Creative Life Round Up!

Hello creative friends! What have I been up to?

Sorry it's been a while, I think I'm way overdue for a catch-up :)

I have started a ceramics class, which actually only has two weeks left for the term. I am totally smitten by working with clay. I really felt I wanted to learn, as I couldn't remember all the clay joining rules and techniques that I've learned in the past, and wanted to make sure I didn't make something and have my work explode along with blowing up other people's work that might happen to be sitting next to mine in the kiln.

I've done one class per week so far and it's given me enough knowledge of the basics to start creating.  I can see you could study pottery for years and still be learning.

I've purchased some of my own supplies so I can carry on learning ceramics at home (thank you, youtube!)

I also think it's a perfect craft for holding my attention. As I suffer from craft- attention- deficit- disorder (alongside many of you I'm sure) and struggle to commit to any one thing, I think that the excitement of opening a kiln and getting to see what comes out might just be enough to keep me coming back for more. I am really into it. I even dreamt about glazing last night!

So yesterday I got to pick up my first two finished pieces! A little mini pinch pot, and this texture-decorated tea light holder. I played around with the tea light holder to see if I could add pieces on that didn't fall off in the kiln, and they didn't, hooray!

A new DIY craft tutorial I've been working on involves cement & creating something for the garden, oooh! *rubs hands together* :)

Some table bling... from a while ago, but I love the photo!

This illustrated quote available as a print in the shop. "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." Drawn using coloured pencils and acrylic paint. A reminder to myself that sometimes I need to stop thinking about what projects I'm working on and just get working! This would look great in a plain frame, but if you're over-the-top like me and feel more is more, an ornate frame would work just as well.

And an image from my sketchbook, just to pretty up the post a bit more :) 

I'm also running a weekly after school kids art class, which has taken up a fair bit of my time too, planning and getting things ready for that through the week. And researching how to teach and manage a kids class room! I get all the art stuff, that is covered, but class room management!? Holy moly..

So, I'll have some more clay stuff soon. Who knows where I'm going with this! I'm also entering into the Illustrators Australia & New Zealand 2018 Awards, with an unpublished illustration (pictures to come). Also- a chook pen reno coming up! Hopefully with the arrival of spring, sunnier days and longer light hours, I'll be less tired and more motived to create more.

Hope you've enjoyed my update, 

Jules :)

New Art Print: Just be You

I have a new art print available in the shop.

This painting was created as part of the MATS illustration course I did. You can read about the process and see progress shots here.

A bit of wall decor... Example of "Just be You" framed 8 x 8"

It's such a simple yet inspirational and empowering quote. So many of us need a reminder that we don't need to try to be something else than our own unique, quirky and weird selves.

Just be you! Because everyone else is taken... :)

So from one shy person who at times can be riddled with insecurities, I'm finding this artwork is just as good a reminder to myself. 

I really enjoy my own company but am still learning how to completely own myself and be ok with who I am out in the wide world. I'm getting there slowly, the more I age :) 

I hope you like it!

You can find two sizes of this print here in the shop.

Jules :)

Free Sewing Room Print Download + Some Sewing Room Inspiration

Hello Creative Souls,

I recently made this sewing room wall art print as a Birthday gift for my Mum. I decided to make it available here on my creative blog as a free printable for you guys!

I printed out the image on my home inkjet printer on matte photo paper. I made a wooden panel for it to fit onto, but you could just as well frame it if you wanted, or get it printed onto a canvas.

I recently finished that unpcycled bunting there too- made from a thrifted scarf. And my Mum made that cotton holder for me :)

I would like to make a tutorial in the near future showing how I make my custom sized wooden panels. They are really quite easy and a cheap way to display a print without paying for custom framing. Old calendar images, postcards or gift cards would work with this method fantastically for some really cost effective art for your walls.

The colours look slightly different in the photos, blue always seems to be tricky to photograph for my camera

But back to the print. I found the image of the sewing lady from The Graphics Fairy and then placed her on a coloured background in photoshop, overlaying her on a scan of an old book cover which I recoloured, and added the text "may your bobbin always be full". 

To download the full printable sized file click here. 

(It's for personal use only; ie. for yourself or a gift, not to sell. Those typefaces I have used are not for commercial use.)

I cut some plywood the size of the print, then added some wooden sides to make a wood panel and a wire hanger. I glued the print on using mod podge (the panel was sealed first using gesso), then after the glue had dried I painted the sides with acrylic paint and then sealed the whole thing with acrylic gloss medium.

She looks nice in my sewing space! My sewing space used to be in my art studio but I was feeling too cramped in there so I moved it all into the guest room. 

I have an upcycled light in there too. I love making my own lights for my home. (This is light number 8 I have decorated and I have a big white one downstairs which has it's days numbered!)

I hope you like the print and at the very least I hope I have inspired you with my sewing space.

Jules :)

Bits n Pieces ~ What I'm Working on ~ Ramblings

Hello!

Just thought I'd check in and do a bit of a round up if you will of what's happening in my illustration/ art/ creative world.

Yesterday saw me get a bit overwhelmed with all that I have to do (the Mr has been away for work a lot and I am on a healing diet which requires lots of cooking; add that to just looking after kids, housework, illustration work, a market coming up, plus all the other things I want to do...)

We can't do it all, can we? I have around 7000  photos on my computer that I haven't done anything with. And when I get in these states of overwhelm I think about ALL the stuff I want to get done. The weeding, gardening, the mending pile... Why!? Why do I think of it all at the same time!? And why if I take a break (such as going out for coffee with friends) then my mental state comes out of that overwhelm? I think in reality it's more about my state of mind than the circumstances, so I'm trying to be aware of this and be more in control of my mental state. Sometimes when we hit overwhelm it may mean we just need to mix things up and do something different or take a break. Who else gets overwhelmed like me?

My couch upstairs, a.k.a. the messy craft shrine 

Something that does make me feel good though, is just picking up a project and making some progress with it. Then all the happiness of creating comes back and I feel motivation to create again regardless of the fact I have like a zillion unfinished projects lying all over the house :) It doesn't really matter, does it, in the big scheme of things? 

I have nearly finished that small rug hooking project, so that's a win!

Something I did finish recently is this modern acrylic painting. It's on a small 8x8" canvas and I am loving the contrast and colour palette in this original painting. I listed it in the shop here.

I also got around to listing this one too. It's a small acrylic painting on a handmade plaster panel. I really do love the texture of painted plaster. Also now in the shop.

I'm also working on the third component of the MATS A illustration course I am taking. It's the Children's Book Illustration component and I'm very happy to get started. I will post about my second round soon. But for now I am playing around with some cat character designs. Very fun.

In the home decorating arena I am researching and gathering inspiration on what on earth to do with our stairs. (Pinterest is a godsend!) We have lived in this house for 6+ years and our stairs are unfinished. They are the first thing you see when you open our front door! They are on our list of things to complete for our latest ongoing home project. The Mr and I are constantly arguing about what to do for the stairs. (!) I'm thinking a runner but every time I go to research runners the only good ones I find are all from shops overseas. Waaaahh! Talk about first world problems. But if someone knows of where I can find a moderny-boho-colourful rug runner here in Oz I'd be very grateful. But in the meantime I will shed tears again over not having Anthropologie here in Australia. Yes, totally first world problems. I am aware.

Maybe I should paint the stairs...!?

This week I am working on some illustrations for a children's dictionary, and also finalising my next two tutorials which are coming up soon. Easter themed!

But today is a public holiday so I will float around the house, maybe create a bit here and there, eat, cook, drink numerous cups of tea, and watch the kids play in the sun. Getting prepped and reenergised for another busy week ahead...

See you soon.

Jules :)

New Art Prints

I'm so happy to announce that the whole set of my latest range of animal artworks are available as prints now in the shop! We have an insightful owl, a cheeky bunny, a playful bird, and a sleepy kitty cat. I hope you like them :)

Jules :)

New: Cat Dreams Art Print

I really had fun making this one and I'm wanting to make a lot more like it.

You know what, I tried to make a less busy artwork here, but as always, I went crazy and just kept adding more and more things! I think I just need to accept that that's part of my process. More is more, right!?

Miss 6 is a bit kitty obsessed, but unfortunately, we won't be getting a cat as we are all about the Australian native birds here. I'm longing for a dog, really.

Available as a print now in my Etsy shop.

Happy weekend!

Jules x

Illustration Fail

I have an 'illustration fail' to share with you today!

I recently submitted my entrant to the illustration competition, the Global Talent Search 2016 run by Make Art That Sells. The competition was to find an illustrator to be represented by Lilla Rogers who represents some of the most awesome illustrators I've seen.

My probably-disqualified-but-I'll-never-know entry

I had a lot of fun making my entry (which was to illustrate a tea cup and napkin), and the day I submitted I had been up since 4.30am for some crazy reason. I think I forgot to leave the heater on that night and I woke up like a frozen ice block. I am very permeable to the cold!

I had been procrastinating about submitting. I had checked all the requirements in the illustration brief... or so I thought. There was this extra bit that I missed about a bit further down in the text that I overlooked.

For some reason.

Me procrastinating. These items were on my desk and so of course you arrange them in a pretty way and take a photo, right?

I pressed the 'submit' button. I went to check out other entrants pieces on instagram, and went, "No... no... I didn't forget did I!? Noooooo!" I checked the brief. I found the part where it said to put your name and/ or logo ON your piece. I didn't double check the brief well enough. It was like watching the car door close with the keys still inside in slow motion. Wham! Done! Over. No going back.

I had forgotten to put my name on my artwork.

My name. 

One of the things they look out for in an illustration competition is that you can follow a brief. 

I hadn't followed the brief.

I lost about two nights sleep from kicking myself. I'm sure my piece was disqualified.

I have been reminded that 1. I am a human being. 2. Mistakes happen, and 3. Probably don't do important tasks if can be avoided with a freezing and sleep deprived brain.

Can I also add that my husband had been away for almost five weeks and I was holding fort with two kids!? Or are they just excuses, excuses!?

So, I'm ok with my stuff up now. There's always next year. I'm aiming to do one of the Make Art That Sells Mats Illustration courses one day. And I think my entry was better this year (I think last years totally sucked), and I'll possibly think this one sucks soon enough, perhaps next years will be a little less sucky again!

But all is not lost. I have a new illustration piece and I'm now making it into a print to pop in my Etsy shop.

Life is full of fails, and that's just normal, right?

Jules ;)

New Art Print & The Inspiration

Hello!

Making a fairy pot

It's not a new occurrence to me that I have fully indulged in the folksy fantasy world of fairies and mermaids and the like since having kids. Scrolling through my (thousands of) photos on my computer I can just see so much colour and creativeness. And toadstools. Which makes me happy. (What makes me not so happy is the thousand of photos that need sorting through. Sigh.)

I've picked a few fun ones out that may have already been shared on my social media, but show how we incorporate that fantasy folksy feel into our lives.

Terrariums are fun to make

I found these little keys on ebay. I bought them for crafting purposes though most of them have disappeared into the land of imaginative play thanks to curious little hands in my studio.

I've been working on a new print over the last couple of weeks. I found a little doodle I'd done in the corner of a sketch book that I thought would make a nice painting. Of course, it's a little fairy house.

The painting in progress

It's no wonder I'm in this world. I love it so much though, I will probably stay here even when my kids grow up. 

Princess playing mama to a praying mantis in the garden. Complete with scrunched hat :)

I have no idea what I was starting here..!

Toadstools are a big source of inspiration

So I have finished the new painting and have made it available as a print in my Etsy shop. It was so much fun to paint and I imagine little fairy folk inside there, nice and warm, straightening up their belongings and making dew drop tea.

I hope my painting or blog post inspires you in some way. And indulge in the fairy fantasy world if you want to; regardless of your age!

Jules :)

Creative Block

Argh!!

I can still sit down and create at the moment but my muse is gone! I feel no direction or ideas coming to me at all.

Where has she gone!? Probably off galavanting somewhere on a well deserved holiday.

I stumbled across an article where Leunig talks about the muse:

"Even after all these years of making a living as a creative person, Leunig finds the muse is not a constant. "It is a bit lost and found, but you know it will come back, it's your friend.
Friend, maybe, yet the process of creating is never simple. "You have this idea, intellectually, in your mind. And try to make it and it's terrible and you try to fix it and it only gets worse and you are looking at this terrible thing.
However, it is intensely cathartic, as "the ego is stripped away, because it cannot get any worse. Stay with the disillusionment... in this moment you will find your inner child, and learn to play."
Source.

Remedy? I'm going to try cleaning my studio, and I'm thinking about doing a gallery hop. (This is coming up.) I'm also wondering whether a walk out in the wilderness will do me good. I'm also digging out my copy of Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert to try and add some creative spark back to where it should be.

Sigh!

Cleaning the studio would be good; I can hardly move in here. I think that it's time for my sewing machines to move out. Sorry husband! They are going to encroach on another room :)

Otherwise, I hope you like this painting that I made whilst I was in my inspired mode. It's now available as a print in the shop.

This work came about because I have recently been interested in looking at old paintings and interiors from the 1800's. The gilt frames, the opulence, textures and detail in the fancy houses. The walls. The doors! I loved watching the new version of Cinderella for drinking up the scenery; and more recently Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell. I read the brick of a book and now have one more episode of that series to watch. (And I'm so sad about that!) That show is to the eyes what a smorgasbord of food is to the tastebuds.

So, maybe all this imagery is floating around in my head waiting to sort itself out on the shelves inside my mind and settle into a way that I can grasp the ideas in a meaningful & practical way and utilise them in my art. Perhaps. Maybe that's what's happening.

Or maybe my muse has taken off to whisper some ideas into someone else's subconscious.

I just hope she comes back soon.

Jules.

New Brooch Available

I have just finalised my design for this new brooch that has just been listed in my shop. 

It's a dreamy night time creature that frolics around in your sub conscious ;)

The original form was hand sculpted by myself and then I made a mould from it. Each is reproduced in polymer clay, and then hand painted. Because of the processes I use to create these they can be baked up to four times until each piece is finally finished. 

It's a unique piece of wearable art for inspired individuals! 

This art print is now available too. 

I'm starting to gear up for my local Arts Market coming up in a couple of weeks. I'll have some of my new items there, or you're welcome to get me to hold anything as I know there are a few interested in this print and they may not want to miss out! If you're local, that is ;)

Now I'm off to do some more crafting, I have some secret projects going on which is why I've been quiet of late. I'll try to show some more arty stuff soon!

Jules :)