I'm very pleased that I have now completed all three cats!  My step daughter asked how I make the hair look so real.  When I showed her how I worked in layers building them up she commented that it was going to take me rather a long time!  Indeed it is, but I find it very relaxing stroking on the hair.  The top cat Brooklyn was the most challenging with all the different markings to make sure I got right.  My next challenge is to draw the New York skyline then hopefully I'll be on the home straight! 

I am currently working on a very exciting commission of three cats.  I have been asked to produce a picture of three cats with a New York theme.  The lady in question, Lisa, loves New York and has named her three cats Madison, Brooklyn and Franklin.  She is also getting married in New York later in the year and participating in a cycle challenge while there to raise money for charity!  I am very lucky to have the perfect client who has left it entirely up to me how to go about this challenge!  I decided to create a street theme with a billboard of the three cats on with the New York skyline as a background.  There will also be part of a bicycle and some confetti blowing into the picture to make it personal to her.  The cat I have done so far is called Madison and I was lucky enough to previously draw her when she was a kitten.  I loooooove working in coloured pencils and its been nice to have the opportunity to use some colours I don't normally get the chance to!

My new pencil holders!

Check out my new pencil holders! I got the idea from 'how to create a lazy Susan coloured pencil holder' on www.makingamark reviews.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/how-to-create-lazy-Susan-coloured.html


I absolutely love my new pencil holders, I can now easily find the colours I want without having to search through boxes of pencils! While they are pretty straight forward to create, they did take me a little while. It was simply a case of buying a couple of lazy susans (I found some at ikea) and a couple of planks of wood and some glue. I have to admit my sawing skills were not great and my lovely hubby came to the rescue with an electric saw! I did however, drill over 200 holes all by myself!! I never want to have to drill another hole again mind! I also made two free standing bits of wood joined with a hinge to put the colours in I am using there and then.  

Tiger Workshop

I have been so ridiculously busy for the last few weeks that I never got a chance to post about the workshop I went on!  I got to spend two days on a pastel workshop run by Vic Bearcroft, and what a fantastic time I had.  Firstly it was just nice to have two days without having to do other things to draw! I haven't done pastels for probably the past year and I had forgotten how much I enjoy using them.  Going on a workshop is also a fantastic opportunity to meet other artists which I always really enjoy and it's amazing to see how different our pictures all looked even though we had the same subject matter.  Need to start saving my pennies so I can go on another soon!

Half term!!

I'm very excited that it is now half term and I might actually get some time to draw!!  I hope to be able to post some pictures of my progress of what I'm doing as the week goes on.  I'm also very excited that I've booked myself on another Vic Bearcroft workshop in March.  This one is of a tiger using pastels.  I can't wait, two whole days of art with no interruptions or feeling guilty I should be doing something else!

Kingston Art Gallery - a free frame for me!

I have had a good start to February by winning a free frame curtesy of Kingston Art Gallery.  My family and I have had pictures framed there before and they always do a beautiful job.  You can check them out on www.facebook.com/KingstonGallery. My only problem now is what am I going to get framed?! I have been sooooo busy with work (sadly not of the art variety!) that I haven't had time to do much drawing!  Never mind a New Years resolution, think I need to make a February resolution to make more time to draw!  Hopefully I will be able to post some work up soon!

Sketch of Brooklyn the cat

Today was my first day back at work after the holidays.  Even though I feel exhausted I have managed to finish the sketch I started last night and ran out of time to finish!  Putting pencil to paper always makes me feel better.  Today's sketch is of a cat called Brooklyn who is part of my next commission.  I thought I'd do a sketch to get a feel for him.  I have done it in watercolours and coloured pencils and it's only the second time I've tried mixing the two together and I have to say I love it!  Still need to practise with layering the pencil over the watercolour though as I couldn't get many layers!  I'm also very excited about this commission as it's one of three beautiful cats and as they all have names associated with New York it's to have a New York theme!  Can't wait to get started, then hopefully I can post how it's getting on!

My new blog!

After thinking about it for the last few days (and looking at a whole load of other blogs!) I decided to bite the bullet and set up my own.  I have managed to set up some of the basics but there is still plenty to do to get it how I want!  I am looking forward to having somewhere to post about my artwork, what I'm creating as well as all the wonderful things I keep finding out about coloured pencils, wildlife art and a whole host of other things!

A Happy New Year to everyone :-)