Kittys Drawings

Hi all!
Bad blogger here. It’s been over a week again…and I’ve got nothing substantial to show you. Because…well, I had all intentions of taking some photos on Sunday but I couldn’t find the remote for the camera. I did do some sewing though. As for drawing….umm. Don’t ask.

The house is currently all over the place – the Boyfriend decided we should rearrange the house so he’s starting pulling everything out and moving furniture upstairs, downstairs, everywhere. Now my sewing machine is perched on the end of a bookcase and unplugged. The new table which it’s going to go on is on the third floor in the master bedroom….the master bedroom is going to become the study and we’ll move our bed to the ‘spare room’ (sewing room currently)…Now the spare room is much smaller than the master which is the whole top floor – but it has A DOOR. Which we can close and not let insistent little kitties in who want to knead their sharp little claws into your neck at 2:34am in the morning.
What is currently the second floor and study will become the lounge room. The bottom floor will stay kitchen (duh!) and we shall buy a nice big dining table for down there so we can actually have guests around to have dinner without them having to eat their food in their laps. *ahem*

Consequently I have no room to draw or sew. There is so much stuff everywhere, it looks like we just moved in. That said, after this I’m going to take my sewing machine upstairs and plug it in. Then I shall have some room for my Wacom and I might continue the drawing I’ve been procrastinating about for the past 4 weeks.

ALSO. I have some great news for ME. Ha. I won a years business subscription with a service called BaseKit, where you can build a website very easily using their WYSIWYG editor (no Flash either yay!). This is most timely because I have been mulling over how my folio isn’t separate from this blog. And since the blog has become not entirely focused on drawing lately, it’s best that I should have a separate place for my illustration and graphic design work. Fortunately, I can tack the whole lot onto my current domain and when it’s all up and ready I will show it to you.
However, first I need a bit of a ‘re-brand’….focus my ‘look’ into a website and portfolio. I like the simple and clean thing but technically that doesn’t really suit my personality. What does suit my personality – I am at a bit of a loss to describe….I think this will require some proper brainstorming and creativity.

There’s just one more thing to talk about – another thing I won! This time something sewing related, and based on merit. A little while ago, Suzy Sewing (awesome UK blogger who happens to be a redhead too) had a mini comp on her site where readers were asked to guess how she made a boo-boo on a sewing project. The project was a skirt with buttons down the front…I was the first to flounder my way towards an answer as to what went wrong….And so I won! She sent me this cool vintage pattern:

Cute huh! You all know I’m a fan of wrap dresses! This should be great for summer – I can see one made up in one of the floral sheets I have lying around for just such dresses. Should come together really easily too as these dresses usually have no fiddly fastenings to deal with like buttonholes or zippers.

Just quickly – sewing projects recently completed, on the go and planned:

• A 40′s shirt – this is my first attempt at making a shirt. I’m really really pleased with it! Even set in sleeves with NO puckering!
• I’ve cut out the fabric for Advance 5125, the bustle skirt.
• This weekend I will buy some blue gingham and red buttons for Advance 8064 (the full suspender skirt)….The plan is I shall be Dorothy for an upcoming Halloween party (or two). Now, do I drop $125 on the pair of sparkly red shoes that would be PERFECT for this outfit?

Speaking of Halloween – it was also suggested I go as Barbarella….Now, that would be a much more difficult costume to make, and I would need to find an outrageous blonde wig, and boots….but it’s a really cool idea and I’m in two minds. Heh.

Oh well I better go – I’ve been prattling on for far too long! Promise my posts will have more pictures soon!

Seeyas!

Hi Everyone!
A new drawing post so soon after the other one. Wow!! Haha.

I wanted this one to be really quick and easy. Took me maybe 6-8 hours all up.

The ref is Solange by Daniel Gurton for Vs. Magazine July 2011 < – I didn’t read the mag but the pics are kicking round the interwebz….Can’t resist cool hair and flowers. Of course it looks nothing like her as usual but that’s never really my aim

(WIPs)

Now I’ve set myself a new project which is a biggie. Starting it tomorrow I hope.

I got an email from my webhost the other day that I’ve used 80% of my bandwidth – this is the first time I’ve got that notice so I guess it means my blog is growing! I don’t get tons of hits – a bit over 100 page views a day sometimes spiking higher and most of the time it’s lower than that. But there are much more frequent spikes than there used to be a year ago so averaged out over the last year, there’s definitely been an increase. SO – if you’ve had trouble viewing my blog it might mean I’ve killed my bandwidth. I’ll be buying more shortly but that’s going to increase the cost of the site quite a bit. Not that I’ll be taking it out on YOU guys hahaha! Ad free blog allll the way

That’s all for now!!

Hi All

Oh dear christ it’s FINISHED!!!
(yes I blaspheme far too much for an atheist )

*phew*

So this drawing took me around 2 whole months to finish. I started mid-June and now it’s August and I’m finally done. That’s why I’ve been holding out on you guys for so long. I don’t think I have the capacity to work on more than one drawing at once otherwise one or more will get neglected. It’s quite possible I am the most inefficient ‘artist’ out there.

The ref was a fashion editorial I found via a blog…..NEXT TIME….I think I might try something original for a change….I have an idea, just need to execute it somehow. Yes – I am already thinking of the next thing.

Sooo….This took at least 20 hours. I lost count though. It’s been stared at for so long that I can’t tell if you can tell how long I spent on this.

Anyways…piccies….

Detail:

WIPs

What do you think? Should I put this on Etsy?

Other news: Lots of sewing is complete that I need to show you as per usual…..ummmm……that’s all for now really…ha exciting! Oh! It’s been quiet around here cos I was feeling pretty sick this week. Stupid colds. I’m meant to be bulletproof!! Hah! (I don’t get sick very often)…Thankfully I was over it in 2 days but still…it knocks you for six.
The boyfriend also bought himself a motorbike. Cool huh! It arrives this week. But he can’t take me for a ride yet cos he’s still on his Learners. I’ve been convinced that I need to get my scooter license…So I guess that will happen soon.

That’s all I guess!
Better run!

EDIT: Oh my GOD you won’t believe how relieved I am this is done. Geeez!

Hiiii!

Soooo I have a drawing for you. A very old drawing. One I started at the end of January to be exact. It’s been hanging around that long and I’m finally sick of it enough to call it done. But – its DONE. It could be a lot better yes…I could have added a whole bunch more pixels in there and got fiddly with the details…..

I’m still kinda hung up on the piece I’m working on now though – and this being unfinished was bothering me. So here it is.

Inadvertently you ask? Well I’d found the reference on Tumblr somewhere which had no text to explain who it was. I thought “It kinda looks like Cate Blanchett”. I wouldn’t make a good paparazzo would I? Haha Derp!

I do like these colours though. And I don’t know how I have my colour settings set up – but when I work in Corel Painter, the image is a lot lighter, so when it gets to Photoshop for my final touches (signature, that’s about all really), the colours become super saturated. Painter, I think is the odd one out in this chain but I like it this way.

(detail)

I’m still stressing about my creative “skillz” – too scared to set my own projects where I can really explore different methods of drawing and I dunno – just letting go. Maybe I should jump back into the ConceptArt.org challenges. They’ve set up a new section called Illustration of the Week (IOW) which looks promising.

(WIPs)

Anyways…I best be off.

Ciao!

Hiiiiiiiiii!

Drawing time!

Woo! This one took me quite a while. I lost count of how many hours. Up to 8? I’m guessing though. I ought to keep track of these things shouldn’t I?

And some detail – since I’m making an effort to create bigger drawings…

This I am very happy with. Feel like I’m making some semblance of progress with my techniques.

Where to from now? Should I concentrate on some drawing from life? Inanimate objects on my desk?

Not sure if I’ll get much done over the Easter break. I have friends visiting

Other news: I organised my fabric stash. It has it’s own place now and it’s all neat and ordered by colour. Makes me happy to look at it. Though it also makes me want more time to sew. Also – I tried a machined zipper technique I found online. Used some scrap to test it out – and it was so easy!  A really nice, faced and bound zipper. Woo! Now to apply the same steps to an actual garment. I hope I can pull it off as it’s a proper professional finish. But I will show you later.

Time to gooooo.

Hi All!
A quick drawing and a quick post today.

This one took me a few hours (maybe 4?)….Using reference as usual. I loved the light and the fairly simple tones in this.

Typical nose frustrations. That’s what I’ll be working on next. Noses. More noses. More!

Other news…busy busy as per usual. Trying to push through some motivation issues.

It should be a sewing post next? I’m pottering along with a few things. My frenzy has died down to a mild simmer.

Okay – well this is short/long enough. Til next time!!
(sorry for not being wordy today!)

Hey everyone!
Drawing time.

Another portrait study. This one took quite a few hours but the usual story, I got pretty sick of it by the end. I don’t really like this one. Its kind of harsh and overworked. And the colours are blah.

So I’m still fumbling my way around with the drawing. I think I need to do more of it to get more out of it. Hard to find the energy at the moment. Feeling drained. Literally! I gave blood today ….The girl had to jab two fingers to get an accurate hemoglobin measurement. Why is it that hurts more than the big needle going in?

But I am starting something new tonight….

And there’s still one piece that’s almost done which I am trying not to be disillusioned with.

Anyways….til later…