Illustration Friday - Creature & Doodlers Anonymous Colouring Book Submission

Illustration Friday - Entangled

Illustration Friday - Onomatopoeia

Illustration Friday - TOTE' EM (for TOTEM)

Illustration Friday - Hidden

Illustration Friday - Lush

A MONTH without Illustration Friday!!! Terrible...but I am back! A few weeks travelling and nowhere near a scanner. I actually prepared myself for this and bought a portable scanner but I was so in awe of it's compact size I failed to research how easy it would be to use! Hopeless!! 

Anyway...so this week I came in contact with a reliable scanner and so I have happily scanned this week's LUSH and the previous few weeks happy travelling doodles. Some I did with Jonah (6yrs) who is getting more and more critical of my drawing abilities but then, that's all part of the challenge!

  

For IF "Rescue"

For IF "Power" (of love !)

A circus - just for fun!

Illustration Friday - Hybrid

So my friend Gay McKinnon at Silvergum Studio must of sparked a little idea in my head after my Rowboat Robot so this week I am playing with words again. Three attempts at baking bread in a stainless steel milkshake maker cup and I have made my Hybrid High Bread!! Great with butter and jam!!

Illustration Friday - Jungle

 

Busy busy at the Art Centre the last few weeks so very happy to be spending a Sunday doing IF again after a few weeks absence.

When I sat down at my desk, I also found this little scribble (see below) of an idea I had for last weeks theme "Robot", the Row boat Robot...a little silly!

Two days left to vote for Illustrate it. Thanks to all who voted and if you haven't, please do!!!

 

Row boat Robot                                      Illustrate it

Illustration Friday - Protest

Thanks to all you lovely blog friends for voting on "Illustrate it". Voting goes for 21 more days so if there's anyone else our there who wants to check out my entry (and vote!!) please do here.

Illustration Friday - Surveillance

This week I have been inspired by my sons latest invented game, where both of them and also anyone else who happens to pass through the game, are called "Ted".

Also, this week I'm plugging my entry into "Illustrate it".  If you haven't already, please check it and vote here!

Illustrate it!

After a weekend of relaxation in Yulara (Ayres Rock) I came home reinvigorated...so I skipped IF for the week and tackled the yearly competition, Illustrate it! You have to illustrate a double spread of one part of the story...and it's a fun story! Part of the prize is illustrating the whole book...great opportunity!! The first part of the competition is voted by the public so I asking you, blogger friends to help me get to the finals. All you have to do is click this link and then click "VOTE!" Thank heaps!!

VOTE HERE

Illustration Friday - Children

 

This is how my children like to cuddle me.

Illustration Friday - Sweet, Tension, Liquid

SWEET 

 Life has paused the IF run the last few weeks so this week I'm doing the IF Trifecta!!

TENSION

LIQUID

Liebster Award

My cheeky and fun friend Mit at www.creationsbymit.blogspot.com.au has this week secretly given me The Liebster Award! (which I only found out accidently...I think this is all part of the game!!)

So I had to do a little research ...

The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  What is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

So if this is the case, I am very honoured! Thanks Mit!!

Here are the rules for receiving this award:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
3. No tag backs!

So.... 

1. My sister lives in remote Thailand and I live in remote Australia but we still play scrabble most nights...the magic of the internet!

2. It is very likely my two little boys will be taller than me by the time they are ten.

3. I didn't learn to drive till I was 30.

4. My mum didn't let me and my sister cook when we were growing up because she thought we made too much mess but before I left home she taught me to make lasanga and apple pie with home made pastry.

5. I almost never ever wear high heels (despite my height) but love shoes especially boots and am constantly on the look out for unusual colours and styles.

6. My middle name is Lorna after my grandmother who was named after the book "Lorna Doone", a romance novel published in 1869.

7. When I was 17 I accidently ended up studying fashion design because the course I wanted to do, millinery wasn't running that semester. I had failed sewing in year 9 but was convinced I should try it. I gave myself six months and ended up staying three years and loving every moment of it!

8. I have lived in eight cities, three countries and two many houses to count.

9. If there was no other junk food in the world except ice-cream I would be satisified.

10. I am very very uncoordinated!

11. By day I manage an indigenous art centre. (see no.11 below)


And the Liebster Award goes to:

1. http://fawa-shah.blogspot.com.au
2. http://francescony.blogspot.com.au
3. http://lauriesharp.net/blog
4. http://hedwigml.blogspot.com.au/
5. http://aliciasillustration.blogspot.com.au/
6. http://kazartgallery.blogspot.com.au/
7. http://www.tracystokesart.co.za/category/paintings/
8. http://janetsdibbydabby.blogspot.com.au/
9. http://abbyabbydoo.blogspot.com.au/
10. http://kathrynboyleillustration.blogspot.com.au/
11. www.minymakutjara.blogspot.com.au (this is a little cheeky because it is my work site but it links in with the 11 things about me above.)

Apologies to my blog friends Roberto, Mr The Pen Mover and CindyD. I thought I should come up with a different list from the last time I wrote one of these!

Illustration Friday - The Future

This is late but I have been travelling again the last few weeks and missed a couple of IF's...I had to get back into it!  I really liked this theme and I had been thinking about it all week. So... I had to finish what I started. Now I have six days to think about "liquid"!

Illustration Friday - Farewell

Illustration Friday - Training Trains and Wild Things

 

The last fortnight I have been in the sky or on the road so Illustration Friday has been mostly neglected. I've crossed four states and am ready for the weekend....but before I crash I'm going to just scrape into this week's theme of trains. Below are my doodles for last weeks "wild" theme that I found amongst conference note on Indigenous Art's Law. The horse was an idea I had for a Wild Wild West scene that never got any further....maybe another time!

Illustration Friday - Urban

Listed on cracked.com as the fifth Creepiest Urban Legends (That Happen's to be True) is the phenomenon of being "Buried Alive"!!

The Legend (to quote the website):
"Some poor schmuck is committed to his or her eternal resting place, even though they aren’t quite ready to take that final dirt nap. Scratch marks are later found on the coffin lid along with other desperate signs of escape."

The Truth:  
"This not only happened, but back in the day it happened with alarming regularity. In the late 19th century, William Tebb tried to compile all the instances of premature burial from medical sources of the day. He managed to collect 219 cases of near-premature burial, 149 cases of actual premature burial and a dozen cases where dissection or embalming had begun on a not-yet-deceased body."

"The concern over being buried alive back then was so real that the must-have hot-ticket item for the wealthy and paranoid were "safety coffins" that allowed those inside to signal to the outside world (usually by ringing a bell or raising some type of flag) should they awake 6-feet under. Though, answering that bell sounds like a good way to get ambushed by a zombie if you ask us."

"Unfortunately safety coffins aren’t in vogue anymore, so if you’re at the cemetery and hear a muffled voice calling out "OK guys, joke’s over. Let me out!" it might be a good idea to inform someone with a shovel quickly!!!!"

Nathan Birch on cracked.com

Illustration Friday - Egg (Head!)

Illustration Friday - Swim

swim against the tide and swim against the current 

1. Lit. to swim in a direction opposite to the flow of the water. 

2. Fig. to do something that is in opposition to the general movement of things.

from The Free Dictionary

Illustration Friday - Eye Glasses

Well this week marks my 1st anniversary doing Illustration Friday and what a blast! So much inspiration and many new friends. So...I'm going to raise my glass eye cocktail and toast to another year!!

Illustration Friday - Yesterday (versus Tomorrow)

Well... it's taken me nearly all week to work this theme out. I was ready to give up and right it off as trickiest theme ever!! 

But then I was a littIe inspired by a bit of ancient Roman religion and mythology. Janus was the god of beginnings and transitions as well as gates, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The month of January was named in honor of Janus by the Romans. (ref: wikipedia)

Illustration Friday - Talent

Illustration Friday - Whisper

Illustration Friday - Wool

As it is currently 9.30pm and 35˚C (95˚F) in the middle of nowhere (nowhere being a big vast desert), the theme of wool is NOT something that is on my mind...so I had to have a bit of fun!!

Illustration Friday - Storm (in a teacup)

 

 

Tempest in a teapot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tempest in a teapot (American English), or storm in a teacup (British English), is an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. There are also lesser known or earlier variants, such as tempest in a teacup, storm in a cream bowl, tempest in a glass of water, storm in a wash-hand basin, and storm in a glass of water.

Illustration Friday - Wheel

Summer in Adelaide always makes me feel like I am sixteen again. 

When my sister and I were teenagers, we would travel by bus from Canberra to Melbourne then out on the country train to a little town in country Victoria to where our friends lived in an Arts colony. We would go there for their annual Christmas party and then afterwards we would travel across to Adelaide for the January summer holidays. All our friends from these days lived itinerant lives, but this is where they went home to for the holidays...and they still do. Somehow, it became our second home too. 

So now we are all grown up but it is where we find each other at the same time each year. Sometimes we haven't seen or spoken to each other at all in the year past and sometimes it has been even longer. But when we find each other once again, time slips away and we are sixteen again, lying in the sun and spanning time.

Illustration Friday - Things with "Wings"!

 In flight entertainment - Virgin Australia Flight VA408 Sunday 27 January 2013!

Pass It On - Illustration of the Week

PASS IT ON is a weekly, interactive, networking e-zine for children's writers and illustrators and this week there is an interview in it with meeeee!! Thanks to the lovely Jackie Hosking!

Here it is.....
 
Please describe your chosen illustration

~What medium did you use?
~How long did it take?
~What is it for?

This is an illustration from my (as yet!) unpublished book, “The Garden of Moon”. The illustrations are created using scanned images including flowers, leaves, and grasses I collected during a year long stay in a seaside village in Northern Spain. They are re-coloured and collaged in Photoshop to create my imaginary world in the sky. This book has been a project a long time in the making but once I have the idea and picture in head it takes me about a week to create each one.

When did you know you had a talent for illustration?

~How old were you?
~How did you know? Did someone encourage you?

I remember trying to copy the Flintstone characters when I was quite young but I didn’t take up art until I was in Year 11. My art teacher was very encouraging but I don’t think I really believed her! I learnt fashion illustration and later studied graphic design and animation. It wasn’t until I won the Graphic Novels and Illustrated Picture Books Category at the CYA Conference in 2010 and I saw my illustrations on display with other illustrators that I felt like I could call myself an illustrator.

Have you ever studied your craft at an institution of any sort? Which institution?

I studied Fashion Design at Canberra Institute of Technology where I learned about colour and texture then later I studied Electronic Design and Interactivity at RMIT where I majored in Animation. A picture storybook is just like an animated film where character’s move and stories grow and change and come to life before your very eyes.

~How long was the course?
Fashion Design was three years and EDIM was two.

~How affordable was the course?
It was TAFE and I got support from Centrelink so it was very affordable.

~Would you recommend it to upcoming artists/illustrators?
I didn’t travel any logical road to becoming an illustrator but I think both courses and my life experiences have shaped me into the artist I am today.

~Do you run courses or workshops yourself?
I manage an indigenous art centre in remote Western Australia where I foster artists both young and old.  I run a children’s program where children are encouraged to be mentored by their mother’s and grandmother’s.

What computer programmes do you use?
 ~Can you recommend any?

My favourite program is Photoshop but really even better than any program is my scanner. I have friends who take to their computer like an obsessed cult fan but I try to never forget that my computer is only a tool. My scanner allows me to put the real me into my illustrations. It keeps them rough and unpolished and as a result my scanner is very scratched and dirty but we’ll be friends till it dies.

Have you illustrated any books?

I have written and illustrated two unpublished children’s book that both won prizes at the CYA Conference. I also have made several handmade books. I would love to partner with a writer and illustrate other people’s stories. Collaborating is a huge part of learning and working with other people makes you strive to be better at what you do.

Who is your favourite Australian children’s book illustrator and why?

Chris McKimmie is a writer and illustrator whose books are surprising and unexplained. His characters often faced with difficult battles (floods, separation, being different) but are brave and adventurous. He writes like a kid and his illustrations are scratchy and raw with added additions from family members. When I am reading books to my five year old he often says, “But they forgot to draw …..” So I tell him he should draw it and we can add his page into the book. When I see these little kids illustrations in Chris Mckimmie’s books I imagine he has had the same conversation with his kids or grandchildren. His books are inspiring and make me feel like anything is possible!

What’s your website or blog address (if you have one)?

www.clairewildish.com
http://clairewildish.blogspot.com.au/

Would you like to tell us anything else about yourself and/or your work?

I learnt to stilt-walk when I was fifteen even though I am afraid of heights. I learnt violin from a tiny little nun who scared me to death but taught me how important practicing your craft is and my five year old Jonah can outdraw me any day!
 

Illustration Friday - Myth

Narcissus (mythology) 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Narcissus or Narkissos (Greek: Νάρκισσος), possibly derived from  meaning "sleep, numbness," in Greek mythology was a hunter from the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia who was renowned for his beauty. He was the son of a river god named Cephissus and a nymph named Liriope.He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself.

NB....Beginning to get frustrated by the limitations of scanning. Never seems to scan exactly like the original. Beginning to think photographing work is a better idea. Any tips...anyone??

Illustration Friday - Ocean

A weekend in Adelaide, spanning time in the easy comfort of old friends. Children never forget and so when on Saturday when Jonah realised we were going to my friend Robyn's house, he insisted we have a repeat game of Picture Tag. (see: The Spanish Indian Jungle).

By Jonah (age 5), his mum (me!) and her great friend Robyn Finlay.

Illustration Friday - (On) Edge

 

A new year has begun slowly and with uncertainty. To say I'm feeling a little "on edge" would be putting it mildly. I feel strange talking about this here but as you've all been so lovely I feel I need to tell you the end of the story that drifted into my IF submission a few months ago. On the 22nd December as my dad, my sister Tara and I held her close, my beautiful mum died peacefully. She had battled for six years with lymphoma. She was strong and fearless and even though I am missing her like crazy I know she had battled enough and is now at peace. We have spent three months living in my parents house with my sister, my dad and my family. Today is the day we edge our way into the real world, beyond the comfort of being so close in grieve and love. I'm not sure I'm ready but I know she's out there somewhere watching over me.

International Book Giving Day

Doing my bit for International Book Giving Day by designing a couple of bookplates.

Check out their website http://bookgivingday.com/ to see how you can help celebrate too!

Bookplates are available at their zazzle website 

http://www.zazzle.com/bookgivingday