Friday 31 October 2014

#makemeadesigner Art Competition with Direct Blinds



I was recently contacted about a fantastic competition Direct Blinds are currently running to find a new up-and-coming designer. The prize is amazing because you can win the chance to design your own product range with the brand - how cool is that! I think this would be a particularly brilliant opportunity for students/peeps who have just graduated. The brief is very open, you can create any type of artwork you'd like (although remember, it has to work on blinds!). I came up with a theme based around 'Winter Birds' and decided to make one of my images into a repeating pattern. I'd love to know what you think! I was thinking they could work well in a kitchen or conservatory (or orangery as my mum would say). 

There are a couple of ways to enter; you can check out the Direct Blinds competition page here, or you can enter via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #makemeadesigner - remember to tweet to @DirectBlinds! 

I know quite a few of my followers are arty/creative types so please do let me know if you decide to enter. 

C xxx

* I was invited to take part in this competition and received a box of art goodies to help me create my entry! 

Thursday 30 October 2014

Mid-Century Portrait of In The Frow

Continuing on from my last post, I thought I'd keep with the mid-century theme and decided to create a portrait of In The Frow's Victoria. I've kept the colour palette very minimal as I think that works well with this sort of style and provides a good challenge. I'd love to know if you like this type of style too? 

I don't have any Halloween illustrations planned for this year as I've just let myself get behind but I'm trying to think up some cool Christmas designs. Let me know if you have any ideas!

C xxx

Wednesday 29 October 2014

Glug Brum Open Call



These are my entries for the Glug Brum open call poster competition! You can read all about it here if you'd like to enter, but the themes for the competition centre around 'creativity' and 'play'. You can choose between a few colour schemes for each illustration you want to create, which ended up being a fun challenge. I tried to capture a sense of fun using very simple, graphic imagery with a mid-century flavour. I wanted my posters to look like old vintage posters that have been around forever - hopefully I managed to achieve that! 

C xxx

Monday 27 October 2014

The Hogwarts Express


My dad's been a bit poorly recently, so whilst he was in hospital, I decided to make him this poster to cheer him up a bit! The Hogwarts Express ended up being one of our favourite rides whilst we were in Florida, so I thought it would make a great memento of our awesome holiday too. I just wanted to make something very simple and graphic with vintage-y colours. I looked at a lot of old travel posters to get a feel for the type of text they contained, I actually stole the line at the bottom so it's super accurate aha. 

I hope you're all having a good week. Have you got any fun plans for Halloween? I'm sure we're going to see MANY Elsa's running around this year.

C xxx


Tuesday 21 October 2014

Lagertha


So, I've mentioned that I'm quite the fan of the show Vikings (and in particular Lagertha who is just amazing!) so it was only natural that I'd eventually make an illustration based on her. I decided I'd give the illustration a storybook feel that focuses on her personal journey and fight for independence. I'm pretty pleased with how this piece turned out - I hope you like it too! If you've got any suggestions for new illustrations you'd like to see, please just drop me a comment below. 

C xxx

Thursday 16 October 2014

Palm Ghosts for Amelia's Magazine


This is another little illustration I produced to accompany an article for Amelia's Magazine. I was really pleased that Amelia asked me to contribute again so I hope I did the piece justice! The article is an interview with Palm Ghosts/Joseph Lekkas and I based my illustration on the song 'Canaries in the Mine'. If you want to read the interview, you can do so here

I think my creation is pretty straightforward given the name of the song aha! I do have some happier illustration planned though, never fear. 

Thanks for all of your lovely comments on my previous few posts. These last few weeks have been really quite stressful and they do cheer me up a bit! 

C xxx

Friday 10 October 2014

Hannah Schneider Illustration for Amelia's Magazine


I was fortunate enough to be asked to contribute an illustration to Amelia's Magazine this week! I've been a fan of the magazine for quite awhile now so I was super pleased to be able to participate and share my work. Amelia was really lovely too. If you're an illustrator/artist, I'd definitely recommend looking out for open briefs and callouts - you can keep up to date by following Amelia's Twitter feed

Anyway, my illustration was inspired by one of the songs on Hannah Schneider's new album, Red Lines. I decided I wanted to create a simple, graphic illustration to represent the song Wild Geese. My idea is that the girl on the shore is turning into a goose herself because she wants to be able to fly away with them! 

If you'd like to read Amelia's interview with Hannah, then you can do so here

C xxx

Monday 6 October 2014

Seven Things


My sweet friend Jennie tagged me for the One Lovely Blogger Award, so here are seven little snippets about me (if you happen to be interested!). 

1. I'm an intensely private person and I really don't share very much at all so it's a little strange to be writing this! I think I'm getting better and obviously will answer questions if asked, I just don't often volunteer too much. 

2. I've just returned from magical Orlando! I did all of the usual Disney stuff but I also got the chance to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I now think that the Universal parks are my favourite and are edging Disney out slightly - Diagon Alley was just so good! If you have any Florida related questions, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can. 

3. Despite my love of Harry Potter, 'The Secret History' is still my favourite book. Donna Tartt is such a great author and it's almost painful waiting for her books to be released. Moar books needed! 

4. I love most small animals but I'm still quite scared of dogs. It makes me feel so mean! If I see one wandering around without an owner close by, I always worry that they might chase me. 

5. I have hundreds of favourite illustrators, the list seems to grow day by day. However my recent find is Brittney Lee, if you're a Frozen fan you NEED to check her out asap. 

6. I'm not a very healthy person really; I eat lots of chocolate and biscuits and I really don't feel bad about it at all! 

7. I freaking love Star Trek. That's another obsession that grows daily. Worf is my favourite character, but I also love Doctor Bashir. Quark and Nog are pretty darn high up on the list too. 

I'd like to nominate my pal Marta!

C xxx

Imogen's Angels


This is a little commission I worked on the other week for a lovely lady called Rose. Rose has set up a fund/charity in memory of her daughter Imogen who was stillborn in 2012. She hopes to be able to help other grieving parents whilst simultaneously raising awareness. The logo idea was all Rose's, I just thought it would be pretty to set the scene at night and add some stars and a deep rich sky. 

I'd really love it if you could give her a follow on Twitter, I'm sure it would mean a lot! 

C xxx