Exciting Times

I am beginning this blog post with some of my latest Instagram offerings.  I have got a new app called Photoforge 2 which allows the most wonderful filters and effects. Combined with Juxtapose and it is one big addiction.  Fortunately studying for my degree and parenting four children my addiction is confined but I hope you enjoy the following photographs.

Anna walking in to the rainstorm.

Lyra in the autumn garden.

A black and white tonal drawing done for my collection of 40 for my life drawing class. Inspired by a photograph I saw on Instagram.  

The filtered image once it has been through the photoforge/ instagram process.

Anna - my sunshine.

Anna " Where shall we go today?"

Anna and Lyra. Cookie.

The following photographs are of hairclips I have made using a selection of liberty fabric, limited edition "hello kitty" liberty fabric, vintage fabric and some modern spots and florals.  They have been mounted on fabric sewn on to cards and are going to be on sale at the RA Butler christmas fair on November 11th along with my badges and a few other bits and pieces currently in development.

The following photographs are from my sketch book at university. We have been continuing with the pet  shop project and that is now culminating in us making a puppet................ 

The dog chews and toys in detail.

In the pet shop- Making a rabbit hutch.

In the pet shop

Outside the pet shop.

This picture was done at the beginning of our colour project. we had to go to a location of our choice and do a drawing and then illustrate it with two colours only.  I drew Hayley in the Elm Tree pub in Cambridge.  A lovely afternoon.

This was the beginnings of mark making and colour in the grave yard near college a couple of weeks into term.

This was done in our third week at The Fitzwilliam Museum. Tonal drawings.

One of my "drawings of Cambridge - Kings College" Using brush pens and collage.

Pen and Ink and Brush pen. Cambridge terraced houses.

This was our first project during our first week of term.

Terraced houses in Saffron Walden.  During the first week of term.

I shall be writing up the progress of my latest project including the pet shop puppet and six book covers. Plus a local comission ..................... 

Back Soon!

College so far .......

I am three weeks into my university degree. It's been really enjoyable so far and my drawing has come on leaps and bounds. I think. We have had our first two assignments. The first was all based in Cambridge and we had to draw the college buildings, the gates, the Market square by day and night. Rose Crescent ( which I have drawn so many times now I'm dreaming about it!!) the river and boats and boat houses. We did this on a Friday in late September during an unseasonal heatwave and it was totally idyllic.we also have been asked to include scenes from student life - mine include my family having dinner......





last week we were sent out into Cambridge near the Grafton Centre to draw. These are a couple of images from one of my pictures.


I must have been doing something right as the lady below recognised herself as did another man who came and asked if I'd drawn him. He then went and got his wife to show her! Whilst he had gone to find her another man, a Cambridge Professor no less came and enquirer if I was a professional artist and whether I would like to have commission to paint his house! I have his card and need to email him to go and have a look.....




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This week we have also been given our second project which is to take a shop and draw various aspects of it. I have chosen the pet shop in Saffron Walden. So far I have made three detailed drawings, two of which are here. The one of the outside of the shop has been a useful backdrop for some juxtapose photographs as well.












We have also taken a trip to London this weekend for the Big Draw - Elliott and I went to a fabulous talk by Posy Simmonds all about characters and expressions which was fascinating. We then took part in some workshops including mono printing, drawings for a washing line of washing and lightbox drawing as well as your ideal house.

We then went for a delicious Spanish lunch and then headed to St Pancras for ice cream and photo taking of the amazing architecture.




Which I have then edited and added water too...... Of course!




And the eventful tube journeys .......

Near Kings Cross we saw a fabulous shop called Drink, Do &Make. It is exactly the sort of shop I would love to have where unusual hand made things are sold in the shop and then to the back is a cafe where people San knit, sew drink cocktails & coffee and eat lunch. They have work shops going on as well and when I plucked up courage to enquire about the shop stocking my badges I mentioned the Bygone Veras and my dolls and the lady behind the till said her business partner was thinking of holding a paper mâché class and might be interested in the dolls. So I have been busy today creating Northern Caroline and her dog Scowl.



I am finding it a lot of work juggling college work, family life, badges and now puppets but I am lucky that Matt is so supportive and that I enjoy it all so much I actually wouldn't want it any other way........