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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Paper Mountain

A new batch of indian cotton rag paper has turned up so I spent a delicious hour or so folding them up into signatures ready for stitching. I ordered a few pages in black this time to make photo albums with, something I haven't made in a few years so will see how they turn out!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

12 months ago...

...to the day we moved into our lovely new home. When I think how long it took us to get here (and we weren't even sure it was going to happen!) it's incredible to think how fast the year has zipped by. We both knew when we saw the house this was the one. Our home.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Print shop

Been doing a fair bit of printing this week, not least because I have been ill and not up to much else. Three year olds that go to playgroup seem to be riddled with germs this time of year! But not one to be beaten by a bit of flu I have churned out the latest set of cards for Sudocard....



a small tonnage of business cards for our soon-to-be-launched UK Handmade....


as well as calendars and gift tags for my own Chalk Hill shop.



Not bad going for someone who is supposed to be in bed resting :D

Monday, October 20, 2008

Illustration Friday - Late

Just how long will a man be kept waiting for?

On a Roll



Saturday, October 18, 2008

Full Circle

I used to love drawing patterns as a kid over and over again on graph paper my dad used to bring home from work. After a week working solid on websites I needed a rest so sat with my sketch book and a bundle of books and magazines and just doodled. I need a range of fabric designs for my journals and with the We Make fair only 6 weeks away the pressure is on! Simple line drawings scanned into Illustrator and coloured. I am 10 years old again and in heaven!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Reflection

Found this in my sketchbook yesterday, just a random doodle of a model from a magazine but caught myself staring at it. Her eyes are wonky and her face a bit too long but her expression was unsettling, a bit like looking in a mirror (even though she doesn't look like me). I remember reading somewhere that portrait artists tend to capture an essence of themselves and people have said that about my drawings, but just how much of myself do I give away?

I've never considered myself an emotive type of artist, expressing my feelings on canvas has never been my drive. I love line and pattern and texture and depth and mystery but it's on a quite a superficial level although very much guided by my instinct.

What am I trying to say? I'm not really sure but I've got to stop looking for my style and perfect my technique. Recognise what I have already and relearn how to get the features in the right place!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Tick tock...

My son very kindly announced this morning that there are only 75 days left until Christmas. My stomach flipped. It means less than two months until the Wemake fair in London and my own Christmas Studio, and I have hardly any stock! Calls for some serious mass production; cover cutting, glueing, paper folding and sewing. My poor fingers hurt just thinking about it!

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Trial and error

Sometimes they work sometimes they don't. This one is definately a failure (although strangely it looks quite good in the photo). I will have to be careful when printing these fabrics that there isn't too much white as as soon as it gets stuck onto the book cover its turns grey. Or I cover the board in a layer of white first. And the black stitching is too heavy. Back to the drawing board methinks!

Monday, October 06, 2008

Liberated...

...from all my hair! I'm usually terrified of having my hair cut; hairdressers see my luscious locks and immediately turn me into a poodle or some kind of bon jovi groupie but I was determined this time to find someone who could turn me into the business-like 30 something I am (or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself I am). I think I hit the jackpot this time. There's nothing like a good hairdo to fill you with oodles of confidence and considering everything I've got coming up between now and Christmas (various craft fairs, magazine launch etc etc) it's just what I need. Watch out world!!