Christmas wrapped up

Found this dusty retro wrapping paper at the Bower
in Marrickville on the weekend.
I think I'll be hanging onto it... everyone else can have their
gifts wrapped in new paper.
Merry Christmas.

Crafty Cuts for Christmas

I raided my fabric collection last night with the intention to make some Christmas gifts. I have had big plans for every piece I have ever purchased, found or been given... perhaps 2011 will see me realise my haberdashery dreams (with a little time on my side).

Bear with Bakelite Beats

A new member to my musical bears. This one has a taste for the classics, donning a 1940's bakelite radio. He was created to make the bears a foursome, a special request from my aunt. (They're in the post Christine!)

The Pawsome Foursome

Stamps with wings

I have created some stationery set designs around the 'old' idea of writing to say hello to nearest and dearest far away. Playing with distance, airmail motifs and international stamps, I wanted to make a set that reminded me of the excitement of getting snail mail from friends overseas.

In keeping with the long distance ideas in the design, I have gathered international stamps of animals with wings. I love the graphic style for Panama, Romania and Mongolia, I think I'll be hanging onto these.
mmm... Is this the beginning of a stamp collection?

Little chefs cooking big things

After finishing my illustration (for Food Fight) of the three sisters with their giant muffin creation, a friend showed me her French cook books for children. They also feature little people cooking big things, although my little ladies look more like they could be part of the band The Polyphonic spree, than chefs. The books were published in 1983 and were illustrated by Stephen Cartwright. I think my favourite is the dessert cover, with the maid dusting off the strawberry tarts.

The War Against Artificial Sweetener

Spartan Style Fruit Salad Helmet

6th Century BC
Tropical Tribal Warrior Mask
15th Century

Chemical Sweetener Protection
1950

A series of fruit masks created for the Food Fight - The Sweet tooth exhibition and publication. I've based the masks on war protection and decoration head wear over the centuries – from a Grecian warriors helmet to an African war mask and the good old gas mask.

Coffee & Sweets

For the Food Fight – Sweet stuff exhibition at Sweets Workshop, I worked on a new illustration including food, sweet food... well, it's a place where you can get sweet food (of course I've created a landscape). It's a great little coffee shop, just on the corner called Espresso Train. The building was very nice to draw, with it's rounded brick Art Deco design. Coffee & Sweets is available for sale at Sweets Workshop.

These are the talented three sisters who make the sweet muffins from the coffee shop.

Autumn in Kurrajong

The colours of the leaves in our family backyard are always spectacular in Autumn. I haven't been back home for a while, so I thought I'd illustrate it to conjure up some home time feelings... (and as a gift for Father's Day).

Some water colour tests for the illustration

Balmain pubs get a fabric makeover

Two pubs sit face to face on the corner of Beattie and Mullens Streets Balmain. These two ornate buildings are not only easy on the eye, but also hold memories of working in Balmain. I chose this spot to illustrate, with fabric, for a friends leaving gift, we had shared a few after work drinks and pub lunches at Dick's and The Exchange.

Pandamonium – it's a bear giveaway

It's a cold August day, so in the spirit of getting warm I have 3 furry bear prints to giveaway. The bears are water coloured gocco prints, and are each pictured with their favourite listening device. (Edition of 15)

Just leave a comment, and let me know which is your favourite. One of each design will be given away, winners will be selected at random on the 17th of August.

Pictured above is Panda bear & boppin' beats
Snapping those padded paws along to those swingin' 60's sounds.

Sun bear & breakbeats.
This radical sun bear loves to listen to KISS on his 1984 style ghetto blaster.

Polar bear & baby beats
Sometime a big bear just needs a little bit of sound. A bear about town needs a 1979 walkman.

Beary nice gocco prints

Recently I took a lesson from John D-C on the print gocco machine. A self contained printing machine that lets you do miniature prints through exposing a screen and stamping gocco ink through it. It was fast, it was furious, it was quite neat.

I had been working on a series of drawings called Bears with beats. I have turned some of them into little gocco prints (above). These are available for sale at Sweets Workshop

Inking up my exposed screen

The drying rack for Bear & breakbeats

Water colouring the 1979 walkman on Bear & baby beats

Water colour and yellow roses

Here's a new little water colour and ink piece. I'm happy with the way the water colour brings out the texture in the paper. It adds another lot of line work to the loose cross hatch pattern.

The sketch in pencil first and a crack at ink.

These are the models, not yellow I know, but I used my imagination.

Brooch the cold

It's winter, it's officially cold. Why not warm your coat lapel with a woolen brooch.

I recently found myself in the wool section of a Spotlight store, half an hour later I walked out with 3 bags full. My knitting arms are sore, but I've created these floral designs and attached some vintage brooch pins. I wanted the texture to be quite thick, to show off the wool and make the petals look cosy.

Now I need a break from knitting, it's time for some inking.

Purple rose

Pink lily

Vintage brooch pins

Old gems in Millthorpe

A snapshot of a weekend escape to Millthorpe, 20 minutes from Orange.

Coloured (paper) landscapes

After a few hours spent playing with piles of coloured tissue paper and glue, I'm getting some lovely layering effects that are starting to look like landscapes.

Drawing from floral pinks

This is going to be quite a floral and pink post. I picked up some roses and dahlias for the house, of course they were so lovely I had to have a sketch. The dahlias were fun to draw with their puffy, ruffly faces, I'm thinking I could turn my drawing into a lino print.

I have been working away on more card designs since my lolly bag post. I'm aiming to have a decent collection finished by the end of May. I'll keep the pink to a minimum.

My vintage fabric finds

Last Friday I rolled on into Canterbury for the Vintage show. It was a real step back in time, as many enthusiasts pulled on their bobby socks, heightened their hair and put on their Mother's Sunday best. There was a mixture of bric-a-brac, vintage clothing and old fabric to sift through.

* FLASH BACK 10 HOURS*
Earlier that day, I had been in Canberra to see the Masters from Paris at the National Gallery. After viewing the exhibition I was inspired to revisit an old illustration project I had started months ago, on the effects of lighting on the landscape. (See Monet and Me)

* FLASH FORWARD 10 HOURS*
Digging through a fabric stand I found a few vintage scraps with lovely textures including seersucker and velour. Perfect to drop into my landscapes.

Lolly bag card design

A few weeks ago the temptation of a beautiful day convinced me to take my office outside. Whilst I had brought my office supplies, I'd forgotten snacks. As a result, my designs seemed to revolve around sweets, in particular licorice allsorts.

I was playing around with pastels and water colour, then I collaged the individual sweets together in a lolly bag shape. The results are delicious.