My doodle for illustration friday.
I ran out of watercolour paper and the next best thing was a grocery bag. It got me thinking of groceries which, for some reason, led me to think about milk...or perhaps spilled milk. And what is the point of trying to save it? "No sense crying over spilled milk" is how the saying goes. So there you have it. Now you know my strange mental process to get to this illustration.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
An homage to the hollow tree
The hollow tree is a massive red cedar located in Stanley Park, Vancouver and just this last week it was announced that the tree has had the biscuit and it will have to come down in May. This giant tree has been a part of the Vancouver park for 1,000 years; however, due to the severe storms that hit our area in 2006 and the ripe old age of this beauty, the tree poses a safety threat and now we must say farewell.
I thought I'd just do a quick doodle so that I'd actually have something to show this week.
It sounds odd in this day and age, but I really cannot stand the telephone. I know that it is probably the most practical method of communication, but I find it so intrusive and quite annoying actually. If only I could survive in this modern world without one.
Hooray for me! I've finished and illustration in time for the Friday deadline :)
I immediately thought of music theory when the theme was announced. Studying theory as a kid, I often felt like this guy trying to put notes together on a page - it was often tedious and painful. Eventually I did appreciate it, but I always preferred to play the music rather than write it out!
Sigh...I'm late with my submission. Again. This drawing sat on the coffee table for days while I cared for Simone. Day in and day out it watched me and at every nap and bedtime I quickly grabbed my pen and scratched a few more lines. But I sure enjoy drawing with ink...I had forgotten how much fun it can be. I shall do another one soon!
Ok, it's Saturday and I'm late with my entry. But considering this is my first submission in over a year, I think finishing this painting and actually posting it is quite a success for me. In the spirit of Valentine's day, I decided to create a blanket of roses for a beautiful bed of roses. And, wow, am I ever rusty! I will try to get another illustration out for next week. Hopefully I can get back into things and make some improvements soon! Happy Saturday!
Yes, I know it has been far too long since a painting has been posted on my blog, so without further delay, here is my latest piece. It is a late entry to IF, so I won't post it on the site but I thought my few visitors would like to see it. I guess you could say it is my idea of Mary Poppins, but Hubby thinks it looks more like unhappy housewives trying to escape their mundane lives. Well, whatever works I suppose.
I have been experimenting with acrylics for quite sometime, and even attempted to paint this image with the medium. But I missed my watercolours so much that I abandoned the acrylics and slid back into my comfort zone. I will revisit the acrylics, but I probably won't show anything for sometime - not until I feel comfortable working with them and I am happy with some sort of outcome. Currently the results are quite muddy as I've completely forgotten how to work with paint on canvas.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy. I will try to be more consistent with my entries but I can't promise much more than a post a week right now. Other projects I am working on include a quilt for our growing baby and a super duper embroidery I am working on for a swap with Babelfish - but that one will remain a surprise until she receives it. Yipee!
"Eureka!" he exclaimed as he revelled in the invention. And the fish soared higher and higher - finally experiencing the wind against their gills.
Great topic this week! I really had a blast painting this one. Of course my flying fish had to make another appearance ;-)
Hello blog friends! I'm so excited to give you a peek at one of the Christmas projects I've been lucky enough to work on this year. I have some very talented entrepreneur friends who invited me to create original illustrations for their latest endeavour called - drum roll please....
I met Kay and Jeff through work - we are all artists working under the same big corporate roof. They always have some creative project on the go and this time I'm so thrilled to be a part of it! A couple months ago, they ordered and recieved a button maker which magically presses cute little one inch buttons - and since it arrived, they have been unstoppable! This creative duo have made fabric buttons, limited edition illustration buttons and even some originals that they've painstakingly painted/drawn/collaged at the teeny weeny 1" scale.
I've contributed some illos for Christmas and here they are as a finished product - their packaging is so slick and professional! Unfortunately my camera is rubbish, so it does nothing to display what it looks like in person; but, fortunately, they will be updating a website and since Kay has a background in photography, there will be no lame photos!
Here are the scans of what the illustrations actually look like. The buttons are so cute and I'm totally pleased with how they turned out. The big debut of all the buttons will be at a local craft show here in Coquitlam, BC on Dec. 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Check out tiny shiny art for the details if you are in the area - you do not want to miss out! They also have big plans to build up a website so everyone can shop for these gems - and they even plan to expand with other shiny product lines. I'll be sure to keep you posted.
So, there you have it folks. My big excuse as to why I have been so inconsistent with Illustration Friday and creative posts in general. I'm knitting away for some xmas gifts and I'm even sewing some ornaments for family stocking stuffers. I just really hope I can finish everything in time - the countdown has officially begun. Tick tock!
I think one of the cornerstones of the Parisian diet is a fresh cafe au lait and a long cigarette. The French people are so glamorous and the air is so...hazy.
Well, it is pretty rough and I'm so late posting this, but I really wanted to try something different and I'm totally into redwork embroidery right now. So, here it is...This is the quick sketch I started with.
And, here is the embroidery - WIP as you can see.
It is no secret that I love the fibre arts - knitting and embroidery being my main obsessions as of late. We have this hand me down rocking chair that sits in the corner of our living room which my parents actually used to rocked me to sleep when I was a wee one. I don't ever sit in it because it is fairly uncomfortable, although I will probably always keep it in my house for the family sentiments. Somehow, all my knitting ends up living there when I'm not working on it. During my days at the office, I will sometimes think of my project just resting on the chair, all quiet and peaceful. And oh, how I wish I could be home working on it.
Social Phobia (as stated here): the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.
I'm not saying I feel this extreme in every social setting, but in the worst situations it is pretty close. Does anyone else look for the closest exit when they are at a big party?
This is the first time I've used Photoshop to "doctor" my illustration. I sort of feel like I've cheated...not my best work, but here it is!
At the time it seemed like a genius idea for the farm animals to run away and join the circus - the fame, the fortune, the glamour! Somehow, it just didn't turn out the way they planned and they aren't so sure anymore. Although, it looks like the barn mice have finally found their true calling :)
Recess "play" involved 3 vital parts when I was a kid - skipping (usually double dutch - I'm no athlete, but I was addicted to this), flying super heros and ,of course, a huge amount of make-believe.
I know it is cliche to "capture" a moment, but when I was trying to come up with an image to share with everyone, I kept coming back to this classic poem by William Carlos Williams. The chickens always seem to compete for attention in this poem, so I thought I should portray them equally.
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
(I'm also still trying to figure out my new scanner, so apologies for the uneven lighting on this image)
This week's word has led me to focus on the obsessive compulsive possiblities of keeping clean. A problem which I'm sure I'll never have to deal with myself (you should see my disaster of a house now - Yikes!) - but interesting to explore nonetheless.
My better half did not find this next image "clean". Instead he told me he was nauseated and creeped out by the pepto-bismol pink...I thought I'd post it anyways :)
We're back from holiday in good old Ontario. We had a wonderful time, full of relaxation, family fun, and delicious food which I will post about later. Unfortunately our camera had the biscuit which I will not go into right now because I am still fuming about all the horrible luck we have been having with it. But, as a result, I cannot post any pictures for you of my ongoing life and millions of projects on the go. So, instead, you will have to live with a week of scanned doodles and such.
I meant to post IF this week - the word is opposites. But I really wanted to work with this new scratchboard and an image in my mind inspired from two sources. First, the lighting and environment from this
photograph I found at Gayla Trail's blog. She makes the most beautiful photographs of Southwestern Ontario which make me truly homesick. Also, we spent an evening in Toronto last week and while walking down Queen Street, I got a kick out of all the girls done up to go club-o.
I didn't think subject matter lended much to the IF theme - although the process was quite opposite to my usual workflow. When working with scratch board you start out with a black canvas and use a sharp knife to scratch out the light areas. It really forces one to pay attention to the positive and negative of an image. I also found this to be a fun exercise in composition and light.
I'm not sure where this image originated in my mind. I suppose it is my own version of Peter Pan...with children emerging from chimneys and floating fish whisking them off on some dream journey.
For some reason flying fish are starting to pop up everywhere in my work - I wonder what that could mean?
