New Cards

Easter is such a turning point in the year coming in on the beginning of a new season.  More sun, more flowers.  It is inspiring.  I like cocooning in the winter but it's time to shake it off.  Creating cards is still something new for me and I'm really enjoying the process.  Since I'm creating for a small market at the moment, I like to include references to the town that I live in making the cards a little more special than what the mass market produces.  Maybe some day I'll "break out" into a bigger market.

It's no secret....

that chickadees are my "go to" subject to design around.  My second project for Lilla Rogers MATS

Bootcamp for February was to design something in the round beginning with research into plate designs.  I chose to do this using collage.  A medium I've been using lately simply because I love painting paper.  Coming up with new textures to tear up and use for collage is so much fun and full of surprises.  Speaking of which, I love the surprise element of this course.  It starts with a topic to research and sketch/paint and then the actual project to be completed using your inspiration.  It takes you places you wouldn't have on your own.

This plate became part of a fund raiser for our local bird rehabilitation centre (Le Nichoir).

Starting Something New

I can't deny my interest in illustration and design but being a traditional painter, there are a few

approaches that I have to adapt to.  The first being to explore the possibilities with many sketches and

see what emerges.  My internal instinct is to get it right, right from the start.  But I've come to realize that you miss out on the discoveries of further exploration.  There should be a dozen more of the pages before I pick up on what has the potential for a successful design.  

The assignment for this is from Lilla Rogers MATS Bootcamp that I'm excited to be enrolled in. Our first assignment is to research and sketch Edwardian brooches, without knowing what the end result will be!  So for the next six months I will immerse myself in the world of design and hope to find a design aesthetic that will remain consistent.

So excited!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Creating these illustrations for the cards that I made this season really helped to bring me into the 

Christmas mood.  Soon I'll be creating for the next occasion but for now I'm enjoying these.

Silver and Pearls

I've missed creating jewellery these last few months.  Happy with these and now I'm in the mood to create more.  Both the focal ring of the top pic and the embossed focal of the lower one are fine silver

with sterling accents and chain and freshwater pearls.

Fabric Love

 Just pulled out fabrics to work with my sketches printed on faux suede.  I love the colours and texture.  But now to make sense of all this!

Having Fun

When I started sketching locations around my home town with the idea of creating a sort of "toile de jouy" type fabric,  it hadn't dawned on me for the longest time that I could take the mock ups and
create a line of cards......until now.  And I'm having so much fun.  So much more to post soon.