New blog: FINE SCENERY

I'm always stumbling across amazing artists, whether it's online, in magazines or galleries, and planning to blog about them. Of course I always forget, don't get round to it, or wonder if this blog is really the place for it, what with being so hap-hazard n all.
So I've finally started a brand new blog, which already features lovely little illustrations by Brooke Weeber, and beautiful landscape photography by Carla Andrade, plus I have plenty stored in the drafts ready to go up over the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited :)
The idea is pretty much to keep rollin' out these interviews from artists who I've admired for a while. If that sounds like your kinda thing, take a look, have a read, and start following :)
finescenery.tumblr.com

Happy Valentines Day

Scribbles for a loved one.

 

Midnight City

For anyone else who was kinda obsessed with M38's Midnight City, but is now a bit sick of hearing it on every episode of Made in Chelsea. The Knocks just gave us another excuse to love it all over again. YESS.


...Alright, I lied. I love it in Made in Chelsea. 

Forever in a Nutshell: The Sketchbook Project 2012

Last week I finally finished my pocket sized sketchbook, said farewell, and shipped it off back to Brooklyn, ahead of the 2012 Sketchbook Project world tour. 

There's no real running theme or style, I just used it as an excuse to try different styles and play with a few different materials. As it turns out, I've realised I quite like watercolours, fine liners, free style machine embroidery and paper cutting. And mountains, always mountains.

Here are a few of my more favourite pages, and I've uploaded the full sketchbook here, if you want to have nosey. Also, stop by the tour if you happen to live in America, Canada, London or Melbourne (it starts in April, dates here).

 

Adam Rabalais - Alternative film artwork

Just thought I'd do a quick post on these amazing film posters by Adam Rabalais. I found these when searching for original film artwork as an extra Christmas present for Adam (my Adam that is), and after hours of scouring various blogs and etsy shops for the perfect design AND film, I went with this Inception print.

Hopefully this will be the first of a nice collection of alternative film artwork for our walls. Take a look at Adam's shop on Etsy.

 

  

A few more of my favourites...

 

 

Sketchy update No.2...

A sketchbook in the making...

I signed up Art House Co-op's Sketchbook Project 2012 quite a while ago, and in true fashion have kinda left it a bit last minute to get started. It's due to be posted back to Brooklyn Art Library by the end of the month, but thanks to some fast sewing, cutting and splashes of watercolour, I seem to be doing not tooo badly considering my late start.

My theme is 'Forever in a Nutshell'. I'm not overly imaginative, so I've taken the literal approach, with landscape scenes tied in with a few nutshells. I'll be sure to post more updates as I fill up the book, but here's a little look so far...


(please excuse my pack of chocolate digestives peeking in, plus my broken fingers in the bottom)

Bows, sequins, ribbon and stripes in one heart

Such a cute little fabric heart from my friend Hannah which she popped inside my Christmas card :)

Season's Greetings from Rudolph and Squirelly

Rather than spend hours labouring over my Christmas cards with prit stick and scraps of paper, glitter and fabric everywhere, I decided to try a different approach, and go with an illustrated design. I had a few others, but these turned out the best when combined with my crappy printer.

Maybe next year I'll even get my act together, sort out decent printing, and get them on Etsy (which was my original plan).

Merry Christmas from Mr Reindeer and Snowy the Squirrel!

Weekend Projects: Tree Hearts & Puddings

Best carried out with a bunch of festive tunes, here's my Spotify playlist if you can't be bothered to compile your own - CHRISTMAS Playlist. Lemme know if I've missed any crackers! (pun intended)

I made these last year and can't wait to get them out again this weekend once we've been to pick out our tree. They're pretty simple and cheap to make, all you need is;

• Ribbon
• Brown felt (for the pudding)
• Cream fabric (the the pudding sauce - I just used the same for the hearts)
• Gold beads
• Coloured thread
• Stuffing

Obviously, use whatever fabric and ribbon patterns you want to match your own decor.

Make yourself a few stencils, something simple like these will do.

 

Pin them to your fabric, and cut out. Each decoration with need two cut outs, so once you have a pair, pin them together. Pick out your matching thread and start sewing together, I used a blanket stitch around the edges to hold them together a bit better. Once you're need to the end, remember to take a break from the stitching to stuff them before finishing. 

For the puddings I stitched the cream piece onto one side of the pudding before sewing both circles together. I used a few gold beads dotted around, and added a loop of ribbon to the back.

The hearts also have one piece of looped ribbon on the back, and a small bowed stitched onto the front.