Teaching others

Hello friends, I've been very slack with posts this month! I am on a teaching course this term, which started in September. The course is designed for people who have been working in industry for years, and want to teach their skill to others. I have always wanted to teach either on foundation or degree, or even adults in an adult education centre. I had to present a teaching session to my peers on the course, so I taught them blanket stitch. These are the sample brooches I made to inspire my students, I think I should stock up my etsy shop while I'm at it!

Mothercare robot commission

I spotted two more of my designs on the mothercare website today. This drawing is my original rapper robot, you can see how the client has changed it if you click on this link. I really like what they have done with him! (image copyright is with mothercare)

Christmas card commission

Hey my Christmas card designs are now on the Photobox website. Here is the promo email and my love birds are there in the middle "tweet tweet"!

Mr Fox

Sadly Mr Fox never sleeps in our garden like he used to. Still, he can often be seen roaming the streets of our village, and quite often wakes me up in the night with his screams! This fox brooch was the first in my Lea Stein collection. He just caught my eye, very beautiful.

There are alot of foxes about in the shops at the moment, especially on younger boys wear. I think owls are on the way out, they have had a great deal of exposure of late...so bye bye owl and welcome fox.

Angel

Christmas card commission

Over the past few weeks I have been working on a Christmas card commission. The final designs will be available to purchase on the Photobox web site, I will post a link once they are up. Here is a preview of two of the cards. The Russian doll I thought would be a lovely 'Baby's first Christmas' The love trees have now gone from summer in the previous post to winter, the leaves have fallen and a pair of robins celebrate love at Christmas time.

Tree love

I've had a tree illustration idea for a while, based on two trees growing side by side, and as a consequence grow in mirror image of each other. I love that mother nature can be romantic too! I'm going to print and frame this for a friend for who has just got married. Their initials are carved into the tree. When I get a moment this could be another print for my etsy shop, I could personalize it for you with your special dates and names. What do you think?

The Country life

I've spent the past week with my girls in a beautiful country cottage. Long walks in the woods every day, and swims in the river. Its been wonderful. I'm logging onto kitty stitch from afar, and have just been checking my istock too. This two hands, one heart design has been downloaded. It's nice when that happens.

Next week I will be working on a new commission I have for Christmas card designs, so I need to start thinking of ideas. . .

Holidays

Mothercare boys wear

Mothercare have some of my print designs in stock now! Well, Ive seen some on the web site, so I will go into the shop to check it out over the weekend. Its always exciting when you see your work actually in the shop on a garment, its not too often that happens..so I'm pleased.

Butterfly hair clips

Today I took some hair clips in to Cheeky Monkeys, in the same range as the brooches, but for those mummy's who prefer a clip to a pin! (safety first!)

In stock at Cheeky monkey

I took a poster down to the Cheeky Monkey shop today for the children's hairdressing I will be starting there soon. I also took some brooches, mounted onto some of my print design off cuts, to make use of the paper, and handmade purses. Michelle really likes them so will be stocking them at the shop. Great news for kitty stitch. I better get busy making some more!

Rubys Owl

Had to share this clay owl that Ruby made at school in the summer term. Isn't it beautiful? I think so, and I'm sure my Grandma Evelyn would have loved it to sit with her collection of owls. I have a few of the collection at my house and I'm sure my Mum and cousins have one or two still around.

Work in progress

I've been working on some 'kitty stitch' handmade items, to sell down at Cheeky Monkeys shop while I'm doing haircuts, and to put in my etsy shop. It's been pretty impossible to get much done now that the girls are on the summer holidays...still, with hand-made pieces you can stitch on the go!

Cheeky cuts

Today I cycled into town and found some cute fabric to make into a hairdressing cape...in preparation for my Cheeky monkey mops. Here's the finished result modelled by Ruby, with Louisa ready to spray her hair down!
I wish I could be one of those designers who photograph their work as they go along and give a simple step by step guide 'how to make a hairdressing cape for children'....sadly I am a fairly 'make it up as I go along' kind of designer...so you just get to see the end result!!

Kitty Cuts!

Well I bet you never knew I'm a hairdresser as well as a designer (no end to my talents eh?!) I'm going to be cutting children's hair in our local children's shop, which is situated just next to the beach in lovely little Rottingdean. Here's the flyer I designed today, which I will be giving out around the village. Cheeky Monkeys is a local children's shop that stocks locally made and handmade clothing and toys. Michelle the owner is so enthusiastic and always wants to support local products and designers. I will hopefully be selling a few kitty stitch handmade items from there too...its the perfect location for a designer/hairdresser!

Sports day

It's such a busy time of year for mums ... so many school events to attend and remember. My girls have their sports day this week, I usually embarrass them and enter the mums race! Ive just had this sports illustration accepted for my istock collection. .. so lets hope it gets some downloads. I'm working on halloween designs for the rest of this week, so its all ghosts, bats and pumpkins....ready for my agents trip to New york...if only I could go along!

Coffee Love

I've been working on another istock illustration; 'coffee love'. Coffee for me is a luxury that I may have once a day or sometimes not even that once. Even though I can't drink it all the time, when I do, its a delicious treat to savour, especially a cappuccino! When we were little my Mum used to take a flask of coffee on family picnics, so coffee in a flask always reminds me of those times and makes me feel extra happy...hence coffee love!

Coastal Grasses

I've been collecting some grasses on my walk back home up the coastal path. This grasses illustration has been submitted to istock. With all the hot weather we've been having its been difficult to stay in my studio all day, so I've been out sketching the sea and drawing found objects. It feels a bit like being an art student again.

Goodbye New York

I made a decision recently to stop sending designs to my New York agent, and to work with a London based textile design agent : My SugarCube, (previously Anne Davison design) I haven't been to NY for so long now, maybe one day I will go to visit again and take my girls to show them around. I received a box full of designs back from NY, some are embroideries which I can recylce into made objects, like cushions or purses. The paper designs I could re-work...or maybe cut up and make into cards.

Troika vase

This cylinder vase is a 1960s, very early Troika piece. Made in St Ives, Cornwall. I love the unusual glaze, it's a combination of the textured and smooth....contrast always makes a good design.

Thank you to Robin

Blogging for a creative soul such as myself, can be positive in so many ways. One of the best things has been meeting fellow artists out there. Robin Zingone has been a great inspiration to me, and she was such a help recently when I needed some advice over copyright and such like. So thank you Robin! Go and see her delicious work it will bring a smile to your face.

Commission work

Istock has some great clients and I've just been commissioned by one for an illustration! The client likes my kitchen utensils, so I will be working on a set of icons in this style, which will be used for a product they are promoting. How exciting!

Animal magic

Just had to post these, my 7 yr old made this set of animals the other day, such sweet smiley shapes. Children can be the best inspiration!

More poppies

Interview Moi?

Well, there's a turn up, someone wanted to interview me! Its a website called whohub . They have zillions of other artists and creative types on there, I thought it may be worth doing, you never know John Rocha may read it and commission me to design his next textile collection!!

By the sea

Living by the sea is wonderful and its changing colours are so beautiful. To capture those colours would be a great thing to do. Yesterday the sea was inky blue with aquamarine edges, you know when its cloudy but for a moment the sun comes out and makes a little light patch. Today the sea is just merging in with the sky, all grey! I recently saw work by an artist called Maff Robinson in the Brighton open studios. He has spent hours painting the sea from the beach and his work is stunning, have a look on this link.

Mr Fox

Round our way we have very bold fox who we often see in our garden. I love this old photo of my grandad holding a fox in his arms...it looks like he was very tame. I'm working on some baby boys wear at the moment and am using Mr Fox as inspiration.

Poppies

Red poppies are stunning, one of my favourite flowers. This time of year we have plenty growing along the coast path brightening up my days. I painted these when I was doing my degree.

Hand stitching

I've been doing some hand embroidery this week; a gold bling purse for a special birthday girl, and then a cosy for my ipod, which has been rattling about in my bag for months since I lost the last one I made.

Nature garden

This is my latest istock submission awaiting approval: 'Nature garden'. I'm using it for birthday cards too. Tomorrow I will be starting the first group for fall 2010, as Ive had lots of reference sent through from my agent. Wish me luck!

Drawing

Wedding day print

Yesterday I went to a dear friends wedding. She has beautiful red hair and this print above I customised for her. She was actually wearing a silk lime green dress and shocking pink accessories on the day, so my colour palette was quite fitting for her! This print is one of a series that I'm working on at the moment, to sell in my etsy shop.

Kitchen ceramics

This beauty is an oven dish by Meakin. I love the delicate linear quality contrasting the simple bold design.

Knitted cuties

My lovely cousin is often sending me useful things in the post that she knows I will recycle and re-use, like yarns and fabrics. The latest arrival to my joy, was this book: 'Have you any wool' by Jan Messent. It's fab and will be used for inspiration for my next lot of knitted cuties. 'Mr Owl' recently sold from my etsy shop , and 'knitted kitty' went to a little girl for a birthday pressie, so I need to re-stock. Thank you Angela!

Polly Dunbar the writer and illustrator, gave a talk about her work for the Brighton festival last week. I found her totally inspiring and eloquent. I've always wanted to illustrate children's books, but so far my only published illustrations were for an anthropological study of hill tribe people. Polly draws her ideas in a sketch book, scans them into the computer to tidy them up and then re prints them onto water colour paper to finish off. Her work has a wonderful spontenaety and charm about it....and a great sense of humour.

My new boy

Its puppy love!

Pup Pip

We finally got a puppy from the RSPCA! Pip is a lurcher terrier cross and is very beautiful ...but hard work, and I'm cleaning up mess lots of times a day! Still, he seems to inspire me and gives me plenty of breaks from the computer. Lovely boyXX