Cloudy today

This little illustration is something I have done for the latest Cloudy Collection – Volume II, Edition I. The theme was “Who Are the People in Your Neighbourhood” and I chose a mother and daughter who I see walking around the streets all the time. I think they were the first people I noticed when we first moved into the area 5 years ago. I have never actually seen them look so cheerful – in fact sometimes they make me feel down-right sad because they look as though they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. I decided to give them a break and illustrate a moment in a possible good day.

The letterpress collection comes in a limited edition of 100 and it’s only USD $35 for all 7 prints in the set.

Apart from mine, there is art by Bob FlynnDustin HarbinDavid HuyckScott MacDonaldLaura Park, and Dave Taylor.

I was so blown away to be asked to contribute – I have loved the Cloudy Collection ever since I fell for Vera Brosgol’s little knitting girl in a blanket-cubby in Vol. I, Edition II. The quality of the prints is beautiful… yay! Thank you David.

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Speaking of art and buying it – Andrew from Mumblier is trying to raise money to buy himself an iPad when they finally come to Australia. He’s selling original iPad themed art as a fund raiser. You can order an existing piece, or custom order a drawing or comic strip. I bought one for Phil, sight unseen, to hang above his desk as he bangs away at his own iPhone development and it really is the best little thing. Andrew’s sense of humour, line work and colouring is delightful. Give the guy a hand!

Yumeji Graphics

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Favourite new book – Yumeji Graphics.

“This book focuses on the graphic works created by legendary Japanese artist and designer Yumeji Takehisa. It included his illustrations for books, editorial designs for magazines, drawing, typography and more.Takehisa (1884-1934) was a painter and pioneering graphic designer during Taisho era and early Showa era in Japan.”

My Creative Space

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School is back and Lily has decided to start afternoon napping again which is kind of her, so I am getting a little bit of creative time:

1) painting wooden dolls

2) getting back to those marshmallow bunnies

3) piling stuff on my sewing table

4) reading “On Writing” by Stephen King but not actually doing too much writing. It’s good! I haven’t read much SK before but even his memoir is a page-turner.

Fuzzy

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Little fuzzy – more doodling on wood… these little blanks I bought from Winterwood and I drew on them with my indian ink drawing pen. The ink bled a little but not enough to worry about. Phil thought I should make an entire chess set. Now that would be fun.

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I seriously love painting on these wooden dolls – I can’t believe I put it off for so long.

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Wood painting

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Working on kokeshi dolls – turned by my awesome Uncle. About to sand out the nose on the front one and try something a little less clunky. School’s back today so it’s back to sewing rabbits. Stay tuned.

You *will* love Lili Scratchy

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Lili Scratchy – so good! I can’t say any more because I am practicing my new “computer off by 9.30pm” rule and it’s 9.34… but do check out her blog and all the wonderful stuff that goes on there. (via the equally wonderful Misako Mimoko).

You will love…

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…the flickr world of artist and illustrator Virgin Honey! She’s a little bit Elsita, a little bit Nathalie Lete, a little bit J Otto Seibold… sort of… and entirely unique. I could hardly chose a photo, there are so many goodies.

Sailing over a cardboard sea

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I scanned in the inked version of my new drawing and have been playing with some colours in photoshop. Much fun. I have to work out how to deal with those big blocks of colour because I know that I am asking for trouble and blocked up gocco screens if I leave them as is. More work is needed.

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Day 18: Wrote around 900 words today. It wasn’t a struggle really, but it was waffle. Feeling a bit lost with it at the moment – not quite sure if I am really saying anything worth saying at all. Hopefully when the heating comes back on, so will my enthusiasm.

Sketching for a gocco

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Yeegads – a busy weekend. I think I emptied a tank of petrol with all the running around we’ve had to do. Amelia and I dropped in on Christina and Paul for a cup of tea today and as usual we came away feeling very inspired (and warm! There’s certainly nothing wrong with their heating). Amelia came home and sorted all her Blythe postcards, and I’ve been working away at my Paper Moon sketch, ready to gocco-fy as soon as I can get some time to get to a photocopier. Does anyone know if there is a Melbourne gocco supply source or do I need to go back to Nehoc? 

Tonight? We have a chick-flick and the rest of the Green & Black’s white chocolate to devour.

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I’ve lost track of my days. I know I missed one due a packed schedule- and it’s way too cold to get up at 5.30 at the moment. Every other day I have managed to dash down somewhere between 500 and 1000 words, usually in the evening after the girls are asleep, so none of it is particularly good. I do like my 5.30 starts. I also really need to find a solid slab of time to write all my scenes down on sticky notes (a la Will Self) and rearrange the lot so the plot structure makes sense. I think I need to chop out a major subplot which means a couple of my favourite characters get the flick – but hey, this may be the book that ends up in my bottom drawer, and I can resurrect those characters at a later date in my BLOCKBUSTER. Yep.