Giving it a Go!

Just really quick tonight/this morning - somehow 1am has swung by already, and I have managed to come down with some sort of cold so really shouldn't be sitting here with freezing fingers still! I just wanted to say thankyou for all the feedback on my post a couple of days ago - here, and on twitter as well as in the thread I started on Etsy. I took notes of all your suggestions and tallied up each response. The result is - I'm just going to go for it, give it a go! I've been busy drawing and brainstorming quotes - do you have a favourite quote you'd like to see as an illustration? Here is a peek of my latest one - "Stand Tall". Again, sorry it is blurry.. I haven't had time to watermark anything, so blurry it is!

Giveaways!!

Giveaways!! We all like giveaways, and as much as I wanted to keep these to myself so as not to decrease my chances of winning further - here are links to some giveaways currently happening around blogland. Over at Oh, hello friend: win this cute little dwelling complete with a bird on top and two trees by Petite House.

Then head over to Adelle to help celebrate a blog anniversary with a "Follow Your Heart" print by Paint All Night Studios. (One of my favourite art shops!)


When you're done there.. there is a Stitchface giveaway happening at Automatism.

I would really love to win any one of these giveaways, but I'm sure you would too! Good Luck!

Tell me what you think!

I have an idea, and I'm going to share it here before I progress any further with it. I need your feedback! Ok here's the deal.. Basically I would really like to be able to offer beautiful high quality prints of my paintings. I get told over and over that people love my work, but can't afford my original artwork at the moment. I would like it if my work was available to everyone. Problem is..I can't afford to buy a fancy new camera and printer at the moment. So I had this idea that I would open a new shop, selling printable illustrations/quotes like these below. They would just be a couple of dollars, and when purchased you recieve a printable file to print yourself as you wish. If just half of my twitter followers bought one print each, there would be my new camera and printer! I know there is a lot to consider.. but what are your thoughts? Would you buy printable? (The illustrations are only blurry as they're low quality, to avoid people printing them straight off my blog).

Summer in Blue

Look at this treasury.. anything familiar?!

Tonight I wanted to share with you some of my favourite blogs. I decided to choose just 10 that I really enjoy reading on as soon as I see a new post published! There were so many to choose from, my blog list is always growing - I wanted to share them all, and maybe one day I will.. but for now here are my favourites at the moment! What are some of yours? Oh, and I have to apologize in advance if some of the links don't work properly.. having blogger issues tonight. Fingers crossed they turn out ok when I publish..

Bird Nerd

Today I'm taking you back to one of the very first Etsy sellers I hearted, and that is the very talented Chelsea of BirdNerd. Chelsea's work inspires me to no end, and if you take a visit to her shop you will see why!

Made It

I have had a shop on Australian based handmade marketplace MadeIt for months and months, but I don't think I have ever introduced it to my blog. My listings all expired last week, so I have just added some brand new ones of my larger scale paintings. I am in the process of rethinking the shops I have and what they will contain, but for now you can still find me on MadeIt, Artfire and Etsy.

Whitney Smith

So sweet! These creations are by Whitney Smith. Sometimes my etsy radar functions in a rather delayed manner, and I am suprised when amazing work like this pops up seemingly from nowhere. I can't believe I have only discovered these now, Whitney has even been a featured seller on Etsy before! So this is me catching up .. Wowww!! Look at those birds! Adding to my 'one day when my paintings are walking out the door and I have so much cash I just have to spend it' list. :)

Stepping Away

At the moment I am taking a step back from my easel (just a little step). Sometimes it just gets to a point where I just feel creatively drained, and I have to step away! There are so many things besides painting I want to try, but painting always takes priority! I don't want painting to become something that I don't look forward to waking up do do, so this week I'm mixing it up a bit! And I tell you.. it has been SO much fun! Today for the first time I had a play with polymer clay - I absolutely love it!! This pear is so tiny and cute, the photo just doesn't capture its cuteness! I have also been making some felt pins.. note the pear theme lately! Tomorrow will be a cushion, and then some Illustrator work and more notecards! At the moment nothing is listed for sale, I'm just playing around.. but in the back of my mind is the thought that I should split my shop into 2. Once just for paintings.. another for things I make just because!

New Painting - "Catch me if you can.."

This little bird has found his way inside, and really likes the look of those juicy pears!

The Secret Nest

I have to confess, there is something I so badly want to reveal here.. a very exciting project! But yes - you know it, I can't just yet! Not until things are a little big more certain anyway. You know how it is - as soon as you put something in writing, it falls apart before your eyes! So I've been trying to stop myself spilling anything by posting my 'hearts' here one after the other, I don't think I will ever run out.. but I am going through them rather quickly lately! Ironically I actually stumbled across these gorgeous animals by The Secret Nest while searching with the word 'secret' on Etsy today! Aren't they cute?!

Amy Giacomelli

There is one very talented artist I have bean meaning to share with you for a long time.. Amy Giacomelli (who paints under the brush name of Natalia Skye) is the very first artist that caught my attention on etsy, and I am still continually inspired by her work - I can be found checking in at any one of her four etsy shops daily! Make sure you have a look at each of her shops, because they each have a slightly different feel/style.

• Natalia Skye's Gallery
• Fine Art Gallery of Amy Giacomelli
• AnimalHouseArt
• Fine Art Prints by Amy Giacomelli and Natalia Skye

New Painting!

Just popping in real quick this weekend, to introduce another painting! It is titled "Blue Beauty".. I hope you like it!

Close to the heart - Courage

As artists, we are familiar with many types of people and many different responses to our work. There are the amazing. supportive people that believe in us to no end, and to them we thank truly. Sadly, on the other hand, we come across some very ignorant people as well. People that believe our days are a breeze, when the truth is we have never worked so hard before. There are disrespectful people that ask whenwe are getting a real job, or if we are looking for work. There are people that tell us we will never make a living out of art, without understanding the real reasons we have chosen to do what we do. There are those who just look away when we explain that we are an artist, as if we don't even deserve their attention. To these people, we also thank. They are the ones that make us more determined to succeed. They make us work even harder, in ways they will never understand. They help us just to believe in ourself regardless of what anyone thinks, and to keep trying. They are the people that give as courage.

Image by Stephanie Fizer

Amber Alexander

I have been side tracked once again tonight - I love looking at artworks that just make you smile! You may have seen some of these before but I just couldn't resist posting them! These prints are by Amber Alexander, there are so many more in her shop!

Psssst! Amber has a blog as well!

Shop Update Postponed!

I tweeted earlier that I would have a shop update this afternoon, unfortunately it will have to be tomorrow. There's not enough sunlight left to get good photos today. Here is a peek however.. this painting is huge, one of the biggest I've done. There's still a few little things not quite right, I'll be trying to get it perfect tonight ready for a photoshoot tomorrow in the morning sunlight!