Where's Your Head At? Giveaway Result

What can I say?  I can only apologise for totally forgetting the giveaway draw on Saturday - that's what happens when you are having 'fun' cleaning the house, shopping and recovering from half a bottle of Beaujolais the night before!

So although the entrants were few, I picked a number with my eyes shut and the winner was Nicky Sayers - hooray!  If you can get back to me using the email at the top of the page with your address, I will pop the painting in the post to you.

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I have finally seen the full animation, as well as the logo clip that caused such headaches, and cannot wait until it can be shown to everyone else - just two more weeks to go.  I saw things in the film that I had forgotten I'd made, it's been so long!  It's starting to get exciting - for now though, all I can do is direct you to the website.

Currently on the needles: a shawl and I am very bored with it now as I have an idea for something else more interesting.

Currently on the easel; double dog portrait in acrylics

Painting Giveaway!

It seems like a very long time since I held a giveaway - now I think there might be two in quick succession!

First up for grabs is this experimental piece I have been working on using Yupo synthetic paper and the new Derwent Graphiks paint pens.  It's a bit of a far cry from my usual work - all quite different, a very shiny surface to work on which could be literally scrubbed clean even when the paint is dry, and some bright paint pens that can be used either as pens or the pigment spread and diluted with a brush and water.  The finished painting is also quite shiny and the paper is ridiculously thin and flimsy but so strong.  The whole thing is A4 size (8 x 11 inches).

If you'd like this painting free, just leave a comment here and I will pick a winner in a week's time (11th October).  Doesn't matter where in the world you are, this paper is so thin it would probably float all the way!

On the easel: a double pet portrait
On the needles: still knitting that octopus...three legs to go...sigh....it will be worth it I hope!

I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside...

...so as I can't be there, I'll just paint and knit sea-related things!  This is a bit of an experimental piece, new paper, new paint, so I am not sure where it is going to be honest.  The paper is Japanese synthetic Yupo paper - very different, very thin and almost shiny and you don't feel it would take watercolours but it does. The amazing thing is that you can scrub off anything you don't want and leave the pristine white once again. The paints I am using are Derwent Graphiks paint pens - quite vibrant colours, but I am loving them.  I don;t think this will replace traditional methods for me, but I will definitely use both paper and paints inthe future but perhaps not together.

With no animation work to do, it's a chance to catch up on patterns I've been wanting to try out.  This octopus is on the current Knitty issue.  It's going to look vey cool, but after knitting one leg I've already had enough!  But I will persevere, because he keeps looking at me reproachfully...

We picked the last of the grapes yesterday - more jelly to be made today.  The birds are welcome to the remainder, but I do wish they wouldn't make such a purple mess on our patio!

Happy Dance!

I came home from work this morning to find my copy of  The Artist Magazine had arrived in the post....got a little excited when I saw them advertising 'Win a Just Add Water set' on the cover...got more excited when I saw the half page article in the centre of the magazine......then I saw the last page!  Full page ad, with my picture as the main illustration.  I'm sure it's not dignified for a lady of a certain age to dance around the kitchen whooping her head off, but I did it anyway.....

Must restrain myself and not stand next to the magazine rack in Smiths tomorrow pointing at the art mags and gloating.....

P.S. It's in Leisure Painter & Artists & Illustrators magazines too!

Here It Is!

Look what came in the post today!  It's not a tin, it's a big old box with my painting on the front.

Inside it has a set of watercolour media, a mixing palette, a cd with the tutorials on, and some tracing sheets plus paper so Joe Public can recreate my picture.  And if you look closely on the inner lid, there's my name - can you guess that I am excited?

It's been a long hard slog for someone who was told in their youth to not bother to pursue a career in art as I 'would never be good enough'. Seeing myself described as a professional artist on a set like this made by a huge company is very, very satisfying.

It's a shame the people under whose noses I would like to wave this are long gone, but that doesn't detract from the fact I got there in the end.  I do wish I hadn't wasted so many years working as a secretary and trying to suppress my true vocation, which is probably why I am so prolific now - got a lot of catching up to do!

Calm Down, Dear.....

In my excitement yesterday I forgot that despite the picture on the Derwent webpage being microscopic, as I am the artist I actually have a copy of the painting used to illustrate the tin....Durrr........

So here it is, this was the painting and if you would like to replicate it you can buy the product and follow the tutorial! Not too sure when the 'Just Add Water' range will actually hit the shops, but I am guessing it is now/very soon.

I'm blaming my fuzzy-headedness yesterday on being in the final stages of an unpleasant cough bug some child at work kindly shared with me.

I am currently working on a tiny knitted chicken with egg-laying capabilities...think I have cracked it (pun intended!) and I just have to add wings and feet tonight to complete it. I think I was concentrating on it too hard yesterday as I spent the whole night in bed dreaming about how to finish it off! At least my sleep-solutions still made sense in the cold light of day, which makes a change....

What a Difference a Frame Makes.....

It is always so suprising to me to see the difference between one of my paintings as it is, just paper, and then when it is behind glass in a decent frame.  I am so pleased with the above painting  especially as the frame itself was quite a bargain and yet exactly what I was looking for. I almost don't want to put it up for sale in the exhibition tomorrw.....

I was quite lucky this time round that I had frames at home that suited all the paintings - couldn't have found a better match for this one either.

Or this one - and I managed to frame everything for once without a bit of dust or a dog hair sneaking behind the glass when I have already taped the backing down!

So if you would like to see these in the flesh, come to the Fleet & District Art Exhibition at the Harlington Centre in Fleet from tomorrow until Sunday.

My next post will be my 700th - have I waffled for that much?  I'm thinking about a giveaway...any requests?

Final Wave...

Now I can say this is finished.  I've darkened some bits, added a bit more intensity to the shadows within the spray, generally titivated, and cropped a couple of inches off the bottom which balances the whole thing better.
It's been bugging me for days but I haven't been able to do anything about it until today.  On to the next one....

Thank you for all your birthday wishes - it was on the whole a pretty good birthday.  If you are a Narnia fan, I can recommend the latest movie.  We enjoyed it thoroughly and even shed a tear at the end when........no, you'll have to see it for yourselves.  Christmas shopping wasn't so much fun - too many people, too much stuff, sensory overload......so we got a few bits and went home to a nice cup of tea and a mince pie instead.

One more day of term to go - I spent my morning today helping children to make a snowman, a party hat, and drawing I don't know how many Santa in his sleigh pictures for colouring in.  If I had any sense, I would have done just one picture a couple of weeks ago and photocopied it! Never, ever, tell six year olds that you can draw.....

Rolling Along On The Crest of a Wave.......

I think this is finished - not too sure yet, I need a day away from it in order to come back and look at it with fresh eyes.  Perhaps it needs a bit of cropping of the bottom edge.  I am very happy with how the curl of the wave and the spray has come out - it was such a change to be spontaneous with my painting and literally go with the flow.

This piece involved my favorite components in painting - water as a subject matter, watercolour paints, a fairly limited palette - I used Indigo, Sap Green, Turquoise, Viridian Green and Violet - and complete freedom from the constraints of a commission.  Hopefully over the Christmas holidays I will get the opportunity for a bit more of this kind of work.  Although commissions would be nice - have to pay the bills as well!