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 

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 

I've been waiting for tomorrow all of my life...

Pushing two weeks ago I promised a giveaway and I have to apologise because I still can't post it, because I haven't been able to finish it, because of the mess up with the computer (see earlier rant) which had led to several unforseen knock-on glitches...... grrr!

Deep breath...... and...... relax.

I've been putting all my positive energies into more sketches and paintings though, and have been really enjoying myself.  The enforced delay has also made me look at another (and I believe hopefully better) way of finishing off the jewellery pieces so, of course, there's a good side to all the glitches....  and hopefully, as soon as I can post my long-awaited giveaway you might think it was worth the wait  :o)

My obsession with all things bear like continues.  Why?  I don't know but I'll run with it.  I need to perhaps visit a wildlife park to see some in the flesh,  do some sketches from life, though I'm not sure where I would go.  Here is my new polar bear picture... I'm going to turn the image into cards I think and adapt elements of it for the jewellery:

I sketched the bear after watching a beautiful National Geographic documentary about Russian wildlife.  The same programme also inspired this picture:

Tell me why is it that bears and wolves (and lots of other animals) look like you should be able to walk straight up to them and sink your hands and face into their fur without having your face ripped off?!!! 

I'm going to have my dinner now - and blast out 'Soul Mining' by The The - one of the few 80s bands I still listen to! xx

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

All in a days work

I have managed to finish a couple of others since producing these, hopefully, within the next two to three weeks I will be able to try my hand at selling some through online outlets.  I just have final details to sort out but I will let you know when I am up and running. 

I have treated myself to a book to try to help my thought processes regarding getting on and making some money from my art.  I've had time for a quick flick through and it actually looks pretty good, so when I have finished here I shall make myself a warm drink and snuggle down in bed for a read.  The book is 'The Creative Enterprise' by Lisa Sonora Beam (available on Amazon):

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has read this book - or perhaps if anyone could recommend anything else, or a website perhaps? 

I have my usual day off tomorrow, which I usually try to enjoy by getting as much out of the day as I can - artwise. I have an appointment at the dentist in the morning though, and will be seriously numbed-up and feeling sorry for myself by the time I get home. I shall spend some time this evening preparing some good things to entice me to 'crack-on' when I get back and not wallow in self-pity!!!

Money don't grow on trees...

.... but I have been spending it this week, on materials and bits and pieces, as if it did!!  This week is seeing months worth of ideas and work come together in some designs I have made for pieces of jewellery I hope to begin selling sometime over the next few weeks (when I have my Paypal / bank account sorted :-)  ). I thought I'd post a couple of the pages from my design sketchbook here just to give you a feel for them and see what people think.

Firstly, here are a couple of necklaces I have already made using 'pre-fabricated' sterling silver pendants.  Each pendant is 1" square.  I will eventually have around a dozen of these to sell, each one will be different as the images are all hand drawn and painted individually.  I don't think I will buy any more of these pendants (lovely as they are) as I imported the pieces from the US and was hammered by customs!  I have made the bee necklace to keep and I think I am happier with the silk ribbon / clasp combination here than the one on the toadstool pendant.

I have come up with what I think is a much more interesting solution to make my own pendants for the the next designs..., these will also include a small amount of embroidery and beading (hope I'm not over-egging the pudding).  Hopefully I will have a couple of finished pendants to show you in the next week or so, the square ones will be 1 1/2" square and the rectangular ones will be 1" x 3".  Again, all the designs will be hand drawn / painted / made by me.  As you can see I will be concentrating mainly on 'flora and fauna' as subject matter.

Ignore the odd thing on the right!!  It's meant to be a fern pattern with an embroidery design running through it... it doesn't really work very well does it?  I might use the fern leaf idea for the reverse of some pendants but not sure yet.

There'll be a general 'otherworldly' fairytale quality to everything, I'm obsessed with fairytales, they definitely inspire some of the images.....  anyway, I do hope you like them!

Now I'm off to draw Scout's jar of doggy biscuits from her point of view - for the EDM I have been promising myself I would do all week!