Week 25 Africa

Two images

I wanted to use Adinkra symbols but didn't really have time or inclination to create printing blocks. This way I was able to use a wide set of symbols, representing qualities relating to the spirit of the challenge:
love, security, safety, perseverance, peace, harmony, endurance, resourcefulness, charisma, persistence, support, cooperation, initiative, enthusiasm, learning from the past, humility, strength, wisdom, lifelong education and - of course - creativity.

Adinkra symbols collage
Made in Photoshop using Adinkra brushes - free download :)  from THIS SITE
and coloured in Picasa





I wanted to draw one of my doodle characters in an African onesie and as I couldn't get a particular song out of my head so the two ideas naturally went together - although  I didn't stick to the simple 'doodle' style this time.
Very, very quick water colour sketch and pencil to outline.

Week 24 - Calendar*

Two images

When a tree is cut you can see the years of its life, each ring representing what the tree experienced in a sort of radial calendar.

This is my life as a tree. My birthday falls in this week's challenge and so I am able to complete 47 rings. It is by no means a comprehensive autobiography, but represents the things that came to me first about each year as I wrote and drew.

I started as a twinkle in my mother's eye and my last ring includes the 52 week illustration challenge.

To read it you would have to zoom in pretty close, but I wonder if you need to? (I don't mind if you do - it's not quite the 'no holds barred' that Tracey Emin might have given you!)

I have been asked to do some as commissions. 

We would need to discuss the words, this could take about an hour. I would then need to create the art and have it printed, a two week turn around time is needed. Please contact me by email if you have an enquiry.

 I'm posting the pictures for this week's prompt in reverse order. The one above caused quite a stir so I thought I'd get that one out of the way first.

edit - this was one of Tanya's picks for the calendar prompt on #illo52weeks!

Over the last couple of weeks the prompt of 'calendar' was looming and I wasn't looking forward to it. All I could think of were the stock clip art images and I really wanted to do something different. I quickly dismissed Stonehenge as I knew it would be popular idea. I went  round in circles in my head. As it turns out that is quite a good metaphor as both images I made are circular.
The idea of using tree rings came to me after hours of investigating the Chinese zodiac animals. I was all ready to make 12 red tangrams until I found out how the cat had been cheated out of its place. 
Now I want to make an illustration to depict this but need more mulling it over time. 
Somehow in all this I was thinking about all the ways years are depicted tree rings popped into my head - and in the process of how to put my spin on it I came up with what you have seen above. 

The first illustration I did is posted below. I wanted to show the year through the seasons through plants and flowers but chickened out of that through lack of skill and decided to simplify and show the seasons in colour adding significant natural occurrences such as the sun's solstice and equinox. This led me to the Mayan and Pagan calenders - and I wanted to do something new, so back to simple!
Simple is harder than it looks. 
Ideally it would have been created digitally, but again, I don't actually know how to do that!
So here is my year in months and seasons in colour. 
Watercolour, pencil and a bit of tweaking in Photoshop.

Week 23 Rain

Three images

I wasn't too happy with the first two, so at the last minute I added an illustration using one of my doodle characters. I worked hard on paring down the details to achieve the simplicity - this is version 5!

A quick postcard sized watercolour to get me started, followed by a digital illustration in photoshop.
I used a map of Spain, Portugal and North Africa as a base and a rainfall map of Spain as inspiration.
As it turns out, the rain in Spain falls mainly in the North.

Week 22 Childhood

Only one picture this week.
I have started an acrylic on canvas but just didn't have time to finish it, so I have done a quicker drawing in blended colour pencil.
If I could bottle a time and revisit it, this would be it. This is my children at the sea pool in Bude, Cornwall in about 2004

Week 21 Stripes**

Two images

This week started off with a 'does what it says on the tin' illustration. I needed something bright and colourful after last week's sombre theme.
Simply stripes of watercolour on watercolour paper. The paper is white, but I had trouble brightening the white without losing the colour of the paint.
I haven't given it a title, but I was thinking about the sun rising behind trees in a wood.

The second offering is taken from a photo I took a couple of years ago at Whipsnade Zoo of a group of lemurs. I love how their very stripy tails are fanned out. I always intended to paint the photo at some point but at least this sketch is step in the right direction.
Pencil and fine liner on plain, copier paper.

I have also noticed a great white, untouched patch on the foremost lemur, oops!

I can hardly believe it, both my illustrations were picked this week! 

Feeling a little emotional tbh.

Week 20 Melancholy*

Two images

Brace yourselves - it's very sad looking week!

I always intended to do a portrait for this challenge.  I didn't think it would be a self portrait, but as luck would have it I had a little bit of bad news this week and it was enough to enable me to pose for a selfie and then paint it. 

For my first picture this week I started with one of my little round doodle people hiding under a table with a teddy. I used oil pastels -  I have no idea how most people use these, but I am learning they don't layer well and certainly don't cope with lighter colours on top of darker ones.

Oh yes - this week I mostly had trouble with noses.

Up date: my self portrait was chosen to be in this weeks picks. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was included. See the whole list:
Melancholy Picks on 52 week illustration blog

Week 19 food

Two images
The subject was easy this week. It is spring and there are newly hatched birds all around us at the moment being fed by their parents. Here is a moorhen chick being fed by a parent.

Inktense pencils on cartridge paper

I also couldn't get the rhyme about the old lady who swallowed a fly out of my head - but how to illustrate it?
Somehow or other I came up with the idea of drawing a horse fly - I would love a wittier caption, but this will do for now.
The rough and ready look belies the may attempts I took to design a horse fly!

Pencil on plain paper