swirls

And another using this online sketch tool called harmony. I've just worked out you can change the pen and background colours. I wish it had an eraser but I can't seem to find one. This lot of swirls was done using the web brush.

digital doodles

I was reading Geninne's beautiful blog this morning and was led to this amazing online sketch tool. I was just doodling with it but am in awe of the different brush effects. Just start drawing on the page with your mouse. Imagine what you could do if you were concentrating :)

Which reminds me, I was lucky enough to get a wacom tablet for christmas and have not really discovered all that it can do yet. Must make time to play.

on paper

Before it got too warm this morning I printed two test runs of my new banksia pod inspired wallpaper design. I made a repeat for this one and used a large lino block. As you can see I tested two colours: a pale green and a pale grey. Both colours look a tiny bit different in real life but you can get the idea anyway. I deliberately carved quite lightly so that some of the texture of the block came through. This was a lot of fun and the added bonus of block printing is the clean-up is minimal including the amount of water used. More pics here.

If you're interested in learning more about how to block print your own wallpaper why not sign up for a class I'm teaching with the gorgeous women from Harvest Textiles? Come play in their lovely new studio in East Brunswick and design and print your own block printed wallpaper. You'll find all the info here.

wallpaper block in progress

Nearly there with this wallpaper design. The lino block is almost carved and I'm doing a repeat this time. I'm so nerdy that once I finished designing the repeat I put it into Photoshop and arranged the repeat panels in a long rectangle just like it would look on a piece of wallpaper. I wanted to see how the finished product would look before I print it for real. And then I played with different colours until I decided on a few to trial. Nerdy, no? Hoping to print tomorrow if I don't get swayed by serious Sunday lounging activities.

tea-ness

A new giclee print I've called steam - sumi ink and artline pen illustration.

Small tea cosy in burnt orange. Photo from The shop of on Argyle St

Speaking of things tea check out these contemporary tea cosies at the shop on argyle st. I'm waiting on this bright little one to arrive in my kitchen having recently been won over to the power of a good tea cosy. I had no idea they could work so well. I think I've never been able to go there in my head because I'm not overly fond of the knitted/crocheted nanna styled ones. But this one is right up my alley.

muses and such

My muse, especially for things like my 2011 calendar. Like all cats though she can be a total scallywag at times. Got to love how it's their agenda or no agenda. I still have a few left if you haven't got yourself a calendar this year yet. Or if you need to buy a Capricorn a birthday gift. Poor Capricorns, the forgotten end of the zodiac (too close to xmas and new year). My mum's one and I struggle every year to remember her birthday. You could say that's my crappy memory, but I say no it's a bad time of the year. Anyway, I'm sure they'd love to be remembered with a gifted calendar.

pretty paws

My neighbours were trimming the flowers off their gorgeous kangaroo paw plants last night so that more can grow. I stopped them in the street and asked if I could take flowers from their bin. They laughed and snipped me a beautiful branch full of perfect flowers to take home. I can't stop looking at them - they're just so sunny and furry and lovely and uniquely Australian. I mean just look at those gorgeous furry paws! Aren't they beautiful?

These neighbours don't know how much I covert their front garden. They have lots of healthy clumps of red and yellow kangaroo paw and a lovely weeping gum tree too. Top all this off with a stylish black wrought iron fence and you have one pretty special inner city front garden.

Will it ever stop raining? Everything is so damp inside and out. And we haven't even been flooded like our poor fellow Aussies up north.

flood appeal: prints

Unfortunately, here we go again (the Victorian bushfire horror still feels so recent). It's disaster relief time in Australia again, this time for the flood victims of Queensland.

As part of the Brisstyle Handmade Ark Flood Appeal the proceeds from these 2 prints from my shop will go to the QLD Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.

SOLD

SOLD

More info about Brisstyle can be found here in case you'd like to sell something crafty and handmade of your own to donate.

Update: thanks to both people who bought the two prints above. You are total stars! I'm about to send the proceeds to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal as promised.

drawing + reading + watching

It feels nice to start drawing again after a tiny hiatus. Pic: sumi ink and artline pen.

An update on reading over the summer break: I finished reading Franzen's new novel Freedom while I was at the beach and loved it. What a humungous read about the double-edge sword of 'freedom' in modern life! There's an interview with Franzen here on npr if you're keen to know more. I'm now reading Auster's Sunset Park and while it's also very good I can't help comparing it to Freedom because it's still fresh in my mind. Not very fair to Auster is it? Sorry about that Paul!

On films: I saw the totally quirky Life During Wartime last night. Amongst the cast is the brilliant Allison Janney (ex West Wing) who was superb in this. Be warned though, this film is not for mainstream taste buds. It's totally OTT out there but enjoyable as a critque of contemporary American life/relationships in a kind of campy, deliberately overacted way.

a bit of texture

Rested. All pics taken in Tomaree National Park, NSW on my phone so the res is not so good - apologies. Swimming in that soothing ocean and walking amongst those gorgeous red gum trees was enough to make me feel very happy.

How is the new year treating you?