Playing with Painter

Generally, I paint my illustrations the old fashioned way, using real water colours, paintbrushes and Fabriano paper because I enjoy painting, and know how to get the results I want. However, I am also enjoying learning how to use Corel's "Painter" and a Wacom tablet to make images, this being an example of a half hour doodle. I have an on-going wonder at what else ipod's could do, given the chance ; )

Illustration friday: Theory

I had thought that "theory" would be really difficult to think up an illustration for, then this morning I was reading "Vogue", and came across mention of a shop called Theory, a remarkable coincidence! That led then to thinking about shopping, and how overwhelming all those rows of "how to" books can be..

Sleeping Beauty Day 19

A thicket has grown around the castle over the 100 years. I enjoyed thinking about how to depict the passage of 100 years with the entire castle under a benign spell of sleep. It seemed to me that with no people going in or out, wild life would take over.

In spite of appearances I'm not asleep

In spite of appearances, or rather non-appearance, of the next Sleeping Beauty, I have not personally gone to sleep for 100 years. In fact, I have been enduring migraine, followed by the side effects of the anti-migraine tablets. The former prevents me from seeing properly, and the latter interferes with me hand/eye co-ordination! Thankfully, I'm back to normal health now, so painting will be happening again : )

Sleeping Beauty Day 18

Well, the princess has started her sleep for 100 years. I once slept in a similar bed in a Frech chateau, although the curtains and wallcoverings were all dark red!

Sleeping Beauty Day 17

Sleeping Beauty Day 16

Recuperation took a tad longer than I had hoped, but today back to paintbrush wielding as normal! It made me very happy to continue with all the various projects, including "Sleeping Beauty". I've always preferred the version of the story with a little old woman spinning in the attic, who had not heard the king's decree about burning all spinning wheels. Thus the teenage princess's natural curiousity and the little old lady's desire to show her how to spin combine to fulfill the fates cast on the princess by the fairies.

The weekend was a busman's holiday

Well, I've been away for the weekend to see my dad and other relatives. Very nice in lots of ways, but was very much a bus man's holiday for me because of various buildings related issue. Then I had a 4 and half hour journey home, thanks to railway engineering works, so today I am chilling out, and hoping my enthusiasm and brain are back in place tomorrow ; )

Sleeping Beauty Day 15

In a rush today, so i'll just say I am activley experimenting with blue "nocturnes" now : )

Sleeping Beauty Day 14

Fifteenth birthday for the princess:

Another image I am currently working on - bulbs which grow in my garden painted from memory. I do love watching the days grow longer, and bulbs appearing at this time of year : )

Today I am mulling over an idea for a painting in blues inspired by Edmund Dulac, who I think was in turn inspired by Whistler.

Sleeping Beauty Day 13

Here is the latest in the "Sleeping Beauty" story - the king thinks he can avert the evil spell by having all the spinning wheels burnt:


I added more paint to this dragonclef because when I had the earlier version printed, it came up very insipid:

Finally, yesterday I went to see the fabulous exhibition "The Age of Enchantment": http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/default.aspx. Highly reccommended! I was so excited to see more original illustrations by Kay Nielsen, Edmund Dulac and Aubrey Beardsley.

Sleeping Beauty Day 12

The twelfth fairy softens the wicked fairy's spell. It felt right for the queen to be holding her baby for this one - protection.

Sleeping Beauty Day 11

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Here is the wicked gift!

I've also been painting dragonclefs again - here is one:

Sleeping Beauty Day 10

Oh dear, I am somewhat behing with this story. It has been a trying couple of days, and today I am under the weather physically - all my own fault for eating something yesterday that I know I shouldn't. Also, I lost my sketchbook in central London on Sunday, so have been forced to try to remember all the rest of the images I had planned for Sleeping Beauty, and noting them down in my brand new sketchbook.

Anyhow, this image has been completed for a day or so, and I am working on the next one. Depicting the wicked fairy part of the story is proving an interesting challenge - it is very rare for me to paint anything other than happy pictures!

Sleeping Beauty Day 9

Here is today's : )

Sleeping Beauty Day

A dastardly migraine kept me away from my paints for a few days. Fortunately, I am much better now, so here is the next in the Sleeping Beauty series.

Sleeping Beauty Day 7

Fairy gift number two : )

Sleeping Beauty Day 6

The first of the fairy godmother gifts for the princess : ). This week is going to be such good practice of drawing fairies!

Sleeping Beauty Day 5

Something else I am working on at the moment: I think it would make a nice greetings card, possibly for Valentine's day. It is also playing around with an idea I have for a later Sleeping Beauty illustration.

Here is today's image for The Sleeping Beauty: a golden place setting for a fairy : )

Sleeping Beauty Day 4

Painting today's image has been a real challenge! Getting a recognisable party into 1.5 square inches.. Otherwise today i have begun playing around with ideas for Valentine's cards, and reviewing my portfolios.

Sleeping Beauty Day 3

Sending out invitations for the party to celebrate the birth of the princess.

Sleeping Beauty Day 2

Here is the new baby princess

First painting of 2008: Sleeping Beauty

I LOVED painting the advent calendar each day so much that I have been thinking about how to do something similar for January, and naturally my mind turned to children's stories! "Sleeping Beauty" resonates a lot for me at the moment, so here is the first illo - 'hope you enjoy ; )

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I am still on holiday, and being delightfully indolent - no painting yet this year! Pen and pencil have found their way into my hands, and I am dreaming up a Sleeping Beauty idea, so watch this space.

Also planning to go to this exhibition, which looks fab: http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/default.aspx

Society of Secret Fairies Twelve Days of Christmas

Here is the delightful package I received from secret fairy MaryBeth (http://marybeth494.blogspot.com/)! The perfect gifts suggest she has been delving into my blog, and her garden themed re-write of "the twelve days of christmas" is a really imaginative idea. Impossible to pick a favourite - the cheeky little frog, lucky ladybird, Mrs Tiggywinkle and the gorgeous dragonflies will all be found homes in my flat when the Christmas decorations come down on January 6th.

Thank you so much, MaryBeth : )

Advent Calendar 24

The last image in my calendar. Happy Christmas, Everyone : )

Advent Calendar 23

I'm looking forward to a mince pie later on, when I have done the travelling : )

Advent Calendar 22

Time for some present wrapping, whilst the Christmas puddings are steaming : )

Advent Calendar 21

My thoughts are now turning to food shopping. Brussels sprouts are a personal winter fave, along with yummy roast parsnips. My mum always liked to have a fresh pineapple at Xmas, hence the one in this box.

Advent Calendar 20

A little romance under the mistletoe before last minute xmas shopping!

Advent Calendar 19

The xmas tree is not indoors yet, but here is one of the pink glass heart baubles imagined hanging from it!

Advent Calendar 18

Bringing my tree indoors, and decorating it is one of the things I hope to do later on today : ) I love xmas trees, and always enjoy looking through the decorations box and remembering the histories of the baubles. This year I have some lovely pink glass hearts to add, too.

Advent Calendar 17

I've painted these angel chimes from memory, and I've not seen the real things for 8 years!

Advent Calendar 16

I deliberately waited today for it to become dark outside: it did not feel right to attempt the pretty xmas street lights during daylight hours! These were inspired by the lights in Highgate Village : ). A real challenge to paint in watercolour, and that is probably a very good thing about making this advent calendar - I dreamed up the ideas for each day without thinking how easy or otherwise the images would be to paint!

Advent Calendar 15

Xmas shopping has been today's main activity so far - present giving is something I really enjoy: ). Oh yes, and I did find some mistletoe on my travels!

Advent Calendar 14

Today's advent painting: a reindeer eating a carrot. Last night on the local news I saw a feature about a pet reindeer, including her really eating a carrot, as well as travelling on trains, going to the pub etc!

Advent Calendar 13

Mistletoe for 13th day of my advent calendar : ). Usually, I have bought a bunch of mistletoe by now, but so far this year I have not seen any - I wonder whether the rain this year has affected it's growth? Anyway, it made it hard to be sure I'd chosen exactly the right shade of green for the leaves!

Advent Calendar 12

The mittens on the carol singers were inspired by today's very cold weather!

Advent Calendar 11

The idea for today was originally a snowman, then I got to thinking about how my young nieces would dress a snowperson, so here is the snowgirl!

Advent Calendar 10

Another very late in the day post! A glass of mulled wine is very xmassy, and not the easiest thing to paint; )

Advent Calendar 9

We do make Santa lists in my family, so that is what inspired today's advent painting : )

advent Calendar 8

Today's painting is a robin! I love to watch birds in my garden, and there is often a robin : )

Advent Calendar 7

Today's image was inspired by a very old Christmas decoration I own, which I suspect is Victorian: brass bells and paper holly with wax holly berries: )

Advent Calendar 6

Day 6 of my advent caendar paintings! Last posting date by second class post to UK addresses is 17th December it seems.

Advent Calendar 5

Rather late today, but here is my fifth advent calendar image : )

Advent Calendar 4

Here is today's picture. I usually make Xmas puddings towards the end of November, but have not done so yet! Maybe if I dig out the recipe I use and post it here, I will be inspired to start stirring myself; )

Advent Calendar 3

Here is today's advent image : ). As well as having fun with the painting, I'm also learning a lot about scanning: the images are painted on the same block of water colour paper, so I have to isolate the the right part to make into a jpeg!

Advent Calendar 2

Here is today's advent illustration. I'm experimenting to try to get the image to display here more like it's real size, instead of enlarged!

Advent Calendar 1

It was fun painting this holly: )