Studio Sneak Peek

Now I dont know about you but I'm a huge fan of Design Sponge, and my best bits are the sneak peeks - especially the ones of other artists's studios! I love being able to be nosey and see the amazing spaces, but really I love to see how other people have managed to bring order to chaos in their own way. How they deal with the same problems always inspires me. If you dont know what I'm on about visit http://www.designsponge.com/ - you're in for a treat!

But dont get your hopes up, I've got a long way to go before my placement shots look anything like the ones you see on Design Sponge, but I thought it'd be fun to 'invite' you in to my studio......

The studio also doubles up as the guest bedroom, which actually works suprisingly well - if I want to relax abit while I'm working late, or do some research the daybed is the place to do it! Otherwise I'm perched on a rickety antique stool hunched over my work (I know, I shouldnt) getting distracted by what's going on outside my window. The view is rather lovely you see, and that's always a bonus when a visitor from out of town comes to stay - they get to wake up to the Five Valleys and get the full effect of the country side! Even though I'm a total city girl its pretty perfect around here, and having a happy space has definitely helped me to enjoy cracking on with my work again...

As we've not been in our house too long you can see I'm lacking some serious storage, and I've had to be quite ruthless as to what I get to keep in the studio. I'm also planning a pin board wall so that I can always see where I've been and where I'm going, which helps me not to forget!

On the Backburner

Seeing as I've introducted some of the new people on the block you to, I thought Id show you some more work in progress, so lets see a little idea take shape......  

Even though there are only 3 sketches shown here there will be elements of each that have popped up in other places while I work out what to keep and what to discard, and as the personality of the idea/person emerges. Sometimes a spontaneous idea and the first drawing will be spot on and wont need revisiting, sometimes things also have work themselves out, so whilst here in 3 images it appears that Im practically finished, often it will take a while to arrive at this point.

 A little look at how things change and develop over time, when I've got an idea or an expression marinating in the back of my mind, and over time it begins to take shape as you keep revisiting it. I'm envisioning this one as a print, I just love how the texture and colour are turning out, and the generally happy feeling it's all about. We all need hugs after all!

                                                                            

Studio Goings On

So, I thought I'd show you a sneak peek of what I've been getting up to in the studio this week, although to be honest with you I've rather been on 'holiday mode', what with the beginning of summer, and a few visits from family members, but now it's back to work as usual (and back to rubbish British weather as usual too!)

I'm keen to keep releasing new product designs steadily so I've been busy doing a lot of sampling, drafts and experimenting and creating new characters. I hadn't used paints for years, and am usually always clinging on to my Letraset markers and fine line pens, but since receiving a gouache set for Christmas I've been seeing my characters really change and come to life with colour and texture. It's because of this I think that the rest of the range will be a little different from the first 4 designs, but we'll see how they come together....

 A lot of these sketches are actually about mixing paint and pen, layering lines and colour, and working on background 'things' so that there isn't much actual content - Im not trying to set a scene as it were - but so that the people aren't just necessarily floating in a white abyss

There's lots more half-finished people strewn about the studio but these are some my favorite and the ones Im persuing. Im not sure exactly why Im always doing characters who are saying 'hello' and 'i miss you' ! Probably because I need that kind of saying for myself a lot as half of my family and loved ones live far away from me!

Greetings Cards

My new line of greetings cards. For the very first designs I wanted to keep it really simple with clean lines, and black and white only. Digitally printed on a matt white board, with lovely speckled brown envelopes. Left blank inside. Available in the online shop.

I have been making cards, personalised invitations and wrapping paper for years and years for loved ones, using anything I could get my hands on (including old paper, a photocopier, fabric and found objects). So launching my own illustrative stationary line makes perfect sense, and I don't know about you but well designed, pleasing-to-the-eye stationary really 'gets me going'! ....No? Just me?