WIP - A Touch of Nostalgia

I love old world images and have a passion for anything antique, and so, with this in mind, I felt like doing a larger piece this time, (8x10 inches) but still want to include all the detail that goes into a miniature (Call me crazy!!!) This is a combination of a few reference photos - some were taken in a little country town called Wollombi by my parents-in-law, and the reference photos for the horse and carriage were taken by us in another charming country town called Morpeth, both in NSW.

On another note, I recently discovered Pan Pastels, which are quite different to work with to regular pastels, but they are perfect for doing larger areas such as the sky in this artwork. After doing the initial drawing on drafting film, I covered the lower half with Frisket, and then applied Pan pastels to the sky. Fixative spray was then applied, and now comes the fun part of filling in all the fine details. I'll keep you posted as this one develops.

Our new nephew Jack

Jack

5x7 inches

Graphite Pencil on drafting film

It can be such a difficult time for some couples when they decide to start a family, and, where many couples seem to fall pregnant so easily, for others it is far more challenging as months, and sometimes years, go by without that much desired result.

Such was the case for my wonderful brother and his gorgeous wife, and so our excitement was intensified when, early this year, we discovered that they were finally going to get their little bundle of joy. And here he is - Jack. I have yet to meet my little nephew, as all my family live over a thousand kilometres away from us, but I will hopefully get to meet him in the not too distant future.

Latest 4x6 inch artwork - Santa Claws

Santa Claws

4x6 inch

Coloured pencils on drafting film

Christmas is a funny time of year. As the decorations start to appear on the shelves of all the stores, I am filled with a sudden panic at the thought of all that has to be done in the 8 weeks between now and December 25th - shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, cards, the list is endless and overwhelming. But then the inner child emerges and the bright colours of Christmas, the joy of listening to much loved carols, the anticipation of the season to come takes over and I am filled with an urge to kick the season off with a Christmas OSWOA. I hope it brings out your inner child as you all face the weeks to come.

Prints removed from Ebay

I just received my first statement from Ebay since they revamped their fee structure on items that used to be in Store Inventory, and almost fell off my pirch to see how high the fees have become. It really is not worth listing cheaper items such as ACEO prints on their site anymore. So, in the manner of some of my fellow internet artist friends, I have just removed all ACEO prints from my Ebay Store. They are still all available from Etsy however. I do hope this doesn't cause inconvenience to anyone, but it was no longer sustainable to sell prints when the fees were higher than the profit margins. I will still be selling Commissioned Portraits from Ebay as well as from Etsy. A wonderful day to all of you!!!! :)

Commissioned Portrait - Poppy

Poppy

4x6 inches

Coloured pencil on drafting film

Since my last post, the illustration job I was working on has fallen through as the client guided me through some of the sample illustrations she had seen and wanted me to do similar. However, all the illustrations she had seen had been done with a computer illustration program and there is no way I could hope to achieve the same effects with coloured pencil, so we mutually agreed to end the project. As an artist who prefers to work with materials I can use with my hands, it is hard to compete sometimes with the world of technology. Hopefully, there will always be people out there who still love to see a drawing or painting created by hand. At the moment, however the commissions are coming in droves, and I must say I'm enjoying them - The joy and appreciation that comes from the clients makes it all worthwhile!!!

It never rains but it pours!!!

To all my blogger friends, please excuse my absence of blogging and commenting on your own wonderful blogs lately. After a quiet couple of months, in the last two weeks, I have been inundated with 6 requests for commissioned portraits, and a large Illustration job. These are some of the commissioned portraits - the illustration job will keep me out of mischief for the next few weeks. So, I hope you understand if I am a bit more quiet than normal. It is always wonderful to have the extra work, so I'm not complaining!!!!