Exhibition Time!

It's taken me many years to pluck up the courage to join the Marwell Art Society, but I finally did it a few weeks ago after some persuasion and managed to just squeak a couple of entries into their annual exhibition.  Drop off day is today, so this handsome fellow is off to try his luck along with this one:

Wish them both luck - it would be nice if they didn't come home again!

When's The Best Time To Go To The Zoo?

The weather forecast for this weekend was abysmal - rain and more rain.  Despite this, we decided last night that we would chance a day at the zoo today. It was clear skies at home, but as we drove to Marwell Zoo, the heavens opened and everywhere was flooded.  However, as we pulled into the carpark, the rain eased off to a light drizzle and we picked our way through the mud and puddles and had the best day at the zoo I think I have ever had.

Some of the animals preferred to stay snuggled up indoors, but the majority were outside and the best part was, we just about had the place to ourselves!  There were some places where we were the only people, no-one else in sight.

My camera perfomed well today - I got some great reference shots.  As well as some unexpected bonuses:

A crow photobombing!

Do you ever wonder where pigeons nest?  This one has found a lovely spot.

The zebras were curious and friendly today without hordes of people passing by.

Unfortunately, it was so quiet that my favourite animal and the reason I wanted to go to Marwell, the snow leopard, could not be bothered to wake up. Oh well, you can't have everything!

I managed to get some sketching done in the giraffe house too - usually it's impossible with lots of people jostling for a view.

So a good time had by all, and well worth taking the chance.

I Think We Got Away With It!

Every year the Year 1 class trip to Marwell Zoo is scheduled for January - I always feel that's a bit of a risk to take with the British weather being what it is.  Our first date had to be cancelled due to snow, then it was re-booked for today.  I've been watching the weather reports with great trepidation as heavy rain was predicted since last week and the forecast didn't change.  The idea of traipsing round a deserted zoo with 90 wet and miserable children was not appealing....

However, the weather gods smiled on us today - it was damp and a bit drizzly, but we managed to stay dry and most of the animals were out.  I got quite a few reference photographs - these will be put in the 'future paintings' folder.

We were subject to time constraints so didn't manage to see everything, but it was still pretty good.

My favourite animals were willing to pose for pictures, so I'm happy!

On the creative side, there is another snow painting on the board; I've been labouring for a week over a knitted Alsatian dog;  there will be another little dog set going in my shop soon, and I just received something in the post which will be the perfect prize for my 1000th post giveaway!

Seeing Spots Before My Eyes.......

This is the final painting for Derwent and I have three days in which to fill in all the spots!  Am I panicking?  Just a little - it seems that the world and his wife want to talk to me on the phone or come round my house this week, so getting some uninterrupted work time has been tricky,  So perhaps it's time to take the receiver off the hook and hang a 'do not disturb' sign on the door.......

On the needles this week: currently knitting a mini replica dog for a little girl's birthday.  Next is a telephone which has to be only 2 inches wide - fun!  And I have just landed a very interesting knitting job for the coming months, my first professional design commission!

There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel.....

Well, luckily my case of the 'throw-it-in-the-bins' didn't last for long.  After staring at it and thinking it over, I decided that the problem was not the snow leopard but the lack of background which affected the picture tonally - I had planned for it to be a very simple study on the blue paper alone, but with the greys and softness of the fur, it didn't stand out as much as it should have.  So I spent an afternoon cheerfully dabbing away at rocks and melty snow and I am much happier with the picture now.  It still needs 'tweaking' - I need to go over it carefully and check there is nothing I have missed in the fur patterns and texture and also bring out some more detail and contrast with the rocks.  But it looks like I will complete this within the deadline for the competition which is great - also proved to myself that I can rush through a detailed acrylic painting without wrecking it!

On The Road........

I've really been putting the hours in on this in an attempt to finish him before the end of the week.  It's nearly there, just his bottom and belly to do and then an understated background.  I'm at the stage where I hate it and think it should go in the bin.  I don't know about any other artists out there, but I always get like this a few days before the completion of a picture - I don't know if it is because I have been looking at it for too long or if it is because it needs the final touches to come together, but today it looks to me like an amateur daub.  I am well aware that this feeling will pass, it happens too often for me not to recognise it and deal with it, but it is not nice.  It will be OK as soon as I sit down and get on with it!

On to something more whimsical - it's a chair!  A very little knitted chair!

This I am pleased with - I have adapted the sofa, changed the colours and made the pattern simpler (and quicker).

This will have it's own little dog and maybe a couple of other bits and pieces before going on Etsy.

Talking of knit sofa and dogs, this is still up for grabs...he's feeling pretty sad that only a couple of people want to give him a home!  He's very small, just 3.5 inches (9 cm) tall and the sofa is 8 inches (20 cm) long.  He has wool jointed legs, sewn in teddy eyes and a leather collar.  If you have anything you'd like to swap for him , do get in touch - it doesn't have to be anything arty-crafty!

Still Having Fun.....

It's amazing, I have had almost a week of afternoons to devote to this, although progress is very slow.  In the days before I got many commissions, a painting like this could take weeks, even months to complete.  It's a style of painting I love to work in, tiny brush (moved on to a size 0 now!) and delicate strokes for almost each and every hair.  It does make for a very labour intensive piece though that has to have a high price to reflect the amount of hours that went into it.

I've only blocked in the ground beneath his front feet so far - makes him look like he is a circus leopard!

This is a very labour intensive piece as well - I don't think I would have attempted it if I had known how long it was going to take.  It's very effective and I can see it will be unbearably cute when finished....but I don't think I will be making another one unless I am offered an awful lot of incentive!

Making Progress......

For the first time in weeks I have had a weekend with free afternoons in which to paint undisturbed - how I have missed that!  So the snow leopard has progressed quite a bit, although still an incredible amount of work left to do.  I am working with a size 2 brush so it is painstakingly slow and will probably damage my eyesight even more, but oh how I am enjoying it.  Will I finish it in time to enter into the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year competition before the end of January?  Anybody's guess at the moment!

In the evenings I knit  - at the moment I am attempting the mini-sofa from my Mochimochi book that I was given for Christmas and sorely regretting it.  Who knew this pattern involved making a sofa that was anatomically correct?  Add to that the two colour pattern and you have a whole lot of work....but I just keep thinking how cute it will look with a knit dog or cat stretched out on it.

Snow Leopard WIP

A little peek here of what's currently on the drawing board.  I just had to paint the magnificent snow leopard I photographed at Marwell zoo on Monday and after much deliberation over which medium to use, I've decided to try something slightly different.  This is with acrylics but on a piece of Murano pastel paper, using the reverse side which is smoother.  I love the contrast between the icy blue paper, white and deep grey paint - having the blue paper also affects the tones of the paint when applied which is just what I wanted, that chilly feel to it.

The paper does tend to suck up the first layer of paint until the acrylics dry and seal it - not a problem, gives me time to think about my next brush stroke and correct any errors without too much effort.  I'm back to using tiny brushes so this may take a while!