A new fairy painting

Hi Guys

This week I have been working on this new painting which I decided to make for some neighbours of ours, this lovely couple that live just around the corner have just had a little girl of their own. We don't know them too well but when we had our son Riley they heard about our new addition and brought round lots and lots of frozen home made meals for us which in the end came in very handy as we were so sleep deprived. It was such a lovely thought that I was very touched by as we really didn't know them. So when I heard about their new addition I immidiately wanted to paint them something special for the baby's room.

So here she is I hope they like her :0)

Star Gazing - Illustration Friday (My first piece since my big trip)

Hi everyone well it feels so good to be back, I'm still busy setting up my new art space but once it is finished I shall post a few pics as I love looking at other peoples art areas so thought you might like a look at mine.

I finally sat down last night and painted, it had been over 6 weeks since I'd really drawn or painted and it's funny how rusty you feel when you've had a bit of a break, but I really enjoyed it and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. The theme for Illustration Friday this week is 'Star Gazing'. I've had this image in my head ever since we went to France, we spent a week there, mostly in a rural area amongst the prettiest villages I've ever seen but the hubby and I were lucky enough to spend the day in Paris by ourselves while my wonderful brother and his beautiful partner watched our boys. I was very taken with these beautiful balconies that were everywhere especially in the city, they'd be brimming with pretty flowers, and I could just picture myself sitting out there watching the world go by. I think Paris is a very beautiful city which really surprised me, but those old buildings with these cute little balconies really did it for me :0).

So for illustration friday this week I decided to paint a pretty french lady sitting out on her balcony at night watching the stars..........I miss Paris ;0)

Illustration Friday Expired - Meet zombie mummy

Zombie mummy is a character created by my boys, mostly by my 3 year old. It comes from a night when I was trying so hard to get some 'me' time and was putting on a face mask which happened to be green and the boys got a bit of a shock. Riley LOVES zombie mummy, it's so funny he now asks when she's coming and whenever I put the face mask on he follows me round the house telling me all about what he's been up to since 'she' last saw him. He's a right little character!

So for Illustration Friday this week I chose to bring to life zombie mummy. She might be well and truly expired but the boys love to give her a cuddle!!!

Illustration Friday - Muddy

It's not just boys that like to get all filthy and play mud pies. This little girl looks a little guilty after she's had a fun time playing outside in the mud!!

Merry Christmas to all my blog friends!!

Well I decided I wanted to paint something Christmassy. I couldn't bring myself to paint a snow filled picture when we've been sitting in 36c heat! I'll never quite get used to these hot Christmases even though I've been living here over half my life now. In Wales it was freezing at Christmas and every now and then we'd even be lucky enough to have a white Christmas. So I decided to think about what Christmas means to me and straight away knew that its about the kids. Having two little boys really does put the magic back into Christmas as you see it through their eyes. It reminds me how exciting and magical this time of year was when I was a child and I love it. Seeing their faces light up when we put up the tree and the lights. Taking them to
Christmas carols in the park the other night holding candles in the dark. I really enjoy this time of year. So this piece is inspired by all those things.

I'm not sure abou this canvas though. Do you ever have times when you're working on something and it doesn't feel quite right? I kept tweaking it here and there but in the end decided it was finished. It's weird as to me it doesn't look like I painted it but I thought I'd post it anyway as I think I like it, heheheh I'm my own worst critic.

Illustration Friday-Crunchy

Well yesterday morning while I was at swimming lessons with my 6 year old I was thinking to myself 'what shall i do for this weeks illustration Friday?'..... I had a few ideas running through my head but on our way back to the car Rhys was stomping his way through some gum trees and he turned to me and said with a big beaming smile 'Mummy, I LOVE the way this sounds when I stomp on it, it's a great crunchy sound'....well how could I not put that on paper?

There are loads of different types of gum trees but this particular lot that Rhys was stomping under, I think, are called 'stringy barks' they have long bits of bark that just fall off the tree leaving behind different coloured bark underneath. I've always really loved them as they leave such lovely patterns that remind me of jigsaw puzzles. So this was my attempt at bring that to life!!

Illustration Friday - Entangled/Mixed Media Monday - Bedtime Stories

Princess Charming, loved a challenge! Even when she became entangled in the evil vines outside the tower she knew she would be fine, she always had another trick up her sleeve. Her Prince heaved a sigh of relief knowing he would be rescued very very soon! ;0)