Folksy Friday - Greetings

I don't need to tell you that Father's day is imminent. You know already, its been rammed down your throats by a zillion T.V ads and the AppleMac people are sending emails suggesting you purchase your dad an iPad for Father's day. Yeah right an iPad for Father's Day and a yacht for Christmas. Yep another commercially driven, corporate card company invented occasion is upon us. Yikes I sound like a right miserable git! 'Okay sorry rant over'. Overall I do think it is a lovely sentiment to take a day out and say thanks to your dear old dad and if you do it the handmade way then thats even better.
Aside from that it was also my boyfriend's birthday on Tuesday, so basically as scouting for cards was the order of the week i've decided to theme my Folksy Friday post today on greeting cards in general. I won't bother too much with the dad's day ones as you've probably already got yours by now.
If you haven't got time to make your own or are lacking inspiration here are some good places on Folksy to purchase a card.

1. My first choice is from the It Belongs to Turtle shop. Offering lots of cute cards and other bits, my favourite of the bunch is the Georgio Elephant one which would make a great card for a kid's birthday, but to be honest I would love this as a card, so its good for big kids too!



















2. Now for a man's card, grrrr! Well actually this is a unisex card really. I found this on the Tea with Rachael and Stephen shop. Great idea for a birthday card and a lovely print - awesome. Think I will be getting this card for the next birthday on my list. Note to self: 'Probably best for someone who isn't easily offended'.




















3. If you have friends or family members who are into cats then getting a card from here will certainly win you brownie points. This would be one for my sister Jennifer as she adores cats. I really love the decorative and quirky illustration style of this artist and use of colour. She also produces some fab art prints.



4. Take a look at the cards created from Sue Woollatt's beautifully intricate wood engravings. The detail is astonishing that's one seriously talented lady and she has some amazing prints as well.



5. If you are looking for something a bit special and are seeking a more elaborate card for a very special occasion there are these great pop up butterfly cards available at the Love Poppet shop.
For the work that's gone into them, I would say they're a steal at £2.25.



6. I love this off beat Valentines day card by Konnie Kapow. I know it's a bit late, or early depending on how you look at it, to be thinking about Valentines day, but this is certainly a good one to keep in mind for next year. One thing I hate is slushy Valentines day cards so this for me is perfect:



7. I can't have a card themed Folksy Friday post without mentioning the wonderful and legendary Storey Shop. Not only is this a great name for a shop, but there are tons of fabulous hand cut cards to choose from. Also if you want something more personal they do custom made cards. What more do you want?



Although I must day i'm not sure that I love anyone more than cheese, especially a nice bit of brie... mmmmmm.

8. I found a great selection of ace cards and other goodies available in Alexandra Snowdon's shop. Really love the simple but effective folk art style. I very much admire people who can create simple prints and make them look so good,. I guess because my work is always so laboured and no matter how hard I try I can never work in a loose way, I just end up obsessing over the smallest details. So the last Folksy based offering on my listy is this gorgeous item:



Well actually there is just one more sneaky addition. A non folksy one to squeeze in and this one's for your old man (ideally to be sent if you are of the boy variety). I found this cute father's day card, brilliantly titled ' Astro Dad and Astro Lad' on Etsy in the Brittsy shop:



Happy card shopping everyone and happy Father's day on Sunday dad, hope its a good one!
P.S. Sorry its only chocolates and not an iPad ;)

Shiny and New

For a while now i've been working on a new illustration and threatening to get it out into the public domain. Its another self-initiated one which is intended for sale as an art print. I will be adding it to my Folksy and Etsy shops soon.
I had this idea in mind for a while (as i quite often do) which revolved around having an image with a mountain range in. That and a desire to have a wolf somewhere in the scene. I'm not really sure why, but I just had an overwhelming urge to do so. With these two factors being the basis for the image, I decided to create a narrative based scene where the viewer can mentally conjure up a story behind the illustration.
Anyway after many hours of ridiculous, perfectionist obsessing, my newest creation 'The Journey' is complete and here it is. I hope you enjoy it:















Strangely I feel quite empty now its done, so i'll have to get onto another project pretty quick. Actually I will be doing some work for Novel Magazine which is exciting, so i'll let you know about that soon.

Another brand spanking new thing you may have already noticed is that the illustration page on my website has been given an overhaul. It now looks super swish which is thanks to the help of two friends. The talented Paper Jam Comics Collective artists Paul and Britt, who i know from Made In Newcastle. I'm currently working with them to make some other bits of my site look and work better too, so you should see some other changes in the next few weeks or so.

I would love to hear what you think about my new illustration page and if you have any suggestions as to how I can improve my site.

Folksy Friday - Handmade Holiday

You may have noticed that i'm now making a big effort to try & update my blog regularly, given that in the recent past there have been some cavernous gaps between installments. As part of an attempt to do this have decided to start my very own Folksy Friday posts. For those of you who don't already know, these highlight the beautiful work of independent artists/makers offering their work on Folksy.
There is only one problem with this, i've seen so much lovely stuff around on the tinterweb that i'm finding it incredibly difficult to limit myself just to Folksy goodies. Therefore on a more occasional basis i'm going do a 'Feast Your Eyes' post and gather up some other gorgeous artifacts i've come across elsewhere on the www. for you to see.
Also to help me narrow down my options there will be a theme for each FF & FYE post.

So for my first ever FF post today the theme is 'holidays'. Why? Cause I need a damn holiday and fast, so this will be like a precursor to the real thing. Not that i've got a holiday booked yet, but I intend to soon - even if its 2 days next to the duck pond in my local park with a book & a Mojito cocktail hidden in a brown paper bag. Here's what i found:

1. Firstly if your going away you require a wash bag. That is unless of course you're my boyfriend - then you can dump your toothbrush, paste and shower gel into crumpled supermarket carrier bag complete with holes which is bound to spill out it's wet contents and make a mess of your luggage. However if you wanna do it super cute style then get your mitts on this 'Fleur the Cat Drawstring Washbag':



2. I don't think I've ever been on a beach holiday as I like my breaks to be packed full of cool stuff to do, normally not much of a break really. At the moment what I really want is a beach based trip 'cause i'm knackered. I want some sun and a warm blue sea for a nice relaxing dip. To do this without donning my ride-up-my-rear-end 8 yr old costume, a new cozy is in order. I stumbled across this fab retro style red & white strip bikini swimming costume:



3. Following on from my dreams of sun and sea it reminded me of the lovely Surf and Silver jewellery shop. This lady makes the most charming silver jewellery with stunning sea glass features found on the beaches of the North East coastline. I love the eye catching teal green colour in this black and green sea glass pendant. Its my favourite in their Folksy shop at the moment:



4. Now i need something to put my holiday gear in. Yes you guessed it a suitcase of course. I found this love-able little gem of an up-cycled suitcase by Love by You
Its so cute that i'd be using it all the time not just for holidays, but to carry my sandwiches into work and everything:



5. The likelihood is I'm going to have to wait at least a month or two before I get my coveted break, so in the meantime i'll have to make do with dreaming about getting away. This lovely sun mosaic mirror helped me do just that. It really reminds me of the kind of décor you'd find in gorgeous Spanish villas drenched in the sun:



6. Another item to transport me to far away exotic lands, at least mentally, is this African print bunting by Karen Arthur of Reddskinbags. Its so vibrant and will certainly get you in the summer mood and perk up any room or garden with its vivid colours. It would look great in my garden - well back yard:



7. For my final featured item i'm back on a sea tip. I've picked this wonderful 'Maiden of the Sea' illustration print on sale at the Crumpetty Tree shop
I adore the colours in this image and i'm really into images that use lined pattern at the moment so this is right up my street. I particularly like the cute origami whale on the waves. Don't you think it would look awesome on a bathroom wall?



So that is it for my inaugural Folksy Friday post. I hope you enjoyed it and its got you in the holiday spirit. Bring on the sun!!

10 Creative things to get onto

Since getting on the Twitter wagon I've found about loads of great creative projects, competitions and ways to showcase your work as an artist.
Initially when Twitter started to get big I was adamant that I wouldn't get embroiled in yet another social networking site/facility, especially given that i'm already having trouble just keeping up with posting regularly on the blog. However i like many others got sucked in and now as a Twitter convert I must admit that of all the social networking thingy-mi-jigs that I've got into, this has by far been the most useful in terms of finding out about cool projects and stuff.

Because i've discovered lots of great projects/opportunities for emerging artists (like me good self) lately I feel I should share these with you. So i'm writing this post and maybe some of you there arty folks who maybe reading this can get involved with too (if you so wish).
For all you list nuts theres no particular order so its not like a top 10 or anything. Here we go:

1. Wall Collective: http://www.wallcollective.com. This is great new way to showcase your work as an artist/designer/ photographer/illustrator/print maker etc. Its incredibly simple and effective. You just get on down there, upload your images and you've basically created your own online portfolio.
I really like this concept because its quick, isn't overwhelming and doesn't try to hook you into investing time on other things such as creating a circles of friends or joining other groups.

2. Art Waffle: http://www.artwaffle.com Another new site I've found is the art waffle
blog, which posts interviews with artists and the lovely AW peoples are currently looking for new artists to interview. Its a brilliant opportunity for new artists to get some exposure for their work. Of course you can also use it to learn about artists who you may not have discovered and get an insight into how they work and what they think about the arty world around them.

3. Craftsville: http://craftsville.co.uk/ I found out about this site sometime ago when the friendly inhabitants of said Ville interviewed lil ol me on their regular feature 'Hello My Name Is...'. This is a lovely looking blog and is a fantastic resource for artists and makers.
They also run a Craftsville Craft Club, so if you live in Leeds and love a good old making session then this is probably for you.

4. Cut Out and Keep: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/ Another awesome site I stumbled upon a while ago. If you're a craft God or Goddess then you'll love this one.
Not only does it have a million, billion, trillion (well perhaps not a trillion) free to use craft tutorials that have been uploaded by the Cut and Keep community, it also has forums, competitions and the wonderful Snippets magazine which I produced the 'Clangers' illustration for a while back. Definitely one of my favourite sites, with a wealth of crafty resources.

5. Illustration Friday: http://www.illustrationfriday.com An ongoing 'just for fun' challenge, where every Friday illustrator's are asked to submit an illustration in response to a specific topic. They then get until the following Friday to submit their image and have it shown on the blog, along with all the other weird and wonderful submissions. I've wanted to submit an illustration for ages, but (like so many things in life) I never seem to have the time. Still I love looking at all the lovely pics being the visual junkie that I am.
The site also runs artist interviews and some other ace stuff so go check it out.

6. Illlustration Rally: http://illustrationrally.blogspot.com Another fantastic site for illustrators and illustration lovers is the IR blog.
IR announce calls for submissions on Facebook and Twitter, with a specific theme. Illustrators can apply to take part in a rally and if selected you get your art showcased on their beautiful looking blog with a link to your site - yay!! I haven't had the chance yet as i've only discovered this one, but next rally - i'm there.

7. Mencap's Make with Me initiative: http://www.makewithme.org.uk The charity Mencap who support people with learning disabilities have recently launched their brand new craft based initiative Make With Me (there is also one for avid baking fans of a similar ilk called Bake With Me) This is something for all ages and abilities to get involved with to help raise money for a good cause.
They're asking crafty folks to organise their own fundraising 'Make Parties' and invite friends, family and members of the community to take part. I love this as its such an innovative fund raising idea and one which it'll also give artists/makers who are interested in running workshops & community engagement activities the chance to try out the field and hone their teaching skills.

8. https://www.greatbritons.ba.com/ Recently I've learnt about some ace competitions, which I would love to take part in but probably don't have the time. My sister Jennifer informed of a mega competition which is being run by British Airways as part of their Olympic 2012 advertising campaign. They're basically running a serious of contests - one for aspiring artists, one for aspiring writers and one for aspiring chefs.
The art comp invites applications from emerging talent to submit ideas & initial sketches for Olympic and Paralympic themed imagery which will adorn the sides of BA jumbo jets - wow imagine how flipping ace that would be. The winner gets coaching from the world renowned artist Tracy Emin.

9. http://www.dontpaniconline.com/designbrief/protest-placard-poster-competition Here is another competition based opportunity. The super slick Don't Panic e-magazine is running 'Design The Poster' competition in association with fashion label Diesel who have been running various design based competitions on and off for some years now.
The idea behind this one is to design a political slogan it's a great idea for a contest and one which you can have a lot of fun with. If you think you're a slogan whizz and have a spare moment you should give this one a go.
The deadline is soon so don't miss out!

10. http://www.whiteboxcontest.com Ok last one, but as the old adage goes 'by no means the least'. This is another one with an imminent deadline. Run by the Belgium chocolatiers Guylian this a contest for aspiring designers to get their teeth into....hahaha get it, get it (a crap pun sorry) .
Named ‘The White Box Contest' applicants are asked to submit designs for a new look box for their famous chocolate praline shells. A great competition with a $5000 prize for the winner.

Well if all this isn't enough to keep you busy for a while, i'm flipped if i know what will.

BYEEE!

End of an era (well a short era)

Tuesday saw the closure of the Made In Newcastle shop. Some of you may already know that this is an empty shop project which i have been heavily involved in over the last 10 months.
It began in July last year when a lady called Rachael Streather set up the first incarnation. After its premature closure in October 2010 due to a paid tenancy offer, I went about sorting us out another premises and on 14th December (or abouts) the shop at 79 Grainger Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne opened. We managed to hold this shop for the full intended 6 months and on the 31st May our time there was complete.

I won't bore you with all the ins and outs of the set up and how it came to be, as it is a long story. However if you want to know more about the project you can read the Made In Newcastle (MiN) blog and you may want to read the post 'A tale of two MiNs' which I wrote when the 1st shop closed in July and attempts to sum up events in a more interesting way.

The shop was hard work, but i feel a bit lost now its gone. It was a great place to network meet like-minded makers and artists and also a fantastic opportunity to showcase & sell my work. Still its not all over, the MiN project is still going to continue but i think we'll be doing it in a different form net time - possibly a more community engagement type project, where we have a studio space which we can offer workshops from.

Now that the shop is no more i am looking for new places to stock my prints and cards in, so if you have any suggestions please let me know as i would love to find some new lovely stockists. I've just finished an illustration which i am going to put on the wall of a very cute little coffee shop called Piccolo Coffee in the Grainger Market soon and hope to add it to my Folksy shop too. Here its is hope you like it:

This week i have mostly...

Yay its Friday!!! Not that i have anything special planned for this weekend but it'll just be nice not to be at my computer 24/7. Although i'm sure i won't be able to resist doing some work and checking my inbox for emails - seeing as i've apparently developed on obsession with doing this lately.
Anyway this week i have mostly been designing logos. Two logos to be precise and i would lie to share them with you.

I was given the brief to produce a logo for a start-up business based in Florida called 'I Hope You Never Need It.com'. It will be a sister company to an already well established business there called 'Florida Flame'.
It is still under development but the basis of the company is a bag which contains everything you may need in an emergency situation - such as a mobile phone, water bottle, a bit of money - that kind of thing. The idea is that if you need to get out of the house fast and you don't have time to pack anything, such as in the event of an earthquake, tornado, fire, etc you can just grab this bag by the door and go. Its mainly for places in the world which suffer from a lot of natural disasters. Seeing as these seem to be occurring a lot lately they'll be a very welcome new product.

So with the business plan in mind i came up with the idea of basing my design around the fire exit 'running man' icon to get the message of across of an emergency situation across. It was quite tough coming up with a design which would be visually interesting and convey the message, but i think this works well.

Next up is a logo for a new handmade jewellery business called 'Forever After...' offering gorgeous vintage inspired pieces by Hollie Cable.
Hollie was very clear on the design she wanted - a blue bird on a crooked branch with a necklace hanging from it.










You can visit Forever After... jewellery on Facebook .
Hollie is currently in the process of setting up an Etsy shop so soon you'll be able to buy her lovely products from there too. I also created an Etsy banner from the logo design:





Well have a happy Friday everyone. I'm off to work on an illustration that has been bursting to get out of my head and onto paper for ages.

New illustrations

It occurred to me that i haven't posted any of my most recent work up on the old blog so i thought I better get onto it.

Tree House Retreat. This first image was in my head for ages before i finally had the chance to get it onto paper. There are two versions with different colour schemes, one representing Spring/Summer and one Autumn. This is basically because i couldn't decide which i liked best. The spring one was 1st (how appropriate), then i started messing about with the colours and came up with the Autumn version. Anyway i'll stop wittering... here they are:


My second new illustration is the Home Sweet Home image. This wasn't an idea i had in my head for ages, instead it just popped in there one day and said 'let me out!'. Although part of me was reluctant to give it an airing, as it was an image which would (or should) by its very nature include birds and i'm sorry, but i for one am sick to death of seeing and producing illustrations/designs featuring birds as they're ten to the dozen. I love birds and yes the designs almost always look fab, but i strive to create images that are totally out of the ordinary.

Anyway i succumbed and to be semi true to myself i avoided putting a bird in the main part of the image and instead concentrated my energies on making the bird house as perfect as possible. So here it is:

It struck me after finishing this illustration that much of my work of late has trees in. Its really strange as this isn't something i've set out to do purposefully its just kind of snuck in there.
Its fair to say i do like trees a lot and maybe feel i was somehow deprived in my childhood by not having a treehouse. So much so that I've been making suggestions to my other 1/2 that we should make a trip to Kyloe woods in Northumberland, pick a tucked away tree and start getting to work on building a treehouse. I'm sure no one would ever care. But he's not convinced and neither am i after he told me about this story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2117951/Boy-ordered-to-tear-down-treehouse-over-planning-permission-row.html

I guess its just not meant to be, so i'll just continue to make treehomes in my head :)
I've another couple of ideas for illustrations brewing in my teapot of a head. I can't guarantee that they won't have trees in but i can say that there will be many more to come as i've now gone full-time as a freelance illustrator, so i'll have more time to let my imagination run wild.

Thanks for listening.