A GIF tryout

A picture from sketch to paint I very roughly tried to put together to make a gif 

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Pretty poor attempt at depicting the phrase, a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was meant to just be a rough sketch for a commission. Just some brain storming, thank goodness, so I can forgive the misproportions. :D  

Dragonfly

No people this time, but a ... dragonfly. It landed in my balcony and didn't move for nearly the whole day. It seemed like it was dead but its legs moved briefly when touched. But it didn't fly and let the breeze turn it over on its back and move it around without any resistance. Anyway, it was nice and intact and still for sketching.

When I returned to it later it had disappeared, so I'm hoping that it was just heat exhaustion, and that it had gained its strength back and flew away!

A painting based on a nature reserve not far from my house in Bristol. I have seen so many urban foxes around this city! Was trying to think more about shape - big and little, pointy and round shapes...

Finding directions

Unfinished doodles...

Watercolour imaginary landscape

A few drawings

Quick vacation sketches

My favorite tree

The Ponderosa Pine is my favorite tree in Yosemite. Its bark (left) looks like jigsaw puzzles. It was named by Spanish explorers who thought it looked heavy and ponderous.  

girl in bright pants WIP

Reworking a canvas from 2012

This was a boring painting (stylized mountain scene from when I lived in Switzerland) that I knew I would change one day, but didn't quite know what to do.... A few days ago, I added the top layer of thick, dark blue lines. I like that it sort of feels like knotted mangrove trees. To me, the white things are cloud-like, but a friend said it looked like dolphins entangled roots or something.  I think it's done, but who knows. :)

I've sold a few cards to people who aren't my friends or my mum, since they went into the shops. This one is the most popular..by which I mean have sold 6...People like cats, I conclude!

Sketchbook messing around

I haven't done any art this week, been more focused on teaching plus exam season has started so earning some cash but very busy. Instead here's a picture my 11 year old student, Mia, did - it's a backwards story about WW2!

Just Practising Expressions :P

Sketchbook exchange with Jackie & Vicky

Vicky made a sketchbook and said the theme was "native plants" so I finished this collage type drawing/painting.

I'm uploading this one early cos I'll be away until late Monday, when we'll be driving back from visiting Reza's family.

It's the second illustration for the commission. Phew, think I'm done. Learned a lot and it was a nice process, but certainly not very money for time efficient! Hope she likes it! This is the one which Philip from Fine Art modelled for. 

Pumpkin Protection

I haven't been posting for a while because it's the hottest part of the year here now and so very exhausting. But there was a tiny bit of rain this week so here's a quick sketch of some people on a scooter I saw -not while walking (way too hot for that!)- while in the car. Apparently the heat was too much to wear a helmet, so they used it instead to transport a precious... pumpkin?

 

the first of the 2 commissions for somebody's story book pitch I mentioned a while back is finished!

Portraits

after two week of absent due to internet problems, I am back with two posts instead of one.

Both portraits of my podcast MyIllustrationLab.com 

Tile

I painted a little tile yesterday, wondering how it'll look after it's fired.

cards

I designed some cards and got them printed nicely and plucked up the courage to approach two Bristol shops nearby, they both said yes to stocking some of them in their shops. Am excited!. I made ten designs, both shops chose these 2 above, and they also chose 2 and 4 more respectively. There were 3 designs neither of them liked though. Here's one that neither liked, not sure if it's the painting itself or the square shape of the card (all the rest were oblong):

Found wood and a garden theme

Hi there! How's the gang? 

I made this a few months ago, so my turn to "cheat". I didn't have my sketchbook with me, but saw this photo on my phone & thought it'd do for this week's upload. Hope you all are feeling sunny & creative. XOX

Missed my upload, so two for one :D

Since I didn't upload on 27th, I'll throw two drawings atcha. They kinda go together anywaysssss. 

Can you find the big, green headed reptile-looking dude? Collage!!! It's what happens when you don't like the drawing underneath. 

Maybe I'll call this one, "The Time Out Tree".

Bug card

School's Out

Watercolor & ink sketchbook doodle - architecture, landscape or something

vamos a la playa

Cheating because I put this one on my Facebook page too so I'm a real two-timer. Based on a diary entry I found from when I was backpacking around in Spain... I remember several days of being heinously ill and tent-bound atop a mountain, and somehow managing to make it down by bus and acquiring antibiotics with my terrible franglo-spanglish. But my diary tells a very different story! ¡¡¡Beach party!!!

Emma's Painting from early April

View on way home from Bedminster Down school, looking through the rain from my car window.

Big apology Emma. My grandfather passed away on April 6th and I completely forgot my promise to you to post this while you were in France. It's such a lovely, calming scene. 

This is not a nature sketch, for a change. Instead it is a sketch for my first paid illustration commission, for someone who wants 2 illustrations to go with a children's story text that they're planning on pitching to a publisher. But the nice thing is that the model for the man looking up from bottom left is our very own Philip, Fine Artist of Falmouth, Pirate of Penzance, who modelled for me in my mum's French garden during this year's holiday (we missed u Angela!). Ps. any comments on how I could improve it, before I go ahead and paint the real thing - or do u think it'll do?!

Ramon - Cristian

My latest invited for my podcast, as usuall, just ink and paper.

http://myillustrationlab.com/the-podcast-17-ramon-bastias/

I've been making my own postcards

Sunproof - Divya

...she was all ready to take on the heat

Dad's birthday card

Carola - Cristian

This is the second quick sketchy portrait for my podcast, as usual just ink a paper.

Frowning - Divya

I'm not sure why she was frowning, she just was.

Tuesday 7th - Angela

I visited a friend in Atlanta, Georgia - just a weekend trip, but we made lotsa time for art while together. I had fun using her materials. She is primarily into sculpture and so I had access to some stuff I might not otherwise have had around in my own space. I imagine this as a maquette for a life-sized kinetic sculpture (think Jean Tinguely). I like the idea of there being a few huge cranks so folks can move/turn different parts at different speeds. It'd make a terrific noise as well. :D

Oldbury Court

 Another Bristol parklife sketch: this is Oldbury court, my favourite place in Bristol. It has captured my heart and is like a tiny taste of Devon with steep cliffs, tall trees, a green-brown river and lots of happy dogs and kids. It's not too far from where we live: just a 15 minute bike ride away.

Shopguy - Divya

So sometimes after a long day cooped up in the studio (aka my room at home), when the sun starts setting and a tiny bit of sea breeze sets in and it's not as oppressively hot as it was in the day, I take a walk outside with my mum to get some fresh air. And of course, there are lots and lots of people about then.
I feel like I need to draw more people - animals can be for the rest of the week, and usually there are more people about to observe than animals- so I plan to sketch at least one person I've seen on my walks in a week... and then post it over here, of course.
This week it's the shopkeeper at the nearest grocery store. Not entirely accurate, because I come home and then sketch and forget half the details, but this is vaguely what he and shop look like.

Amy 4/1

Clara is a friend who turns 12 today. The best part of this card is the bonus chihuahua on a string, which I can't take credit for making.