New artwork- The Darkling

I started this artwork ages ago, but had to shelve it while working on the faery oracle deck. The Darkling here is one of a set of images for a little project of mine, which has been a long time coming since it's kinda low on my priorities list, oops... The Silver Sisters are also part of this project. Hopefully I'll get more finished soon and can tell you more about it! Until then, here is The Darkling-



The Darkling

Of dragon bones and ancient stones
All black, all night, all darkness.
Of pitch and web and long since dead
A thing not cruel but heartless.
In shade and shadow and blood and marrow,
Of spells, bewitchment and blight.
A thing of beauty, long lost to duty,
a thing of forever and flight
Guarder of souls, of goblins and trolls,
Keeper of secrets and lies.
The dead she will keep yet not mourn nor weep,
For she knows that a tear always dries.

Perspective Problems

Ok, so I feel a bit like the town idiot, but I have NEVER been able to get my head around this...
And it's probably the simplest thing and I'm just not getting it... but...

Basic Perspective right, for drawing. You got your horizon line and vanishing points, yada yada, that all makes sense...

But when it comes to actually putting it into practice, if your vanishing point is NOT actually ON your paper... how the HECK do you line stuff up to it?!?!?!

Random Updates

This month has been super busy. Between getting back to order filling, doing some major business planning, working on a short play with David and catching up with socialising after hibernating all of last year, it's been non stop for weeks now! A few quick "Yays!"-One of my artworks is shortlisted for inclusion in a new fairy art book being published soon, yay!I have an idea for what I want to paint on my monster piece of paper! yay!My next shipment of journals and silk bags is due in early february, yay! (although also eek! I neeeed more space!)I've lost 5kg's that I put on during chemo, now just another 5 to go! Yay!I've got all sorts of exciting things already lined up for the new year, which I'll be anouncing as they come closer, yay!I just bought myself Stephanie Pui-mun Law's Dreamscapes book and a how-to landscapes and cityscapes book! Yay!I'm doing costume design for a short play showing at this years Short and Sweet festival in Sydney, and get to make angel wings and devil horns! yay!I got over my addiction to Twitter as quickly as it started, yay!
Anyway I had better get to work. I've got a lot on my to-do list today!

Another year review, because it's a good time to do it!

I had one of the best views in Sydney harbour of the fireworks last night, and they were absolutely amazing. I love that feeling of hearing almost every person in the harbour counting down and cheering the new year in!
This morning I'm taking down my 08 calendar and putting up my 09. I have been using my own calendars for the last few years, because after I've used them I keep them as a bit of a keepsake of what I did and where I was. Looking back through it is always interesting. As is looking forward to the blank pages of the new year. I know a lot of people have said it's amazing I've managed to get things done at all this year, and it's never felt so. It was always just survival, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? And working kept my mind off things too. But looking at my calendar with all these entries of faires and events and artworks painted and work done in amongst all those dr's appointments and hospital visits (sometimes 2-3 a week, or even every day!), it really just hit me how much I have done.

Some of my acheivements past and goals for the new year and onwards-

Artworks Painted
Barnubus and the Prince, Clockwork Heart, Hold onto Hope, In Love, Goliath, White Wych, Catch Me, Silver Sisters, Caelia, Gloriana, Mab, Titania, Light the Darkness, Moonshine, Sunset, Rainbow Wings, Fairy Wishing Well, Coloured Treasures, Winged Things, Cherubina, Crystal magic, Into the Woods, Golden Gift, Follow Me, Seraphina, Nephelina, Angelina, Water of Life, Midnight Prince, Sleepy Spring, Child of the Moon, Blossoming Love, Gatekeeper, Along the Forest Path.

That's 34 total. I want to beat that next year!

More acheivments
- Was published in my first professional oracle deck, The Oracle of the Dragonfae, and signed for two more just with my artwork.
- Created artworks for labels for a worldwide exporting beer company, working with a major design house!
- Pitched a number of new ideas to licensing companies and had them made (Wishing well desktop fountain! And another TOP SECRET in development!)
- Dyed my hair blonde, pink, streaked, and went from waiste length hair I thought I'd never cut to pixie cut then bald (and back to pixie cut! It's growing fast and thick now, you'll see it in my video soon!)
- Sold almost a dozen originals, that weren't even listed for sale.
- And of course, had major surgery, IVF, Chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, and come out the other side not so much worse for wear!
- There were some more, but I went over a lot of this in my month by month review, no point repeating at the moment :)

Goals
- Incorporate my business into a proper company
- Expand my production to add even more artists
- Hire more staff to do basic tasks for me. My helper I had last year has moved away, so I'm going to need to get recruiting again very soon!
- Paint much much more. I need to paint a lot of new work for my next deck with Lucy C. and have so many ideas of my own to do as well!
- After that deck is done, I want to begin working on some concepts for a book of my art.
- I want to re-write my fantasy novel... yeah I've got one, yeah it's really bad! But I still love the story, and it's going to be my pet project this year! I also want to illustrate it.
- Sketch more, get back into drawing just for the love and wild creation of it.
- Lose the weight I put on during treatment, exercise more and have fun doing it!
- I want my business's turnover to grow by about 30% (and actually make more profit as well!).
- Hrm, I have more but have to keep them quite for now as well...

So long 08, hello new year!

Isn't it funny how some arbitrary date can have such meaning? I'm greatly looking forward to 2009. It's going to be so much better than 08.

These days I'm feeling almost completely recovered from my cancer treatments. There are still a few things hanging around, some just from having an out of shape, beat up body, some more directly related to the treatment, some purely emotional. But overall, feeling really good these days.

I didn't mention before, but not long ago a close family friend past away unexpectedly, and too early. He was one of the biggest influences in steering me down this path of fantasy. He was a wonderful man and teacher with an amazing sense of humour and imagination. He is missed.

I'm working flat out for my big re-launch on the 5th, I hope I make the 5th! There's so much to do! There are so many great new things on their way. I'm talking with a couple of licensing companies about some very funky new products, not to mention my Faery Oracle deck going to the printers in a fortnight! I can't wait to see it all printed and boxed up. I might post a few polls on my Visitors Centre http://www.fairiesandfantasy.com/visitorsforum/ to help me make some decisions about the direction I'm taking on a few things...

So much to do at the moment, but I'm really excited about my re-launch, and can't wait to show everyone what I'm doing!

Faery Oracle artwork all done!

Yes! I'm finished! I just finished and sent off my last artwork to the publisher for the faery oracle card deck! I feel like I've painted a million fairies recently... I'm keen to work on something different, and I'm sure I will be as next I will be diving into artwork for Lucy Cavendish's next card deck which will cover a range of interesting themes and creatures, fun! More on that later...

But for now, I'm kicking back for a week of Christmas relaxation and indulgence! It feels good to be all finished that project, and a few other bits and pieces all done and dusted, ready to start again fresh and with a big splash next year!

Yes, I'm still keeping most of the new artwork I've done hidden away... I'll be releasing them proper slowly over the new year, particularly around the time the deck is published!

Thanks to all of you who read my blogs, and more thanks to those who comment! I hope you all have a blissful christmas time, and a rockin new year!

Forest WIP

I just wanted to share a photo of why I often feel a bit like a mad scientist while I'm painting... Which also has a little snippet of the new painting I'm working on in the corner there. I'm really enjoying painting this mossy forest scene!

Bits of things I'm using (I really should tidy up more while I'm painting, I tend to just let things pile up!)-

Top left corner- a role of baking paper, used as tracing paper when laying out artworks, playing with sketches etc.
Top middle- my acrylics colour chart, so I can pick my colours easier.
Middle- Masking tape for taping down the edges of my painting to the board. Water for washing brushes and everything.
Just under the handle of my water pot is a rubber cememt pick up, for removing masking fluid.
Crumpled tissues... I go through a lot of tissues while painting!
Sea sponge, pallet and brushes. I've become really fond of using chinese mop brushes for a lot of my painting, and mid range taklon for skin and details.
To the right- my watercolour pallet full of pans and tubes, a set of colour pencils, and just a tiny bit of my bag of acrylic tubes right on the far right edge!