Snail mail, balloons, Wild Things, and tomatoes

I’m at home this week and feel it is definitely time I posted something on my blog. I have lots of little things I thought I would share today, here goes:

Since my last post I received a card from Alex Tan featuring one of his wonderful pictures.....



It’s such a treat receiving something like this via snail mail and even more so when it is from someone I have got to know through the EDM group who shares a love of art. I could really get into this whole swapping artwork thing.  Mmm, I’ve been trying to think of something to celebrate my first ‘Blogaversary’ – watch this space. In the meantime a small parcel is winging it’s way East from here in sunny Yorkshire, just a little something to thank Alex :o) x

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had produced a painting of a flower that I hoped would be used in some way to raise money at a memorial event for one of my work colleagues who died over the summer.  Well, on Sunday November 14th we are going to have an event at the school – a balloon race. The balloon that travels the furthest will win a prize for it’s owner. All the money raised at the event will go to charity and to pay for a permanent memorial at school – an outdoor, flower-filled classroom which should be beautiful.  I have produced a one-off necklace that will be auctioned, and a print of the flower will be signed, framed and also auctioned.



I’m so glad I decided to paint that gerbera, it’s great to know it might raise some extra funding. I will take pictures and post here to let you know how the event goes.

As far as my Wild Things are concerned things are ticking over slowly, but surely. I’m certainly getting lots of lovely feedback! I have decided that as I am at home this week I will remove all postal charges from my items, to anywhere in the world until noon (GMT) on Saturday, October 23rd. I figure a little saving is always good in the lead up to Christmas! I have also had my polar bear printed up onto cards and he looks quite smart so they are now available to purchase.



If I can complete the new ‘snowy fox’ painting I have started this week hopefully he’ll be arriving in the shop in one form or another very soon.  Also, a lovely lady has also requested a small, silver pendant version of my wolf – it’s taken me ages to get him to fit the charm! Hope she likes him.

I am also finishing lots of experiments I have been doing with my soldered items and patinas, and in making my own copper findings!!! Never a dull moment!!! My poor old fingernails are shot to pieces though!

Anyway, as a shameless plug... do pop across and have a look in my little shop, you never know, a Christmas treat might be lurking there just waiting for the right person to come along!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildThingsPurcell

Today I decided to start working in my new A4 Moleskine - though I have stuck a sheet of watercolour paper onto the page I am working on as I am painting a series of little pictures of some beautiful tomatoes my lovely neighbour Colin has given me.  They are all different colours and shapes, such simple things and yet so pretty.  All good observational practice.  In fact, I shall finish off here now and do some more before the light starts to fail (must buy me a new work lamp this year).

Oh, and finally, remember I sent in a piece of art to the ‘Mail Me Art 2’ project?   Well, the book is finally out and my piece made it into the tome – albeit in a little corner of a page – but I’m really chuffed!!! I really enjoyed taking part in that project, it was great having a goal to work towards. 

Mmm, mail art – now how about that as an idea to get us all communicating via snail mail as well as over the Interweb? That could be a fun thing to do as a Blogaversary event...... Mmm, I’ll have a think and get back to you on that one   :o)

Buzz if you like, but don't sting me

Didn't realise how little I had been posting recently.... partly because I've been busy in the proper job and partly because I have been producing some new artwork both for my jewellery and a couple of EDMs on the boil (so to speak - will post these over next few days whan I have caught up with everyone elses offerings).  Here is my latest Wild Thing... a bee!

I have a sheet ready to print so that I can start preparing some soldered bits and pieces.  I am going to make some little charms and pendants with a 'Halloween' Wild Things theme.  Yesterday I started a painting of a spider... now, let me explain that I have a very stupid and irrational fear of spiders.  I live in a country where spiders are not a threat, yet just the thought of one scuttling along makes me want to run for the hills.  Ridiculous!  So I am finding myself as normal, totally engrossed in the painting I am doing and then, every now and again... shuddering at the subject matter.  I have no real fear of any other living thing.  As a child I once sat on a wasps nest (long story) and was stung everywhere.  Am I frightened of wasps / bees / stingy things?  No.  I once had the little finger of my right hand almost ripped off (no seriously - I have a cracking scar to prove it) by a rearing pony.  Am I scared of all things equine?  No.  As a child I was bitten several times by dogs - once on the face (again small scar to prove it) - I'm not frightened of dogs, never have been, which is why I got myself into so many scrapes with them because I always threw my arms around any dog I saw as a child  :0)

Being scared of spiders is silly.  I have never been hurt by a spider, never had a spider trauma... apart from the time my friends child held the biggest one up under my nose saying 'Look what I found Lesley....'.  I was horrified, my instinct was to leap over the fence into the neighbour's garden, or worse still chuck the child and her find into next door's garden.  I told her I thought it was beautiful and she should put it back where she found it because it's family were missing it, which she dutyfully did.  I think (hope) the rictus smile and my googling eyes passed her by. I would hate to be responsible for imprinting the same fear in another generation.

So, deep breaths, keep calm Lesley, and get that painting finished!

TTFN, xx 

Rainy days can be good

I am nearly half way through my summer holiday - though this last week has been so rainy and blowy it hasn't been the expected week of day trips and ice cream I had thought it might be.  Still, just being off work is bliss, and the weather has meant I have felt justified in getting on with more making of Wild Things.  So, here is a very quick post about my newest item, just listed in my Etsy shop, a necklace made using my seahorse painting.  I'm really pleased with this piece, I have used chain instead of ribbon for the necklace and think it works really well.  Fingers crossed someone else will love it too :o)

I'm off to work on a big, fluffy bumble bee painting that will hopefully be used in some jewellery pieces too.  I'll be back soon, hopefully with bee complete and some sketches from days out I will have when the sun comes back out - because it will, it always does!  Maybe I'll get a proper chance to have a play with my shiny new camera kit too!!  Watch this space.

Finally, I make and list my wolf necklace...

Just a quicky (ooh err).  I made one version of this necklace, managed to scratch the glass in the process and then in the most ridiculous, slap-stick accident that Buster Keaton would have been proud to choreograph I managed to smash the piece completely.  !!!!

I salvaged the bead dangle and the silk ribbon necklace and produced another soldered pendant, so here he is...

He needs to find a new, secure home before Mrs Clumsy handles him too much - so he's alread been listed in my Etsy shop!  :o)

TTFN, L xx

All the world's indeed a stage....

I had a lovely day Friday!  I had sold my little fox necklace within 24 hours so, when I got home from the day job the first thing I did was get him all parcelled up ready to put in the post on Saturday.  Also, when I got home I found a parcel from Revelle (EDM group) containing a print of her fabulous raven picture, and.... found another parcel containing a DVD about my favouritest band in the whole wide world - Rush. I have been a fan since I first discovered music *&/! years ago.  What  a lovely set of things to come home to!!

 

For those of you not familiar with Revelle's artwork, you can check it out here:

http://revelleimagemaker.blogspot.com/

I have just listed another necklace - containing a print of one of my fly agaric toadstool paintings.  I'm  quite pleased with it and was tempted to keep it myself!

I have also been quite naughty and treated myself to a brand new 'proper' camera this weekend.... not really had time to play with it yet though, maybe you'll get some practice pictures to look at by the end of this coming week!  Of course, as soon as I decide to shell out some hard earned cash on a luxury like a camera, it looks as though my cooker is about to die on me :o(   - typical!  At least I bought the camera first... if I'd thought I would have to pay for a new cooker, I would have shelved the camera idea!

Right, I'm off to watch Rush  :o)

Bye for now, L xx

I'm gonna get you little fishy.....

Now you'll probably only get that quote if you live in the UK and have ever watched Red Dwarf... one of the silliest Sci-Fi programmes ever - well worth a view.

I'm hoping this little fella will kill two birds with one stone - he's going to be adapted for the bits and pieces I am making to sell - but he was also painted with EDM 166 in mind - 'draw a fish'.

I just need to do something about the green blobs - make them look more like seaweed!!!  I've used watercolour, gouache and coloured pencil in this picture and have really enjoyed painting it - though my it was fiddly!!

I have also listed another item in my Etsy shop today...

Things are going slow, but you have to work hard for good things don't you?  I'll keep chipping away!!

You'll notice a little Wild Things Facebook button over on the right.... I'd love to see you over there if you do engage in Facebooky activities!  If you have your own artwork / craftwork on there, we could share the love - man  :o)  xx

Green things

Just thought I'd share a couple of very quick watercolour sketches I produced while out walking the pooch.  I haven't really posted any decent artwork in a while, and these I hope fit the remit of another EDM - No. 116 - something green. 

The first is of a tree stump that I have a fondness for - it's all mossy and attracts lots of birds.  I just sketched it with the paints, and am quite pleased with the results...

The second painting - again a quick watercolour sketch (the paper was not so good for this one) of some hawthorne bushes edging a field.  I love hawthorne, all twisty and knotty and in the swathes of beautiful flowers in spring are just gorgeous...

On a slightly different note I actually listed my first necklace in my Etsy shop, using a print of the himalayan poppy I painted last year.  I'm quite pleased with the finished piece - I hope someone will like it enough to purchase!!

Thought I would ask you all too - what are your favourite flora and fauna?  Wild or domesticated - I'd love to know... it might help get my creative juices flowing Wild Things wise - don't worry though, if you do inspire a painting / product I won't insist you make a purchase!!!  :o)

Have a lovely rest of the weekend folks, I'm off to finish a seahorse painting!!

First ATC swap....

Just wanted to share my first ATC swap with you.  I am a member of UK Handmade and a lovely lady called Kella set up an ATC swap group that I decided to join.  I have never done anything like this before but, ever up for a creative challenge I though it would be a great idea.  The theme for the swap I joined was 'songs'.  This seems to have been approached from lots of angles, I've have just noticed on the Flickr group that one lady has done 'the dawn chorus'... well you can't really get much lovelier music than that can you?

The card I received was from Jane who makes the most beautiful crocheted items and her 'card', I don't really want to call it that because it's made of the most gorgeous golden silks and velvets and beads, is inspired by the most recent album by Corrine Bailey Ray...

Lovely isn't it?

I had to send my ATC to Kella (check her beautiful craft work here) this time.  I think I have mentioned the group Eels before, there isn't an Eels album I don't like and many of their songs I absolutely love.  So I chose, without even realising I was chosing to illustrate yet another Wild Thing, the Eels song 'I Like Birds':

On the back I collaged lots of astronauts and a rocket launch, an auto-car and lots of little birds which I then covered with a layer of tissue paper with my details written on in bestest, neatest handwriting...

I loved making this and can't wait to have a go at another!  Keep an eye out now for the little sparrow - he'll be turning up in jewellery very soon!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post to be entered for the giveaway!  Ta ta for now, x 

One step forward (two steps back)

Exactly a week ago today I was sitting in front of my PC with a growing sense of doom as the anti-virus software was telling me that file after file on my computer was corrupt and being removed to quarantine.  After an eight and a half hour scan (!!!!) the whole thing ground to a halt when the anti-virus software finally 'stopped responding'.  You can use your imagination as to the language used by my good self to describe both machine and software at that stage.  A week later - PC returned to 'factory new' conditions; iTunes library lost; all my internet favourites vanished into the ether, though luckily (amazingly) all my documents and picture files were ok and saved by the nice man at the PC shop - I'm back.  The reason for the problem?  Bullguard anti-virus software company released an update by mistake which basically told the system that all my program files etc were corrupt, though they weren't, and so the computer (for want of a more technical way of putting it) ate itself up from the inside out!!!  Aaargh!!!!  So now, my little plans of beginning to sell my artwork online have been setback by a good few days.  I'd hoped to launch everything this weekend, I shall work my little socks off to get things started next weekend now.

There, rant over!  I do hope that none of you lovely people who stop by here have been troubled with the same problem. If you have, and you haven't been to the Bullguard site yet since - they are saying on their forum that you can ask for a subscription refund, you need to e-mail their payments dept.  Good luck!

Just to brighten this post up - here are some quick design sketches I have been working on this week for my Wild Things jewellery....

Watch this space next week as I am going to run a little giveaway of one of my necklaces, to say a big thank you to everyone who has offered me words of encouragement on my art since I started this blog!  You'll need to get your name down to be in with a chance of getting the goods! 

Oh, and I promise, no more venting of spleen! xx

Gearing up

As you can see I have changed the title of my blog...  I was never very happy with 'Making Marks' I just felt I had to think of something suitable and at the time that was all I could think of.  I am about to start selling some of my hand made work and will be doing so under the name 'Wild Things' (the tag line being - 'hand made things with wild things on') and so it seems a sensible idea to tie this blog in with my little business venture. 

The picture at the top illustrates the state of my little buisiness venture as it stands today though - I don't even think I could call it organised chaos could I?!!!  Guess what I'll be doing this weekend...

Just to add something a bit more creative to this post I thought I'd put up a  non-Wild Things pic that I keep working on - a watercolour of Lindisfarne in Northumberland, a place I have visited many times since I was a child.  This is a painting I keep coming back to.  It's taken from some patched together photographs of the castle and harbour, I am trying to work much more freely with the paint.  I have already made a mess of the sky and will try to rectify it at some point but its all being done on practice paper, just for fun really so I am enjoying the process:

Right I off to try to create some order out of chaos!  Chores today, creative fun tomorrow.  Have a good weekend guys! x