Look at these Love Birds!

With February just around the corner, I thought I'd create a love themed print which is perfect for Valentines day - or any other day!

I've been carrying a little idea around for a few weeks of making the prints I create to sell on my website & Folksy, work a bit harder. I thought, wouldn't it be great if the designs included photo apertures so that any photograph could be added to make the print completely personal. The print you see above is my idea in action - I've hand-cut a heart which is perfect to display a photograph behind. What do you think? I may also use this design as a greetings card with text in the middle of the heart shaped tree instead of a hole.

Illustration Friday - Chicken

I've just noticed this week's Illustration Friday topic is 'Chicken'...as it happens, I'm quite fond of chickens & cockerels and they tend to keep cropping up in my work. Here are a couple of examples. The cockerel & chicken image at the top is a recent greetings card design, and the watercolour is a piece I did quite a few years ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Recent Framed Portrait Commissions

Here are a couple of portrait commissions I worked on before Christmas, which I've not been able to share on here until now.

The portrait at the top is of a group of four siblings who commissioned the portrait as a Christmas present for their mum. As a family, they all enjoy long walks on the Quantock Hills near their home. I was given a reference photo of them on a winter walk on the hills, hence the crisp winter scene.

The portrait of the police dog handler and her police dogs was commissioned as a special birthday gift, for the fiancee of the dog handler in the picture, by a good friend of the couple. The trio in the portrait had recently completed the three peaks challenge to raise money for charity. As I understand it, it was the first time serving police dogs had ever completed the challenge. This portrait was a great opportunity to celebrate this achievement.

New Designs for 2011

I'd like to share with you some of my new designs for 2011.

After a busy December, I have a sketch book filled with ideas that I've not had a chance to work on until now...and it's great to have time to experiment with techniques and colours.

The news of two Royal weddings for 2011 has got me in a nostalgic and patriotic mood. I'm old enough to just about remember the street parties and celebrations of Charles & Di's wedding. One of the things I do remember (aside from a 'proper knees up!') is getting commemorative china cups from my school - all very British and all very Victorian. This sparked the idea for the new range of prints I'm selling on my website & Folksy - a nice dollop of British nostalgia to celebrate the beloved nectar of this fine nation .....TEA!! (make mine a builder's brew, splash of milk, no sugar please!).

The other print design you see here, you may recognise from a previous blog post. It was my answer to Illustration Friday's topic 'Burning'. As I need a bit of sunshine in my life at this dark , grey time of year, I've decided to turn it into a print - I hope you all approve!

Right, I'm off to work on some more designs.

TTFN x