Rock and Roll

I'm still learning how to use Painter. This is a piece of work in progress that I am having fun with at the moment. Today, I discovered how to use the text palette!

Introducing Crufc : )

This little chap is a present I've knitted for someone very special. This humpty's name is Crufc because he is sporting the colours of a particular rugby club ; ) Since I last posted photos of humpties, I have been working out how to knit them with fewer seams to sew up afterwards, and have at last come up with a good method for making the legs!

New yarn, new shoots

In my travels by bus last week I spotted a knitting wool shop which looked very interesting, and I was looking for some black and some red yarn for a very special humpty, so yesterday I paid the shop a visit. It is real gem: a real old-fashioned needle craft shop in the most unlikely road. I found the yarns I was looking for, plus an amazing fluorescent green - it truly is almost luminous, although this is not evident from the photo!  Then today I walked through Waterlow Park, and spotted this shrub with gorgeous red shoots of new growth next to a pink hellebore: spring is truly arrived : )

Collages and bureacracy

This month has boringly been largely consumed by bureaucracy. The good news is that come April, my accounts will be ready for Taxman!

Something more pleasurable that I have also been grappling with are "the sun and grasses and flowers" collages made from prepared water colour papers. The first one I did last year, and was not at all happy with the depth of the colours, or my skill with scissors! After I switched to using tubes of water colour paint, I decided to try again, and the other two are the result. 

cheeky girl and dragon

It's great to be regularly painting again: it feels to me like 2009 starts here! The cheeky girl is up to mischief in the snow - I wonder who will be the target for her snowballs? The dragon and dragonfly clefs are growing in my mind's eye, too :)

Snow

The views from a couple of the windows in my flat. It is very unusual to have such deep snow around here: there must be 8" or so, as you can see from by comparing the depth of snow on the wall with the gate post! In the back yard, snow has buried my Xmas tree.

Chinese dragons!

Today I went out to photograph the fabulous red lanterns I'd spotted in China Town, and came across dragon dancers celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Ox.

Cheeky girl and re-establishing work ethic

The wretched flu completely interrupted my plans for January, including painting. Usually, I start my working day with two hours painting, which is a great way to make sure I don't put painting - my favourite - to the end of my daily "to do" lists!  I did not want January 2009 to be the month that I do no painting at all, and feel massively better this morning, so I have painted this cheeky young lady. She is licking her lips looking at cake, and wrapped up very warmly against the icy cold of the snowy street. I am also painting my first dragon!

Here be dragons

I'm a huge fan of fantasy and SF, and have a small collection of dragons, but have not drawn dragons myself before. These three have appeared in my sketchbook over the past few days, and I am excited about them: I do think they have potential for further development, possibly for greetings cards, or maybe even a story, given that that they count dragonfly clefs amongst their friends! What do you think? I'd be interested to hear : )

21st January update

Hi again. I am so almost better, and am very pleased to be drawing again : ) I am also in the process of setting up an etsy shop for selling cards and humpties, so watch this space! 

In the meantime, my lovely pal, illustrator Sarah Miskelly, has just set up her new etsy shop selling gorgeous and cute plushies. Do take a peek!

Plans

Well, I have had the flu which delayed somewhat my start to painting this year. 'Almost better now, and today I washed palette, dusted my painting desk, and cleared some viewing shelf space for lovely new work : ).  It feels so odd to have not painted for about 3 weeks - I'm looking forward to wielding a paintbrush again tomorrow, and I have some gum arabic to add to the mix as an experiment!

Rose scarf is mine

Here I am wearing Catherine Hayward's fabulous rose scarf which I was lucky enough to be given for xmas by my brother and his family : ) (Those of you with long memories will recall that it was on my wish list )

I'm looking forward to seeing what wonderful new creations will appear this year on Treacle Toffee.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I've begun 2009 with a lurgy, so it will be day or so before more paintings appear here.

Secret Santa

Here are my fabulous Secret Santa gifts : )  Someone has clearly noted well my passion for stationery, and for using water colours!  The little pink cherry blossom notepad has the  palest pink branches printed throughout, while the vibrant sunflower tin contains water colour pencils and will fit neatly into the back pocket of my handbag : ) 

Xmas tree

I've been away from here for a while: I had not allowed at all for the fact that this December marked the tenth anniversary of the death of someone who had been very dear to me, plus what would have been his birthday, and that I would as a consequence find myself grappling ghosts metaphorically and in my dreams for much of the month. 

Anyway, today is the  winter solstice, and I have marked it as usual by decorating my christmas tree : ) I'm looking forward to the days growing longer again, and getting back to my sketchbook and that wacom tablet!

Advent Calendar Day 5

Today's mince pie is still work in progress, even though it is partly eaten!  I'll finish it off tomorrow - the digi painting that is - when I'm less tired, so eye and hand co-0rdination should hopefully be better ; )

Advent Calendar Day 4

Inspired by the news of heavy snowfalls in the north: ) My snowman is "forever blowing bubbles" ; )

Mainly for my own benefit, I'm going to include notes of how I did these. Today I began to discover special types of water colour layers to play with. Again, this started off with digital 2b pencil on the canvas, some of which I erased later on. It was followed by various layers of digital water colour, including the first which I used "wet entire layer" on. This is the layer with the snow laden sky, and palest pink tinged snow. The Hammers scarf and hat were painted on two separate layers to stop the colours mixing! 'Makes a change for having to wait patiently for paint to dry; )

advent Calendar Day 3

'Not sure I'm improving yet ;) 

Advent Calendar Day 2

A small person has hung their Xmas stocking very early! 

My friend Catherine has made a delightful wish list on her blog: www.treacletoffee.blogspot.com! 'Some of her favourite items on etsy.  This scarf Catherine has made is on my wishlist: rose scarf  : )

Advent Calendar Day 1

For my advent calendar this year I'm going to try something a little different: I've set myself the challenge of making a seasonal image each day using my trusty Wacom pen and tablet and Painter! I've had these tools for quite a while now, but not spent the time really practising to become adept with them, so each time I pick them up it feels to me like starting anew. Anyway, the challenge of producing something new for here everyday in throughout advent seems a good way in : ). Oh, and I am sure I will be posting some "real" watercolours here, too!