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?

Entering a crazy Wonderland

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

The Mad Hatter

Oh yes, I am very excited about this upcoming cinematic extravaganza - who wants to see Johnny Depp play a straight role when he can lose himself in his, Tim Burton's and Lewis Carroll's imaginations?

This is a grown up piece of work from me. I use that definition for several reasons. The first being that I had to give it a PG certificate because it scares the pants off my son. In fact, he said "it looks evil". Well, he does have a point. It sort of became the Mad Hatter meets Johnny Depp meets the Joker...

Secondly though, this was a proper painting - on a big canvas (16" x 20"). There's a bit of collage in the background - you can just see some playing cards and pictures of Alice and friends, but other than that is just my painting. Mainly acrylics but with a little oil pastel and some watercolour pencil to add texture and detail.

I'm putting it for sale in my Etsy shop on the off chance that a Mad Hatter fan who doesn't mind being given the evil eye might happen upon it.

Inspired this week by Inspiration Avenue's 'Wonderland' challenge and Mixed Media Monday - 'Something New'. For the latter this meant being brave and tackling both a big painting and a portrait! The advantage of painting the Mad Hatter of course was that the slightly insane look in the eyes and strange skin colouring was perfectly acceptable!