All Over The Place...

I've been busy, but work has been a little 'bitty'.  One of the small projects has been another stag's head which is going off to it's new owner today. These are fun to make, but oh so fiddly - at least I know my pattern is faultless, I've used it enough!

Despite feeling quite ill yesterday, I managed to put in some painting time on this macaw, using Inktense pencils.  As this was started in order to have something to demonstrate at the exhibition a couple of weeks ago, I'm not feeling the over-riding enthusiasm of other paintings.  It's all right, but I want to get it finished as I have a far more entertaining commission waiting in the wings....

Improvisation...

I had to find a subject quick for my painting demonstration at the local art exhibition yesterday.  As I had just finished the gannets painting and have a commission to make sketches for, I was at a bit of a loss for any inspiration.  At the last minute I decided to go with what I know and paint a macaw using Inktense pencils & blocks.  It was quite fun in the end and I felt a bit like a rep for Derwent, telling people how to use Inktense and raving about how much I like them - but it's true, these pigments are one of my favourite mediums.  Now let's see if I can finish it....

Macaw Feather

Another little watercolour study.

Feathers & Sketches

A couple of days ago I tidied my desk...that's a bit of a misleading statement as it will never be 'tidy', but I sorted it out, cleaned it up and found a few things I had mislaid.  One was a bag of macaw feathers that we filched from Bird World last year, scrabbling with our fingers through the wire amongst the poop & dirt.  I love macaws, and even their feathers inspire me with their irridescent colours.  I painted a few of the smaller fluffy ones in watercolours, just for fun.

I also came across a couple of sketchbooks which had a few memories hidden away - here's a selection:

 Alderney...

 Alderney...

 Fuiggi, Italy

 Our old dog, Jasper, & an agapanthus, both sketched one summer in our garden.

 Jasper asleep on the armchair.

 Parrots - no idea where or how I did these but I am loving the central one's expression of bliss as he scratches his head!

 An experiment...

 St. Lucia

 A hibiscus painted in St.Lucia and a hummingbird came to feed as I painted - not a great painting of him, I was too excited and trying to gt it down on paper as fast as I could.

 St. Lucia, Rodney Bay

 St. Lucia

 St.Lucia

 Another experiment in watercolour

Some vase of flowers or other!

I often say that I don't do sketchbooks, but that's obviously not true - I think it's that the sketchbooks are never finished, I just have numerous half filled ones.

And now all my equipment is set out where I can see it - better do something!

Back In Time...

 I am working on several things at the moment, but unfortunately - and frustratingly - nothing I can show.  So here's a trip down memory lane to a few of my early paintings which still hide in my portfolio.  This is a pair of scarlet ibis - I just love painting birds in any shape or form, but particularly brightly coloured ones.

 A scarlet macaw - again with the red!  I don't wear it, rarely have anything in the house that is red, but I do like a red bird or two!  Another watercolour.

 A sleeping rhino getting a bit of grooming.  This hangs in our living room - I like the nuances of colour and texture in the rhino's skin.  It was great fun to paint and I think that shows.  Watercolour also.

A very long time ago, we went to St. Lucia for an unforgettable holiday.  W took a trip in the rain forest there and this painting is one of a few that I did when I got home.  Watercolour again, but with a very limited palette.

Having looked at these, I think it is time I went through my portfolio and put some of the oldies but goodies up for sale rather than have them languish hidden away.

On the needles - still that big cardigan
Sewing a tree (as you do...)
On the easel, a dog portrait

Macaw Wing Shawl

When you knit a shawl using sock yarn, you are never quite sure what pattern will emerge.  With this semi-circular design, I was fascinated to see that once the initial stripes of the border were completed, the shaping of the body of the shawl caused the yarn to make a larger section of the blues and purples.  I was put in mind of the plumage of macaws - this photo of it drying while being blocked doesn't really do it justice.
However, it has been finished quickly as I wanted it to be part of my stock tomorrow at Tweseldown Artisan Market.  If it doesn't sell there, it will be on my Etsy shop by early next week.

My Etsy shop will be shut for the next 24 hours, re-opening tomorrow evening after I have made any adjustments to items that have been sold.

Hold The Front Page!

A few copies of Paint magazine came through the letter box today - I knew my article was going to be in it, but had no idea my name would be emblazoned on the front page! Wow!

Here's the article from inside - how strange to see something written by me in a magazine.  Still can't get my head round it!

It's Out At Last!

I am dreadful at keeping secrets, and whilst I was able to tell people that this set would have my illustrations on it, I wasn't able to show them.  The set is out this month and I received two sample tins in the post today - haven't they done a great job?

On the side of each tin is my name - how cool is that!

These were such fun to paint - the colours were so bright and I really enjoyed working with them.

Plus the subject matter was right up my street, especially....

...this one. 

Unlike other products I have been asked to illustrate for, this set is one that I use an awful lot - I just love the colours and the ease of use.  I'm painting myself a t-shirt with them this week funnily enough, as they are colourfast when painted on fabric.

This certainly brightened up what was a rather awful morning!

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!

Polly's Progress...

The macaws are slowly taking shape - this is such fun;  I can lose whole chunks of the day painting subjects like this and when I emerge it is suddenly tea-time and nothing is cooked.  I'm better prepared for this nowadays and cook before picking up a paintbrush.

Notice the droplets at the bottom left of the painting - they aren't still wet, I've painted them that way.  When I was a child, my parents took me to an exhibition and there were a set of paintings which were about five feet square of solid colour with water droplets painted all over them.  I remember studying the technique intently, storing it away for future reference.  It's been used many times on various different pictures.

One such painting was the cover illustration for a book on potatoes that I did 100 paintings of spuds for a while back.  Yesterday I discovered that the first proofs are back from the printers and it should be finalised and in print next month.  At last, 18 months of hard work will finally be made public - I can't wait!

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!