a week away

Not long now and I can turn my computer here at work off for a whole week, leave the office and relaxxxxxxx .........

Have a good weekend and week everyone.

I plan to take loads of photos and do lots of sketching, drawing and painting - so I should have loads to post when I get back ;)

thin on the ground

Hi All ...
... my posts have been a little thin on the ground lately, but it's been so difficult to find the time to put something "meaningful" online, so I've just left it.

Last week I signed up for a distance learning course in Children's Illustration. Some of the content on the course is very basic, but this will help me to refresh/review these elements as well as to consolidate my knowledge. Then there's also the feedback from the tutor (who is an experienced children's book illustrator). The sample briefs in the course will hopefully be good portfolio pieces, or at least starting point. Oh well, we'll see how I get on. I might post some of my exercises and assignments here aswell.

I'm off to Yorkshire for a week from Saturday (a very, very welcome break - things here are hellish at the moment - but I won't go into that :( ). I plan to get back into this blogging lark when I'm back in civilisation ...

I heard this morning that spring is on it's way - dare we hope ... ;)

doodles

Some doodles I've been doing - inspired by the weather ...

and with some colour added ...


Thought I better post something before people think I've given up the blog for good ... ;)

Ten Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci

There's an exhibition coming up - in Exeter again at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum called "Ten Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci: An Exhibition to Celebrate the 80th Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen", that I plan to go and see with my boyfriend. Now this one I want to see twice, even if we go in on a Saturday in the morning, then pop back again before we catch the bus back to Plymouth in the afternoon. I can't wait.

I can't wait ... I remember when I was at college (in South Africa), studying the history of art section of my course, thinking that I'd never get to see any of the work by the great masters of art other than printed in books. Books never do art justice (in my opinion!).

It's a travelling exhibition, so people might be able to catch it elsewhere:
Aberdeen Art Gallery on 14 June to 28 August 2006
Leeds City Art Gallery on 7 September to 19 November 2006
National Museum & Art Gallery, Cardiff on 25 November to February 2007

illustration to animation exhibition

It was fabulous - worth all the effort involved! Well, I said I'd report back, so here goes, sorry no photos were allowed :(

In someways the exhibition was quite simple and it would've benefitted from a catalogue or guide booklet. It showed the progression from original illustration to printed book and then through storyboard to cells and final screen. Most examples were traditional animation with overlays of cells, but there were also some more recent examples using digital animation.

There were 2 presentation running (sometimes it was difficult to focus on only one ...) one covered more of the digital side and the other showed several animated films being made traditionally (eg Raymond Briggs' "The Snowman" and Beatrix Potter's "The Tailor of Gloucester"), both were fascinating.

Beatrix Potter is one of my all time favourite artists and it was a thrill to see an actual original illustration by her. (Wow!!)

I'm kicking myself now though, I wish I'd gone a few weeks ago and then I could've had a second visit. I often find that with exhibitions, after I've had a chance to think about what I've seen, I want to go back and check things out again.

superstitions

Just bought a book at lunch time, in a little local bookshop (I usually use Amazon, but this was a bargain). It's called "A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles", I'd looked at it full price and decided no - but as I say this was a bargain ... Lots of inspiration for my portfolio pieces ... ;)

illustration to animation exhibition

Tomorrow I'm off to Exeter to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum to see an exhibition called "Illustration to Animation" ...

quote for the web site ...
"This exhibition reveals through original illustrations, animators sketches, storyboards and film clips how popular children's stories such as The Snowman; The Tailor of Gloucester and Angelina Ballerina are transformed from illustrated books into animation films for screen and television.

Illustration to Animation features work by illustrators Raymond Briggs, John Burningham, Posy Simmonds, Helen Craig, An Vrombaut and includes artwork from the hilarious interpretation of Beryl Cook's paintings Bosom Pals."

It's the last day of the exhibition tomorrow so I really should make the effort to go! I do like going off for the day, I'm really looking forward to a little adventure in my hum-drum life.

I'll report back next week ...

message to self ...

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!"
- Jonathan Winters

what a lovely morning ...

It's been a lovely morning so far - brings to mind the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong ...

The bus trip to work takes me through the South Hams countryside from Plymouth to Kingsbridge and this morning it was spectacular.

It started with snow on the ground and thick fog in Plymouth, to clear bright blue skies with frost on the trees and grass half way, looking down onto the blankets of fog in the valleys ... wow (I guess you had to be there)! More thick fog in Kingsbridge which is just clearing away now ... and I think to myself, what a wonderful world ... ;)

happy st david's day

As it's St David's Day I thought I should do something ...


It's a very, very quick pen and ink sketch ...