I'm not chicken

It's coming something of a theme that my Sunday Sketch pushes comfort zones, so this week I decided could be no exception. Particularly when the theme at Illustration Friday also happened to be chicken! Come on, what you do?

I was also experimenting with a different sketching technique from Carla Sondheim's Drawing Lab (for Gumnut's work through of the book) - though I think it needs some serious perfecting! I drew a sketch of my bird on tracing paper, turned the paper over and brayered on some black acrylic paint. the instruction was then to draw over your sketch again to transfer the paint to your paper. Slight problem here... can you guess what? Graphite pencil over black disappears somewhat! Also, I didn't put enough paint on.

Take 2. Sketched my patient model again - who only paused to peck at the earth twice - this time I outlined my sketch with white oil pastel. Success! Still not enough paint though.

I'm not sure tracing paper was the best medium for this (or maybe, seeing as I wasn't actually using 'tracing' but 'greaseproof' paper...). Anyway, might try it again using thin plastic sheet - the kind that gives you a see through view of your cake in the supermarket!

Finished my little chickie off with some neo-colours. Rather rough and ready I'm afraid, but the cats were making her nervous so I had to hurry up!

Inspiration

What inspires me? What a question! What doesn't? A crack in the pavement, a crinkled leaf, a comment from my son.

For the purposes of this post though, we'll concentrate on just a couple. I'm writing and creating, appropriately for 'Inspiration Avenue' who wish to know what kick starts the Muse.

This week, my Muse has been pulled into action on the work front. She's been writing scripts, newspaper articles, devising adverts and all manner of fun activities. We've been a touch tired by evening to involve ourselves in too much creativity so instead, we stuck our nose in a book. We are learning Accessible Abstracts with Laura Reiter.

And... we are inspired! Which moves me nicely onto talking about magazines. I have a monumental pile of glossies taking over the gap between the sofa and the wall. In fact, I confess that there are actually two piles these days... and sometimes, when they topple, an amalgamate mess of paper! Most of them have bits of cut up paper sticking and falling out, for I confess that I am cruel to these publications. I rip them, I cut and glue them... but it's all in the aid of art and posterity. My models reside here patiently waiting for their turn to be immortalised on paper and canvas and splashes of colour and texture become collage, background and 'interesting bits' in my paintings.

So, if you looked at the picture above you're starting to see where my inspiration went this week. Abstract... magazines... and finally....Photoshop! How I love that software. So much fun to be had just playing and tweaking and experimenting. This one only had a tiny treatment - a little poster edge feature to give some emphasis.

Right, I must be off, for the parents will visit shortly and the house is covered in bits of cut up paper...

Something to do with the cheese

Well, that's it. I can relax for the rest of the year now, my resolution is complete - I am about to be published. Initial print run of 500 with potential readership of 2,000 once we release the international and online versions. Impressed?

Well, it probably sounds better than it is. I have been published like this before. It's a work thing. I've just spent the last week writing and producing the 2nd issue of our corporate newspaper. It has been something of a labour of love, an all-consuming marathon of interviewing, researching, writing, procuring  images, proofreading and liaising with designers. In fact, it says it all that I am writing about it here - there's no time for anything else happening in my life to talk about!

I would share some of the contents with you here, but it's all secret internal stuff and not for consumption by just any old person. My favourite line though I will divulge - must be something to do with the cheese.

I do rather love my job sometimes and putting this baby to bed (that's media speak for giving it the OK to go to the printers) was immensely satisfying. I feel a bit like the Piers Morgan of the corporate tabloid - but hopefully prettier.

Meerkat in a smoking jacket picture highlights another aspect of work today. (Probably best that you don't actually ask!). The plan this evening is to draw the doyen of the Muscovite Meerkats as a journal page entry. Simples ;)

If you're looking at a sketch then time has passed and I have actually succeeded in this task. If not, I am passed out on the sofa softly snoring and dribbling onto a cushion.

I'm rather fond Aleksandr Orlov. If you've missed the chance to get to know the pride of meerkat aristocracy, then you can find some of his finest works on YouTube.

Woo, how spooky is this. While searching for a portrait of the furry one, I found an interview with him and... Piers Morgan?!

Hares, ravens and perpetual tea

Sometimes I think I might be mad as a March Hare. Certainly this week I've been charging around like a lunatic - but then what's new? I saw a hare on Saturday - it pelted across a steep hillside, ears pricked and safe in the knowledge that nothing could catch it - a wonderful sight.

This rather scruffy, half-hearted drawing was antidote to the stresses of the day - a dabble of light relief after taxing my brain and driving for hours. I nearly gave up on the poor fellow on numerous occasions but then how would he ever get his tea? I persevered and moved from coloured pencil to watercolour and ink but I fear he may regret my haste. His fur looks a little mangy and that tea looks barely brewed.

Still a fitting end to a day of mayhem and hopefully perfect for The Three Muses 'creatures of nature' challenge (at least I'm sure that's what it was - I might have a shock in a minute when I discover it's winged things or something decidedly non-floppy-eared! As I was painting, I rather smugly realised its perfection for Illustration Friday too - 'deja-vu'. For after all, what could be more deja-vu then being stuck in a perpetual 6 o'clock tea party answering impossible riddles? Even a Mad March Hare might start thinking things looked a bit familiar!

I was just going to post last week's entry as deja vu, but that was really a bit of a poor effort (if rather funny!). Incidentally, my son is going to take in a piece of blank drawing paper for 'Show and Tell' tomorrow at school. He will announce it is a picture of Harry Potter.... wearing his invisibility cloak! Like mother like son. (I'll probably get hauled in front of the Headmaster for irresponsible parenting).

I seem to be slowly working my way through the Wonderland cast with the Hatter, the Red Queen and Alice all falling under my brush in the last year or so. Who shall I do next?

Pearly whites

In common with last week's attempt at ears and fingers, this Sunday I thought that it might be time to extract teeth from my avoidance repertoire. You may have noticed my portraits tend to remain rather tight lipped about this lack of pearly whites, but now I am at last giving them free speech.

It was an interesting exercise on two counts.

1. It turns out that if you put your mind to something, then it's not actually all that difficult.

2. It's amazing what you can see when you really take the time to look.

and, it turns out that there's a 3 too...

3. Except between typing that last sentence and this I've forgotten what it was. Blame the man sitting next to me. He's playing Call of Duty and all I can hear is a monotony of "enemy spy plane approaching...." "we have their flag..." "we've lost their flag...." (He's wearing his earphones now after a subtle hint from yours truly!). Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, looking for the third point. Ah yes...

3 (again). Teeth are not actually white. With the exception perhaps of Simon Cowell and other visitors to his expensive dentist, teeth are actually a whole variety of creamy shades. Nor are they flat, but rounded and ridged.

I'm sure you all knew this, but it's just that sometimes I still become fixated on what I believe something should look like, rather that what it actually does look like.

Pop along to Sunday Sketches and take a look at what everyone else has 'seen' this week.

Not a leprechaun in sight - updated

I'm not entirely sure I've got the energy to post tonight, but I am missing my blog and my visits to friends around the world. It has been quite a week dear friends - one which has been spent writing, writing, interviewing, writing and more of the same. And what's more, getting paid for it. A busy few days on the work front but I do love a bit of pressure and pulling together a 12 page newspaper in a couple of days sure does hit that nail on the head.

Some slight exhaustion of an evening will explain my prolonged absence - though to be fair, a couple of days is hardly lengthy, but what can I say? I like blogging!

I like making art too and so tonight, for the sake of my sanity, I must dip into my creative juice and see what appears. A challenge always helps with a kick start and so I thought I'd tackle "Do you dream in colour" by Inspiration Avenue. Well, here's an interesting question. I do dream that's for sure! In fact, if I could only remember my nightly adventures long enough to write them down I may become a best-selling fantasy novelist (or put in a straight jacket). This week, I know for sure that there's my dreams are no black and white movie for I distinctly recall a scene in which the protagonists were all exclaiming on the coincidence of all being dressed in green - and the same green at that. There was me, a couple of friends and ... a leprechaun. Well I did warn you!

Looks like I do have the energy to post tonight after all... But what about the artwork... Hold on, I'll be right back..

OK, I present a green picture! Amazing what you can do in Photoshop in next to no time. Seven layers and lots of manipulation - starting with a photograph I had taken, mixed with a Kim Klassen free texture and some lovely digital collage material I bought from Etsy.

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For those of you who would love to get started in Photoshop Elements, I've just read that Kim Klassen is offering a free mini ecourse for beginners starting Monday. Details here.

And if you want more detail, there's a full course by Kim here.

Old fashioned communication

MSN is terribly old-fashioned these days - or so I was told by a trendy 17-year-old. Apparently those who are 'with it' (clearly not me) use Facebook chat these days. Well, I do stand corrected - though truth be told, I haven't used it myself for ages, though that's mainly because I prefer the even more old-fashioned tools like the telephone, face-to-face conversation, and that new-fangled email thingiemebub.
Anyway, speaking of fashion, this pearl of wisdom I might point out came from a young man wearing a pair of jeans that only came half way up his underpants. I mean, how can you possibly take anyone seriously who spends so much time grooming his hair yet walks around looking like he's lost his elastic from his bottom half?

It's a rum old world, make no mistake, but I should thank him for gifting me this pearl of an idea for The Three Muses' challenge this week - 'Old Fashioned'. Just check out that ancient screenshot of ye olde MSN we used to communicate with each other in the olden days... A little digital fun for you!