Gift tags…

So I finished my gift tags, and now I can start wrapping the mountain of presents sitting in my office. I also knocked out a huge whack yesterday, all I have left to buy is a few scratchies, and something for my 3 BIL’s – I hate shopping for men!

The gift tags:

And I decided to scrap my previous card design, I wasn’t happy with it, so now my cards will be similar to the tags, in a Christmas tree shape. I’ve done a mock-up version, now I just need to paint the real thing, scan & print, and get those cards out!

Crossing over…

…from one medium to another. A while back I did a little pastel sketch of some purple flowers, and mentioned at te time that I might use it as a basis for a silk ribbon embroidery.

 

So when we went away a few weeks ago, I packed my embroidery box, slapped some paint on some fabric, and ended up with this:

The photo isn’t brilliant, the acrylic wash is more vivd in real life. If I were to do this again, I would use silk embroidery floss, rather than the heavy thread I used here, but it was all I had at the time! I’m quite happy with how the flowers turned out, using three different shades of purple ribbon.

 

I also used the drawing as a starting point for a little watercolour:

If I had my time over with this one, I would add more depth to the flowers, and possibly layer the sky & grass a bit more, for interest.

Illustration Friday – “Wise”

An empty chair stands where once a wise old man sat.

Unwinding…

Another week begins, another weekend disappears to find a home only in our memory. And a wonderful productive weekend it was. Not only did I manage to stay on top of the housework, but Friday evening, I finished a painting for the boys toy room (though I can’t show it here, as the basis of the painting is “borrowed” from elsewhere), made a pair of shorts for the big boy (to be blogged after washing, due to a little ‘accident’), and painted this watercolour ACEO:

Illustration Friday – “Vacant”

The first thing that popped into my mind for this topic was a face wearing a vacant expression, but my abilities (or lack thereof) don’t stretch to faces, particularly those requiring a particular expression, so I grabbed my new watercolours and pulled together this painting/collage/whatever!

Very simplistic, but it was my first go at watercolours. More detail will come with more practice, I hope!

Investing in original artworks

My latest qet-rich-quick scheme is based on the early acquisition of original works by as-yet-undiscovered artists. I’m quite fond of my latest find. A surrealist abstract, its gorgeous shades of violet & green meld together in a soothing harmony, evoking a sense of a spring garden in full bloom. Tendrils of vines entangled with the first flush of delicate purple flowers, shyly poking their little heads out into the world, tentatively, as if scared of a sudden, late frost coming & bruising their fragile beauty.

Whilst I love this peice, I have a feeling it’s more of a sentimental, long-term acquisition. I think the artist still has a lot of refining to do in their technique before entering the Archibald, however, as early works go, its one of the best I’ve seen.

 

C’mon, don’t pretend you didn’t know where I was going with this story! This is a lovely little painting that Bear & I did the other day, and I’m informed it is a picture of Daddy on the swing. Hmm…

 

I learnt this painting technique at playgroup – it’s just food dye in water, with a cotton tip as a brush. Super easy, super cheap, and non-toxic! It can be a bit messy, but hey, what else does one expect with a two-year-old tornado!

 

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For those with a vague interest, I am currently at 39+1weeks, so if I disappear for a bit, you know where I’ll be!