Some progress........

Adjusted the shoulder, dress etc. Added tone and detail to hair....don't know whether to keep it simple in the background so that I actually get this one finished! 

Started a new piece.......

I have such a bad habit of starting work and never finishing it. I just seem to lose motivation for particular pieces but I know this is mostly down to not planning things out first in my sketch book! Something i'm always telling my students off for! It's just I get excited for a new piece and I just can't wait to get started! I'm keen to resolve the issues I had on previous pieces, with new pieces. So it will be interesting to see how far I actually get with this. I think part of the problem is never having enough time to have a good run on a piece...sometimes it takes a good hour or two to get into the artistic groove, if you know what I mean, and then when things are just starting to flow, I realise its gone 11pm and I know I will regret staying up longer when the kids are up and about at the early hours......3.30am this morning with Edward for example!

Finished DNA.....maybe?

"DNA" Oil on paper

After drinking a glass of vino quite quickly last night, I threw caution to the wind and slapped the paint on, I am much happier with this now, it's much closer to my original vision. I feel that I have learnt so much from this painting by seeing it through and I am excited about starting a new piece using what I have learnt. I may even contemplate entering it for the Coventry open....I hate rejection though!

Guess what....Another work in progress!

DNA (WIP)

This is the latest painting that I have been working on. As usual I'm not happy with it. I can't seem to get my colour pallette right. The painting started quite muted but I felt it looked unfinished and a bit insipid. So I tried layering more colour on and using some injections of brighter colours but now I really don't like it! Arrrrh! Painting is very frustrating sometimes! I'm going to try toning down some of the colours, particularly the blue! OK, in an attempt to try something new, i.e., being positive....what am I happy with? I quite like how the hair is developing. Composition is nice, skin tone OK! Further inspiration is definitely needed! At least this work is nearer to being finished than most of my work lately!

Doodles, doodles, I love doodles.......

Today I enjoyed myself doodling, inspired by my lighthearted paint splattering doodles yesterday. It's so therapeutic and addictive but I also think it is really helpful at seeing your work from a new direction. After doodling these birds, I'd quite like to study painting and drawing these in more detail by getting some reference material.

Face over stripes = like!

Hand sketched below was drawn in the car on the way to a soft play-centre. Hands are something I want to sketch more regularly as they are so difficult to draw, and as they say, practise makes perfect.....or better at least!

Pirate (WIP)

Pirate (WIP)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel as though my work is starting to progress in the right direction and it is definitely becoming less of a struggle. My main problem is just finding enough time to spend on it. I discovered instagram a while ago and was finally able to download the app today without breaking my phone. I took this photo using the instagram camera and it looked quite nice on my phone but now that I see it larger on the computer, it is a bit blurry and the colours aren't as rich as they looked on my phone. I'll have to keep on experimenting. I've still got some bits to work on with this piece, mainly the eye patch and the bubbles, but I am really bad at going back to things once I've worked on them for a day, I find I'm itching to start a new piece instead! There are a couple of exhibitions that I am hoping to submit work to soon so I suppose this is something that I'm going to have to tackle.

Lovin Graphite

Always Remember, Pencil study

Since becoming a mum of two i've had to really consider how much time I have to spend on my artwork. Graphite has become my new best friend again. Simple to use, cheap, quick and effective. Then when they are both in bed I can play around with adding colour to a few.

Always remember (adding colour)

To-To's Dream

To-To's Dream

A new WIP. Based again on Esme. This photo shows work in it's very early stages, the first wash has been applied, I worked loosely with this, using acrylic like watercolour. I also thought carefully about the colour palette I wanted to use. This piece explores ideas of children's imaginations. I wonder what Esme will think of all my paintings of her when she's older?

Too beautiful not to draw.....

A couple of days ago I took a photo of Esme and thought that it really captured just how perfect she is, (bias, I know). I think she would make a good Goldilocks, she certainly loves porridge! Anyway, this gave me further inspiration to do some more drawing, which proved tricky as she wanted to sit on my lap whilst I tried my best to see what I was doing. She also felt the need to add to my drawing which was a little frustrating!

Mixed media on paper

So, all in all, I quite like the result, I particularly like the fact it took only around an hour in total, if that. I've managed to keep it nice and loose in style.

The inspiration

Children's portraits

So this is what I'm working on at the moment, a portrait of my usual muse, my daughter, Esme. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, leave it as pencil or add colour? I'm pleased with bits of it but the eye on the right hand side of the drawing isn't quite right yet. She is actually cuddling her four and a half month old brother, Edward, you can just see his little baldy head in the corner! If I get good at these, I would like to do some commissions to earn a bit of dosh, perhaps then I might be able to afford more than a £9.50 'The Sun, collect tokens in the paper' holiday!

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

"No, no, no not me!", sings my little girl, who's favorite fairytale character is the big bad wolf! Which has inspired this brief sketch. (the other inspiration was a new set of colour pencils which I was itching to use!) Don't think I'll bother finishing it though, might try it again in a different media/technique, as I think I prefer the simple pencil drawing.

Butterfly....new beginnings

So this is my very first post, which I'm hoping will encourage me to do more art, more often! We'll see. I do have a lot of other things to contend with at the moment, being in my last trimester and having a 2 1/2 year old to entertain. But it's the summer holidays so it's as good a time as any.