☆ Studio Warm Up [Life Book 2014]

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 Week 24 - Bonus: Studio Warm Up with Jane Davenport

Jane Davenport took us through one of the ways that she quickly warms up those creative muscles.

And she uses the most amazing colours + supplies... Oh I am so envious of her supplies! [Check out your youtube channel + see what I mean!]

So I love that this weeks exercise was a short, fun + incredibly bright piece.

And I love that I didn't make think too hard about it.

In her video Jane said she made up silly rules for her warm up, like three marks with the same colour.

I loved this idea, so I started making four marks per colour, which helped take my mind off the little bitch squawking that this looks crap, until, she is turned off + and I am in the zone.

Do you have a warm up technique that you use? Or silly rules to help you turn off the little bitch? I would love it if you shared them with us.

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☆ Tea Cup Pirate [Final Reveal]

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I feel like this painting has been around all month - definitely this last three weeks any way! And then when I opened up my June Art folder, I realised that this painting has been my main focus this month, as it is the only painting in there.

So this is were I left her after the first week + was stuck with her hair.

Last week, I was totally looking forward to finishing her off last week, but I was just to tired + then started wondering about the back ground + what colour would suit best.

And so finally this week I got stuck into her + finished her off!

I love some of the details of this painting - the blue in her hair

The folds of her dress...

And the tea cup...

On face book, someone said "she looks like she is taking a quick break before getting back to world domination!!" (I love that SO much!)

So next time your trying for world domination, or maybe just household domination, take a break + have a cuppa!

Oh + heres a sneak peak of what I am working on next!

Have a great weekend...

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☆ LilliBean Designs Spotlight [JUNE]

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FINALLY!!

Ok so I have been so busy this last three months, that while I have heaps of new products available, I haven't had a chance to update LilliBean Designs Store!

So this week, I finally had the time, (+ the inclination!) to do some very needed updates!!

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I have new POSTCARDS!! There are twenty cards available, with favourite art from over the last three years.

I currently have them available in lots of five, ten + the entire collection (twenty cards).

I use them to send a letter the old fashioned way, as a gift cards and they have plenty of space on the back for a personal message. 

They also look amazing when displayed in frames and an affordable way to collect + decorate with art.

"Wonderful art!!! Thank you :)"

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If you were watching my instagram feed in May you may have seen me playing with these beauties + having so much fun in creating Art that you can wear when your out + about!

But what I love about these earrings, is the special meaning they have when you where them. I have 'resisted' keeping them all for myself, but I do have a pair of 'Abundance' stud earrings (top left) to remind me to invite ABUNDANCE in my life + I have a pair of 'WORTHY' dangly earrings (bottom left) to remind me I am so worthy!

So these aren't available in the Etsy store as yet, (I will get there!), they will be soon, with the studs $12 and dangly earrings for $15.

If you simple can't wait, email me with the earring you want! [descriptions below]

'ABUNDANCE' (top left); Butterfly studs (top middle); Butterfly Yellow Dangle (top right)
Green Butterfly Wings (middle left); Mermaid (middle right)
'WORTHY' (bottom left); Stars (middle bottom); Princess (bottom right)

"I adore having a little of your art on me"

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These gorgeous gift tags have become one of my very best sellers at the markets! The size of a business card, they have enough space on the back to write a little note of love, thanks, or giving!

I have them in the the store as a set of six for $4.80 (+ postage). And I carry a set in my handbag for those times I need to write a quick note!

"These are so cute + adorable - I can't wait to give these out as part of my gifts"

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Some more wearable art! Again these will be popping up in my etsy store soon, but if you are interested make sure you email me before the go live! 

The best things about these rings, is that they are adjustable. So they fit everyone! (Including me with my pudgy fingers!)

These are another popular item at my market stalls, and at $7.50 they are also another affordable way to own (+ wear!) art.

Top Left: Worthy [brass]
Top Right: Purple Fairy [silver plate]
Bottom Left: Bug's Princess [silver plate]
Bottom Right: Adjustable rings

These are such difficult things to photograph well - I have a few more to add also.

"I adore having a little of your art on me"

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If you remember there was an explosion of kimmi dolls in April [part one + part two], but I also painted eleven more for the markets in May that I hadn't gotten around to sharing yet!

I have to say, the thought of putting these all up on etsy, is totally daunting, so you can only get these here, Facebook, or visiting me at one of my market stall.

$8 each (+ postage) these look awesome framed (like in image 7) and each comes with a ribbon or chain that you can hang from a door knob, christmas tree, draw handle, key ring, the roof.

Kimmi Dolls [1-6] $8 each
Image Seven- framed kimmi dolls $55 + postage

Just email me the picture number of the kimmi doll you are interested in.

"I wake up every morning and see your Kimmi doll on my fridge + it makes me smile!"

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So a huge spotlight this month, next month I hope to have a few more artful pendants + rings to share, as well as some new paintings + rings.

Is there a particular painting or journal page that you would like to see as a postcard, gift tag or jewellery? Let me know!

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☆ Stags, Pattern and Ritual [Life Book 2014]

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Week 23 - Stags, Pattern and Ritual with Tam

I had been a little hesitant with this lesson, all these fabulous stags popping up in the Life Book Facebook feeds, but I had decided that this week was the week, I was going to try this lesson, and I can't tell you how much I love my stag.

Although I use teal + turquoise in a lot of my paintings + I originally thought that I would use a different colour for my stag. I really tried.... seriously I did, but in the end it ended up being turquoise any way!!

There was a pattern element to this weeks lesson as well, which was fun + I had to hold myself back a bit...

I knew that I could end up patterning everything...

So I kept it kinda simple.

'Majesty'

And in the end this is one of my favourite pieces from the year. And the word "Majesty' comes to me every time I think about this painting.

Have a majestic week!

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☆ Tea-Cup Pirate [part Deux]

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June 2014 - Week 25

So last week, I showed you some in progress shots of the 'Tea-cup Pirate' painting I am working on + asked for some advise here + over on face book about what colour hair to go for.

I had some awesome suggestions + am probably going to steal those ideas for other paintings, but a couple of people suggested red, and my instinct was all like 'absolutely red, red is perfect for her' so I decided to go for it.

I decided to do a water colour wash first, I decided that if my intuition was wrong, I could alway paint it black later....

But in the end I loved it so, I started with the acrylic. I used a mixture of Heritage Red (matisse brand), Jo Sonja's Titanuim White + Yellow Deep and Golden Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Turquoise. (that and goldens Teal are my favourite, FAVOURITE colours just now!) And some black paint - I am not sure which brand I used, but since I always use black you can be assured it was in there...

And this was where I left her on Saturday night, after my big painting session. I was surprised, that once I was in the zone, I spent about three hours doing her hair. 

Last night I picked up again, having mulled over the tea cup + back ground a bit...

And I have to say I didn't get very far...

Feral children a cold studio, general tiredness, and I packed up early instead of finishing it like I thought.

So I have another question for you all, the background - should I do a soft grey or match the colours with the cup?  I was just going for a soft grey, but now I am thinking other wise. 

What do you think?

Have a great week end 

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☆ Asking for Help + gaining Perspective [Life Lessons from Bean]

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My children have these amazingly huge creative hearts + I love that so much. 

LOVE IT.

The flip side of these huge hearts, are very, very sensitive souls, spirits that can be crushed by the smallest comment, by the most insignificant of actions.

So I am very careful with my words when talking about their art works.

I ask them to 'Tell me" about the picture they've drawn rather than look at that amazing mermaid, only to find out that the drawing is a girl on a unicorn... Awkward!

The other day, Bean surprised me with this drawing.

She told me she loved my 'Princess + the Pea Painting' so much (it hangs on the wall in our living room) that she wanted to draw it too.

(She has already learnt that very important first lesson of 'Steal like an Artist')

So she did + it was amazing.

She took my painting + made it her own, her own colours, her own girl, her own crazy hair.

So the next part of this story is that she decided that she wanted to draw the painting again, but with the Princess laying down.

She drew this amazing girl, but struggled with the feet + asked for help, so I did, and off she went to colour.

Two minutes later she's back, in huge floods of tears, telling me she coloured in wrong, and messy + her feet look stupid. 

So I showed her she could fix it, how she could change it to her wearing shoes instead, but she didn't want to see that it could be different.

I told her, to put the drawing away + we'd look at it in the morning.

The next day she picked up the drawing + said "You know Mama, those feet aren't bad at all...'

Bloody Hell.

Those tears + that tantrum, that five minutes of hell...

But, the best thing about my awesome huge hearted girls, is the way that their life lessons are so connected with my life lessons.

I was struggling with my Tea-Cup Pirate last week. 

So just like Bean I asked for help (thanks guys for helping by the way!) + I walked away from it to gain some perspective.

And just like Bean, when I started painting again the next day, I had gained perspective + loved where the painting was going.

(You'll just have to pop in again on Friday to see the final painting!)

So is there some where in your life where you could ask for some help? Or do you need to set a project, a conundrum or a painting, aside so that you can gain a little perspective? As always, feel free to share your stories with us below.

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☆ The Wonderful World of Words [Life Book 2014]

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Week 21 - The Wonderful World of Words with Jennibellie

This was such a fun lesson - I know, I know,  I seem to say this a lot about Life Book, but they are just so much fun!!

Anyway Jennibellie's lesson was full of techniques, more smooshing of paint, journalling + using that journalling in creative ways.

 

And in the end I created a fabulously fun page, but had also figured out through the journalling something that had been bothering me for a while.

And I had to 'tend' to my 'garden', as I had been neglecting if for a while now.

Love that!

I hope you have a great week.

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