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.

Nice Tri

Ahahaha.... ahh

I like dinosaurs.

True story.

Excuses

The husband has decided that he would like to study film and so for the past month we have been looking at different schools, applying for schools, preparing portfolios, and all those other things that had to be done before application dead lines.

I also signed up for a study course myself so that I could help supplement income.

Then I had a baby.

In the week of limbo between the baby's due date and his actual birth date I did do a little bit of painting. This is my favourite of them. Just to prove that I'm still alive haha.

wild horses

When Gabriel was born we would take him to visit Ky's parents and his dad would take Gabriel in his arms (sometimes immediately) and take him out to be sniffed by the horses.
I thought it was kind of cute, if not the spiritual experience he assured me it was.

The first animal Gabe could identify? "Horse"

He would even pick up sticks at the park and ride them around calling them 'horsie'.
So when we got the call that there was a rodeo, we got in the car and drove up to see more horses.

Gabe slept much of the way to the Valley waking up only for Maccas (typical) but as soon as we got to the house his eyes popped open and recognising where he was he demanded to see the horses.

These photos aren't from the rodeo, they're from April this year of Gabe and Flame, hanging out through the electric tape fence. Ky's dad just sent them through.

 

at least he knows now not to touch the tape... he learnt the hard way...

I painted this for Gabe a week or so ago. It wasn't finished when I took the photo, and still isn't. Gabe carries it around sometimes and manages to spill things on it nearly every time he touches it (the paint has run...and it looks very messed up) but at least he is deriving some kind of enjoyment from it.

Just a minute Mr Postman

Sometimes it seems like a struggle to maintain positivity in life. I don't mean that in an 'emo' way, but just in general there are so many things that are always going on, so many directions that you could possibly be pulled in, that if you gave in to it, you would never fail to find things to be unhappy about.

I would like to think that finding things to be happy about is just as easy if you apply the right frame of mind, but it doesn't always seem that way.
I have recently been reminded just how important friends are, and the wonderful ability letters have to really lift spirits. (Thanks Gwen :) )

So I thought I would make up a few more mini art canvases, which like the others, are made especially to be inexpensively posted to those awesome friends who live too far away.

Bit blurry, but you get the idea. I totally dream of living in a place like that.

its pronounced gwash.

My mum is awesome.

She has inspired my good behaviour with promises of art supplies, and even now as an 'adult' (debatable status) she continues to use art supplies as currency.
I am sure that at some point she will grow tired of getting art instead of more far more versatile currencies (you know, like CASH) for the many things she does for me and my family, for birthdays, Christmas, and mother's day. But until then, I will be happy to continue making things for my mum who has consistently been my most enthusiastic fan.

The other day she bought me gouache (which I had no idea how to say till just now) and this is what I have done with it so far.

 

I love that I bothered to turn this into a print, because now I can stamp it on anything haha. This was my first real try at painting on wood and I think it went alright.

 

 

 And here are the nautical mice that you might have caught on my instagram earlier in the week.

I have decided that I love painting with gouache and don't know why I hadn't done it before, because I can paint with it like I draw with ink (my favourite medium to draw with) and it dries fast and is beautifully opaque so I can paint over things with the designs that I want and in general its just FUN.

Painting on wood is alright too, though I'm never excited about having to wait for varnish to dry, or having to clean up after using it. Boo to turps it totally stinks. 

So thanks mum :)