Sleeping Beauty Day 25 - the end

Sleeping Beauty Day 24

Following the prince's kiss, Sleeping Beauty wakes up!

Sleeping Beauty Day 23

Day 23 of "Sleeping Beauty". The prince's kiss awakens the princess. Pondering about the kind of kiss, I decided that a kiss to the hand would be the most appropriate, given that they are strangers to each other!



Here is one of the Edmund Dulac nocturne experiments: getting somewhere with this now - the key seems to be to build up the blues with very thin washes and layers of colour (not all blue!).

Sleeping Beauty Day 22

The Prince has discovered the door to the Princess's bedroom.

As I reach the end of this story, I am wondering what to choose for a theme for my next blog project: there is something very reassuring about starting the day with a definite, small quick illustration to paint! Also, the fact that I am telling a known story pushes me to paint images I might otherwise shy away from; )

Sleeping Beauty Day 21

The story of the princess sleeping in the castle for 100 years has captured the imagination of the prince so much that he is determined to make a way into the castle to see for himself.

Sleeping Beauty Day 20

100 years later, a prince arrives in the country, and the sleeping castle is pointed out to him.

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!