Shhh!
May 26, 2011 § 41 Comments
Behind the scenes I’ve been working on a little secret project. I signed up for gorgeous Susie’s Flower Press Brooch Swap not a hundred percent sure if I could do it justice but wanting to give it a try.
So here is my little friend all finished and napping peacefully in the grass. (As it turns out felt is pretty forgiving. Phew for that!) Sadly I can’t tell you who he’s for but I hope she loves him nearly as much as my girls do. I’m going to have to watch them like a hawk till he gets to the P.O. Now all I have to do is settle him into some super comfy packaging and off he goes to his new home.
If you are thinking of using felt for a project like this I recommend visiting Melissa at her beautiful blog Tiny Happy.
I found her brooch tutorial wonderfully helpful.
Visit Our Creative Spaces for lots of wonderful creative goodness. Make sure you’ve a cuppa in hand and some time up your sleeve, it’s hard to drag yourself away. Thanks Kirsty for setting up such a swanky new space!
Leafy Shenanigans
May 24, 2011 § 2 Comments
This weekend whilst on a mission to find leaves, we headed for the biggest fattest park in our neck of the woods. We needed big trees and lots and lots of leaves. We’re talking mountains of leaves. At the gates of Edinburgh Gardens we knew we’d hit the jackpot. Under all those big beautiful trees it was positively raining leaves.
We threw ourselves in. We crunched through them, kicked them and lay in them… then all of a sudden a leaf battle broke out. A frenzy of scooping and hurling. No one knows who started it and no one knows who won but all agree it was wild. They were in our hair, down our necks and in our pockets. I laughed till my cheeks ached.
Oh yeh, I had to include this shot. This is my little inventor’s way of transporting her collection, hands-free. Hope your weekend was fun too.
Atmosphere
May 18, 2011 § 6 Comments
Lately I’ve been drawn to the palette in these beautiful images. Nut browns, Delphinium purples and mustard yellows. I love the sombre feeling of the purples and browns and how even just a touch of yellow instantly lifts them. Speaking of brown, did you know that nut brown was the most loved colour of the Edwardian Era? It’s true. So much so, it was thought to be very unfortunate to be blonde. I always wondered why brown was ever present in early 1900s clothing and homes.
I love putting together image montages, it’s become a valuable part of the process for me and a lot of fun. It helps finding an atmosphere for an illustration. But I’ve been wondering whether it would be even simpler to start up a Tumblr or Pinterest page like this or this… hmmm.
Images | Untitled, Lesley Kerr | Misty Forest, Tariel | Edwardian Portrait, Otto Sarony Co. | Life is Love, Yves | Morning Awakening 1876, Eva Gonzales. To view larger or for licencing click on image titles.
The Lesson
May 6, 2011 § 10 Comments
So here is my latest illustration, albeit at semi scruffy pencil stage. There’s a bit more to tidy but I’ve really loved working on this one so far. Now I’m itching to play with some colour. Hope your weekend is fun too.
Happily it also falls easily into this weeks Illustration Friday theme.
Carnations and Corsets
May 6, 2011 § 3 Comments
Just popping in to post some work in progress roughs.
Working on this illustration it’s easy to be completely absorbed in this era. The contrasts that exist within it are stark and completely compelling. I’m fascinated by the Edwardian love of the great outdoors, of wonderful wild gardens, picnics, boating and plein air painting and yet this was a society trussed up in a rigid system of old fashioned etiquette and class structure. Having said that, who wouldn’t want a time machine to go back and see those Gibson Girl cinched waists, enormous ‘Merry Widow’ hats and ride the Daddy Long Legs.
Try this link for amazing things to see in our era, thanks Kirsty.
Image | Lily Elsie Postcard 1909, Wikipedia.
