Sneak Peek at a New Project...

What's this illustration all about? None other than a new collaboration, and a new way of working.

Working with the fabulous  author Leonie Abrahamson to illustrate the first in her new "Early Years Teacher Toolkit" series...I've discovered that I can cartoon in (digital) ink and wash. And that I love it...

This illustration is just one of the various icons and pictures in the new guide.

Watch this space for more when the eguide is out...

Update: You can now buy the guide here.

Flamenco Painting & 100th Post

According to Google, this  painting is the 100th post. Appropriate then, that a blog which began with my trying to work out why I'd fallen into digital art at all should mark the milestone with a first painting in motion.

It's also the first that's portrait, one of the first featuring a person, and one of the first in which words popped into my head that just had to be included.

Firsts in a group like that usually lead somewhere significant, and I know they will. Looking forward to finding that path, because the urge to follow it-even to an unknown destination-is building...

Update: You can get this image on a postcard here...

New Digital Painting: Wisteria Waterfall

Apologies that it's been a few week (a stange and bizarre few weeks, but that's another story). Here's the latest digital painting. It's the best attempt I can make so far to capture the "waterfall effect" of wisteria in blosson, with it's lovely gradients of indigo-purple blue to lilac white.
 

Here, it's against maybe a Cotswold stone wall, but let it take you into the bee-buzzed drowsiness of an English summer afternoon, wherever you happen to be as you read this. Enjoy!

Dolphin Digital Painting:Work in Progress

If you love dolphins (and who doesn't?) take a look at this work-in- progress digital painting of a dolphin.

He or she is based on the bottle-nosed dolphins we saw on one of the best days ever a few years ago, dolphin watching in a boat off the Portuguese coast. This dolphin is "in progress" because he's destined to be part of a larger project I hope to be able to tell you more about in a few weeks.

Until then (and after!)...enjoy.

PS. Seems I still prefer to paint and draw slowly. Much as all that "fast and loose idea" is appealing, it seems things still work best when something happens over at least a couple of days.

Which do you prefer in general: painting/seeing paintings produced slowly or quickly? Do leave a comment and let us know. Thanks!

New Digital Painting: Poppies by the Stream

At last, another digital painting: Poppies by the Stream.

It's in my favourite digital oil pastels (by Pixarra Twisted Brush) but  also something new: an 8" by 8" landscape, deliberately quicker, looser, and more abstract.

The question I'm asking myself is: why do I leave it so long between paintings. I *love* to paint, but stop myself with all the things I feel I have to do.

To get around this, am attempting more paintings, but with shorter time limits, and a more "broad brush" approach, as you see here.

(This picture is based on some beautiful poppies-and pretty purple flowers-in my inlaws' garden in Devon).


Will "being more casual, more often" this work? Time will tell.

Do you find yourself putting off doing things you love? And/or have you found a way around it? Please comment if you can relate, and/or to say "hi"...and have a great day!

P.S. I posted the original design  to give you the idea. But I'm really excited about how it came out on household goodies like this...