Floating Lemons

Rooster Rebirth

2012-05-19T10:44:13+02:00

I've been extremely blocked recently, as far as new artwork is concerned. I'm also going through a new fascination with patterns and surface design, and have been studying and researching it thoroughly. I'll put up the results of some of my 'experiments' soon ...

Meanwhile, here's a drawing of a rooster that I did in 2007, in coloured pencils, that I've resurrected in order to place onto the lovely new products available at the online stores. Cheers!

Digital Painting: Pink Iced Cupcake

2012-03-29T14:15:23+02:00

A digital painting from a photograph by the friend who made the cupcake ... Thank You Michelle! It looked too delicious to resist, and as I couldn't pop one into my mouth as I wished, I drew it instead.

Felt like playing with Corel Painter 12, so I used the oil paint brush and picked the colours from the actual photograph to do this piece. I'm wondering though if perhaps the icing could with a bit of extra whitening, what do you think?

I love anything with sugar icing, doesn't it look just too delicious? I've been promised some cupcakes when she visits this summer and can't wait. Perhaps I'll do more cupcake drawings then, in a variety of mediums. From photographs. Once I've gobbled them down. Cheers!

Doodle: Tomatoes

2012-03-09T15:17:56+01:00

I've actually managed to indulge in a bit of socialising this week, which has been quite lovely ... but as a result I haven't had time to draw. So instead I'm posting another one of my little doodles, drawn about a month or so ago in my small moleskine journal.

I wasn't quite sure of where I was going when I started, but it turned out looking like a bunch of tomatoes. At least that's what I think it looks like. Must have been hungry at the time ... cheers!

Red Owl Digital Re-Painting

2012-03-05T13:02:10+01:00

The Red Owl is in fact my Blue Owl from last year, transformed into a vibrant creature dressed in reds ... though still retaining that slightly bored, slightly grumpy expression I've become quite fond of.

I'd originally planned on just adjusting hues and saturations in Photoshop and leaving it at that, but of course I wasn't quite satisfied with the result, so I ended up dragging it into Corel Painter 12 and doing a huge repainting job with their oil brushes. Glad I did, as I quite like the end result. Took it back into photoshop to fiddle a bit more and add the drop shadow, and here you have it.

I then drew and added the graduation cap, as it just seemed right. The final result is a bright creature, extremely intellectual (as owls are), and slightly cynical (with dollops of humour). But happy. Honest.

If you'd like to peek at the original Blue Owl, it's over at: http://www.floatinglemons.com/2011/02/blue-owl-bee-happy-daisies.html. Cheers!

RED OWL cards and matching gifts are over at:

Red Owl at FLoating Lemons Illustration @ Zazzle, and

RED OWL GRAD graduation cards, invitations and matching goodies is up at:

Red Owl Grad at Floating Lemons Events @ Zazzle

Orange Flowers Sketch

2012-03-03T09:54:51+01:00

The weather has turned from unusual freeze to spring-like sun and warmth here in Provence. So out I marched to inspect my post-frost garden and do some much needed clearing up.

Once I'd done with pruning away frozen bits, weeding (they seem to have survived exceptionally well, of course), generally cleaning up and watering, I went back in to flip through garden magazines and was inspired enough to do a quick coloured pencil sketch of what I can only call either deep yellow or pale orange daisies ... well, flowers of a sort.

Enjoyed myself thoroughly though. Time to start planning the garden for spring and summer I think. Cheers!

Thank You Cursive Script Text Design

2012-02-27T16:15:46+01:00

I wanted to create a simple, clear, handwritten Thank You text design, a little quirky and a little elegant. Took me ages but finally came up with this one, and liked it enough to make two coloured versions as well, to upload to the online stores.

Hand-drawn, then cleaned up in photoshop and illustrator.

I may add more colours to it at a later date. Requests are welcome! Cheers.

Purple Artichokes Art FINAL

2012-02-23T18:34:17+01:00

Finally done. Added detail and darkened everything up. Two Purple Artichokes, coloured pencil. I used watercolour pencils as I'd originally intended adding water, but got too absorbed in details and I have a horrible feeling that adding water now would result in a horrible muddy mess, so am leaving it as is. Hope you like it. Cheers.

Purple Artichokes sketch-in-progress 2

2012-02-16T18:54:39+01:00

Still not quite finished, due to lack of time. Had some wonderful visitors over the week and between that and work deadlines, have managed to progress at the speed of a snail. Should have it done by next week, fingers crossed.

The one on the left is almost all coloured in, and as I'm planning to keep the one on the right somewhat lighter, it shouldn't take too much longer before I can post the final drawing. Am only glad that the real artichokes who modeled for me were eaten with much enjoyment long before this. Cheers.

Fun Doodle Flowers

2012-02-14T23:30:00+01:00

I'm still working on the Purple Artichokes drawing, so meanwhile here's a doodle I made a while back that I liked enough to clean up, add another colour to, and upload onto products. Seemed cheerful and bright, perfect to uplift my spirits especially as we're experiencing an unusual deep freeze at the moment here in the south of France! Cheers.

If you'd like to take a peek at the flowers on the cards and matching gifts, just click on the link below:

Fun Doodle Flowers blue pink at Floating Lemons Illustration @ Zazzle

Fun Doodle Flowers purple orange @ Floating Lemons Illustration @Zazzle

Purple Artichokes sketch-in-progress

2012-02-09T17:24:33+01:00

I constantly underestimate the time it will take to do a 'quick sketch'. Which was what this purple artichokes piece was meant to be. Which is why it's so messy by the way ... I wasn't being particularly careful with it to begin with. But as per usual, I ended up getting far too absorbed in the process and ran out of time and light loooong before the image-in-my-mind end-point.

I now really want to dig in and get stuck further into detail, so thought I'd put it up as a work-in-progress for now and carry on till I can post the final piece. I'm going to have to clean it up and paint over those messy scribbles once I'm done, sigh. Let's hope I don't screw it up.

Watercolour pencils (water not added as yet ...) on Moulin a Papier Arches hot pressed 100% cotton 140 lb Aquarelle paper.

Cheers!