Three Cliffs

This illustration is based on Three Cliffs Bay in Gower which I think is just stunning. I struggled with this one as I didn't really know if the illustration was 'finished' or not, but oh well! I also decided to make it into a gif just for fun. I actually lost the first version because my pc started freaking out completely but I think this one is a little better anyway. I'll keep practising with these aha! 

C xxx

Inspiration: Julia Bereciartu

I have to apologise for doing so much random and sporadic posting lately, I've just been so busy! I promise I will have some new illustrations up soon. Anyway, I came across these pieces recently and really wanted to share them with you as I think they are all beautiful. Julia Bereciartu is a Spanish illustrator who currently lives and works in Madrid, and I love everything about her style. She works both digitally and with watercolours, and I think it's great to have that diversity. 

I know many of you are Game of Thrones fans so I thought you might appreciate seeing the illustrations of Cersei and Daenerys - how awesome are they! I love the details on each of the little dragons, it actually makes me wish I could have a miniature dragon as a pet! 

Are there any particular artists/illustrators you are currently inspired by?

C xxx 

Inspiration: Melissa Chaib

Melissa Chaib is an illustrator I discovered a little while ago either on Tumblr or Pinterest (can't remember which now!) and I immediately fell in love with her illustrative style. I'm sure you will have seen some of these amazing pieces repinned as she is very deservedly becoming extremely well known. I love her focus on bright and colourful female characters, as well as her beautiful backgrounds. 

I'm definitely very inspired by Melissa's work, it's made me want to work on improving the intricacy of my backgrounds and focus on creating interesting little details. I'm already happy with the way my female characters look, but I think I'm going to try and incorporate bolder colours from now on rather than always sticking with pastel hues. 

In other news, I've been working on a really lovely commission for Aesthetic magazine. It's been a lot of work but I'm super happy with what I have produced so far so I can't wait to see how it will all come together in Michelle's capable hands. Michelle is absolutely delightful to work with, and I love the theme she has come up with for the new issue so I hope you guys will check that out!

C xxx

A Liebster from Marta

I hope you are all having a good week so far and surviving the so-called 'heatwave'. A couple of days ago my blogging pal Marta was kind enough to award me with a Liebster! I have had this award a little while ago, but I think it is a nice way to find out a little more about blogger's, especially if they are fairly new or perhaps people like me who don't usually post much personal content. 

The rules are:

- Link back to the person who nominated you.
- Answer the 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.
- Pick 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to be nominated.
- Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
- Notify your nominees.

I often think the rules are a little too rigid which is why I am going to be breaking them slightly with the people I nominate! I going to nominate the blogger's that I would like to find out more about (please don't feel pressured to produce a blog post though - it's only if you would like to!). 

Anyway, onto the questions that lovely Marta set for me. 

1. What do you enjoy the most about the blogging community?

There's honestly so many things I like about the blogging community! Primarily how supportive everyone is - so far I haven't encountered a shred of nastiness (I know this isn't always the case) but everyone has honestly been so sweet to me. 

2. Do you like to cook? If so, what is your favourite recipe?

I love to cook! I really enjoy trying new recipes, Marta has actually sent me quite a few to try out so far. Lately I've been baking lots of cookies, and today I tried making some banana and oat cookies and they turned out fairly well!

3. Who inspires you the most?

This is a tough one as I'm inspired by so many people. There's a lot of illustrators I really look up to, including people such as Danny Roberts and Wishcandy so I suppose they inspire me the most! 

4. What's your favourite song?

Ah, I don't even think I can narrow it down enough to answer the question! I love so many bands such as Radiohead, Alice in Chains, Garbage and lately I've been listening to a lot of soundtracks. My current favourite is the Dear Esther soundtrack (amazing game) and you can have a listen here if you would like. 

5. If you could wear just one nail polish for the rest of your life, which would it be?

This may come as a surprise, but I rarely wear nail polish! I hardly ever buy it and I'm shockingly bad at applying it - I find that it chips off really quickly and I just don't have the patience for it! 

6. Where would you most like to travel to?

As you may know, I'm extremely scared of flying so realistically I would like to explore more places in the UK. However, I would love to go to Florence or Australia if I ever pluck up the courage!

7. What's your favourite comfort food for those tiring and bad days?

I have a total sweet tooth, and I love sweets and chocolate - so cakes, cookies, pretty much anything with sugar! 

8. Describe your perfect Friday night?

I'm not really into going out much these days, I much prefer to chill out at home with some tasty food and maybe a film. I also like to play on video games if the mood strikes! 

9. Are you a cat or dog person, or neither of those?

I'm a total cat person as you may be able to tell from my background. Oh, and rabbits too! I love bunnies. 

10. Best book you've ever read?

I'm going to say The Secret History by Donna Tartt, it's certainly a book that's left a lasting impression on me. 

11. What's your favourite hair product?

This is an easy one to answer, thanks to Marta my favourite hair product is coconut oil! It's so quick and easy to use and it makes my hair really shiny and soft. My coconut oil has actually melted inside the tub due to the insane heat!

The blogger's I would like to nominate are:

Emily Jane from The Glitter Vixen
Mollie from Mollie Muses
Emma from Fab Head to Toe
Elle
Kate from Violet Daffodils

Here are my questions!

1. Where do you see your blog in one years time?
2. What is your dream job/career?
3. Which achievement are you most proud of so far? (in absolutely anything).
4. What is your favourite Summer makeup product?
5. Do you have a particular hobby which your readers might not know about?
6. Favourite high street/online store?
7. Favourite Summertime activity?
8. Which blogger/s inspire you the most? 
9. What is the most thoughtful gift you have ever received?
10. Do you have any Summer book recommendations?
11. Have you learnt any new skills from blogging that you feel are useful in other areas of your life?

So, that's it! I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers. Like I said before, there's no pressure to answer these questions and if you would like to adapt them a little, then that's fine too!

C xxx

Garlands of Ellfi

Do you remember the little alpaca illustration I posted awhile ago? Well, that was actually for Elle to use on her garland store! I really wanted to draw it because I also love alpaca's, but when Elle offered to send me a floral garland in return as a sweet gift I was really thrilled. Elle let me choose any headband I wanted, so I opted for this pretty purple and pink one. 

 I thought it was especially lovely when I opened the box to see that Elle had actually added some dainty butterflies to my crown! It looks like they have just landed on the roses which I think is really sweet. 

I couldn't be happier with my new crown, I think it is such a lovely summer accessory. If you wanted to view the rest of the range, you can do so by clicking here. Prices range from £5 to £10 at the moment which is ever so reasonable for a handmade garland. I hope you guys decide to check out Elle's shop! 

C xxx

My Giveaway Winner: Madame Gourmand!

A very quick post to announce that the winner of my Summer illustration giveaway is Daniella aka Madame Gourmand! Daniella is a lovely lady, and I've actually illustrated for her before, so I'm thrilled that she has won. As you can see, I'm fairly old fashioned and went about selecting the winner the old school way. 

I'm going to tweet/email Daniella in a moment, I'm really eager to hear her illustration ideas. I just wanted to say a massive thankyou to every single person who entered, I'll definitely run something similar in the future so you'll get another chance without a doubt!

C xxx

Budget Bucket List

A couple of days ago, the lovely Elle got in touch with me and told me she had nominated me to take part in Money Supermarket's 'Budget Bucket List' competition. The aim is to include one extravagant bucket list item, along with another more humble purchase. The competition is open until August 2nd so you all have plenty of time to enter, and you can find out a little more by clicking here! 

by Sarah Klassen

1. Have my own studio space.

This would be one of my more extravagant choices! I would love to have my own studio to work from, because at the moment everything you see me produce comes from a small sketchbook, laptop, and mouse. Don't get me wrong, I love working digitally but sometimes I miss working on massive landscape pieces and that definitely isn't possible in my small flat! If I never get the chance to work from a studio, a cute little art room would also be amazing. Tying in with this, I think it would be brilliant to invest in some better storage solutions just to try and keep my apartment a little tidier and more organised - I really hate having art materials all over the place. 

2. Conquer my fear of flying so I can travel abroad again!

Again, this is an expensive choice. I am genuinely terrified of flying, airports, and just the general stress of travelling abroad. I used to quite enjoy it when I was little, so I don't really know how I've become so scared! Anyway, my boyfriend has lots of family members who live in Australia, and his Mum is currently living in Adelaide so it would be really great if we could ever go and visit. Obviously, this isn't going to happen unless I can pluck up the courage (and money of course!). Does anyone have any tips on how to get over a fear of flying? I think I would rather be sedated throughout the whole thing aha. 

by Coco Rose Diaries

3. Invest in some more baking supplies. 

Okay, so this one is definitely a lot more mundane, but it's still something I would love to do. Baking is quite a recent fascination of mine, and it's nice that I can finally see myself improving! I've actually managed to make some edible cakes! I would really like to invest in a couple of new supplies so I can fuel my sugar addiction even more. 

So, that's it! I would like to nominated Jennie, Marta & Mollie to take part (only if you fancy it) as I would love to know what you guys would include on your lists. 

C xxx