Painting People (part 2)

 This is my niece and her duck. He died a while ago so for her birthday this year I thought I would take a photo of her and Mr Cow-y and turn it into a little work of art for her.

Her birthday is next week, but she is turning 4 so the likelihood of her seeing my blog and ruining the surprise is next to nil.

In the background of the painting (its gouache again - I'm addicted) I drew some of the things that remind me of Miss Lolly.

I am going to be putting my brushes and pens down for a while so that I can study full time. While I would love to be an artist full time, the pay at the moment isn't allowing me to do that and I really need this qualification to get the currency moving into our household again.

To make it clear, I will still be working on commissions (So commission me!!) But unless it's after work/study hours I won't really be painting. I haven't given up by half. I am submitting my portfolio to a few publishers - which will potentially take FOREVER to hear back from - but the dream is alive my friends. 

While I am studying I would love to fill my evenings with painting pictures of your children, or you. Just send me a photo to eleanor.mccomb@gmail.com and a list of things that you want drawn in the back - along with $50 and I will transform it into an illustration/painting that you can keep forever as a reminder of how cute your kiddie winkles are (or once were)

I would like to say as well that I appreciate a lot the support that I have gotten from friends and family as Kyle and I forge our way through this year's jungle of adventures. It's not even the end of February... grief...

Painting People

I have always had a tendency to only paint or draw things that I knew I was good at. Like I reached a point where I just felt that I was fine as I was and then never really bothered to struggle through the difficulty of painting new things.

I guess I always thought that I was wasting time if I wasn't producing something that I was proud of.
How wrong I was.

I am still working out what my style is after so long being inconsistent with my art, but I have been painting a lot, and have been sketching little portraits. I love how fast and easy gouache is to use.
And fun - it's definitely fun.

I'm not super proud of these, but I am super proud that I'm getting better.

Also - Ronin has a much bigger forehead than pictured - he was looking up so you can't see it all.
I have a bigger forehead than that too... even bigger than normal because my hair is falling out (thanks post pregnancy hormones) and I am transforming into a saiyan (Dragon Ball Z yo - google it if you don't know what I'm talking about. Ky calls me 'Vegeta' - which is only acceptable because I think the guy was cool, my tragic hairline is actually fairly depressing. )

Cake for brekkie

This week has been about building a base of illustrations that I can turn into prints and postcards for the etsy store.

So keep your eye out of these folks - coming soon to the etsy shop.

What big teeth you have...

I only recently started watching Once Upon A Time and I like it a lot. Snow White actually bothers the heck out of me and while I LOVE short hair on women I also must admit that it's not for every face shape, and Snow? No.

This isn't the point. The point is that I like Red.

My enduring affection for the story of Little Red Riding Hood is, frankly, inexplicable. You can look through most of my sketch books and find at least one drawing of the red clad miss surrounded by trees.

I was preparing some prints today and felt like revisiting a little art work I did with the girls from church last year.

This time with paint. 

The original and prints will be over at the etsy store. Once I get them off the computer.. the computer that now has a shattered screen. DISASTER.

I wear your granddad's clothes...

Down the road from where I live there are two second hand charity shops. Op shops, thrift stores, whatever you want to call them.

I buy things from there and cut them up and resew them and just do whatever.

I think that this song is awesome because of that.

It's cussy, so consider yourself warned.

Join in with your song of the week on A Heart Full of Frost.

 

As a side note, I would so so so LOVE to be at this place - check out the line up. 

Amazing. AMAZING.

 

Nice Tri

Ahahaha.... ahh

I like dinosaurs.

True story.

War V

The war of the valentine.

I have had the one valentine, the one I am married to. Pretty awesome really.
I view the day as a marvellous excuse to go on dates and leave the children with someone else, but apart from that, I will be right there with any other cynic pointing at all the insincere valentines marketing and commercial shenanigans.

I still made these though,because the alternatives were bitter quotes from my stressball mind or swear words...  painting swear words would have offended some people and also seemed very hypocritical seeing as I'm always telling the man off for watching sweary things. (the Angel repeats everything. He's a talented little parrot) Also love is pretty awesome, and while I dislike the commercialism of valentines day, I do love love and enjoy being in it.

Happy super early valentines day. May your day, like every day, be awesome. (So basically, have a good day hahaha)

Genius

This is the first week that I have shouldered the title of 'bread winner' and I have to say that the bread has been kind of crummy. (Puns just happen - I'm sorry)

I suppose the biggest challenge is that I am attempting to be a full time mum, a full time housekeeper (which is laughable as anyone who has seen my house can attest to), a full time artist, a full time student, and a full time DVD converter.

IT'S INSANE.

I did actually restock my etsy store though, and last week got some prints back from Genius Printing (based in Melbourne) and they are wonderful!!

The colours are great, and the paper quality is lovely.
I can't get over how bright the colours came out on this canvas.

But the paper prints were fantastic as well, and the look like the originals with all the texture and little idiosyncrasies that my scribbly art has.

as long as 1 and 1 is 2...

Paul Simon is playing in April. With Rufus Wainwright.
So wish I could go.

I have been listening to Simon and Garfunkel a lot lately.
I love this song a lot.
Paul Simon is super short.
All true stories.

Link up with Jess and let us know what you've been listening to this week.