Christmas Card

Merry Christmas!!

Can you find me in the picture?

(I’m dressed up as a snowlady wearing glasses and holding a pencil)!!!

On Halloween Day I ran a Caricature Workshop at Long Eaton Art Room, Whilst everyone was busy I decided to do one of my self….The idea of the workshop was to draw a Caricature of themselves, someone they knew or a Halloween Character!

For next years Halloween look out for  FREE Spooky Characters to download and colour in!!

Caricature of Kate Smith

Unfortunately since  Sunday I’ve not been well….. I’ve tried to battle on and succeeded to finish of an important deadline this week!!

Here’s a sketch from out of my Doodle Diary

…I’ve  used photoshop to colour  it in!

Kate Feeling Blue

Halloween caricature Workshop

I’ve been asked by the Long Eaton Art Room to do three 45 minute taster sessions on 31st October -I’ve decided to do

Halloween Caricature- Workshops, the good news is that the workshops are being  funded through a successful funding application.

This is the promotional cartoon I have done quickly today, whilst listening to Paolo Nutini-my husband treated me to the album ‘Sunny Side Up’ this weekend, my favourite song is Pencil Full Of Lead!!

Paolo Nutini-Sunny Side Up!

During the month of August, I was fortunate to be asked by the Quad to help with several digital family workshops

Interactive Forest, Virtual Telescopes, Animation X & Touch Screen Games, I really enjoyed every minutes of the workshops and gained lots of invaluable experience. Before I went on holiday to Devon  I was asked to do Photoshop work- cleaning up the photographs that had been taken of the families artwork, there was a lot of plastercine models which needed their  backgrounds made transparent-in technical terms!!

I was also given the opportunity to submit some of my own work to the final exhibition, which would mainly be used for the interactive Forest and was delighted to be told that I would be credited!

As I’ve been really busy since I returned back from my holidays, I’ve not had the chance to visit the Quad and look at the final exhibition. I definitely  going to visit in the next two weeks as I’m really quite excited about it all!!

Please see the artwork I submitted, each element had to be individual, hence thats why the artwork is a little  random!

Do hope you like them……?

Forest Illustrations

I have recently updated my website and you will notice that I have changed my homepage fairy to more of a pre-school style.(which I’ve tried to look like me )!

If you look closely to the wings of the fairy, they have proper butterfly textured wings. The texture has been taken from a picture of a Silver- studded Blue butterfly that my brother was able to capture in his hanging basket, this summer. I changed the colour of the texture, by using duo tones in Photoshop CS3

I hope you like the new Fairy-all comments and feedback very welcome!

Fairy illustration

Silver-studded blue butterfly

Silver-studded blue butterfly

‘Return To  The Hundred Acre Wood’ a brand new ‘Winnie The Pooh‘ story is on sale from today………..I’m nervously intrigued!

I can’t wait to read the new story and look at the illustrations, apparently there is a new character in the story, a Otter called ‘Lottie‘

I’ve had a quick look around for the best price and  Amazon is tops at the mo at £7.14 with FREE delivery! self!!!

Do let me know what to think to the new ‘Return To One Hundred Acre Wood’ by David Benedictus, A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard, and Mark Burgess.

What I’ve seen of the cover, it all appears to be done tastefully and in keeping!!

Return to Hundred Acre Wood cover

Do let me know your thoughts on the new story, I’d love to hear from you!

Lottie the Otter

Doodle Dairy Icecream

Wine Illustration

Icecream Illustration

Mortehoe Hill & Kite-illustration

During this holiday I have started to keep a Doodle Diary-I bought this chunky little blue sketch book from ‘Shore & Moor’ the little gift shop in Mortehoe! When I come back from my holidays my head is always full of lovely memories the week after, so this time I’ve decided to  continue with the Diary and  sketch a few memories that I wouldn’t forget ! Do enjoy………..

When We left for our Hols, We had a lovely green Mint plant growing in our kitchen window- to discover when we returned it was a very sparse looking Mint plant, but sitting on a top leaf  still munching away …we received a warm welcome from our new pet ‘Minty- The Very Hungry Caterpillar’!!

Please let me introduce you to Minty!!

Perhaps you may know which caterpillars like Mint and what the butterfly will be?

Caterpillar Illustration

Caterpillar

rI had a fun time during my Holiday taking photos of Textures for my illustrations, Heres a couple for my texture photos folder and a good one of a furry friend we met on holiday!!  I have a few illustration  ideas which I’m going to experiment with in Photoshop CS3, lets see if all goes to plan?

Leaf Texture

Leaves TextureCaterpillar

Whilst Walking along the Cliffs of Baggy Point, Mortehoe, We stubbled across these Giant Cliff Fungi’s-I have exciting illustration plans for these Fungi, so watch this space!

Giant Fungi

Giant Round Fungi

Does anyone know the name of theses Fungi?

The Yellow Pages- Yellow Door

The Yellow Pages-The  Yellow pages had been delivered that morning in Appledore!! I think this picture is worthy of a photography prize, any suggestions?

Rain was set for most of the day, so we decided to go the Appledore, another delightful coastal village, which

had an abundance of charming colourful little side streets, all of  houses were bright and cheerful as alot of the properties had themed names, such as ‘The Gingerbread  House  and Cockle Cottage.  If you walked down one way  you would  be sure to stumble across a Gallery or two and A Secret Garden Path.

Gallery Sign Appledore

Galleries Appledore

To The Blue House Appledore

Blue Door Appledore

Mosaic Door Step Appledore

The Gingerbread House Plate Sign Appledore

The Gingerbread-House-Appledore

Cockle Cottage- Appledore

House Number- Appledore

The Secret Garden Path

Combesgate Beach is a lovely secluded beach, located at the far right-end side of Woolacombe next to Mortehoe.

We had one relaxing  ’Sunny Time’  that afternoon on this beach, whilst my husband was fighting the waves -I was either ‘splodging’ in the sea, in other words paddling in the sea in the sea, looking in rock pools, sketching, drawing in the sand and taking pictures for my blog…..building up a big appetite for  a table booked at the ‘Rockleigh’ in Mortehoe  www.rockleighhouse.com

My Husband & I chose the same from the Menu and we both had tasted  the best pudding we have ever had A little ginger pudding with brandy sauce and clotted cream! DeEliIIOcious ….Yum yum – Definately worth a visit it Rocks!!!!!

Sand Illustration-Sunny Times!!

Doodle diary on the beach!

Doodle Diary Combesgate Beach

Doodle Diary Combesgate beach 2!

Sand Illustration Combesgate Beach

sand scribbles Combesgate Beach

Sun in the Sand Illustration