A new scanner and a doodle marathon!

Happy Sunday everyone!

I came home the other day to find that my boyfriend Sam had bought me a new scanner as a surprise. We had been talking about getting one since the last one bit the dust after falling off a chest of drawers - they don't bounce!

Anyway, I needed one to scan artwork and designs ready for printing and I'm very happy with the quality of the scan. For those who are interested, it's an Epson Perfection V370 Photo and seems good at colour and black and white scanning, as well as photocopying text.

I finished off a few doodles this week so put the scanner to the test!

I've been interested in the artwork of doodle artist Kerby Rosanes and Lei Melendres recently - their clean lines, detail and style of shading have really inspired me.

This was started sat on the beach, watching Sam fishing. I included everything I could think of at the time, from mussels and birds to cupcakes and puppies!

This next doodle was introduced in last week's blog post but with one thing and another I took a while to finish it.

Both doodles contain many of the same elements.

I can't help including the chunky little octopus, he's so much fun to draw!

A few people have suggested that I colour them in, but I'm not sure if that will take away from the lines and detail. I think I'll give it a go with my next one.

If you are interested in commissioning any artwork, including portraits, doodles or paper cuts, please don't hesitate to get in touch via the 'contact me' section (tab at the top).

I also have a giveaway running pinned to my Facebook page, don't forget to enter!

I'll leave you with a few photos from my weekend, it's been glorious here in North Devon!

I'm sharing today's post on the following blogs: Handmade Harbour, Manon Popje's Illustrations, Nifty Thrifty Things, Be Different Act Normal and Tatertots and Jello.

Indian paper cut update - it's FINISHED!

After hours of sitting hunched up, toiling over the cutting mat, I have finally finished this Indian-style paper cut and I couldn't be happier with the way it's turned out.

It's cut out of 'normal' thickness paper with a size 11 scalpel blade.

I think I'm going to stick with the yellow background, but as it's for my sister, I'd better give her the final say! I love the way the contrast is so vibrant when it's held up to the light like in the photo below.

Although I'm glad it's finished, I really enjoyed cutting out all those tiny patterns!

Here's how it started life, hand drawn on a piece of plain A4 paper.

It casts beautiful shadows in the sunshine.

One last photo!

This weekend I've also been working on the dog portrait commission I began a few weeks ago. His nose was the focus today! The fur still needs toning down so it's not so pale.

Finally, I've almost finished this doodle, but you're only getting a sneak peek for now!

That's all for today, thanks for stopping by! I'll leave you with this photo taken at Westward Ho! while Sam was land boarding this evening.

PS. Please pop by my Facebook page if you'd like to see more of my work :)

I'm sharing today's post on the following blogs: Handmade Harbour, Nifty Thrifty Things, Be Different Act Normal, Sunny Simple Life and Manon Popje's Illustrations.

Indian-style paper cut

Hello! Last week I was painting a dog portrait which I still haven't had chance to finish! Instead I've been working on a couple of other commissions, which has also been fun.

I can share this work in progress with you as it's for my sister who has asked me to design a piece for an Indian Summer marketing campaign she'll be running for her business later this year. After doing a bit of research on Indian designs, I decided that the beautiful patterns lent themselves to being transformed into an intricate paper cut.

This is it so far, held up to the window with yellow paper behind.

I think I'll back it with a mix of colours though, to reflect the Indian Summer theme.

I loved drawing out the pattern, filling out an A4 piece of paper with raindrop shapes, loops, flowers, fans and circles. It was like doodling!

Cutting it has been really good fun too, I love all the little curves and intricate shapes. The fish scale pattern shown in the picture above is one of my favourites!

There's still quite a way to go, so I better get back to cutting! I'll leave you with this photo of Sam and other kitesurfers at Westward Ho! today. :)

I'm sharing this post on the following blogs: Nifty Thrifty Things, Handmade Harbour, Manon Popje's Illustrations, Be Different Act Normal and Tatertots and Jello.

Pet portrait painting in progress - that's a lot of p's!

Hi everyone! I've been hard at work on a few commissions this week which is great fun!

I've had the house to myself as Sam has been away on a stag weekend, so it's been good to have plenty of time for painting.

This pet portrait is the main piece I've been working on. It's still not finished, in fact there's quite a way to go.

I've got to paint all the little hairs on the ear, add detail to the nose, finish the collar and tags and refine the shading.

I've been taking photos at each stage and am hoping to make them into a video when I'm finished. Until then, here are a few to show how it's progressed.

The last image in that series shows the dog looking very dark. To lighten it up I've painted tiny white hairs over the whole thing which I will then cover with a tan coloured wash to bring it all together.

I'm working in acrylic paint because it dries nice and quickly, allowing layers to be built up with no drying time in between. I've never tried oils but would love to have a go!

Here's where I've been working at the dining room table. It now has a few nice acrylic splodges...shh!

This week I've also been working on a paper cut kirigami cityscape. I'm still only at the cutting stage, the windows are taking ages! Eventually, when all the details have been cut, I'll fold it and it'll magically turn into a 3D city. Well, here's hoping. The last kirigami I did went wrong, so fingers crossed I've got the measurements right on this one.

Next Sunday, I'll hopefully have a finished pet portrait to show you!

If you've enjoyed this post, please pop by my Facebook page. I update it regularly during the week and I'd love to welcome some new faces!

I'm sharing this post on the following blogs: Paint Party Friday, Handmade Harbour, Be Different Act Normal, Manon Popje's Illustrations and Tatertots and Jello.