Floating Lemons: Bit by Bit Blog

Red Christmas Ornament & Lara

2009-11-04T14:00:23+01:00

Another quick Christmas doodle! I've turned it into cards for the festive season :)

Red Christmas Ornament products at zazzle

Also managed to get a text design done for my niece:

Lara blue products at Zazzle

Still getting tons done around the home ... time seems to fly past far too rapidly. Need to clone myself. Cheers!

Christmas Tree Cupcake, Tini, Sprog & Kristen

2009-10-19T00:22:43+02:00

Christmas Tree Cupcake products at Zazzle

Just a doodle -- that ended up taking days to finish as I've been inundated with guests recently. Very happily so I might add. I ended up declaring a holiday/vacation "go slow" for myself as a result, and am only now finally getting my act together again.

Perhaps being ill made me realize that although work is definitely a priority it certainly should not be my top priority, and that Quality of Life (which includes family, friends, and enjoying the glorious summer days in Provence) and Health should be moved above Work on my little list.

At any rate, I'm finally winding down as far as visitors are concerned and in a few days will be back on my own and back at work. Good timing too as I'm now itching to get back to some drawing, though I'm also looking for a different approach to my art. Something needs to be changed, I need a dose of New Perspectives. Am not quite sure of what that might be as yet, but it's there just at the edge of my vision (isn't that frustrating? Like having that word just there, on the tip of your tongue ...) and I'm hoping it turns up soon to inspire me ...

Meanwhile, these are what I've managed to squeeze in thus far. The above drawing popped into my mind when customers began purchasing my Christmas products! And below are some of the text designs requested by wonderful friends and customers. I've enjoyed doing them and still have a list of more to go through, so will be putting them up as I go along. Cheers to all!

Tini purple Products at Zazzle

Sprog lime green Products at Zazzle

French Hens & Marisa in cherry pink

2009-09-07T17:47:02+02:00

I tend to find myself irresistibly attracted to charming things -- which has led me into trouble far more often than not -- but these delightful French chickens were crying out for attention and how could I say no? I am far too easily persuaded :) They belonged to the friend of a friend and sat on her table, all round and smooth and quite a pleasure to behold. I've changed the colours but hopefully retained the simplicity of form and it turned out to be a simple yet extremely therapeutic and enjoyable drawing.

I also have a wonderful queue of requests for my type designs which is a great and very pleasant surprise. I'm going through them all in between drawings, but here's the last one I managed to do, for my niece:

I'm pleased to say that the sticker for it won me a TBA Award at zazzle on the 28 August :) Thanks Marisa!

French Hen products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

Marisa cherry pink products at Floating Lemons Type at Zazzle

My dog Bertha

2009-08-28T20:15:36+02:00

When I get tired of uploading or creating products on my numerous online stores, I play scrabble with friends online, on facebook (if any of you would like a game just click on my FB link in the right frame and let's play, though I think it's for the whole world BUT the U.S. and Canada). This gives me ample time and opportunity to do quick sketches and just fool around with inspirational ideas. Today I pulled out an old photo of one of my dogs, Bertha (they never lie still long enough to draw live) which I liked because of its warped perspective, and decided to spin a fast sketch from it to make up for the tedious (but necessary) uploading process. Here you have it, warts and all from my moleskine sketchbook.

Do all dogs have that pathetic, sad "please love me and give me a treat" look on their faces? Mine certainly do. ALL the time. Bertha and her sister Bella have followed me all the way from Malaysia to Australia and now to France. I am stopped constantly by passers-by on our walks who wish to know what pedigree they are. I tell them with complete confidence and pride that my dogs have at least 10 different pedigrees in their blood. Pure Malaysian Street Dogs :)

I wouldn't be here in France on my own without their companionship and protection.

A Floating Provencal Sunflower

2009-08-21T12:52:38+02:00

I bought a bunch of sunflowers from the markets the other day, they are so wonderfully cheerful. It's also the first time in my life that I've seen fields absolutely full of sunflowers, a sea of bobbing yellows and oranges capturing the joys of the day, I love it.

Am not so crazy about the drawing though, I'm not quite sure why but it seems pale in comparison to the real thing. I haven't captured the vibrancy and am a bit disappointed -- maybe next time ...

Floating Sunflower cards and matching gifts at Floating Lemons at zazzle

Sightings!

2009-08-17T16:46:35+02:00

I've just noticed that my Go Green Leaf design is featured in a post called "Beautiful Hand Drawn Typography" over at Smashing Magazine! Am extremely proud and gobsmacked as some of the font designers included in the post of 40 creations using hand draw type, are wonderful. It's definitely a 'wow' moment for me :)

I'm also featured over at http://thedesigninspiration.com/fonts/go-green-leaf/ under the 'Font Inspiration' section ... also among some brilliant type designers so I'm in a bit of a state of amazement here ... am going into speechless mode now ...

Here's the design that both sites are featuring:

Colourful Beads

2009-08-17T15:37:36+02:00

Decided to start drawing in a new moleskine ... I'd forgotten how much I like the surface of the paper for my colored pencils, it's so lovely and smooth.

I'd been to the markets in Aix-en-Provence and discovered a stall that sold hundreds of glorious beads in all shapes and colours. HAD to buy some ... and then of course I HAD to draw them, so here's a selection. They're like glittering glowing pieces of candy in real life, quite delicious --

Once I'd finished the sketch I scanned them in, cleaned them up, added a bit of a shadow in photoshop and here's the cleaner, finished product ready to be placed on cards online:

Beads card and products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

And finally, here's another play on my previous text design, done especially for Clara!

Clara cards and products at Floating Lemons Typography

Text Designs: Happy Birthday, Clare & Carla

2009-08-11T12:09:18+02:00

Carla lime products at Floating Lemons Typography at zazzle

I've still been taking things slow :) And I've had visitors so I've been enjoying the Provencal summer with them, which has unfortunately cut into my drawing time. Still, have managed to fiddle around with some requested text designs and here are the results.

Clare plum products at Floating Lemons Typography at zazzle

Happy Birthday blue products at Floating Lemons Typography at zazzle

AND I was given a Today's Best Award from zazzle for my Alexander white Birthday Card:

All is not lost on the drawing front though as I'm playing around with some lovely beads I bought at the Aix-en-Provence markets. So I shall be back soon! Cheers.

Coffee Break collage & Yasmin

2009-07-21T13:43:43+02:00

Things are a bit slow around here ... I'm still recuperating. The good news is that I am free of infection and therefore finally free of antibiotics. But my neck is still a bit sore from the operation and my foot still somewhat swollen -- apparently it has been so traumatized that it will take another month or so to fully recover! I hobble along quite well though, so am at least no longer sofa-bound :)

Still, the pace of life is no longer frantic as limping around takes time and I still get exhausted at the end of the hot summer days. Am appreciating life and drawing what lies before me, in this case my coffee cup, saucer and spoon. The coffee stain is a photograph of an actual one so I guess I should apply the term Collage to the above. Lots of fun doing it.

I also had another special request for the above. I hope she likes it. Cheers!

Coffee Break products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

Yasmin purple products at Floating Lemons Typography at Zazzle

Yasmin products at cafepress

Flat Nectarines, Alexander & A new art book!

2009-07-05T10:43:28+02:00

Two oddly shaped nectarines from the lady who has a wonderful organic fruit & vegetable stall every Wednesday and Saturday morning in the nearby village of Lauris. I love imperfectly shaped fruit, so when my mother (who has been an angel looking after me) brought these back I knew I just had to draw them.

It took me three days to draw them! Though that's probably due to the fact that I still tire easily ... and perhaps because, in some places, there are over twenty layers of colour in this drawing. I'm still not completely happy with it but knew that if I didn't finish it off I'd end up destroying it, so I finally stopped.

A special request, for the name Alexander. I'm quite enjoying doing these names. I have another one waiting so I'd better get onto it.

I'll have to blame my illness and recuperation for the fact that I'd forgotten to mention that this book that I'd ordered before getting so sick was waiting for me when I returned from hospital. I have been going through it with pleasure and pangs of hunger when I come across the too-yummy food drawings. Altaglich Folio: No Five contains beautifully delicate and detailed drawings by the extremely gifted Megan E. Bluhm Foldenauer whose artwork can be found here www.megalo-media.com or at her Flickr site. I've been a fan of hers since I discovered her drawings and am now determined to acquire books No 1 - 4 too! Cheers.

Flat Nectarines products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle
Alexander lime products at Floating Lemons Type at Zazzle