What frames are best to display wall art purchased from my shop.
I have a free printable project for you, a sweet little pop-up postcard you can send to friends or family. I have had a lifelong obsession with cacti, I think it began with this book, a favourite of my childhood. So I plan on sitting this next to my computer, having had no luck at all with real-life indoor plants!
I haven't added anything extra in this tutorial, apart from cutting out the cacti. But I would love to add some tissue paper flowers, or washi tape to decorate the pots.
Download the file here, and have fun!
I thought I would start a section here on the blog to answer any questions people have about my work, and also to show a glimpse into my processes and tools.
The question I get asked the absolute most is what medium I use to complete my illustrations. It usually surprises people to hear that I work in digital mediums, and most people are unclear on what exactly this means, and why I choose to work this way. So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to include this in my website.
My tools that I can't live without for illustration are my Wacom tablet, and my computer. My software of choice is Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. With these tools, I can paint digitally using my hand, exactly as if I was using a brush. I use different paintbrushes and pens, a lot of them I have created or customised myself, and I use my tablet and pen to paint and create any textures you see in my work. Everything you see has been drawn by me, and all colours, washes and textures have been created by me.
This process is actually quite laborious, but I like working on the computer - I like the detail I can get, and I like the lack of mess! With 2 young kids at home, it really helps that I can sit down and start 'painting' straight away, and just get up and leave straight away - no preparation and no clean up! And 'undo' is always a handy feature too!
I still love planning, brainstorming and journaling using paints and pens, but for all my finished artwork, it is completed digitally.
I have a few more posts planned on my behind the scenes processes, so I'll be back soon with another one. If anyone has any questions, please be in touch, I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Envelopes have been inspiring me lately, so this week, I have a cute little envelope template for you, to make letters even more special. This free printable envelope takes on the form of a little pink cottage when opened (I love pink houses, but don’t worry there will be loads of 'boy stuff' coming too). It features a little welcoming waver greeting the recipient upon opening. The front of the envelope is created so that a stamp will present another window on the house - a chance to be creative with stamps.
Getting hand-written notes is, of course, becoming increasingly rare, so a letter is always special, and I hope this one will make it even more so.
It doesn’t have to be sent, though. I have been experimenting with using this one as a craft envelope (for little paper/ fabric / sticker bits and bobs) as well as a little house where we can create family members out of card and stretch our imagination.
Do you have any extra ideas? I’d love to know what people come up with, pop a comment below, or even better, share your creations over on the facebook page.
