Free Copics Giveaway

Copic is running a little giveaway ( it is genuine - I checked!)
Just follow this link and there is a fab 72  Sketch Marker set, in a display box, waiting for someone with the luck of the Irish.
Of course, I'm hoping that will be me... but I don't mind sharing... ;)


Good luck!
:D

Craft Show , South Liverpool, 20th November 2016

Next Craft Show is in Liverpool in November.
I don't do a lot of shows - only four or five a year - as I find them too exhausting at my age.
I still have to work for a living so it's a lot for an old gal ;)

But this is one I'm looking forward to.

Liverpool Cricket Club is an iconic venue with lots of history behind it and is a popular venue for all kinds of events.

The Craft & Design Show clearly think so too!

Please pop over there and have a good look at what is on offer :)
Ei x

Work in progress number 2 ....

Solana - acrylics and mixed media on canvas  60 x 45 cm
(husband likes this one better).

Still working on  this - it is so much nicer in real  life but may morph quite substantially  when I get back to it when it's dry.

Ei

x

Back into painting... ;)

I've been stupidly busy the last few weeks with one thing and another - I think it's called 'life' or something...but I've been busting to paint something all the while I've been stuck with 'real life', so today I did something about it.

I've always messed about with inks (as you can see if you scroll into my archives or look up techniques) and I've always loved the photographs from the Hubble telescope so I think this popping out of my brush might be something to do with that!

I call it 'Nova' - it's just a work in progress at the mo - and it's mainly acrylics on canvas (48 x 48 cm)  but with some multi-media thrown into the mix.  

I'll come back with the finished article once it's dry.

I have another on the go, while I'm waiting for 'Nova' to dry but it's too wet to even photograph at the mo :)

Be back soon!
Ei

x

Tabitha - my lovely old cat.

I did this tonight whilst watching Casualty.
Polychromos and Prisma coloured pencils on Fabriano paper.

It occurred to me that of my pets, my cats are the only ones I haven't drawn and as Tabby was the most recent (sadly passed to Rainbow several years ago now aged about 20) and I found her pic first, I did her.

This was only a quick one - about two hours worth - and probably would have been even better if I'd not been watching tv at the same time...  :D !
But I did enjoy it and tried out new paper and some new pencils too !

More recent Pet Portraits and paintings...

Up in the loft, I found this little sketch I did of my brother Brian when I was about 15 from an old baby pic of his! :D

And then I did get around to trying to paint.  A friend saw a watercolour of mine and challenged me to paint it in oils. I didn't do the same one but I did this instead! My first oil painting!  I tried 40 odd years ago and didn't get on with the medium but seem to have got the hang of it more now.

 Alaskan Mountain Scene (sold)

....and never a one to waste paint - there was paint left on the pallette so this one appeared!

Fijord  (sold)

This is the one that started it all.

My son asked me to paint our beautiful Liverpool Waterfront for him but he wanted me to leave out the modern buildings.
This I did and painted it in acrylics on canvas - app 36 x 18 inches.

Liverpool Waterfront#1 (gifted)

Liverpool Waterfront #2 (sold)

My neighbour saw Michael's Waterfront painting and asked for one for their son for a 'threshold' birthday. I had TWO WEEKS notice... :O ! 

But I did manage  it with this one.
Watercolours on Bockingford board.

They loved it - said it was exactly what they wanted.

The bug bit.

This next one came hard on the heels of #2!

Liverpool Waterfront#3

Acrylics on canvas

My friend Steve Leonard, takes the most wonderful photos of our Liverpool waterfront and has given me permission to use them as inspiration.  I don't copy them but I do use them as a photo reference for position of buildings etc but I usually use my own colours.

Liverpool Waterfront #4

...is one such painting.  Acrylic on canvas,  I used one of

 Steve's pics for inspiration but changed the colours to a sky I saw on my way home from work one night. It looked positively bruised and the colours reflected on the river wonderfully!

Liverpool Waterfront #5 (sold)

.....was inspired by someone who asked me for a 'Liverpool Sunset'.
I had to decline and say 'no, I'm sorry I can't do that. I can, however do you a Liverpool sunrise...! '  because the sun doesn't set over Liverpool, it sets over the Wirral! lol!

This is acrylics on Bockingford board.

I love my city, Liverpool, so one or two LiverBirds are de-rigeur! :)
I drew this one in pen on Ryman's card. 

LiverBird #1 

(original sold but Limited Edition Prints available)

LiverBird #2 (prints available)

I drew and painted this from a photo I took of the Liver Birds on our Liver Buildings.  Acrylics on canvas again. I have kept the original for myself!

I was dabbling with my graphic tablet and did a version in digital ink too!
LiverBird #2 (digi version) 

Prints available

We went on holiday to the Isle of Man in 2014 and I found plenty of inspiration there for paintings and drawings.

Sunset over Peel Castle (sold)

Scotland is another firm favourite of mine.  I hope to paint more Scottish scenes very soon - such a beautiful country.
I used watercolours on watercolour paper for these but, sadly, the scanner has leached a lot of the colour from them

Loch Ord

Loch Tummel (Queen's View)

As well as splashing paint and pencil around, I rescue ex-battery hens!
So, of course, I have to draw them, don't I? ;)

Feathered Family 

(original and prints available)

A stylized version in coloured pencil on Artists' Board.

Chicken Family Love
(original and prints available)

Copics on Ryman's card

Rooby-Roo 

(prints available)

Watercolour on watercolour card

Rooster Cockburn

(prints available)

Watercolour on watercolour card

Cocky Lochie

(prints available)

Watercolour on watercolour paper

Just because I keep hens, doesn't mean I don't like foxes - I do!

 Vixen & Cub

(prints available)

is made in coloured pencil on artist's paper (can't remember which one).

I have the original myself but Limited Edition Prints  are available)

Perhaps not quite a Pet Portrait but this is my very first Coloured Pencil attempt.

I always thought I was no good with pencils until my son bought me a set of Polychromos. What a revelation! All that time and I thought it was me. It wasn't.  They and Prismacolour pencils are now my mainstay!

Lion

(prints available)

Prismas and Polys on goodness-knows what paper - I was only messing with them! lol!
I have a HUGE copy of this in a lovely plain black frame available if anyone would like it - I am keeping the original.

 Bonnie

(Polys & Prismas on tinted paper)

    

Stan the Man

(Polys and Prismas on Artist's Paper)

This cheeky boy is one of my favourites but sadly, the scanner has done it's leaching job again.

Scamp & Scout
(two more Jack Russells!)

Poly's and Prismas on Artist's paper.

And I don't just do dogs - meet Pixie!

Pixie

(Polys and Prismas on Artist's Paper)

And there can be no show without Draca, my alter ego ;)
Original sold but Limited Edition Prints available.

As I come across more, I'll upload them. Always got more ideas in my head!

Hugs

Ei

x

Eiglas Pet Portraits

For some reason, I cannot get the tab to come up for this page  - the page is there if you Google it, but the tab won't show up which is most annoying!

So I have transferred it to here.

Artwork & Pet Portraits

Over the last few months, I've receded a little from crafting and gone back more to my Art roots. I began to find making cards than no-one really wanted a bit pointless and began making more drawings and paintings.
I still make the odd card for family or friends but, to be honest, don't get the buzz from them I used to get.

So, I thought I'd update my blog with some of the art I've been making - mainly Pet Portraits.

So I made a new page and put all this stuff on but the page isn't showing in the tabs! :(   So I've just copied and pasted to here instead.


I apologize in advance for the watermarks - I've had a few of my drawings stolen and don't know any other way of making it difficult for thieves.

My Roo

'...MINE...!'

ChickenYard Family

ChickenYard

Owl in Flight

CharliePom

Clive

Kerry (coloured)

Jess

Mac

Cookie

William

Sven

Sonny

Oddfish

Lazy Dawg!

Joe Bloggs

Horse & Groom

Fit Family

Buster Yorkie

Buster Staffie

Malamute

Adi with Dummy

Adi Taking Obstacles

Running Lab

Same Gender Wedding

Monster Truck

Albie Lying on Mum

Bella

Polo

Brave Sir Hal

SuperGran!

Draca

Draco

LiverBird #2

LiverBird #3

Mermaid With Shell Mirror

Narog

Bonneville

Bix Wheaten

My CharliePoo

Dawn's Cats

Di's Dogs

Princess Issabella

LadyDog

Maria's Ben

My Merlin

Pam's Sammy

Alan & Marg

Simba-Roo

Scottish Groom

CarryBride

Muslim Wedding

Sailor Wedding

This list isn't exhaustive but it is a substantial representation of what I've been doing. Some are meant to be just digis as the recipients wished to shade and colour them themselves and some are more detailed. I've not done much in the way of colour portraits - that's something I'd like to try when I have time.

I'll add to this as I get time and find odds and ends on my pc!

I'd just like to add that these are genuine hand-drawings from photographs - not software-manipulated photographs, like I have seen being passed off as drawings on a couple of sites!  I draw from the photograph in pencil, then I draw again over in pen and erase the pencil (or not, depending on the project). 

At this point I do scan the drawing into my pc and 'pixel-clean' it to remove smudges (yes - I'm a messy worker! ;) ) and artifacts left from  the eraser.

At this stage, if required, I can sometimes digitally paint some of the shading in. I'm only just learning to do this as I'm not very technical (as you can tell from my method! lol!) and I just don't have the tablet-drawing skills to draw straight to tablet - wish i could! I do admire (and somewhat envy!) the likes of Mo Manning and other digi artists who can! I'm never sure if it's my skill lacking or just my very basic tablet!

Hope you all like them! 
Hugs 
Ei
x