Funday - Sunday - Art day

Well today it was that time again and another fun art day for me and my friend and art buddy Lucrezia. Today we experimented with lino block cutting, something which is new to us both (I’d done it before in school but that was a while ago :-) )We both found it strangely calming and relaxing. I thought it would be a lot harder as I had done some research on the net this morning and a few people had said the lino could be hard to cut but this was quite easy to use. I think I may have inadvertently but rather pleasingly bought the easy carve lino tiles without knowing the difference. Today was a bit of a play but we both want to do more! We also celebrated Lucrezia’s recent birthday too, another fine day had by all!
Here are some piccs.

 My first attempt (well since school years ago) Its rough but I like the roughness It was good fun.

 Above and below, our 'wares'.

 Some fun shots, I love the colours together in the one below.

The birthday cake.  

I hope you had a fun Sunday too!

Illustration Friday - Toy

This is Princess with a few of her favourite things. she knows she is on a good wicket. She is a very lucky girl.

I think I will have to call myself the 30 - 40 minute illustrator. All I seem to have time for these days are quick illo's but it keeps the creative juices flowing and I'm sure it is excellent practice and builds my practical skill. Kudos to Ed Emberley too, his images have influenced Princess and I am loving his amazing work and it brings memories of childhood, I only had one of his simpler books with faces to draw but I loved that book. Our daughter got one of this books for her birthday.

Have a great week everyone.

My busy few weeks

Well i promised I would post about one of the main things keeping me happily busy over the past few weeks and this was one very special one. Our little girls birthday. She was very lucky this year and had two parties, one with family and one with friends. I made two cakes ( one for each party) and of course the family one came first so they thought they were the Guinea pigs but didn't mind as I think it tasted okay - well they told me it did. I was really happy with the result as I have never made a "proper birthday cake" before. Let me know what you think. Not only did we have her two parties we had parties for friends to attend as well so we have been having a jolly and fun time.

Birthday cake number 1, trial run

Some butterfly cupcakes and dragon fly biscuits

 Birthday cake 2 - the big party

 Our fairy princess

 Opening a present from the fairy hosts

Fairy kisses

Illustration Friday - Cultivate

Miss mouse' lovely garden

Just a little illustration tonight, I have been so busy lately. She may be simple but I have been thinking of her for a few days keen to get pen to paper. I haven’t had much sketch time over the last few days and I miss it.

We have had a busy and lovely time with a special birthday and a few parties thrown in, all in all a very happy and exciting few weeks. I will post some birthday party photos in a day or two.

Adding to the other activity in our lives at present I have had work and it’s been particularly busy there too with some of my heaviest programs running over the last few weeks but I completed the last of those for this year today (yay!) I enjoy them but they can be exhausting. Thank you everyone who has posted your wonderful comments over this busy time, I apologise for my delay in response but plan to make up for it over the next few days. I really do love seeing and reading them. I haven’t had time to comment as often as I like but I go in and read every day.

I have four glorious days off with my beautiful family now and I’m going to enjoy every single minute. Wishing you all a wonderful and relaxed weekend too!

Childrens art

I absolutely love children's art, the freedom and joy that each painting brings. Thats what it should all be about  isnt it. I especially love my own daughters art, Ive said it before and i'll say it again, I see something special in her paintings - but I know i could well be biased in the matter. I love her gift to me today.

Happy birthday beautiful girl

Mummy and Daddy love you very much!

Illustration Friday _ Stir

This is Macca, he is none too happy about ending up in stir!

"I was framed" he says, "it was that cat stirring up trouble!" "Somebody get me out of here, Im going stir crazy!"

Illustration Friday = Warning

Beware of Rambo Cocky!

I did this quick little picc for a friend not so long ago when she was waging war against a very naughty cockatoo who was wantonly picking off the tops of her newly planted prize winning iris bulbs as they started to grow.
I think he ended up winning too!

Illustration Friday - swarm

Well I didn't think I would get anything in this week, all I could think of were locusts which are quite a devastating problem here and I did not want to honour them with an illustration. Plus I have been quite busy.
I have been painting some little name tag cards for lolly bags for our daughters birthday party in a few weeks and I just looked down at them 1/2 an hour ago and thought "oh my - A swarm of fairies!"
They are not finished yet and sit on my craft room table but here are a few piccs anyway. Plus they add to my '100 faces theme' - Ive done 19 so that's up to 29 faces now - wow its flying along :-)

100 faces

In Carla Sonheim's book Drawing Lab for mixed media artists one of the 'activites' involves drawing faces, 100 in fact! - from life, from imagination, self portraits and contour drawings - basically you name you can try it.
I plan to do 100 as opportunities present and as I will put up more as I go, until I meet my quota. I think it will be fun. While I have lots of others I have done before I wanted start fresh and these are quick rough sketches but that is the name of the game. There is no protocol that must be adhered to.
These are some of my first, from my sketchbook. This creative exercise was started on the 25th of February 2011.
Below is 1,2 & 3

 Here are 4, 5 6 & 7.

8 appears in an earlier post. 

Here is 9. I dont think anything stipulates they must be human faces.

Creativity Day

Well today was the second event of the Creative Art Days my friend Lucrezia and I decided to schedule as a regular occurrence and it didn't disappoint. We both learnt new things and had a lot of fun doing it!
Some pic's from today.

Lucrezia working her magic

Paint marks

 Brown paper portrait - I'm working on '100 faces' an idea from Carla Sonheims book This is number 8, i'll upload the other 7 later.

 What more could we want, art, chocolate, nice coffee and good company.

Working on some card ideas

All in all a very very pleasant day! Next one is coming up in early April, we already have plans for what we will try. I'll keep you posted! Janet

Illustration Friday - layers

World news tonight!
Famous Archaeologist Boris P Bunnito finds fossil evidence of Paleolithic bunnies!

About fossils

What Are Fossils?


•Fossils are the remains or imprints left behind from plants and animals. They can be whole parts of an animal, or just pieces of their remains. They can also include movement remnants of animals, such as footprints or imprints.


How Do They Form


•In order for a fossil to form, an animal or plant must be trapped into a material. In many instances, fossils are found in sediment. Layers of sediment will envelop the remains; this can continue for thousands of years. The actual remains that are found aren't the animal or plant at all. Instead, the remains begin to decay within the sediment. Minerals then replace the space that was once the remains. The mineral hardens and makes an impression of the animal or plant. What is left is what is known as a fossil.


http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4928233_fossils-form.html
Obviously mine didn't decay too much :-)


Read more: How Do Fossils Form?
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4928233_fossils-form.html#ixzz1EUNjY5RS

Illustration Friday - Sweater

Oh my, the week is flying, I have had a rough sketch in my sketch book for this weeks topic since Saturday and tonight I thought I had to make a move or the new topic will be here and I wont have had a chance to post. It is Thursday evening here as I write this so I have done a real quick digital rendition of my illustration. Its not at all how I had envisioned it when I was planing it, I thought I might like to do a ink and soft water colour wash ... maybe that can be a future project. 
 I really liked the topic this week and my immediate thoughts went to this. I really feel sorry for the doggies who have people who dress them in jumpers (sweaters) or outfits and make them go out side like that. I am sure the other doggies laugh at them ( not that I advocate laughing behind any ones back, these guys are really only engaging in some friendly ribbing). This poor little guy just wants to go home now...please mum....please...

Fireworks

The Barber family enjoying fireworks over the waterfront.

This is a little chalk & gel pen highlight illustration on black paper  I did a few months ago... I was cleaning a cupboard in my studio and found it again. The scan doesn't really show up the highlights in the fireworks created by the glittery gel pens but I like the look none the less.
I love fireworks myself so I understand why this little family is enjoying them so much.

Pretty pictures

I just love  the colours and the beautiful faces on these sea animals on a little shopping centre merry-go-round, my little girl loves them too, these are her favourites. I like them so much I wanted to put them on my blog :-)

Illustration Friday - Reverse

Everything was going well with the game until Ronald got himself stuck under the log. All of the other animals were helping him to reverse himself out, well everyone except Conrad who was quite annoyed as he was winning the game until this happened!

Just trying something different with the paint application.

A peaceful start to the day

When I drive in to work I have to park a ways away and so I walk and I cut through the botanic garden and I find it a brief ten minute excursion into peace and tranquillity. I just love the way the golden light warms everything. Here are a few photos I thought it would be nice to share. I took them with my mobile so they are not perfect but nice enough.

 Yes I am particularly taken with the lillies

 My fellow commuters

 Trees in the early morning sunlight

And yes, the only problem is that I dont want to go to work then.... :-)