Artist Blog Hop

Hello!! ::waving:: I'm finally back online after a wonderful two week holiday in Portugal.

I've been invited by Esté MacLeod to participate in a blog hop... my first! There's always a first time for everything :-) Esté's wonderfully magical work can be seen here http://www.estemacleod.com

What am I working on?

It's still the school summer holidays here in the UK and I've been busy shoe horning work in between spending time with my sons and our annual family holiday. I took a homemade sketch book to Portugal which I've filled with sketches and observations during our many beach trips.

I also participated in the Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search (GTS). Although I didn't make the top 50 semi-finalists I had fun creating my entry and I'm proud of it. The gallery showing all 999 entries is here http://lillarogers.com/blog/ and here's my entry...

Whilst on holiday I managed to submit designs for the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced briefs for the Make it in Design summer School (MIID). The Beginner brief was Tribal Shapes...

...the Intermediate brief was Animal Print...

...and the Advanced brief was Tribal Collage...

The galleries can be found here http://makeitindesign.com/summer-school/

Now my attention will be focused on completing my practical module for the Art, Craft and Design course I'm taking at the University of Roehampton. Our exhibition will be on September 10th!

How does my work differ from other work of its genre?

Like quite a few other artists and illustrators I've recently met, I've returned to my creative roots after taking a break whilst raising children. My style is still developing and I see myself as a work in progress! I love to combine my drawing, printmaking, photography and digital skills to create something unique.

Why do I create what I do?

The short answer is because I love it!

Ever since I can remember I have been drawing, painting, sewing and creating things.

I have so many ideas swirling around in my head which I have to get out of my system otherwise I might burst! I recently rediscovered my school and college portfolios and was reminded how I used to create such detailed drawings. When I worked as a Graphic Designer I lost the opportunity to draw and experiment with different media as everything was digital so now I feel I've come full circle as I'm rediscovering my love for traditional processes and combining the outcomes with my digital skills.

How does my creative process work?

It either starts with an idea I've had or is prompted by a brief or keyword. After researching the theme I will spend some time sketching. I will then scan my sketches and using either Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or both I manipulate my sketches into a composition that I'm happy with. Drawing on my archive of personally created textures (which have been created using traditional processes) and my own photographs I incorporate these into my composition until I reach the final outcome.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog and gained a bit of insight into how I work and why I love to create.

#sketchbook #sketches #gts #miid #tribalshapes #animalprint #tribalcollage