Christmas Project for Illustration Practice one

Desirable- Undesirable.

The brief included the option to rebrand and promote a twelve inch piece of string or a box of drawing pins, or a box of paper clips or matches.

I chose to rebrand a twelve inch piece of string and advertise it as a measuring implement.

Puppets

My puppets have taken on a new style of late. I have begun needle felting the heads and bodies and have also been knitting bobble hats and jumpers.

I had a lovely commission from The sweet shop to make Hansel and Gretel puppets for a window display.   Claire, the owner of the sweet shop was delighted with them and we are now talking about making puppets for the cast of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

This puppet is going to the craft shop to be sold. She has now had her Fimo shoes baked and shoelaces added.  I will photograph her when she is in Situ along with her other chums who are " under construction."

Machine Stitch Pictures

I am making some curtains. But they are going to be artistic wall hanging style curtains. On Voile and with machine stitch pictures from scenes of family life. Here are a few panels that are coming together so far.

This picture above I have stitched out but am going to colour in the Underground sign.

This Is not a panel of my curtain but is a commission I did for someone just after Christmas for a fortieth birthday present.

This is my son in stitches

These are my daughter - I am trying to create the image walking away.

This was from a drawing I did of somebody sitting reading. Although not directly a member of my family we do have a lot of avid readers! The stitch work is done on vintage fabric.

Working in Craft Days

I have recently begun working in a craft shop which is new to Saffron Walden.  The shop is called Craft Days and due to a spot of being in the right place at the right time I was able to secure a job teaching needlefelt.

 My ladies hard at work learning the addictive craft of needlefelting.

The finished robins. What amazed me was how the ladies all used the same templates and yet everyone ended up creating a very different robin.

The first class was held in December and we made the very popular felt robins as seen on Kirsties Handmade Britain.  I made a prototype of the robin which was then on display in the shop. The photos above show the work shop in full swing.

I have since completed another needlefelting class and an applique class. The needlefelting class was a choice of hearts or birds.  The birds were exotic birds rather than robins this time. The hearts had beads sewn on them and would be lovely if stuffed with lavender.

The applique below is the one I made to entice people to book for the course. the ladies on the course all made very different things once again. One lady made coasters using applique, another lady made a heart shape embellished with lots of buttons. Sadly I forgot to take any photographs of this work shop and must remember to ask Jane for some!  The next course is next Saturday and is needlefelting again..........

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!