Let's paint the town...

The other day I was walking home from the grocery store and I saw a blank billboard above one of our local cafes.  

I wondered, "What if artists could take over the billboards of London for one day? What would the city look like?" 

Sometimes I get tired of being forced to stare at advertising for phones, cars, musicians, movies and car insurance packages. I'd much rather wander down the street and stare at beautiful, inspired work by local artists. 

So, I came home and placed one of my own paintings on the billboard in photoshop.  

It's fun to dream, isn't it? 

A few snapshots of my studio

These past few weeks I feel like I've been participating in a triathlon, but instead of three sporting events I'm working on three creative endeavours.  The first is book one of Mattie's Magic Dreamworld for Random House Struik, the second is book two in the same series, and the third is baby!  (You can see a few watercolours from book one above)

Let me tell you, creating a person is a lot harder than I expected it to be.  It is both physically and emotionally draining.  Much of my creative energy is being siphoned off into the task of building a this little human, which is such an amazing and inspiring process!

In the meantime, I'm enjoying home-made lattes and the post-storm rainbows I've been seeing above the rooftops of London. 

What's been happening in your life lately?

I'd love to know! 

Adventures in... the Netherlands

{The North Sea near Bloemendaal}

I was going through my hard drive the other day to back up my files, and I found the photos from my Easter Break trip to the Netherlands. It seems ages ago; almost like it happened in a dream. Even though it was so long ago, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite pictures, or else they'll keep gathering dust inside my MacBook. 

At the time I was newly pregnant, and suffering severe nausea.  I tried my best to make the most of the holiday and enjoy being a tourist, but to be honest, most nights I ended up curled up in bed wishing I were home.  

Having said that, the Netherlands is one of my favourite countries in Europe.  I love how small it is, and that you can cover its terrain from one side to the other easily in a day; practically any town is accessible as a day trip.

My mom and I stayed with a good friend who lives in Bloemendaal, a small town just outside Haarlem, and a short train journey from Amsterdam.  It is a gorgeous community nestled beside the blustery North Sea. In the evenings we took long drives along the coastal roads to admire the sunsets, the swaying beach grasses, and the brave kite surfers. 

A few of my favourite things to do in Amsterdam...

Amsterdam is not my favourite place in the world.  Every time I visit the Netherlands I resolve to find something to love about the city, but aside from the museums, I always find it hard to warm to the place. As far as I'm concerned it's full of noisy tourists, hippies and teenagers that reek of weed, street trams and bicycles racing in every direction (so you never know when you might be run over), drifts of litter, and annoyed dutch people (I'd be annoyed too, if I had to deal with all the aforementioned).  

If you want quaint canals, gorgeous dutch architecture and tulips, there are much more beautiful places to visit than Amsterdam.  

However, if you're in Amsterdam...

1.

The Rijksmuseum.

It has a stellar collection of Vermeers and Rembrandts, and much more. Plus a great cafe if you want to rest your eyes, feet and sample some nouveau dutch cuisine. 

2.

The Van Gogh museum.

 Van Gogh's paintings are so full of life and emotion; seeing them always leaves my heart both full of joy and a little raw.  

3.

The Amsterdam Flower Market.

 This is the only floating flower market in the world.  It blooms with fragrance and colour in any season. 

A few of my favourite day trips... 

These are the small towns and cities that epitomize everything I love about the Netherlands: glittering canals, gracious city squares lined with cafes and restaurants, amazing museums, and friendly people.  

1.

Haarlem:

 Visit the Frans Hals museum and wander the narrow streets tracing webs around the wide canals. 

2.

Delft:

Visit the Vermeer museum and buy some stunning blue and white Delft ware china.  The central square is long and narrow, and has a tall tower to climb so that you can see the whole town laid below you, as well as the all horizons of this small, flat, little country. 

3.

Leiden:

A bustling university town filled with trendy students and great restaurants and cafes.  It was the birthplace of Rembrandt. 

4.

Den Haag:

The centre of Dutch government. Every street is lined with chic boutiques, gracious palaces and government buildings. 

5

. Keukenhof gardens.

 In the spring, this is the ultimate place to see more tulips than you could ever imagine.  We happened to go on the day of the flower parade, which made the gardens and nearby town very festive. Go early in the day to avoid the crowds. 

6.

Utrecht.

 A gorgeous university town with lovely cafes, boutiques and a church tower near the main square that plays a full carillon (a song played on the bells) at midday.  It's the perfect place to sit for lunch while listening to the pealing bells and water lapping in the canals. 

What to eat... 

1. Make sure you try a stroopwafel with your coffee.  This is a small biscuit or cookie made with two thin layers of waffle filled with caramel.  To soften the caramel you lay the waffle on the rim of your cup so that the steam warms the sugars.  There's no need to dunk. 

2. Vla.  This is a dutch version of pudding or custard, but so much better.  

3. Go to a Pannekoeken Huis.  The dutch serve their pancakes almost like pizzas, with numerous sweet and savoury toppings.  The best pancake houses are in the smaller towns and rural areas. 

4. Cheese.  There are cheese at every corner with windows stacked with delicious looking blocks and wheels of cheese.  Make sure you pop in and sample some of the local delicacies.  

Have you been to Amsterdam or the Netherlands? What's your favourite thing to see or do?

Or, Do you have a favourite holiday destination that you keep going back to time and time again?

You can find other

Adventures in...

posts

HERE

. 

{Blooming trees in Bloemendaal}

{Delft cheeses}

{the clear, slanting light of the Dutch masters was everywhere}

{Delft from the tower}

{Haarlem}

Life in a London Flat #2

Two days later, Maureen woke to a bright sky full of promise and a light breeze that played at the leaves.  The perfect washing day. She fetched the step-ladder and took down the net curtains. Light, colour and texture over the room as if they had been trapped in the space behind the nets all along. The curtains were white and dry within the day.  Maureen folded them into bags and took them to the charity shop.  

-- Rachel Joyce "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry"

London is a city filled with 8 to 15 million curious people (depending on how you count it).  They're all busy living their lives, and avidly watching everyone else as they do it.  With so many people-watchers around, it's vital to carve out a private space just for yourself.

Windows are wonderful, don't you think?  They let the light in.  You can sit by them and daydream while watching the sky.  But also, since people can see in, they can become like mini-theatres where passers-by watch the dramas of our lives unfold.

So, how to let the light in, but not the prying eyes?  Net curtains, of course.  

I find it interesting that in Rachel Joyce's book, net curtains were a symbol of the repressed life that the character Maureen wanted to leave behind.  She thought she was hiding behind them and not letting anyone or anything new into her life.

To me, they are a symbol of safety and freedom, and they are an absolute necessity for London living. With gauzy curtains in one's windows, one can live freely and uninhibitedly without worrying that other people are watching.

There is a lovely family who live in the flat across the road.  (You can see their window boxes in the photo above).  They don't have net curtains (or any curtains at all, as far as I can tell), and in the evenings, I actually have to make a concentrated effort

not

to look at them as they sit and watch TV or eat their dinner.

Perhaps in the small village where Rachel Joyce's characters lived there were fewer prying eyes, making net curtains unnecessary.

I don't know. But I certainly love the privacy; I love way the sun catches them at certain angles transforming them from ordinary netting into gossamer lace; or, the way the wind makes them billow and dance like summery ante-bellum skirts.

What do you think? How do you keep passers-by or neighbours from peeping into your world?

Curious about London flat living?

More here

.

Today is... monochromatic

Today was mostly monochromatic.  As I wandered the hot, hazy, summery city, I saw lots of black, white, beiges and greys.

I spent the morning visiting the Matisse exhibition at the Tate Modern, which was definitely

not

monochromatic; I loved his bold use of primary colours. Afterwards, I sipped my decaf latte in the Tate cafe and made lists of all the things I need to accomplish this week. 

Don't you just love this view of the Thames river and St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance?   

That's a little glimpse of my part of the world.  

How was your day today? I'd love to know! Is there one word you could use to describe it? 

P.S. And don't forget to join the

One Picture, Three Stories linkup

! There's still time before the first week of August to get your ideas brewing! 

{beautiful birches in front of Tate Modern}

{Finally a cool breeze in my bedroom window}

{And to all a good night...}

Life in a London Flat #1

Now that we've moved back to London, we're trying to make our flat feel like

home

. This city can sometimes be big, busy and overwhelming (and so, so inspiring at the same time), so our home needs to be serene, quiet and cozy.  It has two bedrooms, one bathroom the size of a mouse's waistcoat pocket, and a kitchen/living area that feels pretty spacious because it's open plan.  

I had thought of titling this post "Life in a

small

London flat," but as far as flats go, there are plenty that are smaller than ours.  Even so, sometimes our little home can feel quite small, indeed. 

For me, this flat has to be home, office, and studio, all rolled into one.  So, I thought I'd start a serialized guide on how to make all this work in a small space (in a big city) and stay sane...

Here it goes.... Survival tip #1: 

Paint everything white. 

This might sound sterile, or boring, but believe me, it makes the world of difference.  When we first moved in, the flat was a rainbow of colours; the hall was Van Gogh yellow (including the ceiling); the main bedroom was dusty lilac; the living area was ultramarine blue. Coming home felt like entering a kaleidoscope. 

London is colourful enough as it is. The last thing anyone wants is to return home after a busy day and be bombarded with even more sensory overload.  And besides, there's nothing like white walls to make a space feel big, light and calm.  Which is

exactly

what one needs during the long, dreary London winters.  

What do you think?  Would you paint a small space in bright colours, or stick with whites and neutrals?

{Cozy cushions to curl up with after a long day}

Thinking about Life and some Inspiration for the Weekend {7/12}

{Lovely spring blossoms in the Netherlands}

Sometimes I get frustrated that life never gets any simpler. I try to pursue the ideal of zen calm, but it always seems to be a losing battle against the ever escalating storm of chaos.

Do you know what I mean?

No matter how hard I try to meditate, or eat healthfully, or exercise, or keep a daily routine, I never seem to make any headway against this craziness we call life.

Now, I see that this is the way things are meant to be.

Life is like the plot of a novel, which gets more intricate and complicated with each turn of the page. The plot rises until the very end with lots of twists and turns to add interest and intrigue. And the denouement (the last chapters) should be as many pages, and as many days, away as possible, because that means the story is finished.

And we want to keep on telling our stories, don't we? 

So, instead of fighting against the craziness, I'm trying to live with it.  Embrace it, even. We're all living our own adventures, and writing the story of our lives, day by day. All those twists and turns are there to make life interesting!  

5 things that have made me happy this week

It has felt like a long, but very productive week. I've been doing a juggling act balancing midwife appointments, painting for a huge illustration deadline, and unpacking the flat and studio.  This has necessitated numerous trips up and down a narrow ladder into the attic to fetch boxes of pots and pans, books, and other ephemera.  I'm sure my midwife would have a conniption if she saw me scaling those dizzying heights!

So, amid the effort to find order in chaos, I thought I'd share a few things I've been enjoying...

1.  This basil plant, purchased at Sainsbury's for one pound.  What can anyone buy for one pound these days?  Not much.  I'm so happy to have the company of its heavenly fragrance in my kitchen. I wonder how long I'll be able to keep it going?  

2. Unpacking my studio and discovering art supplies I never knew I had. It might instigate a whole new phase of experimentation in my artwork as I figure out how to use them. I've never gotten the hang of watercolour pencils, even though I use normal watercolour all the time.  Any pointers? 

3.  Celery and hummus.  This is my favourite afternoon snack right now.  I never used to have snacks, but now that I'm pregnant I seem to need to eat more often (or at least that's my excuse). I just love the watery crunch of the celery with the zesty, garlic hummus.  

4. Being back in this glorious country of Great Britain.  Over the 9 years I've lived here it has become a place of great comfort to me.  I just love the layers of culture and history that you can't find anywhere else. 

5.  The gradual emergence of order out of the chaos of our flat. I've been sorting and unpacking for days. I have a strong impulse to simplify and keep only that which is either beautiful or useful (thanks, William Morris, for the inspiration).  Everything else has been short-listed to the "charity shop" pile. There is a wonderful feeling of lightness to starting afresh with fewer possessions.  

What has made you happy this week? I'd love to know.

{antique British flags in Cape Town's St. George's Cathedral}

A New Arrival - How I Learn {Plus a Giveaway!}

This morning I finally opened up the large cardboard box that had been sitting in the corner of my bedroom since I arrived back in London. 

What could be inside, I wondered?

Look!  Advance copies of the new book I illustrated called

"How I Learn!" with Magination Press.

It will be released in August 2014, but I thought I'd share a sneaky peak with all my lovely readers. 

It's a story about three children who all have difficulty with learning in some way; one struggles to read, one struggles to write, and one struggles with math.  But, with the help of their parents and teachers, they all find a way to make learning easier!  

The story really touched me, because I often felt self-conscious about math when I was in elementary school.  I remember having to do mad minutes, where we had to solve 10 math questions in one minute.  They were simple adding and subtraction, and should have been easy, but the time pressure meant they were agony for me.  I just couldn't do them!  Math remained arduous until I had an amazing teacher in grade 12 who made everything clear for me.  (Thank-you so much Mr. Pries!)  

I can't wait to show you more of this book and some of the original sketches and paintings in August!  For now, this is all you get to see. 

Or, how about this?  Did you have trouble with anything in school, and was there someone who helped you through it? 

What I will miss / won't miss about Cape Town

{Love for Cape Town}

I can hardly believe that I'll be leaving Cape Town today. 

When we first moved here I didn't want to stay.  The adjustment to the new city, the new culture and the new routines (including security worries) was difficult; I wanted to turn right around and fly back to London. 

But now that I've spent 3 years here, I've come to love the city like a second home. I love the warm, generous people; I love the vibrant mish-mash of cultures; I love the mountains and the sea.

I'm so excited to be heading back to London; the timing is right in so many ways. And I can't wait to share the next chapter of this adventure with all you lovely readers! 

But, even with all this new excitement, it doesn't mean I won't be thinking longingly of Cape Town from time to time.  

What I will miss: 

-- Our gorgeous courtyard garden, filled with lavender, frangipani, bougainvillea, mint, rosemary, wisteria, and the world's largest grape vine.

-- Walking down the hill to ballet classes at the

Cape Ballet Centre

, and all my wonderful ballet friends. 

-- The noon gun, which has been marking midday since 1806. The cannon blast reverberates around the city and lets me know when it's time to eat lunch.

-- The view of the sheer face of Table Mountain every time I step out of our front gate. So impressive.

-- The wind.  I have a love/hate relationship with the Cape Town wind.  Sometimes it's so extreme that I'm convinced our stone house will be picked up like a feather and blown down the hill into the harbour. 

-- Driving around the hills and mountains and staring at the sparkling sea. 

-- My small studio in our house with a view of our courtyard and a glimpse of Devil's Peak above the roof. 

-- Coffee and long chats about art and "making things" with 

Jesse

. 

-- Sundowners: the ritual of drinking a glass of something exquisite and watching the sun slip below the waves. 

--  Burritos at

Tortilla Modern Mexican

.  Nothing can beat them! There are burritos, and then there are Tortilla burritos. Nothing I've had in the States even comes close to the explosion of flavours in each bite. 

-- A leisurely braai (BBQ) in my in-laws' garden, playing with their dogs and chatting aimlessly about what's been happening in our lives. 

-- Our house. It's a 150 year old (or more) cottage built with stone quarried from Table Mountain. It gives off an amazing, deep, spiritual energy the minute you walk in the door. I wonder who has lived here before us and what stories the old stones could tell. We've been part of that long story, and soon new people will be adding their chapters.

What I won't miss: 

-- The wind. (See above)

-- The extreme heat in summer. My father-in-law always teases me that I spend the summer with my head stuck in the freezer. 

-- Constantly fighting the populations of cockroaches and other prehistoric looking insects (trilobites anyone?) that invade our house from time to time.  

-- The homeless people who sleep outside our garage door every winter. I feel deeply sorry for them, but they're a nuisance all the same.  

-- Hadedahs. These birds commute from the mountain into town every day, flying right over our house, and then back again in the evening.  They're big, ugly and sound like dogs with chest colds laughing when they "honk." 

-- The huge, high garden walls, burglar bars, security systems, and barbed wire that turn every house into a fortress. 

What are your favourite things about your home town or city? Why not share a few in the comments? 

Are you my mother?

{image from P.D. Eastman's classic kids book "Are you my Mother?"}

I'm often vicariously curious about what is happening behind the scenes when my favourite blogs go silent.  What is happening in those bloggers' lives that makes their life too busy or interesting to have the time or energy to post?

Well, as you might have noticed, that's exactly what's happened to me in the last month or two.

I met with a friend of mine the other week, and after relating all that's going on in my life, she said, "How come I didn't know any of this? You didn't write about it on your blog!"

This space is where my nearest and dearest check in to see what's happening in my life, but it's also a

very

public place, and I'm never sure how much I can share without over-stepping my own online privacy boundaries.

At the same time, I can't exactly continue to blog authentically and not share some of these big exciting changes.  If I didn't, the blog would start to sound forced and disingenuous.

And there's the rub.  

So, here's big change number one: I'm pregnant.

Whew!

It's been a whirlwind three months. (How can it be three months, already?)

I've spent the majority of the last two and a half months lying in a dark room under my duvet.  The combination of extreme nausea and intense migraines have incapacitated me. I'm used to migraines, as I get them frequently. But, now that I'm pregnant I can't take any painkillers stronger than paracetamol, which does nothing for migraines, whatsoever.

I think I'm finally on the mend, and feeling motivated to get back to my normal routine.  Which is a good thing because I've also just signed a two book contract with a major publisher.  The illustrations are due a few days before baby.

Talk about deadlines and due dates!

What's been happening in your lives, dear readers?  I'd love to know. I've missed you!

Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing.

Quite literally, too.

In the past week our weather has shifted from the hot and dusty south-easter to the cool, wet north-wester.  The north-wester is the winter wind; it brings rain and cool air from the Atlantic.  I think this change in season, from summer to autumn, has instigated a change in my routine. I feel like I need to hibernate. All I want to do is burrow under the covers and read novels, and philosophy (or novels that are full of philosophy).

But aside from the change in seasons, there are lots of other changes afoot (which I'll be sharing here in due course, but not right now). I don't do well with change. I always want to start back-stepping when it seems like too much is happening at once.

I'm trying to spend a few hours each morning working on my next book project (very exciting one too!).  I'm still in the sketching and "moodling" stage, trying to figure out how the story will look and feel. I have a big, black, Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook that I'm filling with thumbnails and character sketches. The whole project is due in a few months, so there's not much time for second-guessing my choices.

Once I'm satisfied with the day's work, I curl up under a blanket and pick up where I left off in "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. It's a medieval murder mystery set in a monastery, full of mysticism, philosophy and intrigue. I'm reading it slowly, because I want to bask in the rich atmosphere and delicious language.  (This is also a change, because I almost never read slowly otherwise)

So, in the midst of all this change, I'm so grateful for the work I'm able to do. I'm so grateful that I can do something that fills my soul and recharges my batteries. I'm not always equally inspired, but I always leave a studio session feeling lighter and happier.

How do you welcome the change in seasons? Or change in general? Do you have any coping mechanisms or tips to share?

Today is.... Rainy

Today is rainy. 

I've always loved rain.  I just love how it makes the world soft and quiet. Things never seem so big or overwhelming. 

I'm taking a moment to sit and gaze at the rain-soaked courtyard. The plants look so green, so verdant; they're almost "super green." Above the rooftops, the mountain is floating in the mist like a something from a Japanese print. 

I'm puttering in my studio and reminding myself to take deep breaths.  

Breathe

....  

I know I've said this before, but I'm always thinking about it. The root for the word

inspiration

is spiro, which is latin for "I breathe."  Inspiration literally means "to breath in." 

So, before you click away and carry on your way, close your eyes, place your hands softly on your lap, and take a deep breath. Now inspiration will follow you with every breath you take today. 

What is your day like today?  Is there one word you could use to describe it? 

 

Another Year Older

Another birthday. 

Another birthday self-portrait to add to the growing series.  You can see the others

HERE

and 

HERE

and

HERE

and

HERE

. 

My goal is to do a self-portrait for every birthday. This year I was inspired by fashion illustrations done in ink (think

Garance Dore

). I'm not sure I achieved my vision, but that doesn't matter. It's the experimentation that matters.

This tradition of painting birthday self-portraits is inspired by Rembrandt. He painted 90 self-portraits over the course of his life. He was very experimental, and often showed himself in a not too kindly light as he aged (wrinkles and all). I'm not sure I'll be brave enough for that!  His self-portraits 

are like an autobiography in art, recording his changing moods and appearance. Maybe I can do the same, in a very small way

A Day in the Life of a Children's Book Illustrator

I thought it would be fun to share a typical day in my life as an illustrator.  Right now we're in Cape Town, but my routine rarely changes whether I'm here, in London or in Canada. It's just the scenery that changes.  

7am: Wake up. Stumble bleary eyed into the blinding sunshine in the kitchen. Pour a glass of cold orange juice and will myself to wake up. 

I wish I started my morning by reading something erudite, or meditating, but I usually end up checking Facebook...

8am: I walk down the hill to the post office to send off the most recent order from my Etsy shop.

Luckily it isn't far to go.  It's already so hot that I make sure to find all the patches of shade on the way there and back. 

This is the view I see on my way back up the hill.  Our house is the one with the brown door in the garden wall.  The frangipanis (also called plumeria) are blooming so beautifully this time of year. There's a wisp of a Table Cloth on top of Table Mountain. That means it's going to be a hot and windy day. 

8:30am: On my way back from the post office I like to stop by Vida e Caffe for a cappuccino.  Vida is a local coffee chain with a wacky, energetic feel. I love how they decorate their paper cups.  Which moustache are you?  I also love that they give a square of dark chocolate with every coffee order. I'll save mine for later.... 

{Coffee on the studio table and ready to work}

9am: I'm already hard at work and listening toBBC Radio 3 online. I love how the classical music gives a sense of order to my crazy imagination.

Right now I'm working on a big book project for Magination Press (a job I got through my agents at Advocate Art). The deadline is fast approaching, so there's no time to spare.

When I'm painting I go into a zen state. I focus. I breathe deeply. I concentrate on the colours and patterns unfolding under my hands.

Any work I do in the morning is like double work. It's that magical time of day when my ideas flow and time seems to cooperate with me.

10am: I find myself googling things like "chalkboard brushes" and "monarch butterflies" to look for references for my current project. I also spend a bit of time trying to win a game of solitaire while my paint dries.

{This is how illustrators do their hair... with a paintbrush.}

{Dive into the colour!}

12 noon:  Noon Gun!  Boom! You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I always jump.  The noon gun has been marking midday in Cape Town since 1806.  It's loud; it echos between the mountains; sometimes I spill paint...

It wakes me from my painting reverie and I remember that I should eat lunch.  Wait a second, did I even eat breakfast?  (Usually not). I make beeline to the fridge and graze from last night's leftovers.

12:30pm: Back to the drawing board. Literally. By now I'm starting to lose concentration.

In the afternoon I often focus on smaller projects, or work on scanning or photoshopping illustrations I'd started the day before.

If I don't have pressing illustration work, I'll write blog posts, or brainstorm ideas for new projects.

....Oh dear, my eyes are drooping.

2pm: Time for that square of dark chocolate.  Thank-you Vida! 

3pm: Unless I have a super-stressful deadline, this is the end of my work day.  I take a long bath, to ease my aching muscles.  You wouldn't think working as an artist would be that strenuous, but hunching over paintings can make my shoulders so tight!

After my bath, I unfurl my back muscles with a short session of yoga.

3:30pm: I rush to the grocery store (aptly named "Pick and Pay," I laugh every time I think about it) and figure out what to make for dinner. Sometimes I pop into the bookstore for a little inspiration, or grab another coffee.

4pm: Skype time with my Mom in Canada!  She's finally awake and I can tell her all about my day.  

6pm onwards: I make supper, and my husband and I settle in for a relaxing evening. Sometimes we have a glass of wine; sometimes we watch a dvd; sometimes we read; sometimes we escape the heat and head to the seaside.

10pm: Time to curl up in bed and close my eyes. Tomorrow will be the same, all over again! 

Here's a one minute video I made of me painting... Enjoy! 

Come smell the roses!

{Photo taken with my new

Canon EOS Rebel T4i

}

A warm, warm welcome to

Chasing Happy

readers!  Today I'm guest posting on Kenzie's lovely blog about why creativity is hard (even for me), and what you can do to make writing or painting a little easier. 

Why not pop over and read it

here

? 

And, if you're new here, please feel free to stay awhile. Draw up a chair and we can chat in my studio. 

Tell me, what are you working on at the moment? 

Do you have any tips for keeping the creative juices flowing? 

Swooning in the Cape Town heat {a little animation}

Don't forget to join the 1 picture, 3 stories link-up!

{Swoon!}

It's summer in Cape Town, and it's so hot.

So, so, so hot.

The noon gun has just fired (as it does every day). The air is so still that the reverberations from the blast have shaken the frangipani flowers from their branches, and now they're wafting down in front of my window. Across the street someone is playing sultry saxophone.

If I slouch in my chair (as I often do), I can see the top of Table Mountain peeking above the roof of our house.  It's shimmering in the heat today.

It's so hot that I think the paint is melting on my palette before I can even get my brush into it.

The heat always brings out the diva in my characters; they always seem to have minds of their own. This little girl was frustrated that I wasn't paying enough attention to her heat-induced swoon, so now she's swooning over and over and over again.  Ad infinitum.  

The grass is always greener on the other side isn't it?  I envy all you readers who are cozily cocooned in  winter.  Oh!  For the snow and the hot chocolates and the great big fuzzy scarves.  Enjoy it while you can!

{Note #1: I posted this little girl last year, but as I have so many new followers, I thought some of you might enjoy seeing her brought back to life)

{Note #2:  I'm not sure if the animated illustration works for email subscribers, so you might want to click through to the blog to see it.}

Being Inspired and Playing with Sketches

{Queen Elizabeth and her people}

One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday afternoon is go to an art gallery and sketch from the great masters.  A few weeks ago, I went to the

Elizabeth I and her People

 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London with my dear friend

Ayla Lepine

. 

I had so much fun sketching Queen Elizabeth I and all her courtesans and contemporaries. There were so many hats!  So many outlandish costumes!  I decided to challenge myself, so I worked into the sketches with ink wash (which, unbelievably, I've never done before). I really loved the warm tones the sepia wash gives the sketches. 

Which made me wonder... why had I never tried it before?

This reminded me of how important it is to keep growing as a creative person.  I may spend every minute of my day drawing and painting, but it can still be too easy to fall into routines. I have a habit of reaching for the same art supplies every day.  

A year ago I was contacted by Whitney Sherman to contribute to her book

Playing with Sketches

.  She had been searching the blogosphere looking for innovative sketchbooks, and appreciated the way I regularly draw in museums, being inspired by the old masters.  

So much so that I've even written a children's book all about it! 

Playing with Sketches

 is a book with 50 creative exercises, grouped by difficulty and theme, designed to help you grow as an artist.  The exercises include word games, dimensional shapes, and inventive sketchbooks and letterforms, eventually creating a “toolkit” of ideas and skills developed through the process of play.

What's really great is that each exercise is illustrated with examples from real sketchbooks by real artists.  Whitney Sherman contacted artists and bloggers from around the world to feature in her book. She included their website or blog details, so if one particular exercise or artist really inspires you, you can hop online and check out more of their work. 

I'm featured in the section on drawing from the old masters.  

What kinds of things do you do to keep your creative fires burning?  How do you make sure you don't get mired in stagnant waters, but keep the river of ideas flowing freely?  I'd love to know! 

{A collection of left hands from the National Gallery, London}

{Here's the page I'm featured on!}

Sending a little Love your way

{Sand Valentine - Cape Town}

Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower. 

H.C. Andersen

I tried to write something deep and profound to accompany this image, but words failed.  I'm spending the majority of each day hunched over my studio table, and when I finally emerge at the end of a long day I feel like a dazed mole seeing the sun for the first time.  My mind is a whirlwind of colours, inks, and paintbrushes; it is thinking purely in images and not words.

Sometimes life seems to be more stressful than it ought to be.  I think we all have an internal gauge, each one calibrated differently, as to how much stress we can handle.  What do we do when the needle rises dangerously high?

Right now, because I'm so tired after each long day's work, all I can do is sit in the evenings and breathe.

Oh, I'm so grateful I don't have to think about breathing.  

I take deep breaths and say to myself, "that's one less thing to worry about."  I make lists of everything that feels abundant: the love of my family, the food on the table, books to read...

So, no matter what any of you are experiencing right now (I'm sure some of you are serene, and some of you are stressed), I am sending blessings over the land and across the seas.

Take a deep breath.

We can do this!

The sun will keep on rising and setting

{Full Moon - Camps Bay, Cape Town}

Just a little note to say: 

- I arrived home, acquired a vicious head cold, and immediately dove head-first into work towards some looming deadlines. 

- I'm resolving to do more landscape sketching/painting, and this is the fruits of my first effort. Yesterday the full moon was spectacular, inspiring, uplifting.  

-  The moon always reminds me to breathe deeply.  The world is bigger than we imagine, much bigger. There are possibilities of all description beyond our reckoning. When we're worrying about our little patch of earth (our careers, families, etc), sometimes a larger perspective is important.  As Anne of Green Gables said, "The sun will keep on rising or setting, whether I fail geometry or not."  

'Til next week!  

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