Mapping the Thames

This weekend has been an extremely busy one, not least because I've had confirmation of a really exciting commission!

I don't want to say too much about what it's for until I've made a bit more progress, but I've been asked to produce an illustrated map of the River Thames.

Now, I have ALWAYS wanted to draw maps. When I was at school I wanted to be a cartographer. The fact that maps can be both attractive and functional interests me and the detail really appeals to my love of intricacy.

So, when I got asked to submit a small sample for consideration, I jumped at the chance.

This is just an example of a tiny section of the map and it's going to be changed slightly, but you get the idea.

I decided to use watercolours because I love the way they highlight the texture of the paper (and they're so fun to paint with)!

I had a go at painting Windsor Castle, using some of the same techniques as I use in my doodles.

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed doing these paintings and I'm so excited about getting stuck into this project.

It's the first time in a while that my drawing board has actually looked like there's some drawing going on! Today I've been sketching out the curves of the river, which is definitely easier said than done.

I've invested in some new Winsor & Newton watercolours as I used my old school set for these paintings and thought it was about time I get a 'grown up' set! I felt like a child in a sweet shop buying these!

Back to the drawing board now!

If you'd like to follow this project as it progresses, please follow my blog using one of the buttons on the right and pop over to my Facebook page where I'll be posting regular updates.

I'm sharing this post on the following blogs:  Handmade Harbour and Paint Party Friday.

All good things come to an end...

...so the saying goes, and holidays are no exception! We arrived home at 3am this morning after a week in beautiful, sunny Praia da Luz in Portugal. True to good old English form, it rained as we drove home.

The tan is already fading and it's back to work tomorrow; it's beginning to feel like the last week was just a lovely dream!

We stayed with friends in an incredible villa on a hill overlooking the beach at Praia da Luz. I would definitely recommend James Villas, the villa was extremely clean, service was excellent and there was always someone on hand to help (if, like us, you're silly enough to lock yourself out for example).

I painted this watercolour from the balcony. I wanted to capture the subtle colours of the terracotta rooves and cool white buildings against the backdrop of lush green trees and gorgeous blue sea.

Just to prove it did happen and it isn't just a figment of my imagination, here I am, painting.

Here's the painting and view for comparison. I tried to be accurate but used a little artistic license!

I didn't quite get round to finishing this one, a painting of the contents of my suitcase.

I have to admit there were a few more clothes than pictured here!

This little drawing contains all our memories from our holiday. I thought it might look nice with a bit of colour and framed, but I expect I'll get too caught up in new projects to finish this one!

Today I finished sketching out a paper cut which I hope to start next weekend as I need to borrow my Mum and Dad's scanner to transfer it to the cutting paper!

It'll be the most intricate one I've done yet but I'm really excited about getting started.

I designed it for the Papercutting Workshop 'transportation' challenge on Facebook. The following photos show a bit more of the detail.

The pencil gives a bit of perspective to show how teeny it is!

I'll leave you with a few more of my holiday snaps, hope you've all had a lovely week! Don't forget you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter which I update in between blogs :)

PS. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you're interested in commissioning a paper cut; I've finished a couple for other people now and really enjoy them!

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

Watercolour paintings in progress (WOYWW and PPF)

Today I'm linking up for the first time to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW)! I've been painting some little square pictures to make watercolour greetings cards. I've gone for a seaside theme as it's summer!

Working in the lounge, you can tell I live with two men can't you (see left hand side!)

I really enjoy working with watercolours at the moment. It's taken me a while to get the hang of applying a smooth wash but I think I've cracked it! It definitely helps to wet the paper first. I googled 'how to watercolour' which brought up a few good websites.

The amount of times I nearly dunked my paintbrush in my tea....

These paintings are very different to my usual 'realistic' style. I'm used to painting portraits so it's been a bit of a challenge for me to be creative and draw something that isn't in front of me!

Here are the designs I've painted so far, some of them need a little more work, particularly the Torquay one, but I'm happy overall. I'm linking these up to Paint Party Friday :)

Seagulls like pasties...fact.

I LOVE beach huts!

Little country cottage.

 I painted this one with the help of a few reference photos from Google.

I'm working with foreign students at the moment so the topic of good old British fish and chips is coming up a lot right now!

...And everybody knows that they are a seagull's favourite food!

Hopefully I'll find the time to put them together soon and I'll be able to show you the finished cards!

If any of you read my last post and are wondering about how my little peacock painting turned out, here it is, half-painted. I got a bit overenthusiastic with my paint mixing so it encroached on the square around it...oops!

If you've enjoyed this post please think about following my blog using one of the buttons on the right-hand-side! I love your comments too!

Tonight I'm linking up at the parties on the following blogs: A Creative Princess, Domesblissity, Hickory Trail, Cornerstone Confessions, Rhinestone Beagle and The Shabby Creek Cottage.