chillies and chocolate

Cat washing

2009-11-02T23:46:00.002+01:00

A great way to unwind. Watercolour and ink, in the shop now.

Snoozing cat

2009-11-01T17:53:00.002+01:00

When I get up early to go to work on a cold wet windy day, my cat opens one eye and looks at me for a moment before settling down for a morning of snoozing.
Watercolour and ink.
Available as a card or print here.

Skinny

2009-10-30T22:49:00.001+01:00

It's hard to resist snacking.

A partridge in a pear tree

2009-10-29T17:00:00.004+01:00

New Christmas card in the shop now....

Watercolour.

Succulents (watercolour)

2009-10-18T18:13:00.007+01:00

I love these little plants, they defy my non-green fingeredness.

This little collection is available as a greetings card or print.

Flying birds

2009-10-13T09:13:00.001+01:00

I would LOVE to be able to fly.

White Birds prints & T-shirts

2009-10-09T15:57:00.003+01:00

Well, I have been very busy this week and have some new prints, cards and T-shirts up for sale.

About time too.

Sleeping cat print

2009-10-09T15:45:00.003+01:00

Update: now also available as a print or greetings card.

New T-shirt: Sleeping Cat

2009-10-07T16:48:00.008+01:00

Sleeping Cat T-shirts now available.

Bluebells, Challock

2009-10-06T19:25:00.004+01:00

Another new print - bluebells in Challock Woods, Kent. Not very seasonal for autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Oh well.

New print - Meadow near Périgueux

2009-10-04T21:47:00.004+01:00

This peaceful meadow in the Dordogne (France) was patiently waiting to be discovered. It is available as a print or greetings card here.

Germs

2009-10-03T17:01:00.001+01:00

Pebbles

2009-09-29T14:14:00.001+01:00

Allotment

2009-09-29T10:26:00.004+01:00

Things I saw this morning at the allotment.

Autumn

2009-09-25T09:51:00.005+01:00

I'm not much of a photographer, but there are some inspiring autumn sights to be seen around here at the moment.

infinite

2009-09-20T17:30:00.002+01:00

Infinite variety. Pen & ink.

Strong

2009-09-09T07:28:00.002+01:00

Brush pen on acrylic primed old book page (my recycled sketchbook).

Sketches to painting - behind the scenes.

2009-08-19T19:18:00.009+01:00

(click on the sketchbooks for a larger version)

I thought it would be fun to take part in the "behind the scenes" thing, and show you my initial sketches for the Paris Blues painting/print.

I generally sketch in a fairly haphazard way on any bits of paper which are lying around at the time. When sketching for a particular painting like this one I am really making diagrams, I suppose. I pay attention to the details that capture the essence of a place, for example the styles of windows and doors, roofs and chimneys etc. Street lights, cafes, anything that grabs me. I am not looking for accuracy, just a feeling of being in that place. Although the painting is based on Paris, it doesn't exist like this... just in my brain!

I don't usually plan the composition of any of my paintings, they just evolve.
Once I have made lots of pages of sketches, I decide on the general colour mood, and just get painting.
This painting was originally acrylic on canvas, which I sold. This version was painted digitally using Corel Painter IX. The cats either sit on my paint, or sit on my keyboard. At least the second way they don't end up with multicoloured bottoms.

Whether I am painting digitally or in acrylic on canvas, my process is pretty similar, lots and lots of thin layers.

Anyway, here is the finished piece:

sketches from the garden

2009-08-18T14:14:00.005+01:00

Half an hour of sitting in the early morning sunshine and sketching. Big Cat and Small Cat were very interested. They like art, especially to sit on.

Sleeping cat

2009-08-16T16:03:00.002+01:00

I love the way cats wrap their tails around themselves when they sleep. Brush and ink.

trainers

2009-08-11T20:37:00.002+01:00

Monster Marigold

2009-08-07T10:04:00.002+01:00

Marigold enjoys carnivals, moules frites and extreme ironing.

Monster T-shirts

2009-08-05T14:33:00.009+01:00

Fred is fond of dancing the Tango, mushrooms and astronomy.

Mavis likes a good party and Mexican food, and is currently studying Biochemistry.

Fred and Mavis are now available on t-shirts, cards and prints.

Genetically modified

2009-08-04T22:13:00.004+01:00

Genetically modified monsters.

Idle

2009-07-24T22:37:00.003+01:00

Zzzz.