Sunday 25 December 2016

Thursday 24 November 2016

Print Social

 



From January 2017, I will offering Printing Workshops for groups of up to 10 people, in the the northern Netherlands.
Printing using a silicone plate, acrylics and with a variety of techniques, resulting in a collage or greeting card.




Tuesday 11 October 2016

Choice Garb



When it comes to creating a character, accessories are key and interestingly enough, sometimes you don't always get to choose what they wear—the character decides!









Sunday 18 September 2016

Food Play



Playing with food whilst waiting for my lunch—no prizes for guessing what I'm making! ;) Tomato and flowers come from my garden.




Saturday 10 September 2016

Whose Shoes



Having designed a cover for a 1920s colouring book, as part of a creative bootcamp, earlier this year, I decided that I'd like to create the contents too.

Since May, I've been designing colouring pages for a graphic story colouring book. In it we follow the life and loves of socialite: Clarissa and Podge (her toy poodle), as well as touching on social occurrences of the time. The pages are influenced by styles and themes from the 1920s, but with a modern twist.

Above is a sample of one of the sketches, which go into designing a colouring page.




Sunday 28 August 2016

Journey's End



Well, I made it... Illustration 100/100 - Cacti ! The last illustration from my second project: #100daysflowersandplants.

In the last four months, I have been working on not one, but two projects from the #100dayproject. Why two? Purely because I couldn't decide between: #100daysfoodanddrink or #100daysflowersandplants. It's been an interesting challenge, running the two, alongside other work and during which, I have seen my style develop. Plus, I now have 200 illustrations for other projects!
As for journey's end? ... I doubt it...




Monday 22 August 2016

Nutritional Green






Interesting fact—seaweed is classed as a superfood, because it is filled with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants and can also aid weight loss. Consumed in moderation it can be eaten: raw, cooked, powdered and in supplements.


Friday 12 August 2016

Marine Design







Seaweed—the underwater garden, providing food, medicine and marine life refuge.
 These and more flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants


Wednesday 10 August 2016

Airborne Offspring









Isn't it wonderful watching the changing of the seasons? Although I have a preference for the seasons which build up to a heady glory, as opposed to the end of year decline, there is something magical about the process and it's repetition.

Autumn is long busy before we name it so, with the subtle turning of the leaves, ripening of fruit and dispersal of seeds. Sitting in the garden, I watch the wind blow tiny butterfly-shaped seed pods everywhere. There is a light sprinkling covering the ground, a guarantee of the survival of that particular plant for next year, with the exception of those that land in my coffee!

These and more flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants




Sunday 7 August 2016

Plum Crazy




This year the plum tree in my garden has excelled itself—in comparison with previous years, it has produced more plums than I can use, have inspiration for, or care to deal with.






So far, I have only plucked about a third of the plums from the tree (about 7kg). Seeing the enormity of the process ahead of me, I also googled diverse possibilities of what to do with them. Apart from eating them fresh, I have made: 2 litres of plum vodka, 11 pots of jam, a couple of plum crumbles, some dehydrated plums: prunes and some fruit leather.





I'm pleased with the outcome, but exhausted by two days in the kitchen and daunted by the remaining two thirds, stlll attached to the tree! Then there's the wasps and a couple of Jays, who, although I'm not adverse to sharing, sample several plums each visit and then leave them to rot! All this fruit processing, reminds me of my childhood summers and my mother's jam making.



Luckily... I am able to call on friends, who's stocks of plum jam are dwindling and who are happy to help me pick the rest from the tree. *phew*
As I pick, I weigh, curious as to what the grand total will be, once the tree is bare again.


UPDATE:
As of today (09/08/2016), the tree has been relieved of it's load —20.5 kilos!
Friends have come and gone, taking with them bags filled with plums, destined for jam, cakes and to be eaten fresh. I thought it only fair, to leave about a kilo on the tree for the jays, wasps and any other fruit loving wildlife.
The tree really excelled itself this year —thank you tree!








Friday 5 August 2016

Foody Top Nine




Here are the top nine, foody illustrations, according to my followers on Instagram, of my subject choice: #100daysfoodanddrink from the #100dayproject.
For a selection from the series and my second project, which is still has a few weeks left: #100daysflowersandplants, take a peek on my Instagram




Thursday 4 August 2016

Finish Line



Well here it is—after joining in with the #100dayproject on Instagram, my 100th food & drink illustration—Tadaah!

Three months of daily drawings, resulting in 100 completed illustrations. Quite a challenge and one I recommend. It helps with perseverance, personal style development, observation and colour play, plus there's a great online community to interact with and be inspired by.
For a selection from the series take a peek on my Instagram






And... as if you hadn't already had enough, the fun continues with another 30 days left of my second #100dayproject—this one is all about: #100daysflowersandplants


Tuesday 2 August 2016

Summer Breeze







There's nothing better than the beach to relieve tension and clear the mind—wind in your hair, the sound of the waves, golden sand between your wriggling toes–an icecream in hand to complete the picture.

This and more foody illustrations can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysfoodanddrink


Monday 25 July 2016

Straw Hat




In the days that my mother was a stay at home mum with three young children, she enjoyed to cook. As a result, from an early age, we were used to eating international cuisine. 

She also made staples of homemade jam and bread and cookies and it was not until I was a teenager that our mother gave in started to buy bread, because she had taken on a full time job. The Straw Hat, a local bakery was pretty good and the staff were familiar faces. On the odd occasion cakes were bought there too. I enjoyed the enormous meringues, smooth and crisp on the outside, filled with oodles of fluffy whipped cream and topped off with a bright red glace cherry and a sprinkling of chopped (greener than they nature had intended) pistachios. Another favourite of mine were the sugar coated doughnuts. These were filled with a bright red strawberry jam that would ooze out if you bit into it hard enough. Sometimes we would play a game, to see who could eat their doughnut without licking the sugar off their lips. A challenge that was accepted, and won a couple of times, but after that I preferred not to play, because it took the enjoyment out of the sugary doughnut experience. 


These and more foody illustrations can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysfoodanddrink





Sunday 24 July 2016

British Bikkies


Jammy Dodgers




Chocolate filled Bourbon biscuits




Iced Gems


British biscuits remembered from childhood. In the summers we would often swim at my brother's elementary school, the Dragon. On the cycle ride back home, ravenous with hunger, we would stop off at a local supermarket and buy bags of iced gems. A bag full of delightful little biscuits, each with a crisp biscuit base, about the size of a euro coin that was topped off with hard, brightly coloured, piped icing shape.

This and more foody illustrations can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysfoodanddrink