Rocking Robin

He Rocks in the tree tops all day long...

I saw my first Robin Red Breast, two days ago, whilst exploring the beautiful Sherwood Forest with my husband. It was icy cold, all the trees and fallen leaves were white with twinkling frost. Suddenly there he was, chirping away on the fence in front of us. The christmas scene was complete. So here's a rocking Robin to see in this merry month!

Lost Cinderella

There have been many books and essays exploring the fairytale realm, including, symbolism in fairytales, the history surrounding the them, the influence society has on fairytales and the influence fairytales have on society, the roles that women play in them, how they have evolved over the years and the many adaptations of classic tales. For my negotiated written study during my Masters, I began by researching into the historical background of the tale of Cinderella. There was no lack of material on this subject. There has been many books and essays written about this beloved tale. Psychologist pick it apart to find its "hidden psychological effects on society". Historians seek to find it's influence on modern day life. But what few of them fail to acknowledge is it's historical routes, and it's cultural relevance.

The first known written version of the well loved fairy tale is that of Yeh-hsien. Tuang Ch’eng-shih recorded Yeh-hsien over one thousand years ago in ninth century China. Critics and scholars appear to overlook the simple historical relevance in the tales details. For instance the tiny shoe, reminiscent of the art of foot binding which was ever popular in the Tang dynasty in China at the time the tale was written.

This piece is a visual representation of my thoughts about the whole thing. The roots of the tale are all tangled up in the roots of the tree, which original acted as a symbol of Yeh - Hesiens dead mother. I've added some close ups of the paintings progress so you get an idea of some of the details.

The Incredible Chapore

http://www.illustrateit.co.uk/viewillustration.asp?SubID=40


From July 30th until August 26th you can vote for the illustration that best suits the wonderful tale of "The Incredible Chapore". The story follows a ruthless poacher who is outsmarted by all the animals in the Jungle, as he attempts to hunt and capture the greatest animal of all them all 'The Incredible Chapore'

Please if you have a moment to browse over them and maybe cast a vote, it would be greatly appreciated. The link is at the top of the post!

Goodies Sweet Shop - Lincoln

"What to Choose? What to Choose?"

Chocolate bon bons, humbugs, chocolate orange nibble, dark chocolate coated ginger, cola cubes, sherbet lemons, coconut mushrooms, rum balls, rhubarb and custard, peanut brittle, cinder toffee, chocolate covered peanuts, liquorice, white chocolate mice, milk chocolate mice, the choices go on and on...

It is hard not to have the biggest smile on your face when you're inside the wonderful Goodies Traditional Sweet Shop. The shelves are stacked floor to ceiling with jars full of delicious treats. In-between the traditional beams are rows and rows of candy canes, all different flavours. It is a feast for both the eyes and the belly!

I really wanted to capture the nostalgia of the shop. The window displays chocolate boxes and sweet tins from times gone by. The till and weighing scales would be at home in the Lincolnshire Museum of Life. And the setting of the building itself, with it's low ceiling and thick beams, placed on the beautiful cobbled street that is Steep Hill. I hope that the illustration reflects this successfully! 

Harding House Gallery - Browser

With the July artists market coming up this Saturday, I've been working like a busy bee trying to finish some new Steep Hill themed paintings. This one is focused on the beautiful 16th century timbered building that is now the Harding House Gallery. It features some beautiful contemporary work from local artists, and artists from around the country. The permanent exhibits feature ceramics, glass, watercolours, textiles, jewellery, metal sculpture, calligraphy, prints, abstract and landscape painting, plus a wonderful array of original greetings cards.

One shopper stops to catch her breath from the challenge that is steep hill,and takes a moment to appreciate the lovely work inside the gallery. One more purchase before that long awaited cup of tea at Lesley's tea shop perhaps?

Harding House Gallery - Pen & Ink

This is the beginnings of a new painting I've begun work on, it's of the Harding House Gallery on Lincoln's wonderful Steep Hill. It's only in the dip pen and ink stages at the moment, but will soon reflect the other paintings below. I'm just deciding on the colour pallet, then it's time to paint. I want this one to feel vibrant and exciting, reflecting the work in the Gallery itself. It showcases the work of some of Lincoln's most talented contemporary artists, from painters, to glass artists, to ceramic artists, to metal workers. It's a very exciting gallery to be a part of. Hopefully this one will be complete by tomorrow night... hopefully!

The Not-So-Haunted House - colour pallet

This week I've been playing with different colour pallets for my story 'The Not-So-Haunted House'. I'm in the process of re-writing it at the moment, (with a little help from one of my tutors from the MA course, he's really helping sort out the narrative), I just need to decide how the whole thing is going to look and feel. Rosie, the protagonist, is frightened of the appearance of the house at first. But her mother reassures her there is nothing to be frightened of, and begins to point out the charm of the house. So it needs to work both as scary, and charming. 

At first, she may just see the shadows that the house creates, but when her mother reveals what the objects are that are creating the shadows (little birds on the roof, squirrels in the trees, a delightful postbox), she begins too rest at ease. Well, until she enters the house that is...

So, I need the pallet to work well as a shadow effect as there's going to be a lot of them.