Illustration Friday - Old

Illustration Friday - wow it has been a while! Years in fact. Managed to sneak this in as husband and child went to bed early and I wasn't ready to.  It's Friday night, party on.

I love old buildings. I always love to wonder who lived there, what they did, how they felt etc. I also love a combination of old and new, so lead pencil illustration, digitally coloured with some nice modern tones. It's rough, but it feels good to get one done again.

I am a bit lazy on here...

... so it is a good idea to check out my Facebook page (which I am aiming to update weekly, and once I get consistent with that, I may even update this more often!)

Playing with floral style collage at the moment for a potential artwork for our upcoming Sole Sisters Collective artwork. Fun, fun.

It has been a long time!

It really has. This year was a lot about testing the water as to how much work I could take on with my part time hours. Then there was a fair chunk of the good ol' creative block happening with any personal illustration projects. I did however create an ABC and COUNT to 20 poster for a dear friend and her two foster children earlier in the year. These posters were on my mind quite often (wasn't sure whether to try and sell them or not - being customised and A2 makes them pretty pricey per print). After much thought and talking to other friends in fields of social work and primary school teaching, it all came together. I went for a grant to cover printing costs (my time is an in-kind contribution) through the Stand Like Stone Foundation, to offer these posters to 50 families who may be in need of them.

To think that these posters are a legacy of the two little foster girls (who opened me up to a world I was unfamiliar with), is pretty awesome.

Also, to make these posters continue to do good, I am working on a concept for 2015 where when you buy one custom poster, I also create another for free for someone in need. I am a big lover of TOMS and this is pretty much the same concept, but posters, not shoes. Or sunnies.

Anyway, I think I have fond the level I can take on with my work, and having this time off illustrating allowed me to think further with these posters, which I probably wouldn't have had a chance to if I was too busy elsewhere. Everything does happen for a reason! Deep hey.

Oh, AND The Sole Sisters Collective are in talks for an exhibition late 2015. YES!!!!!

Onwards and upwards!!

2014 Calendar!

The 2014 Calendar! Available from my madeit store
www.madeit.com.au/missbianca for $20 inc. postage

or

this weekend (December 8th) at the Mount Gambier Library Markets
 for the special price of $15
at the beautiful stall of fellow Sole Sister
Mel Horton and her Bilby & Bee stall

Below is a sneak peek of the calendar.
Went with a floral/nature theme this year!

* * * * 

The cover. With a painting of little red chillies from my garden in the background

Those who know me know that I am obsessed with blossoms. This was a sketch from a photo of my cherry blossom in the front yard in the first year it bloomed. Blossoms seemed suitable for the first month of the year to me. New, fresh, all that jazz.

In the beginning of this year I started a project called Floral Fridays. Huge success, I did one week of it. Why? Well I got pregnant and lost motivation in art. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat.

Anyway, this was one of the images I did. Well actually I did a crappy pencil drawing, and the day I actually went to go into labour, I did the ink drawing and resurrected the illustration to a point I was happy to use it. These are Chinese Lanterns from Caroline Hills garden.

Please note there is a special date on March 27th ;)

This is my Dream Catch Me v2 artwork from the Sole Sisters 2012 Mix Tape exhibition. I love that song, and I am really attached to this illustration. It is framed in my office at the moment, but will soon be weaving it's way into Ana's room. Funny how at the time, I was not satisfied with it, but now I love it and all the subtle colours.

Peonies! I love them. Nearly as much as blossoms. I had peonies in my wedding bouquet. My awesome wedding bouquet. I would like to spend more time drawing these as they are really detailed flowers. Once again this was inked up in a hurry before I became a parent.

Oh look, it's more blossoms. I put these in September because that is Ana's birthday. This was a pen and digital coloured Illustration Friday pic. Possibly the only Illustration Friday I did for 2013. Most of these sketches are done on scrap paper in front of my computer in between jobs. I seem to like to work on lots of little things at once.

These birdies were a commissioned project for a dear friend. I really loved working on these. Would love to work on more birds in the future.

My other Dream Catch Me from the Sole Sisters exhibition. Another I have framed in my office that I love. I went through a real pastel/subtle stage last year!

And to finish off, this is the back cover. You can take it off and keep it once 2014 is over - frame it, do as you please. 

Thank you to everyone that has supported my art over the years. Here's to 2014 of just drawing more Bianca, and spending time with my new little family!

Oh, hello there!

Love what you have (Pencil, watercolour, paint, coffee stain etc)

{ For Illy Friday purposes - self awareness is Power }

It has been a long time! Since January in fact! I started off 2013 training for a half marathon and planning on spending every Friday doing creative things. It's good to have plans.

Instead I was lucky enough to fall pregnant pretty early on, which we feel really truly lucky about, but MAN, did it blow any ambitions to do anything apart from eat, sleep and try and overcome the 24/7 hangover feeling! Then once that section passed, it was heads down, bum up with my work and trying to finish off so I can have a little break pre-baby.

Which is where I am right now. Nearly 36 weeks and getting back to all those things I had either started or had in my head over the past few months.

The above picture I started in mid May. It was Gold Cup weekend. Finally finished it now. It is a bit more blobby and dirty looking that I would prefer but it is what it is.

I can see it as a tea-towel actually. 

The Sole Sisters are part of the Open Garden Weekend exhibition at Caroline Hills in November, which means there will be more creative things to come! I am excited.

It hasn't been all uncreative in that time though. I seem to have done more home style projects. Must be nesting. And addictive Pinterest making me believe I can create anything. We made a huge dining table, entrance table and various other things as below.

One weekend I decided I will make a teepee. I can sew cushions and sort-of straight lines. Didn't really think about where I would keep it, our house is pretty small. The pets are enjoying it at the moment anyway.

Brought a Clover pom pom maker and tidied up the poor previous attempts of pom poms on my mobile. I know it's only a pom pom, but they are so neat - I am impressed.

I have been pondering the idea of making a table runner (once again, I can sew sort-of straight lines so should be ok here). Experimenting with washout glue and fabric dye - even trying for a slight ombre. 

This is where my inspiration comes from for this

Will have to see how these end up before I tackle a decent sized bit of fabric. Also, it if does work how it is looking in my head, I may do some pieces for the Caroline Hills exhibition. Will see...

Anyway, it is great to be back.

I have the ink out on the table, so it's time to go and fiddle with that again :)

b

Peonies

A quick little sketch and digital colour while I am quoting on some projects. Would like to spend some time this year studying flowers, and taking time to draw them nicely. This can be my reminder.

Love peonies. Especially just before they open when they are a big fluffy bud. 

{IF} New

Happy New Year! It's been a while. Sorry blog.... got married and stuff...

My first Illustration Friday for 2013!

Whenever I see blossoms I think of something new growing / new beginnings so it made the most obvious subject for this weeks Illy Friday plus I had to break myself into this drawing thing again slowly too :)

Pen sketch, watercolour/paint scans and digitally coloured

Sole Sisters & Friends [ Mix Tape ] Exhibition

Our Sole Sisters and Friends exhibition opened on Friday August 31st to a HUGE crowd! Thanks to everybody that came along, and who have since popped in over the last week to check it out. It is on this week from Wednesday to Saturday 11am - 2pm at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol, so make sure you come and check it out if you have not yet.

Have included my pieces below... very pastel this time around...

Dream Catch Me

Newton Faulkner

Version 1

$400 (framed)

Pencil and watercolour combined with digital techniques.

Archival Pigment Ink on Cotton Rag Paper.

"There's a place I go when I'm alone

Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be"

...

"Dream, catch me when I fall

Or else I won't come back at all"

If I stumble upon this song while station surfing on a road trip, I must listen, and belt out the tune. Even if the above lines are all of the song I know. The rest can be happy humming. 

Peaches

Presidents of the United States of America

$400 (framed)

Pencil, ink and watercolour combined with digital techniques.

Archival Pigment Ink on Cotton Rag Paper.

"Millions of peaches, peaches for me 

Millions of peaches, peaches for free"

...

"Peaches come from a can, 

They were put there by a man 

In a factory downtown"

Bet you are singing this song in your head now, aren't you. That's ok! I love these guys. Only rediscovered their CD in our collection when I started this illustration. Great memories of Year 7. Love the irony of millions of peaches for free, then the belief that peaches come from a can. 

Dream Catch Me

Newton Faulkner

Version 2

$400 (framed)

Pencil, ink and watercolour combined with digital techniques.

Archival Pigment Ink on Cotton Rag Paper.

"Dream, catch me when I fall

Or else I won't come back at all"

I really like the above line in this song. I guess we are all afraid of not reaching our dreams, or getting lost along the way. Deep, I know.

A peek of how they look all framed up nicely, thanks to Talie for the photo. I keep forgetting to take pics! Will do that this week before it all comes down!

I am pretty attached to my art this time. Was weird when I sent it to print as I felt like it wasn't quite me, I usually go for bold looks etc, but the way they are framed and presented has really settled me. Had a lot of nice comments too, that is always good.

And here are all of us (minus Simone and Lana)! Impossible to get 9 people together!

me, Anna, Ben, Kristyn, Julia, Mel and Talie

Busy couple of months

I am still here! Been working on a few things like our upcoming art exhibition, wedding stationery and little projects for both wedding and home. 

Once I get a few things out of the way I am going to whip out the sewing machine (that is untouched) and make some cushions as I ordered some fabrics from Spoonflower. Can't wait! Hope I can sew in a straight line, it's been a long time since year 8 home ec!

Some snaps....

A few artwork progressions, some winners, some losers... 3 weeks til I have to get work to the printers and I still have a million ideas running around in my head

Wine barrel head project. With plans to become a cheeseboard afterwards. Thanks to Tobes for his awesome work making the handle!

Ok, back to it.

Ciao! 

b

Doodling & {IF} Hurry

I seem to always be in a hurry when I am mocking up a concept for myself to remember for when I go back to work on it with more time, but then I end up liking the rough version. Which is what I have been doing tonite while I wait for my cake to cook! These both appeal to me for different reasons. Would make cool tote bags or something.

Pen sketch, coffee stain and digital colour