Accidental Vix

After a bit of a crisis of confidence at the weekend, my sketching hand seemed to come back to life yesterday when I decided to pick an old and battered sketchbook off the shelf, change my pen and sit in the glorious bank holiday sunshine. This means that today was a sketching day to continue the momentum and to make the most of the sun whilst it lasts, with some new Molly and Charlie ideas I want to work on for a gocco print, so I thought these cute illustrations by Simply Me and Her  were perfect for sharing today:

1. The colour combinations are sophisticated and understated for children’s illustrations and I love the fact that they’re not too bright

2. How can these cute characters not make you smile, even their names are adorable!

3. The simple block colour with the detailed line work to create detail and texture is a great combination

So, if you haven’t already then why not check out the cute and quirky illustrations of Nichola on Etsy.

Xx

Wow, the sun is actually shining as I write this, for those not in the UK who are confused by this – we have had months of rain and flooding and not a glimpse of sun so for us it actually feels like summer is finally here. This got me thinking that it’s the simple things that make a difference, and I’m hoping it’s a good week this week to match the weather. So, today I have chosen an Etsy shop with gorgeous yet simple illustrations, and here are my top 3 reasons to visit Kiki and Polly:

• You can imagine yourself stepping into the scenes and joining the playful characters
• My fave has to be the simple pencil custom illustrations, there’s something about the simplicity that is so emotive but let’s your imagination fill in the blanks
• The creativity of the children shines through in the simple compositions and lack of detail

I hope you get to enjoy some sunshine today, and if you need a shade break then hop online and check out Kikki and Polly’s etsy shop.

Xx

Another bad week so to cheer myself up on the days I’m not working I get out my children’s picture books and choose my fave 3 of the day to flick through to make me smile. Today, I’ve chosen one from my absolute fave illustrator, Catherine Rayner. Everytime I find myself in a bookshop I am drawn to her books, so here are my top 3 reason to choose a Catherine Rayner book if you have not already done so:

• Ever since I bought Posy and fell in love with the way that Catherine uses colour, texture and line I want to look at the beautiful, minimal and delicate pictures all day
• Her illustrations are so simple yet characterful at the same time. She manages to maker her characters so soft yet full of personality, as if they’re about to pop out of the books and become your friends
• She is based in the UK, and I’m all for supporting local talent

I love discovering new people but I also love to find new work by old favourites, and am eagerly awaiting the next Catherine Rayner book whenever that may be.

Xx

I’ve had a tough week with the pain in my hip, and had to have a cortisone injection directly into the painful area which has left me in more pain and meant going back onto the stronger painkillers. This isn’t great for my body but the tramadol seems to bring my creativity out (in-between naps) and I’ve got back into sketching after the recent sewing. So, today I am going to showcase my new character… meet Molly! She is already her way into my Etsy and Luulla shops soon.

Xx

Yay, I am so happy and relieved to have finally finished my sketchbookproject 2012! I must admit it didn’t take me long after sending off last years to forget how stressful and hard it is to work to a deadline for something that will be viewed by others and tour 3 continents this time. This is the first 32 page ‘picture book’ I have done as a continuous story,  but generally I’m pleased with what I’ve achieved, especially given the trauma of the past couple of months. There are a few pages which I rushed for the sake of finishing and I’m not too happy with but as I keep telling my husband perfection doesn’t exist. Here are a few more pages to keep you going until the grand reveal of the finished story…

Xx

I’m so glad it’s Friday! Another tough day at work, I could have quite happily gone straight to bed at home-time, but it’s a good job I didn’t as we met up with some good friends and their 2 adorable kids who always make us smile and keep us entertained. So, in honour of our great friends and today’s family Christmas card I have chosen family, in particular kids, for today’s theme:

Sugarmice – Cupcake necklace (I don’t know many children, big or small, that don’t like cupcakes)

Mirribeads – Made for an angel necklace (apart from the fact it is gorgeous I chose this because little Abbey had a teddy bear with her tonight called Angel)

Strawberry Anarchy – Pollypocket earrings (these definitely remind me of my childhood, great use of old toys)

Laura’s jewellery – Babushka doll necklace (these dolls used to keep me entertained for hours when I was little, especially the one my mum brought back from the Ukraine when she visited family)

And finally one from my shop and my fave illustration so far, inspired by 2 children in the post office, perfect for a child’s bedroom… the snowbears!

Really is time for sleep now, night night.

Xx

I’ve had a busy week at work so today was dedicated to ‘creative’ things (after a biiiiiiiig pile of ironing, cooking, washing and cleaning.)  I’m disappointed I didn’t finish my cowboy entry for last month so I thought I’d better dedicate some time to this month’s dragon challenge, and the outcome was Dora and Dan.  I only had an hour or so after doing a painting for my aunt as a ‘get well’ present, and a poster for Unfinished Business, but it’s good to have some time when in a creative mood, as that’s generally when my best pieces are done, or so I tell myself.

Anyway, as my best friend is here I’m going to go and have a good natter and a cup of Betty’s peppermint tea…

xx

Illustrapedia is a Flickr group set up by some of the entrants of Picture This – a competition run by Waterstones to find an amateur illustrator for Julia Donaldson’s latest children’s book ‘Freddie and the Fairy.’ A competition I decided to enter after being made redundant last April, and the moment that got me hooked on illustration and stopped me giving up on my passion for all things creative! Each month there is a new ‘topic’ for the group to illustrate and then share information/advice/encouragement.

This month’s challenge is snowmen, a topic which didn’t inspire me to start with despite all the snow we’ve had recently, but then whilst on a winter walk last week with my boyfriend and his mum a lonely little tree with a hat and scarf hanging on it caught my eye in Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon. 

xx