Thursday 30 May 2013

Penguin Small


Even though it's summer now, I decided to draw some penguins! I named this illustration after a childrens story book I used to enjoy when I was little and you can read more about that here. I decided to add some bright pops of colour to the penguins outlines just to make them stand out a little more against the white background. I think the sleeping penguin is my favourite! That's probably what I would be doing in arctic temperatures too. 

C xxx

Wednesday 29 May 2013

It must be love: Romance Was Born S/S 2013.

I'm fairly terrible at keeping up with designers/brands and only just stumbled upon Australian label 'Romance Was Born' yesterday. I can't get over how awesome this collection is! I love everything about it, from the crazy colour scheme, to the little antenna. They do kind of look like aliens from Star Trek, but again, I think thats a good thing.

#





I'm definitely thinking of making a set of illustrations based on this collection, what do you guys think? You can also view the rest of the collection here!

C xxx

Sunday 26 May 2013

The Botanical Gardens


I decided to start this illustration a couple of days ago after seeing the work of Brian Cook Batsford who was famous for illustrating the book sleeves of the Batsford books from the 1930's to the 1950's. A lot of the books focused on the English countryside and various places of beauty from around the UK. I really wanted to show some of the interesting places we have to visit here in Sheffield, and one of the places that sprang to mind is the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are set just one mile from the city centre, so they are easily within walking distance! There are plenty of amazing events going on there throughout the year including 'Art in the Gardens' which I suppose is a festival for local artists. 

Following on from my previous illustration of Sheffield, I wanted to continue the theme of Sheffield as a colourful place and the colour scheme has turned out to be fairly psychadelic which I like! Let me know if there's any beautiful places near you which you would like me to illustrate. 

C xxx

Thursday 23 May 2013

Uniqlo x Ladurée

I stumbled upon this collection earlier today and knew I had to share it with you! I've been aware of the cute t-shirt collections Uniqlo collaborates on with various brands for awhile, but I think this one is extra special. These shirts combine everything that is special about Ladurée - macarons, dainty colours, and french elegance. I love all of the illustrative detailing and think these tops would be perfect for summer. 


1/2/3


4

The best part about these t-shirts is that they cost just £12.90 each, making them very affordable! If you feel like treating yourself you can shop the rest of the collection right here. Let me know if you decide to get one.

C xxx

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Blogger Illustration: Gingerbread Buttons!

I have a brand new blogger illustration for you today! I stumbled across Libby's blog 'Gingerbread Buttons' a little while ago, and I absolutely love it. Libby is absolutely hilarious and her posts are always a delight to read. She also has a big, cuddly rabbit which reminds me of one I used to have when I was little. My illustration is based on the photo below, I love how cute Libby's hair looks in buns. 


This is how the illustration turned out! I just knew I had to include some bunnies in there. 


Let me know what you think and be sure to check out Libby's blog here!

C xxx

p.s. Don't forget there's free worldwide shipping on my Society6 shop until Sunday. 

Tuesday 21 May 2013

New 'Tales of Creativity' Illustration.


This is the latest illustration in Karla's 'Tales of Creativity' charity series. The inspiration behind this one was, of course, '30% Makeup Artist, 70% Business Person' which I think is very relevant to most people in the creative industries! One thing that's just occurred to me though, is that I've completely overlooked including any male MUA's in the project so far which seems silly! I think I will have to rectify this in the next illustration I do. I can't believe I've actually produced so many and not even given it a second thought until now - I actually feel a little bad about it aha! 

C xxx

Friday 17 May 2013

Illustrator Appreciation: Laura Graves.


I found Illustrator Laura Graves via Society6, and because her work is so beautifully textured and adorable I really wanted to share it with you guys too! Plus, Laura's work features an abundance of cute and cuddly animals - you know how much I love cats and rabbits! 

Cozy Chipmunk

Cats

Spring
I absolutely love the little rabbit and chipmunk curling up in the wooly hat - how sweet is that? All of Laura's work is available to buy as prints on Society6, or you could treat yourself to a t-shirt or phonecase. I promise this will be the last time I mention Society6 for awhile in case it is getting slightly annoying! 

Looking at Laura's work reminds me of how much I would love a little pet of my own - one day.

C xxx

Monday 13 May 2013

Inside my sketchbook: Celestial.




As I had such a positive response on my last sketchbook post, I thought I would make them into a more frequent thing! I've really been enjoying working in my new notebook so I would thoroughly recommend checking out the rest of the Monsieur Notebook range - such lovely paper to work on even if it's not really meant for watercolours! As I mentioned in my last post, I've been really interested in stars/moons, and all things celestial recently so this is a continuation of that theme really. This illustration was made using a combination of watercolours, colour pencils, and a little bit of oil pastel - I also used a black biro for some of the finer details. Another thing I don't think I've ever mentioned on here is how much I love working in biro! It's definitely an underrated medium aha. 

I hope you're all having a good week! 

C xxx

Saturday 11 May 2013

Dreamtime Girl.


I'm really into stars and crescent moons at the moment, and I've been sketching them a lot recently. I actually have something else from my sketchbook to share with you soon which is fairly similar to this so I'll get around to that in the next couple of days! I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out so it will definitely be going up on my Society6 store as prints and t-shirts etc! I'm actually quite jealous of this girl, I really want her awesome necklace/choker.

Have you got anything nice planned for your weekend? I hope you all have fun no matter what you get up to. 

C xxx

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Little Narcissa Black.

I decided to do a little portrait of Narcissa after watching the Deathly Hallows again recently. She's definitely not the nicest character but she does have some fairly positive character traits too, and I think the redeems herself a little in the last book/film. She also has awesome hair, so I kind of had to draw her! I've chosen to portray her as a little girl, with a white rabbit as a pet (maybe she would have called it Draco - who knows!). I'll pop this illustration up in my Society6 store later today too. 

C xxx

Sunday 5 May 2013

Inside my sketchbook - Ribbons.




I haven't really done a post like this before but I thought it might be nice to show you something I've been drawing in my new sketchbook/notebook. I actually really enjoy working on lined paper just for something a little different, and it adds a little more texture to the illustration. I only really work in watercolours when I'm painting for fun, as I usually prefer to work digitally but it's all good practice. Let me know if you would be interested in seeing more posts like this in the future! 

This illustration was inspired by the first episode of Da Vinci's Demons (the scene where Vanessa is dancing around in the meadow with lots of ribbons tied in her hair). 

C xxx

Friday 3 May 2013

Where I Live.


I've lived in Sheffield for a couple of years now, and I must say, I've grown rather fond of this compact, cultural city. The city centre itself actually feels pretty tiny when you walk around, but there's still plenty of sites to see and things to do. In my illustration I've chosen to highlight some of Sheffield's famous landmarks, past and present. There's definitely an interesting mix of architectural styles, and one of my favourite buildings is the Winter Garden (that's the funny shaped building second from the left). It's a lovely place to relax, filled with exotic plants and flowers; it also contains the Millenium Gallery which is an awesome little place to explore. 

I also chose to feature one of the Hallam University buildings which you can see as soon as you walk out of the train station. The reason this building is interesting is because it features a poem on the side in huge letters, written by poet Andrew Motion. 
Seeing as you can't exactly see it properly in my illustration, I've written it out below for you. 

O travellers from
somewhere else to here, 
Rising from Sheffield Station
and Sheaf Square
To wander through the
labyrinths of air,

Pause now, and let
the sight of this sheer cliff
Become a priming-place
which lifts you off
To speculate
What if..?
What if..?
What if..?

Cloud-shadows drag
their hands across
the white;
Rain prints the sudden
darkness of its weight;
Sun falls and leaves the
bleaching evidence of light.

Your thoughts are like
this too: as fixed as words
Set down to decorate
a blank facade
And yet, as words are too,
all soon transferred

To greet and understand
what lies ahead-
The city where your
dreaming is re-paid,
The lives which wait
unseen as yet, unread.


Have you ever visited Sheffield, or do you have any favourite places in the towns/cities that you live? 

C xxx

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Acid Green.


Hello all! I hope the sun is shining wherever you are, we are finally getting some lovely weather here in the UK so that makes a nice change! Todays illustration is actually modelled after Laura from 'That's so yesterday' - I'm sure many of you will already be familiar with her blog, but if you don't know her yet, she always has the most awesome hair colours! I just loved the dress she was wearing in this post, so I got inspired and decided to make this colourful illustration. Do you guys love her blog too?

C xxx