New product designs on Red Bubble

As the end of the year approaches, we start to plan gifts for our loved ones. There is just enough time before the holiday season to order a unique gift and support an artist as well so you can spread some holiday cheer all round.

I have many of my paintings available on a wide variety of products on Red Bubble. I have adapted a number of these. There are so many different products. Each design can be applied to cards, cups, cushions, mobile phone cases - the list goes on and on. I receive a small commission on each item sold. 

Here are just a few examples. Click on the highlighted product name go to Red Bubble.

Mobile phone cases - pretty link roses.

Cushions

Mugs  

Travel Mugs

Tote bags. The current trend is to avoid using plastic so these sturdy and beautiful bags are the answer. 

And some wonderful floaty scarves...

I've also adapted a couple of designs for duvet covers and clocks. 

Sketching at Mt Coot-Tha Botanic Gardens

It was a sunny morning yesterday at Mt-Coot-Tha. I had previously sketched the Japanese Gardens where the rest of the sketchers were meeting, so I decided to look for something else. I found this striking view of the Tropical Display Dome and a magnificent baobab tree. I started directly on the tree with watercolour - no drawing. The dome was tricky so here I used a light pencil sketch to keep me on track.

Mt Coot- Tha Tropical Dome - watercolour and ink in a Beta Sketchbook

First pass with watercolour and the pencil sketch of the Tropical Dome. 

Once this first wash was dry, I went in with some ink (Pilot Metropolitan Fine nib) to draw in the details of the branches. I wasn’t concerned about keeping to the painted areas, rather worked to redraw new details. 

More progress - ink and watercolour 

Summer in Brisbane, it seems, is here in earnest. It was very hot day and the shade I had been sitting in was disappearing. By the time it came to painting the Dome, I decided this would be achieved much more easily with a table, proper shade and cup of coffee. I moved into the cafe to complete the sketch. I was so wrapped up doing this that I only noticed the rest of the crew when they stood up to take photos! 

It’s strange how our brains translate what we see into manageable symbols. I must have stared at the Tropical Dome for over an hour before I started to paint it. My brain saw ‘diamond’ shapes and painted them accordingly. It was only when I was halfway through painting the Dome that I realised that the ‘diamonds’ were in fact triangles. Talk about painting what you think you see and not what you actually see!

Graphite drawing to re-see the Tropical Dome 

The reality...

More Inktober - the second half

As I write this, on 24th October, the end of the month is in sight. I have been able to maintain the discipline of doing an ink drawing every day. I must confess that I am now starting to get a little bored and I’m looking forward to November! 

All drawings, with the exception of the collaged portrait, were done in a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook A5. It’s a favourite for ink because of the smooth plate finish. At 270 gsm the paper is tough and even where there is crazy, heavy cross hatching there is no show through on the  back of the page. 

Amellie from Sktchy - Black BIC ballpoint pen

Amellie II. Using the same Sktchy muse as the previous portrait - this time with watercolour, collage and ink.

Rick N from Sktchy - Pilot Metropolitan F nib, Faber Castell brush pens on gesso. 

Jul Zus  from Sktchy - Pilot Metropolitan F nib with water brush for the wash. 

Pink Roses - Pilot Metropolitan F nib with Daimine Hope Pink and water brush with coloured ballpoint pens.

Mike A from Sktchy - Back to the trusty Black BIC ballpoint pen

Chris Mathews from Sktchy - Black BIC ballpoint pen

Umgeni Reeds I - Lamy Safari 1.5 mm nib with Pelikan Smokey Quartz 


Umgeni Reeds II


Umgeni Reeds 

Gary Dadd from Sktchy - Black BIC ballpoint pen

Spot from Sktchy - Sailor Fude with Sailor red-brown ink.

For the last four days of Inktober I have decided to do a larger drawing, posting as I completed a corner.

Pink Roses - Top LH corner of the last Inktober drawing. 

Bottom LH  corner 

Top RH corner 

Bottom RH corner
And here’s the completed drawing:

Pink Roses - Pilot Metropolitan with Daimine Hope Pink and Waterman Inspired Blue. Water brush for the washes and assorted coloured ball point pens.

I have to admit that last few days have been a struggle. What I have found, though, from the discipline of regular daily drawing, is that I really do enjoy losing myself in an image. The meditative state induced by cross hatching is addictive. Portraits using a simple ballpoint are the most satisfying since the marks have a subtlety not easily achieved with a fountain pen or felt tip pen for that matter.

I think I have found the solution to keeping my interest high and completing some worthwhile drawings. 

I would still plan to draw every day but to do fewer drawings with a more holistic theme. I could perhaps take a few days or a whole week to complete each drawing. At the end of the month I would have a coherent body of work with a meaningful theme instead of 31 disparate drawings.