Sketchbook Challenge & My Lace Stamp

Above is another brush pen drawing I did for the sketchbook challenge - theme for June is Pathways. The tortoise has his 'sat nav' with him so he will know which pathway to take.

I actually got round to using  a kit I got for a present yonks ago. It is called 'imagepac' and it is to make your own stamps. I altered a bit of lace on the computer to create the stamp. I am actually surprised the stamp worked because I didn't have the right light bulb & it was a more awkward to do. You get some sachets which you put under a light which hardens & this makes the stamp. See picture [not very good one I'm afraid] below and below that is how the stamp prints

I did lots of prints with it to make a repeat pattern. My inking technique is not perfect but you get the idea.

Sketchbook No 8 page 9, IF - Midsummer Night

Below - Illustration Friday challenge is Midsummer Night. I've used an ink drawing for the trees and a computer generated background and 'collaged' them together.

Angel of Fire

I used the same fiery background for these two creations, the one above also has a sculpture which I saw in Crete and the one below is a photo of the Angel of the North.

Sketchbook No 8, p8, 10, 11 - patterns

Lion Collage

A digital collage made up from a stamped and painted background, a drawing of leafy plants, a photograph of a lion sculpture and a drawing of a flower.

Pen Comparisons and Shape Doodle

 Earlier this year I bought an assortment of fine liners and did a similar drawing with each to compare them [above].

I repeated the exercise again recently [below]. 

Some of the pens don't work at all well although I have used some more than others. Having said that the two that don't work went like that very quickly although I wonder if the paper has spoilt the nibs, rather than the ink being all gone as they feel very scratchy. One of the Edding {1800 drawliner 0.05} has gone like that but the other Edding {1800 profipen 0.01} I like very much and is still working fine. I've not used the Pental Ultra Fine as much as the others as it produces a thicker line but it is smooth.

I doodle using a number stencil - a personal shape challenge

Sketchbook No 8, p4,5&6, and Another Place

I recently went to Liverpool and a few miles up the coast at Crosby Beach are the cast iron figures by Anthony Gormley called 'Another Place'. There are 100 of them spread out over 3 kilometers. It depends on the tide as to how many you would see. The tide was out when I went so all of them were visible, although I didn't count them. They were more spaced out than I was expecting, I'm not sure you would be able to see them all from one position. The ones in the sea the longest are the most crustiest with barnacles etc, I liked these the most - lots of texture.

 Also lots of jelly fish.

All Squared

I did the background on the computer then added the sketchbook drawings.

Sketchbook No 8 page3, IF - launch

flowery doodle above.

the Illustration Friday challenge this week is 'launch'.

I put some doodles together to make a launch date below

  I added the sign digitally on this older piece of art.

The picture was one from the 'Reworked, recycled, revealed' series I did with Vervey

Sketchbook No 8

I finished Sketchbook 8 last month, just got around to sorting the photos. It's just a small book and the pages keep falling out, luckily there is elastic around it to keep it together.

One Doodle x 7

The original doodle above - pen & brush pens.

Below - the doodle has been digitally altered in 6 different ways.

Flowers - Sketch & Garden

Flower doodle done with brush pens above and

below are some of the flowers in my garden at the moment

 and the hedgehog I saw the other day

Digital Art - Lady, butterflies & skeletons

These two are digital creations. The images are from Graphics Fairy apart from the strawberries in the lower picture. Both of the backgrounds are my own creations, the one at the top was developed from a hand made stamp & paint and the one below from skeleton leaves. 

The Sketchbook Challenge - Pathways, IF - Swept

The Sketchbook Challenge for June is 'Pathways'. [above] 

Illustration Friday Challenge this week is 'Swept' [below]

watercolours on cartridge paper

Hero and Leaf Pattern

King Frog and Chameleon

These are mostly brush pen sketches with a little collage of found images ie the frog head & hands [above]

and the chameleons head [below]