New Year, new projects

Wow. Has it really been more than 2 years since I started designing personalised initials?
Where has that time gone?

I've been so busy with growing tinkers, involvement with school projects, running festival workshops and expanding our home that the time has flown.

And my how things have evolved... I now have to open and close my order books and have a set structure for my artworks. People are beginning to recognise my style and request my designs rather than asking me to copy something.
I'm still persevering with trying to get my own little scribbles out into the wide world at the right price for the market. I've managed to set up a semi-successful facebook page and keep in regular contact with my audience, so I guess it's about time to get back to my blog :-)





These are a couple of my recent commissions, I've also been working on larger ones of numbers, special birthdays that sort of thing. I do enjoy them even though they can take and absolute age to complete. At the moment financially it really is the love of the job that keeps me going :-)

I've also been running an art club for our local children, lots of fun and a chance to see some emerging artists at the very start of their enthusiastic lives. Last year I ran story and craft sessions for pre-schoolers at the local library hub and this year I'm taking groups in the local infant school. It's lovely to see their development alongside that of my own two little tinkers.
We've managed to create to fabulous crafts over the past few months. I might even start putting some tutorials up on here to showcase their work.

So to the future.... spring is nearly here. Tiny tinker is settled happily into preschool and her sister is coming along leaps and bounds in her own creative way. So that frees up a little more time for me to focus on Scribble development and MichCatt projects.

Although I'm still on go slow whilst I savour the time with tiny tinker before she starts school in the autumn. These are the final chances for me to snuggle a little'un and show her the wonders of new delights before she sees them boring

Initial is for ...

So as the Autumn approaches and our littlest sprog is now on her feet I can start to return to normality and look at getting out the drawing pad again, although all artwork and materials have to be stored high up out of reach of tiny fingers and a little monkey who likes to climb!
My latest book, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, for The Story Mouse is now live and can be ordered though Apple. I've spent the past few weeks enjoying inking up some little artworks for friends and family and as they enjoy them so much I though I might start doing outside commissions. So if you like these little scribbles and fancy your own then get in touch for prices.

Especially for my niece Chloe

 

 

I try to include some favourite things in each picture and colours to match a requested theme or style. So far these were all for children although I did do one for our year 1 teacher as a thank you.

They would make a great gift and can be made as an A5 card or larger framed picture.

If all goes well, I shouldn't get too bored during those cold winter months whilst I'm waiting for next years festival season to start again.

 

As and when the time allows I'm in the process of setting up a new FaceBook page just for my illustrations and will keep you posted with any developements, please as always remember some of these images are copyrighted so please ask me if you want to copy them, thanks.

 

Back to the Community Arts

Welcome to the new season. Maternity leave is now over and I am madly getting materials together for my first community Art workshop of the year. If anyone is at a loose end tomorrow evening and fancies a trip to The Bishops Palace in Wells, Somerset, I shall be running a creative session for kids to design their own medieval feasting plate. I have discovered some intriguing recipes that I can't wait to test on the family including Honey Lemon cake and Frumenty (cracked wheat boiled in milk with raisins and honey).

I am near completion of my latest illustration project for The StoryMouse team and now at the stage where I need to unpack a few more boxes to find the scanner in our Somerset home, although where I shall find the space heaven only knows!

With little tinker number two now at fast crawling stage, keeping the craft projects and art resources out of arms length is becoming a full time job so a little more DIY planned to get those resources into some sort of order and back to the comissions! Happy springtime everyone and enjoy the Whit Weekend... gosh half term is now so close.

New Spring, New Start

I hadn't realised just how quickly the year has past. And oh, what a lot has happened. Sorry to any followers who may have thought Daisy Cottage had fallen forever.
I am back, all be it in steps and starts... so where to begin?
New home, new baby, new garden, new friends and new crafts ideas. Plenty of artwork to spring clean and a couple of projects still to finish!

We departed the beautifully tranquil sea views over the Solway and dramatic walks in the Lake District to head south to the rolling hills of the west country. Found a new home almost as lovely as our little Daisy Cottage and with some work still to do, I hope to have my workspace up and running again soon. For now I am enjoying unpacking numerous craft boxes and attempting small craft projects.

I have started to update my portfolios and workshops brochure and hope to return to community arts by the summer holidays. I have a lovely story nearly completed for the incredibly patient StoryMouse team and some new jewellery and fashion items in production. Keep an eye out for them here first, and hopefully by the summer I will manage to set up my Etsy shop!

For now... Bubs has awoken again so it's back to mummy chores and I'll let you see my first batch of new crafts soon.

New Year - go slow..

Blimey we're over half way through January all ready, where did the end of last year go? Still with a bun now in the oven I'm on a bit of a go slow for the next few months. Hoping to continue some Storymouse projects throughout the year but cutting back on the teaching and workshops until after our imminent family addition in July. Very excited about a new baby but a bit disappointed we're going to miss some lovely festivals this year - especially Warwick Folk festival as that is the same weekend that the baby is due.
Still we've started the year well as my latest illustrations have just launched through Apple for Puss in Boots.

Things are going smoothly with the iPad downloads with the Storymouse company now stocking 6 of my stories. Lets see how many more iPad downloads are taken by british clients over the next year.

And, as I'm doing less teaching this year if you have any small personal commissions you'd like drawn up then please feel free to get in touch.

The Elves in October

At last, The Elves and the Shoemaker are complete and should launch by the end of next week. Next project already in discussion but all under wraps for now.. it's a secret!

I now think I need to get my own iPad so that I can enjoy sharing my stories with the family. The Storymouse is going from strength to strength and at last I'm beginning to look at wider horizons. I'm even working up some sketches for my own two stories, hopefully to complete for submissions by easter 2012.

Here's a sneeky peek from The Elves and the Shoemaker......

Back to school

Awww, first day of school and my little girl is growing up.
She was so pretty and excited walking through the gates this morning, it's quite emotional to think this is it for at least the next 11 years and my, how thing will change over time.

Well it will give me a little more freedom to focus on my illustrations and get some deadlines moving along. The Storymouse iPad books are downloading well and they have managed to secure a contract with Kindle so my images can now be seen even easier.

I'm going to spend the next 2 weeks finishing off my next story for The Storymouse and then see where we go from there.

Summer Prep

It's only two days until the schools break up and I'm now madly preparing for summer workshops, whilst trying to fit in a full house redecoration ready for sale. I shall be so happy when the photographer comes and I can do no more!
So to the summer season... I'm helping to run some summer sessions at The Settlement in Maryport including our fantastic worshops at Solfest over the August Bank Holiday. Keep an eye out for the line up.
but before all that I shall be returning to Warwick Folk Festival again this year over the weekend of July 29th to 31st. So if you are in the area and fancy making a dream catcher or your own little bound book then pop along and see us there.

Starting the holidays

For some reason I feel busier now than through term time. It must be all of that paperwork I sit to one side for a quiet time! It was at least fun to start the easter crafting with my group today. We had loads of fun making origami chicks and Bunnies. We even managed to make some tiny ones to stick to cards, although this took rather a lot of practice.



2 young animals in their handmade masks



Well Goldilocks is now live and I'm starting to draw up initial sketches for the next story.... will keep you posted but not going to let you know the title just yet.



I'm now starting to plan for the summer workshops I'll be delivering at various festivals in 2011. Just confirmed Warwick Folk Festival where I'll be running sessions on making dream catchers, paper mosaic masks and hats and on the Sunday Binding Your own mini book. I'm looking forward to it already as last year was so much fun. Here are a couple of pictures from the fun and frolics...





 

My super assistant Karen