Fairy Puzzled???

It's that exciting time of year again, when all the veggies that the garden fairy worked so hard to grow are ready for picking. Her harvest basket begins to fill with lovely big, colourful, juicy carrots when all over a sudden... what is this? She doesn't remember sewing this back in march. But how on earth did it get there????

Vanity Fairy

What to wear? What to wear? The little fairy flutters from wardrobe to mirror, unable to decide which lovely dress she should choose for the following day. Don't even get her started on the accessories! My little sister Gemma adores her clothes, and loves planning her outfit each day. Every detail is given lots of thought and care.  She always looks beautiful, so this little fairy is modeled on her.

Last year during my masters, I read a lot of material critisizing the fairytale genre. The texts focused on the weak portrayal of female characters in fairytale books, the likes of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Red Riding Hood. But these stories were written many years ago, and today must be read with their historical and social context in mind. Fairytales are meant to be simply enjoyed, and not psycologically pulled apart. I feel the same about the modern fairy books of today. So what if the characters enjoy beautiful things, it doesnt make them weak, it's just one of there many character traits. They could also enjoy digging in the dirt to discover hidden treasures, or reading old texts to discover their ancestors secrets... This particular fairy, as she is modelled on my little sister, has a Masters in Renaissance Literature. I just used her love of clothes to experiment using different patterns and textures in the material.

I've begun a little series of Fairy paintings this week so WTS for more like this.

A few sketches from a land downunder

So on our trip to Oz, we payed a visit Australia Zoo. Some of the biggest crocodiles I'd ever scene inhabited several enclosures, but it was the tree hugging Koala that caught my eye. Shaded from the sun, all soft and cozy enjoying his mid afternoon nap. Then directly behind his enclosure I noticed the funniest looking bird. It looked like a cross between a turkey and a dinosaur, his waddle dangling under his long neck and his big flat horn on the top of his head. I couldn't stop laughing at the awkward way he moved, he looked so funny, well, he was funny until I was told that they are pretty aggressive and can cause quite a bit of damage. So I crept over to the pen full of echidna, just as funny, yet much less intimidating!

"On The Rooftops Of London, Coo What A Sight..."

One afternoon, watching Mary Poppins. Dozens of nimble chimney sweeps are singing and dancing when suddenly, Dick Va Dyke pauses, “On the rooftops of London, Coo what a sight!”. Today, you can truly see a multi layered London. Old church spires mingle with modern structures. Airplanes flying peacefully past. There’s something romantic about escaping to such peacefulness, when there’s so much chaos just below your feet.

Accidental Colour Pallets

When I working on an illustration, I'm not careful about contaminating my colours. Blue in the yellow, brown in the red, orange in the green. Sometimes if I pick up a colour by mistake, I actually enjoy these little accidents, they can create colour pallets I wouldn't of considered before. I don't like to use too many colours, I like to mix them myself

The Lincoln Artists' Market

It was the Lincoln Artists' Market yesterday, and although it was freezing temperatures (I had to make a call for emergency thermal socks, or I'd be at risk of losing a toe), and the English drizzle was threatening to ruin our work, it was actually a pretty good turn out. The Hill and the rain didn't stop those keen to snap up a treasure, coming to browse all the beautifully stocked stalls, located at the Castle Gate in Lincoln. If you missed the market this time, the next one will be on the 7th of April. I won't be there again until May the 5th (hopefully the sun will be shining, and there won't be a need for emergency thermal socks). So there's more opportunity to purchase original artwork, or beautifully crafted items. hope to see you there!

Bird Bath

Shaking her pretty blue tail feathers, and singing her morning song during a refreshing bath; she's unaware of a growing audience. The flock of admirers push to get to the front, in hope to get a better peek of this bird of paradise. She's like the Marilyn Monroe of the feathered world,  a complete enigma.

This is one of the designs featured on cards that will be sold at the Lincoln Artists Market. I thought they would be lovely for Mothers day.