Parrots, Pencils & Placemats...

 I completed this yesterday after a determined effort.  It has been painted using Derwent Inktense pencils and colour blocks.  Considering it was a spur of the moment choice of subject, not really thought out in any great detail, it has turned out well.  There are things I would have done differently if starting again, but I'm happy enough.

 I took part in the WHSmith Sketchoff last night - they give you a photo online and an hour in which to sketch it.  I thought it would be a doddle, seeing as I have drawn and painted tigers so often, but in actual fact it was very hard work.  Not because I couldn't draw it but because there just wasn't enough time!  I chose to use Derwent Coloursoft pencils, mainly because I was curled up on the sofa and too lazy to get paints out - it was a very satisfying exercise though.

I've knitted more fish.  I don't know what to do with them.  I had an idea that they could be used as placemats, but as I have used scraps of different coloured yarn, they don't really go together as a set.  Needs a bit more thought.  Anyone fancy the pattern for free?

Parcels, Parrots & Picking...

Last month I joined something called Art & Parcel, where you get a box of mystery art materials each month.  I love a parcel, especially one with surprises inside!  This month I received an A5 pad of painting paper, a bottle of Indian ink, a bottle of luminous green acrylic ink, a diffuser, a bamboo pen and a paintbrush.  They also have a little competition running for art made using the contents of this box, the prize being having your work on the front of a sketchbook.  I thought I'd have a go...

The green was the sticking point - it's very bright and not a natural colour. However, I thought a parrot, or rather a conure, would be an ideal subject to use it on.  I sketched one out, drew around it using the bamboo pen & the Indian ink, then set to colouring it in.  I did have to use a few more items - an orange paint pen from last month's box and a couple of watercolours for the blue & red.  It's not my usual way of working, but it was good to experriment.

The diffuser is a mad thing though - it consists of two metal tubes joined with a hinge, one of them having a mouthpiece.  You insert one tube into a bottle/jar of colour, then blow hard through the mouthpiece.  I had to do this over the kitchen sink as the colour spatters far and wide.  I can see me using this for things such as sea spray though, but precautions need to be taken if I don't want to Jackson Pollock the surrounding area!

Our apple tree survived collapsing face-down into the pond a few weeks ago and has produced a good crop this year.  I picked a trug full yesterday, and we also picked a bag of blackberries, so crumble is the order of the day.  Blackberries seem to be hard to pick this year - there was the promise of a huge crop, then we had weeks of torrential rain and the most of them seem to have rotted before reaching ripeness.  Consequently, there are not many decent ones around.  I've scraped together a few bags for the freezer but not as many as anticipated.

On the needles: a gorilla, designing it from scratch and having difficulty!
On the easel: still the black labrador

Shhh....

I completed this yesterday - or should I say this morning for a final touch-up.  This has been painted using Derwent Inktense pencils on watercolour paper.  The photo reference is from our trip to Birdworld last summer - a spontaneous outing that yielded some good photographs.

I'm kind of wishing I hadn't bothered with a background, but I felt it lacked something.  I may sit and look at this for a couple of days to see if there is anything else that needs doing but it will probably stay as it is - self-doubt needs to be squashed sometimes!

I've seen some cow parsley on my walks that I really want to paint - might have to pick myself a bunch today!

Unfinished Business...

Sometimes you get weeks where everything is just a work in progress - this is one of those weeks.  Currently on the easel is this painting of a pair of parrots, using Derwent Inktense pencils. I love this medium, the colours are so bright and can be layered over each other without turning muddy.  It's a painstaking picture, but that's how I like to work.

Several things on the needles this week, here are the ones I can show.  This is the back of a waistcoat I've been commissioned to make, using a fab recycled jeans yarn.  It's a complicated pattern, with the front of the waistcoat in a trellis pattern and the back in lace - it will be worth it I feel.

When I get a minute or two, I'm still ploughing away at the socks..I say socks, it's still only 'sock'.  I'm hoping that the pattern is so simple and easy I will actually get myself a pair of socks out of it!

There are also some little treasures being made for Nudinits, but you'll have to wait a couple of weeks before seeing them on Twitter.

A Flurry of Feathers...

I sat down yesterday afternoon thinking I'd do a little of this but not expecting to get very far considering the TV was on for my daughter and my partner was on the computer two feet away, but before I knew it a couple of hours had flown by and the basic drawing of all the feathers was done.  I love it when I get so absorbed in a painting that whole chunks of time just vanish and I only surface because I'm hungry...or someone else is hungry!

Currently on the needles - some very tiny flowers.  Yes, it's more sight-destroying work for Nudinits, but as always great fun.

Sleepy...

Not sure if I picked this painting because of how I was feeling at the time or not!  Last year we had an unplanned trip to Birdworld and as usual I took lots of reference photos, most of which turned out not that great.  There were a few very good ones, and this was one of them.  I have a soft spot for parrots, would love to own one again, but just have to make do with painting them.  This is in Derwent Inktense pencils, very time consuming and slow but I think it will be worth it.  Lots and lots of fluffed up wing feathers to do!

A while back I had to buy a job lot of hair clips when all I needed was a couple.  I have been wondering what on earth I was going to do with them, but the other day had a bit of an epiphany.  While making some scenery for a new animation, I needed something to keep the edges of the fabric touching the card while the glue dried - ta-dah, hair clips!

After the pain of the last few weeks, crocheting with stuff that should never be crocheted, I gave myself a night off and started a pair of socks...now I don't have a very good track record with socks, suffering every time from second-sock syndrome, but hopefully the novelty of making these not only in tiger striped yarn but also using the toe-up method for the first time will keep my interest until the end.

Pretty Polly

Currently on the needles, a green parrot scarf!  Now that the fun part of making the head is over, it's a long boring haul knitting the scarf in 2 x 2 rib.  It will be worth it when it's done though.

Spending my days mostly sewing at the moment - tiny fiddly little things for a new animation.  Certainly makes a change from dealing with recalcitrant five year olds - I feel a whole lot calmer these days!

I'm looking forward to Unravel at Farnham Maltings next week - as part of the Nudinits team, we're showing the film and giving a Q&A afterwards on the 21st February, 1.30 p.m.  If you are in the area, come along and say hello! (There will be yarn too, oh yes, there will be yarn...)

Feathers & Frills

I recently had to work out a generic bird pattern for a customer, but rather than let her have all the fun, I wanted to make myself a scarf from it too.  This is the completed cockatoo scarf - it's quite short because I got bored because I thought it would be nice to have the feathers falling at the neckline a bit like a cravat.  The beak holds on to the scarf body with a nifty little aligator clip inside.

I'd like to make a green parrot in the same way, but first I really have to finish the other wips in my pile!

Like this one - a scarf knitted from novelty yarn that ruffles as you knit.  There are cute little sequins scattered about as well.  I'm tempted to keep this one when it's done - there is plenty of yarn left to make more!

And if I can get my act together, I am writing another mini tutorial on how to paint on fabric with Inktense.  It may take a couple of days as I have picked a complicated little picture because I want it as a cushion cover in my work room. 

Who's A Pretty Boy Then?

This is a little something I have been working on lately. It took longer to plan than to actually make - lots of lone dog walks while working out increases, decreases and shaping in my head.  The idea is that this pattern can be adapted and used to make any kind of parrot or macaw, depending on colours used and leaving off the crest of course.  Next thing to do - transcribe my scribbles into some kind of working pattern!

On the needles this week: little Valentine's things, but you'll have to wait to see them.

Coming up - I've long wanted to do a tutorial on how to paint on fabric with Inktense pencils and blocks.  Now that I will be making some calico cushion covers, it will be an ideal opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - watch this space.

Time Out...

A very small chicken...I bought the Mini Mochi book on Monday and this was my first project.  It took about half an hour. 

To escape the building noise, we've been out and about the past couple of days.  Yesterday was an impromptu visit to Bird World in Farnham. I always loved wandering around in there - I love to watch birds and possibly plan new paintings.

Plus there are lots of parrots to feed, stroke and generally annoy.  We fed these two plenty of meal worms - I guess they had to sleep it off!

On the needles....not a whole lot!

Delectable........

Here are the macaws, finally finished.  I wasn't too sure where I was going with this, but the journey was terrific fun.  Just about as I had completed the final brushstroke on the second macaw, I noticed a drop of painty water on the paper that wasn't supposed to be there.  That's when I discovered that Inktense colours really are permanent!  I used my head this time and tried bleach on a spare scrap of paper - which didn't work - neither did trying to cover it with white paint.  So rather than have a faded blue splodge smack-bang in the white area, it morphed into a sprig of leaves...which I actually quite like in the end as it contributes to the composition nicely.  Sometimes accidents really are 'happy'.  This will be for sale on Etsy later in the day.

 Fine

Stash Fine Yarns have a 3 for 2 sale at the moment - I couldn't resist this gorgeous pale mint green & white yarn.  I don't know what it will be yet, but it had to be mine.

We have a giant sofa and a large 'cuddle' armchair, but this is where he chose to sit. As long as you are comfortable Clovis!

Messy Old Bird!

After using these Derwent Inktense pencils and colour blocks for 3 commissioned paintings, I still haven't got enough of them - the colours you can achieve are so bright and vibrant with much less effort than using watercolours.  This is my own piece of work, just for fun - and for sale eventually of course.

How did I get paint up to my elbow?  I have absolutely no idea, I'm just grateful it didn't splurge all over the paper!

Why Didn't I Buy More of These?

Whilst at Aura Bead Store in London, I bought a couple of wooden discs, not really sure what I'd paint on them but sure I'd find some use along the way. Today I painted one of them with a little jungle scene, varnished it and had the brainwave of hanging a little wooden parrot bead in front. The whole pendant is on a soft brown suede thong with a hand-made hook fastening. It is choker length. I am SO pleased with how it's turned out....I will try not to keep it for myself, honest! The annoying thing is, I only have one more disc and I've already painted that sky blue with a view to a different scene. Ah well, I guess this will remain an exclusive for now....£12 + P&P

Back to Beads...

Thought it was time I did a bit of beading - not touched my collection since Christmas despite having lots of new ones to play with! The above is a bracelet that I have had in my head for weeks and finally got around to making it. The beads were from a bargain bucket at the Big Bead Fair last month and the zebras were kindly given to me by Emma at My Vintage Charms. Bit of a disaster though - she gave me four and I can only find three - so I have to turn out my bits and pieces and search down the side of the sofa as it can't be far away......then I can complete the bracelet which would be £15 when finished!
Grumpy monkey earrings - not more to say about them than that! £5 + p&p
This is a double necklace made from natural hemp, varnished wooden parrot beads, AB green glass beads, small round wooden beads, some rather lovely leafy ribbon - and a nut! I can't get it to lie flat to photograph as the hemp is new and a bit curly - when hanging the weight of the beads calm it down a bit. Very natural and pretty. It was nice to make something like this again - I am very fond of making necklaces that look like a little piece of nature! £16 + p&p
This one is just for me - how kitsch can you get! It is a large cabochon with bright pink raised flamingoes and some palm trees. I've hung it on some simple grey suede thong, as the pendant is so over the top it needs nothing else - I love it!

The painting is coming along - been working on the horse but I am not putting a picture up until after a bit more has been done. There's an awful lot of brown base paint to be covered!