I have just collected my new set of Greeting cards from the printers. The four new cards feature drawings of books and a scene from the Supreme Court Library of Victoria (In Melbourne) where I work.
They are for sale on my online Etsy shop

These four new designs join the 16 cards and 5 envelopes that are already there. They feature books, libraries, nests. feathers and snails !

They are all drawn in watercolour pencil.

Once again Print Together has done  amazing scans of my drawings, replicating the original colours and have printed them on beautiful cream card. I have the envelopes and cello bags purchased and ready for a night of packaging !

Today I drew a birthday card for my brother . Happy Birthday Keith for the 14th October !

I thought that you might like to see it as a “work in progress” and I made a point of taking photos along the way. Usually I have great plans to do this but always forget once I get caught up in the moment of drawing.

Ingredients :

Watercolour pencils  (Faber Castell) Burnt Umber, Walnut Brown and Burnt Sienna on Fabriano Hot Press 300 gsm paper.

Time: about an hour

Method : draw outline in Walnut Brown

Add layer upon layer upon layer, adding water as you go

Two strange ironies

• I am printing and selling greeting cards and would love other people to buy them from my Etsy shop , but I have not purchased a card for years, as I always draw them.
• I don’t have a sweet tooth and don’t eat sweets and cakes, but love to draw them ! see more of my drawings of them on flickr

Friday 18th Sept was the opening night of the Linden Postcard Show 2015 at St Kilda, Melbourne. I entered three drawings again this year.

This is an open entry exhibition and all entries must measure 8” (20cm) x 10” (25.5cm) .There are over 900 small format artworks adorning the gallery walls at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts .Why is it called Postcard show ? One of the prizes is that the artwork is reproduced on a Postcard for Linden to sell during the year.

Here are my entries. They are all drawn with watercolour pencil. The feathers are on 210 gsm watercolour paper. The airmail parcel works are on heavy paper, chosen for its weight and colour. It had to look like the sort of mail you would receive in the post. As an added extra , it is actually folded like an envelope, with a back flap that you can open and put things in. I am not sure how Australia Post would cope with it !

All artworks are available for sale ! contact Linden New Art

If you like the feather I have a very similar drawing printed as a Greeting card. See my Etsy site to purchase.

Opening night was great fun, meeting with other friends to see all the artwork.

Prizes are announced

If you are in Melbourne, please visit. It is open until 21 NOVEMBER 2015 .

Louise and me in front of my feathers drawing.

The Black room (all black and white based images)

 Spring is almost here

September is Spring. a time of growth, renewal, looking for with new momentum to what can be achieved. In this post I am looking back at sketches done in the first few days of September over the past few years. It was interesting to see where I was at the time and what I  was doing and  also how I was sketching. I began sketching in my Moleskine Watercolour sketchbooks in December 2008 and sketching in Sketchbook Number 52 at the moment. Before December 2008 I was drawing on loose sheets of card and different sketchbooks of various brands and qualities.

These are all sketches from life. They are part of my adventure and growth  in sketchbook journaling.  I have drawn from photographs since high school (remember those days Janet Mayes (colour pencil artist)) . However drawing from real objects and scenes is very different although many of the skills were transferable (especially measuring relative distances).

The following sketches are from September 2014 going back to 2007.

2014

A year ago I moved to Melbourne – Looking back it has been an eventful and productive year.

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

I looked through lots of old sketchbooks in cupboards to find earlier sketches. I found many drawings. Many were not dated and had no notes on the page. I write a lot more now and the pages are more of a journal.

2007

I can see a BIG difference between the 2009 and 2007 sketches and how I would sketch this now. In Jan 2011 I started using the Lamy Sarafi Joy ink pen. It is a calligraphy pen with a fine nib and refills with ink. (I use Noodlers Bulletproof ink). I feel as though my pen travels across the page smoothly. It replaced my Micron, Pitt and Staedler pens. My skill with using my watercolour pencils and my especially my pen has increased over the last 6 years. I draw daily and that helps a lot ! I have become a lot more confident in drawing people and crowds and scenes and buildings…. and everything.