos to work from.  Also, this little dog has the most unusual eyes - I had to get several extra photos showonig them in order to make sure I got the colouring correct.  This was done using Dersent Coloursoft pencils on pastel paper.
 

The Birds...

 I was a bit naughty last week and took a break from commissions to paint this little watercolour.  It's a scene I saw on the Explore.org bear cams in the early autumn when a little bear was just standing on the log minding his own business and being pestered by about 10 or 12 ravens.  I don't know what they were after, but they gave him a hard time!  I didn't add all the ravens, just enough to get the idea across.

This one sold within hours - never even made it to my Etsy shop!

On the drawing board - I'm behaving myself and working on a commissioned dog portrait!

I'm also sewing a number of stuffed bears - 2 Otises and 1 Popeye will be available shortly.

Popeye...

I've made so many Otis bears over the years, as well as other favourites from the Explore.org bear cams, so it was an interesting challenge when I was asked if I could make a different bear.  This is bear 634 Popeye, in real life a huge boar with a large shoulder hump and piercing eyes.  Not so easy to achieve in fabric and plastic!

However, considering this was an experiment and the first time I have made him, I am very pleased with how he has turned out.  Now to find out of the recipient is as happy as I am!

On the easel - a quick bear watercolour before embarkingon yet more dog portraits.
 

Sunrise over Brooks Falls...

 Here is the piece I have been working on over the past week.  I attempted it a few weeks ago using ink and it was a disaster, so I wanted to try again using watercolours.  I just cannot photograph it well, whatever camera I use seems to bleach the colours out from the water - perhaps it is due to the poor daylight we have at the moment.

So you will have to imagine that the colours are more intense than what shows here!  It is taken from a scene I snapped from the Explore.org bear cams a couple of months ago.  The light shines from behind the mountains and far trees leaving a shimmering path up the river with the bear silhouetted against the water as he stands on what is left of the island.  I was very happy with how this turned out - the trees have been worked wet in wet and thankfully did exactly what I wanted!

This one sold within hours of being put on Facebook - you snooze, you lose!