Scenery update

Thank you for the kind comments on the design! 'Seeing the scenery under stage lighting at the dress rehearsal, I realised it looks too clean and new, so I am plotting ways to tone down the new paintness, and make it look a bit grubby. The setting is meant to be a slightly neglected, village train station waiting room. Cold tea, and some dust is probably the way forward, plus one of the actors suggested some graffiti..

preview of the scenery

I'm still working on the scenery (the dress rehearsal is on Friday!), and this is the top right hand panel. In the photo, it is lying on the floor, which is the only way I can paint it - too unstable upright, plus there could be a problem with paint running. It is an interesting challenge form a technical perspective: the panel is recycled, so it is the rough textured back of hardboard which you can see, plus on the right hand side there is a whole row of short strips of tape, which I have to paint over!

An especially busy week or so!

I'm having a very busy couple of week, so not found time to post on my blog. Last weekend I was away visiting family. This week is an especially busy time of year in the housing development world, with funding bids deadline looming, plus I am painting some scenery for a play! Photographs will appear here soon..

Illustration friday: Open

Here is my idea for this week's topic of "Open". I currently have more than a bit of an obsession with "The Owl and The Pussy-cat", who seem to be lending themselves well to playing around with ideas - thoughts about what else they do, apart from sailing away with honey, and dining on quince with a runcible spoon! "Missed the deadline to draw up and post in time for Illustration Friday, but I did rough out an idea for the Owl and Pussycat juggling, too. It's a good idea, and gives me useful practice with Wacom pen and Painter, so will make the image and post it here soon.

And then there were three

Today I have been wielding pencil and paintbrush again, hoorah! Also had a revelation about myself, which is that I get acute performance anxiety when I am doing a "proper" drawing - for my portfolio or a client - which at is worst results in me being too nervous to draw, and best that I draw very stiffly, and lose the freshness from my work. 'No idea yet how to change this. So, this morning, I downed pencil and picked up paintbrush, and finished off this loose rough of "cat with stars". I'm liking the colour direction this idea is going in now, so will print out another outline for my next bout of artistic anxiety; )

Here is new humpty, Sorbet, with her friends!

New pictures tomorrow

Well, I've been a bit, or rather, very slack over the past week or so, and not posted anything new here! The best explanation is that I've been very focussed on admin tasks like my tax return. There is a new humpty, and another almost completed, so I'll post at least one of them here tomorrow.

A lucky find

Today I found this lovely shaker-style wooden box in a yard sale. Perfect for storing the yarns, etc for knitting humpties! So much more elegant than the plastic bag I had been using.

I have completed the knitting of a new humpty, Sorbet, who will be appearing here very soon.

Puflet has suggested humpty egg cosies would be fun, so watch this space!

Introducing Humpty's friend

Here is Humpty's new friend: complete with very funky black raggy suit, and gleaming purple shoes! I don't know what name to give him/her yet, so any suggestions would be welcome. I'm looking forward to making another this week.

Illustration friday: wedding

At last, another Illustration Friday image! All done in Painter digital water colour using Wacom tablet: about an hour's work, although I came up with the idea over a cappucino while out this morning. More from Edwad Lear's "The Owl and The Pussy Cat", which is a favourite this year.

my fave ipod

This is a very quick, fun idea while experimenting with Painter watercolour! All actually drawn with mouse pad whilst sitting on sofa..

yarn for more humpties

Well, I've had some very encouraging comments about Humpty, and also a suggestion that I need to make him more trendy! So on Saturday when I went shopping for some proper toy filling, I kept an eye out for some interesting yarns. Then I knitted a sampler: the black fluffy yarn knits up fluffier on the purl (wrong) side I discovered, so I have had to adapt the basic knitting pattern slightly. Watch this space because I think a new humpty will be appearing this week!

humpty

The first humpty I have knitted for many years! It was fun making him, and I have ideas now for lots of others.

arches and another paintbox

I've been away again, and have photographed several arches and other views looking through spaces, it seems, so I'm guessing there is some kind of fairy tale idea developing in my subconcious for painting soon.

I've also added another paintbox to my collection - a lecherpentier barbe which needs a lot of cleaning

8 Random things about me

I've been tagged by Penny and Toby - http://naturalattrill.blogspot.com - to tell you 8 random things about myself. It's been fun thinking what to tell you, and I hope you enjoy finding out more about me.

Now I have to tag 8 other people. This is not compulsory, and if I have chosen you, and you don't fancy joining in, that is fine. Here are the rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random acts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

I tag:

1. http://www.thecolourbox.blogspot.com/
2. http://bengrubb-illustration.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.lornaart.blogspot.com/
4. http://paulabowles.blogspot.com/
5. http://theimaginationofladysnail.blogspot.com/
6. http://fesansom.blogspot.com/
7. http://chichiparish.blogspot.com/
8. http://www.ravenmadness.blogspot.com/

1. plectrum collection

My plectrum collection, the majority of which I have found in the street or on buses!

2. peaches v raspberries

I love both peaches and raspberries, and have never been able to decided which is my favourite fruit. Today I am eating raspberries, because the peach is not quite ripe!

3. asiatic pheasant

I use asiatic pheasant china most days: I love the design, and old Victorian one, which fascinated me from when little broken pieces of it would turn up in the garden when I was a child. Then to my delight Habitat re-introduced it for a couple of yearsl so my family gave me loads for presents. Nowadays I also have a few whole items of the original Victorian china, too.

4. A shared birthday

I share my birthday with one of my nephews: here is us together in 1998.

5. thimble and scissors set

My granny gave me this embrodery scissors and thimble set when I was about 8. It's had a lot of use over the years, hence the worn out state of the red leather case! The set was made to commemorate the coronation of the queen in 1953, and the thimble has a coach and horses round the base, with ER and 1953. I think my granny gave it to me in particular because I love sewing and all crafty things, and was born the same year.

6 . paintbox

My first proper artists watercolours paintbox was this wonderful Victorian Winsor & Newton tin of half pans I bought in a junk shop. It still has some of the original colours in it, plus I've added some. I love the shaped, almost fleur de lys ends to the paint sockets, which I have tried to show in the photo. Yes, it is still in use, although I do have some less battered sets now.