My Mats Prep for Bootcamp 2019

Hooray! It’s here again, the inevitable anticipation is over and our first ‘mini’ assignment has been released. Bootcamp with Lilla Rogers has to be one of the creative highlights of my year!

We get a week to work on a little warm up exercise before we’re given the main assignment. We then have 2 weeks until sharing our work in an online public gallery. Then a weeks rest before the cycle starts all over again and so it continues for four marvellous months of incredible inspiration with a group of kind, talented and wonderful artists, many of whom like me, come back year after year. There’s always a fabulous mixture of old and new faces alike and a buzz of excitement which is quite contagious.

Before the class begins, Lilla always posts a little preparation exercise or two. This time we had to collect a variety of objects from around our homes to create a colour palette from. That’s a photo of mine below. I’ll be sharing updates of my work from the assignments over the next few months so feel free to follow along.

Jane Austen's Regency Shoe Collection.

So, I'm a bit of a Jane Austen freak and I've been having so much fun turning my Georgian shoes into a magazine cover mock up with hand painted lettering.  It's certainly kept me on my toes!  Playing in photoshop as a complete beginner has had its mind bending moments, but here is my finished piece and the shoes as a pattern repeat.  This was my submission for MATS A Self Paced course, you can view it in the online gallery here: http://makeartthatsells.com/galleries/mats-a-self-paced/mats-a-live-review-april-2016/page/4

Alternatively, check out my sketches that evolved into this final piece:

http://www.illustratorsimaginarium.co.uk/sketchbook-drawings-of-vintage-regency-shoes/

Sketchbook Drawings of Jane Austen Style Shoes

While I'm waiting for some new paint to arrive, before I can finish my 'Woodland Animal' series, I thought I'd begin work on my next project.  It's all beginning in my sketch book, with a collection of twelve Georgian Shoes.  Come back soon to see how things develop.

1920’s Flapper Girls and Colouring Books

"A sketchbook watercolour portrait of a 1920s flapper girl, featuring garden camellia flowers and antique 1920s jewelry. The delicate blend of vintage elements brings the charm and glamour of the era to life in this unique piece."

"A hand-drawn portrait of a flapper girl created with watercolour washes, ink, and pen, set in a flat lay surrounded by paintbrushes, a paint palette, flowers, and delicate jewelry. This image highlights the artistic process and the vintage glamour of the 1920s."

"A watercolour and pencil sketch of a flapper girl wearing a greenish-blue hat, surrounded by an antique floral bone china tea cup, jewels, and a sprig of pink blossoms. This flat lay captures the elegance of the 1920s, highlighting the creative tools and inspiration behind the artwork."

"An open sketchbook featuring a delicate pen and ink watercolour sketch of a flapper girl, surrounded by paintbrushes and tubes of watercolour paint, showcasing the creative process behind this vintage-inspired artwork."

Hello Everybody and Happy March, I'm so glad spring is finally here.  I've been busy preparing for an end of year exhibition sometime in June, although we haven't decided on the exact date of it yet. It’s the final module in my FdA in Illustration and there's plenty to keep me busy. I've also started an online class with Art Agent Lilla Rogers called MATS Bootcamp.  There's one preparation mini which leads into the main assignment each month.  This is my work towards our first assignment which is  to design a colouring book cover using 1920’s iconography and portraiture.  I've decided to use it towards my FdA exhibition, the top sketch is a rough draft of my colouring book cover, I must admit it's been a lot of fun.  I'll post the finished design in the coming weeks, but meanwhile you check out some information about the course here: http://makeartthatsells.com

February's Relief Printing of Blue Flowers

"Pressed floral collograph print, surrounded by antique floral teacup, organic, botanical elements and gem stones. The combination of natural textures and printed design creates a serene, nature-inspired atmosphere."

"Here’s a closer look at my collograph print on paper, with a scene of vintage items that inspire me. I love surrounding my work with objects that carry a sense of history and beauty, from antique tea cups to colorful gemstones."

"This is the first step in my collograph print process—my print master set on the press, ready to transfer the intricate design onto paper. It’s always exciting to see my artwork come to life through the printing press."

Hello my friends, I thought today I'd share my results of the wonderful collagraph printing workshop I did at college earlier in the month.  For those who know not, a collagraph is a little like a collage which you then make prints from.  I made the collagraph plates by collecting plant matter from the garden.  Then after pressing it for several days I assembled two plates on cardboard using strong pva glue.  I then painted the whole thing white using acrylic gesso, this is so you can see where you've put the ink when you ink it up in the print room.  Then I varnished each plate using acrylic matt medium and voila, once dry they were ready for printing.  The top picture shows one of the plates on the printing press and below this are my prints.  I had so much fun, I recommend it if you get the chance!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14737233/?claim=2vyuj8hpw6v">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>