Busy, busy, busy...dream a little dream

After a short enforced break, I have come back to my artwork with a new lease of life and have several new pieces to post as soon as I can confirm that the recipients have them. As usual each piece has taken on a life of its own - I am beginning to wonder whether its me creating art or whether the art is using me !
As you can see from my little workspace - I have been extremely busy ✏

 At last my head is starting to buzz with ideas again and I have left the darkness behind. Hopefully the muse will give me time to put these ideas on paper before they fly away into the ether - at the moment there are so many ideas as I lie down to go to sleep that I am in a fantastical wonderland. ♥★♥
Keep an eye out for future posts - you may see some of my little visitors and inspirations ...if you are lucky!

Polecat - Mixed Media

Here's a piece that I have been fighting with over the last few days. Its one of those that whatever I do I am just not happy with - a rework may be on the cards.

I have been extremely lucky to see some of these little chaps near to my home, usually running at one heck of a lick in the opposite direction - that being said it still gives me an an absolute thrill.

Anyway this is my first polecat piece worked initially in mixed media and then finished in photoshop when I was beginning to lose the will to live. I am hoping that my next piece will not be such a struggle. ;)

A Garden Visitor - Blackbird

I have been working on a mixed media painting of a blackbird who has taken to visiting me in my back garden. He and his mate come most days to feed on the offerings that I put out for the neighbourhood birds. When I am working in the garden he sits in the tree and watches me until I retreat into the house before flying off to get his girl and tell her that the coast is clear if she fancies some dinner.

The piece (one of the British Wildlife Series)  is worked in a number of different media - including inks, watercolours & acrylics. It is finished in a satin varnish.

I love watching the birds and other wildlife in the garden - the painting is a natural extension of this and I thoroughly enjoyed working it.

Prints are being prepared and will soon be available via etsy.

Horoscope & Squirrel - ATC latest

I have received word that Roxanne @ Willowing & friends has recieved the ATCs that I send her for the April swap so I can post the details of the cards I made for her.
The theme for April was Horoscope and AN Other. As Roxanne's starsign is cancer I worked my design around this, looking through archived images of the earliest images of the representation of 'the crab'.
My design was worked in mixed media - pen & ink, watercolour, gouche and acrylic. It was finished by coating in acrylic pearlescent ink and then finally in acrylic varnish. This gave the card a shimmer effect and blended in sharp edges.

ATC 1 - Horoscope

For the second card I decided to create a painting of a squirrel - I have no idea why (I guess I just enjoy painting animals). This was initially going to be an inked sketch - however I started working with some vivid gouache colours and decided that I liked the effect of a heavy application of a combination of gouache and acrylics. The work was completed by some more delicate brush work which took the place of ink (as ink can sometimes be particularly difficult to apply effectively over acrylic paint). To complete the card a couple of coats of satin varnish were applied to add a sheen and protect the paint.

 ATC 2 - Squirrel

Happy Easter x x

Easter holidays are upon us and so that means we are surrounded by all things springlike and cute. Bunnies, chicks and lambs - and for those of us who have been very good there may be some nice chocolatey things arriving 'as if by magic'.....

This is my little lamb. It is a mixed media piece (waterclour, ink, gouache) and is a larger version of the ATC that I completed towards the end of March for Tam at Willowing. 

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this piece, although I did have to fight with his legs somewhat !

HAPPY EASTER!!

Feline gorgeousness

Mary has now received the cards I sent to her - we decided to do 2 pieces with a feline theme. The cards are 2.5" x 3.5" as usual. 

The cards were once again mixed media - but primarily acrylic . I also moved out from my usual 'style' & comfort zone for these. I have not had so much experience with acrylics but was pleased with the vivid colours I was able to achieve - and the fact that I could paint light on dark.
The sunset on the cat and mouse card is a watercolour wash. The cat & mouse are black acrylic and the cats collar is a silver acrylic. There is also an element of ink for the details in the whiskers.

The morroccan sleeping cat was worked in acrylic and ink. Here the increased use of colour is more obvious and is something I will probably play as I hope to have an  increased use of bright colours in my paintings.







In return I received two beautiful cards from Mary.

These have been worked using a variety of techniques - including collage, ink, pan pastel, old prints & glimmer mist. They are gorgeous. x

March ATC - on Willowing

It's April, its sunny and relatively warm and tomorrow is the beginning of Easter - and if that wasn't enough today I received two sets of ATC swaps. I am only posting the cards that I have swapped with Tam (@ Willowing) as Mary hasn't received the ones I have sent out - the other ATCs I will post in the next day or so when I have confirmation that Mary has seen the cards I have sent her :) )


March's swapping theme was Picasso & AN other.

Here are the cards that I created  for Tam -

This is a watercolour and ink card of based on a larger piece I am working on. I chose this theme as we are in the spring leading up to Easter and I enjoy working around various seasonal pieces.








My Picasso themed card was based on an earlier painting of my own ('Making an Entrance' - this can be seen earlier in the blog) which I reworked in a style remeniscent to Picasso's later work.








In return Tam sent me two lovely trading cards which I have sceanned and inserted here so that you can get an idea of them -

 Both of the cards have a lovely texture and the scanned images do not do the colours justice. Some of the overall details have also been lost in the final scan  - this image has beautiful vivid pink text overlayed around the top and edges - this unfortunately cannot be seen on the scan.

Mindy'sWillowing February ATC

Today I received my ATC's from the US - Each card is 2.5 x3.5 in and they are entiltled ' Beauty of Africa' and 'House with Red Flowers'.As you can see the cards are beautiful with lovely texturing. Thank you so much Mindy.

ATC February for Willowing and Friends

Mindy @ Willowing has now received the trading cards I sent her so I can post pictures of them :) The theme for February was Africa and proved quite a challange. In the end I settled upon a pen and ink wash of a pair of carved fertility dolls that I have and also a watercolour sunset landscape. Although the landscape took less time I think that this one is my favourite of the pair as I love the way the colours have blended. 
 

Doodlebug

A quick biro sketch that I may (or may not) rework and incorportate into an illustration or painting for the future - sometimes I just can't help myself scribbling (apparently it has been scientifically proven to assist in concentration !)

British Wildlife Sketches - Otter

This otter is the latest of my wildlife sketches.

I am still contemplating whether to work it in ink and wash or leave as is as a pencil sketch as I have a dreadful tendency to overwork art - I suppose knowing where to stop will come with further practise and experience. 

Hope you like ♥

Back to basics

Recently my work has reverted back to basics.  I get most enjoyment from sketching and from pen and ink drawings with various types of washes. Subconsciously I have been moving back towards these mediums for a while and have found that the pleasure that I get from my art has intesified - hopefully it can be seen in the results. This is my latest piece 'Making an Entrance' worked in pen and ink with a watercolour wash.

Illustration Friday - Superstition

Voodoo child - pencil sketch

Autumn

An experiment in watercolour

Rats - Pen and Ink on graphics paper

Illustration Friday - Scale

Santa's Sorting Hat is weighing up who's been naughty and nice

Illustration Friday - Hats

Christmas is coming and I thought that this year I might have a g0 at getting one of my paintings made up into a card for family. This is my first idea.

Illustration Friday - Trick or Treat

Even a witch's cat should be allowed a bit of fun on for halloween. Watercolour.

Illustration Friday - Grow

Halloween's coming and she's weaving her tangled web.

Illustration Friday - Float

Lots of ideas yet again....but when I started this is what I came up with .... Artline pens and pencil.