Latest creation

Just thought I'd share my latest creation with you - it was a personal creation for my sister and she has kindly said I could post images of it on here. As it was her 40th birthday last week, and she is the "baby" of the family, I wanted to giver her a gift that was unique to her, memorable and that she would hopefully treasure for the rest of her life. I decided to create a "Memory Box" - so (in the space of a couple of weeks, as I only hit upon this idea on 31st December) I contacted as many of her friends and family as I possibly could without her knowledge. I told them what I was doing (painting the box in one of Rachel's favourite colours) and asked for contributions from them of their favourite or earliest memories of Rachel. I was pleasantly surprised and touched by the amount of replies I received. The box I bought was much larger than any I've decorated before, so I was hoping for a lot of replies in order to make it look reasonably full! Thankfully, it did - with photos, letters, cards, poems, newsletters and memorabilia galore - even a tee-shirt from Australia arrived in time. I wrote on the inside of the box with names of places that Rachel has lived, liked or worked at over the years, and she has told me that it's brought back a lot of happy memories for her already, especially all the funny tales that her friends have recounted for her.

I may even use this idea as a selling point for large boxes in the future, who knows? They would obviously have to be made to order, but it might be a good way of giving a personalised and unique gift to someone.

I bought the box from aspire 2702 on ebay, and it is a really well made sturdy pine box with carrying holes at each end. I would definitely use this seller again and there are so many boxes to choose from!

I lined the inside of the box at the bottom with funky foam and the base of the box itself with cork.

Here are a few photographs of the finished box:

3 Wise Men And An Interloper

It's been a month since I last posted on my blog. I find that this time of year is always a hard one for keeping up to date with blogs because there is a lot of pressure at the build-up to Christmas, especially with concerts and end of year awards evenings (which I am involved with due to my membership of both Hull Musical Society and Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society). Then there's Christmas itself - family time. Once Christmas is over, we start working on the final preparations for the January production at Bilton. This includes building the set, organising props, costumes, drinks, newsletters, posters, publicity, decorating the set, etc etc - apart from trying to organise enough rehearsals to get the play up to scratch in time. This year, we've also had my sister's 40th birthday to think about - I made her a large wooden "Memory Box", and secretly contacted as many of her friends and family as I could to ask them to contribute to this gift by sending me messages and/or old photos of her to put inside it. I'm happy to say that the box was quite full when I handed it over to her on Wednesday this week!

Anyway, the title of this post is the reason I've finally managed to write something on  my blog again - I was contacted a week or so before Christmas by the internet marketing coach for "The Vibrant Coach" website and blog - they wanted permission to use one of my paintings (3 Wise Men And An Interloper) as a header image for a blog post. I am happy to say they used it on their blog post issued on Christmas Day, Wisdom Is The Greatest Gift. If you click on the link, the blog post will open in a new window.  Thanks to Lisa Barnett for writing to me and using my image with a link to the Rogue Gene Gallery web-site where the painting is for sale.

Sketches and old watercolours

On Saturday I dug out my large sketchbook ready for a Life Drawing session organised by  the Facebook Group Hull Art, of which I am a member. I've always wanted to do some life drawing, but all the sessions I've seen advertised in the past have been on evenings when I am rehearsing for plays or musicals - I guess I should perhaps do less, but I like variety in my life and to keep busy! Anyway, I was actually looking forward to this event, but also felt slight trepidation as you do whenever you deal with something new in your life (well, I do, that is). As it turned out, I needn't have worried - despite the fact that the night before I'd had a dream that I'd turned up without any drawing materials so ended up doing the sketching on my hand with a ball point pen!!!!!

It was a surprise to learn that the organiser was also one of the models - I guess I should've really worked it out but I'm sometimes a bit naiive!  The session was untutored, which made it less of an ordeal and much more relaxed for all concerned. There were about 15 people there - we were able to sketch a male model in 3 different  poses during the first hour, then after the break, we concentrated on the female model and spent the remaining time sketching her. I found that the first couple of sketches of mine were really poor - it's been so long since I actually drew anything from life that I'm out of practise! However, by the third one, I was getting into it and produced this drawing of the male model:

After a break for tea/coffee and a catch up with someone I happened to know from years ago, we started the second half of the session with the female model and I was by now much happier about my drawing.

The plan is for these sessions to be a regular thing - if not weekly, then at least every fortnight. I will definitely be attending more in the future - it's such a good discipline to maintain, as you are forced to really look at what you're drawing, rather than what you think you are drawing.  I know I've got a long way to go before I'm accomplished in this area, but practise makes perfect and that's why I'm planning to go to more of these sessions. Hopefully, some of them will be tutored, so I will get valuable input and advice.

I tried to concentrate on the negative shapes whenever possible, as it's harder to draw the line of an arm, say, in relation to the torso and much easier to look at the space in between those two areas in order to get the shape right.

Having got my large sketchbook out, I discovered a couple of old watercolour paintings that I'd done, so thought I'd just share them on here. I really don't know if I will ever do anything with them (such as frame them or turn them into greetings cards) but here they are:

Mini cat paintings sold...

I've recently sold these two mini cat paintings, so I will be creating more along the same lines, as I think they are going to be a popular choice for Christmas gifts.

"Casper"

 

"Prudence"

New mini paintings - cartoon cats.

I've been inspired to paint some cartoon styled animals recently - it started with a cartoon dog, which I painted for a donation as a prize in an event at Driffield Showground on Bank Holiday Monday - I went on to paint 3 more of those dogs in a very similar, but not exact way. Then I started thinking about doing cats. I've always thought I couldn't really do cartoon paintings, but having positive feedback has encouraged me to try some cats. A fellow stall-holder at a craft fair (Lynda Mills of Wrapped In Style) suggested that I produced some cats on my mini canvases way back in March, but I wasn't sure at the time - I've now created two and have been sketching out several more in different poses. Here's the two I've now completed, as yet un-named. I will be asking my Facebook fans/likers to help me name them, as it's interesting to see what varied suggestions are thrown in!

Grandadshouses Craft Fair

I am busy preparing for my next craft fair this Saturday - which is being organised by Grandadshouses. They are a husband and wife team who make dolls' houses, garages and farms complete with miniature play animals, as well as a host of money boxes and other small wooden houses!. They are planning to run regular craft fairs in the Hull area as well as teach some craft workshops at the same venue. Here is their blog page advertising the Fair for Saturday 30th June: Grandadshouse blog.

There is a Facebook Page for the event also - if you know anyone who lives in the East Yorkshire area and would like to pop along, I'm sure there will be plenty to choose from with the various artisans displaying on the day.

I am planning to take a couple or 3 new trinket boxes, two new fabric covered notebooks, some new yo-yos and wooden photo frames with me, as well as my mini wardrobe trinket boxes, cupcake key rings and mini art on canvas with easel.

Starting at 11.30am and finishing at 3pm, it's a fairly short day for a change, but I am hopeful as I know a lot of advertising has gone into this event and it's very near to the town centre, so perhaps we will get weekend shoppers strolling down as well!

Look what I won!

I rarely win things in competitions - I nearly ALWAYS win on raffles or tombolas, but prize giveaways have always eluded me somehow. That is until this week, when I was delighted to have won this handy little pocket-sized book on pub walks in  East Yorkshire! Including 15 walks ranging in length from 2.5 miles to 6.5 (with several having shorter versions as well) it covers a wide are of the East Yorkshire countryside from as far North as Bridlington and as far South as Welton. Each walk is clearly set out with a map and steps relating to the written description so that you know exactly where you should be at every step (no pun intended) of the walk. Many photos of the pubs mentioned are included, and OS details clearly identified.

I can't wait for the thunderstorms to disappear so that we can try some of the walks out (hopefully followed by a hearty pub lunch).

I won the book simply by "liking" the Seaside FM Facebook page, which I have done for some time now, and my name was picked as the winner!  I was asked to send them a photo of my with the book, so thought I'd share it on here as well. When I do one of the walks, I will try to include a photo of me with the book as I go along!

Studio View - Summer 2012!!!

Thought I'd share this short video clip I filmed recently from my studio - the view through my windows on a summer day is typically grey, windy and with rain descending from the sky at regular intervals. Fortunately, I managed to capture some birdsong during this particular clip, but that has now ceased!

I really love the view from here - it can be seen from the living room too, as that is at the rear of the house like my studio is. I am especially fond of watching the crops of wheat (or is it barley, I never can remember the difference) swaying in the breeze - and do often stand for a while watching them, lost in thought.......

Cute Cup-Cakes!

I've recently painted/embellished a set of 10 small wooden key rings in the shape of cup cakes, and here is a photo of 6 of them - the other 4 are still drying. I displayed these 6 at the "Handbags & Gladrags" event on Thursday evening, using my little wooden mannequin to display them on.

I just think they're so cute! They measure approximately 1 and a half inches high and are painted identically on both sides. Sadly, I never sold any of them on Thursday, but at least I have a full set of 10 to upload onto my Etsy shop or Facebook Page (or maybe both).

I'm selling them at £1.50 each, which I think is very reasonable considering the amount of detail that's gone into each one.

Here's the full set, with a couple of close-up shots of one or two as well.

For once, I haven't given my creations names, as I really don't think it's possible with these. For ease of reference, I'm using the basic colours of the top part of the cup-cake!

Zanzibar notebook in Etsy Treasury

One of my painted notebooks has made into a Treasury on Etsy over the weekend. Although I'm not entirely sure what the full title of the Treasury means, it is named "Roy G. Biv is Rainbow Bright" and has been curated by Toni Becker. It is full of brightly coloured items and well worth a view if you have time.

You can see the Treasury in detail by clicking here. (which opens the link in a new window for you). Many thanks to Toni Becker, whose Etsy shop, Whimsical Jewels,  you can see here.(again, opening in a new window)

I will be updating my Etsy shop again this week, which you can always take a peek at : Arty Aitch on Etsy

Sketch-book images

I don't often share my sketch-book work online or with anyone, actually - mainly because I don't do as much work in my sketchbook as I'd like to, but also because I'm not sure of the interest it would really create with any of my blog readers. However, having seen my fellow RGC artist and blogger, Andrea Farmer's sketchbook blog posts, and finding them a great inspiration I decided to show one or two of the sketches I did when in Nottinghamshire a few weeks ago.

I always take a small spiral bound sketchbook away with me along with a set of Derwent Inktense pencils - and my usual set of sketching pencils. I don't, however, often find the time to just sit and sketch - not being the sort of artist who can do decent quick sketches, I tend to need a long time of uninterrupted peace in order to create anything worth sharing. Even then, the end results of my sketches are not as interesting as I'd like them to be - but then I suppose they are just sketches and not a finished piece of art. I would have liked to spend longer trying to sketch the whole of the landscape around Thoresby Hall - but my small sketchbook was not ideal for that purpose and I just picked out one or two areas that appealed to me. I hope you like seeing something a little bit different to my usual creations.

I did this one first of all, sitting on the wide window-cill of our bedroom in the hotel, looking down towards what was once the main entrance to Thoresby Hall.

This view was a favourite spot of mine, sitting in one of the gazebos not far from the hall itself. I loved the texture of the bricks in the gazebo, and the view through them all around of the garden and surrounding landscape.

Perhaps a still-life is not a typical subject for a holiday sketch - but I just thought this arrangement of apples and oranges was so pretty I wanted to capture it in coloured pencil rather than just take a photo of it. I love these white rectangular plates that are popular in restaurants too and think it really sets off the fruit beautifully. The fruit was rather tasty, too!

Latest painting

Finished a while ago, but only just uploaded online, this small ink and acrylic abstract painting is available to buy from my website at www.helendavison.co.uk

Named "Undersea Adventure", it was inspired by an improvised group mime done by members of the Youth Section of B.A.D.S. several years ago at a festival. The title of the mime was "Undersea Adventure" and I will never forget it.

Two items in ETSY Treasury!

I was thrilled to receive notification that two of my items are featured in this Treasury entitled "Red for...East Yorkshire Etsians" recently. Created to celebrate Yorkshire Day at the beginning of this month, I am pleased to have my red "Holm" notebook and my mini painting "Textured Heart" featured in this delightful collection, as you can see below.

 You can view the Treasury, created by cardsbyjane, by clicking on the link here.  As I have not been featured in many treasuries, it's always a lovely surprise when I discover that someone has included one of my pieces in theirs!

You can view my Etsy shop any time by visiting Arty Aitch.

Latest commission

Just thought I'd share my recent commission for a decorated notebook with you. This one is to be given as a gift for a teacher - which, in my (completely unbiased, of course) opinion, is a great present. A very personal, original gift that will also be practical as well as decorative. I hope Mr Crisp is happy with it when he receives it at the end of term this coming week!

Back to reality..

I've recently returned from a lovely 10 day break in Tenerife, and after unpacking, washing, food shopping etc, it's now back to reality. Craft Fair preparations are ongoing, including arranging a tombola stall, distributing posters, contacting more of the local media, trying to get more prizes for the competitions - my powers of persuasion are really being put to the test now!

However, I just wanted to share some samples of my holiday with you - I've just uploaded 186 photos to my PC, but you'll be pleased to know that I will only be showing you a small selection for now! I tend to take far more photos that I need, as I can't help but view everything as a potential subject for a future painting!

Holidays are great, and I really  enjoy them no matter how short or wherever I go, but it's always nice to be back home. Our cats are always looked after by our neighbour, who comes in twice daily to feed them and generally make a fuss over them, yet it's nice that they seem pleased to see us on our return - well, at least one of them is!

Isn't this tree so much like a hand?

This sign was on the wall leading to our room  - it made us laugh every time we walked past it!

Just a shopping centre, but I loved the decor and style so much!

Beautiful leaves of a palm tree in the evening.

Orca at Loro Parque being treated after a performance. Beautiful creatures.

Typical palm tree against a perfect blue sky.

I loved this display of the Bird of Paradise plants in the foyer of our hotel.

SOLD - Textured Heart Trinket Box

I'm pleased to announce that another one of my little wooden trinket boxes has recently been sold and in the morning will be posted to its new owner. This time, the sale was through the Affordable British Art website, where I've been selling work for approximately 4 years now.

Textured Heart

I may have to get my skates on to make sure I have enough stock now for the Craft Fair!

Mini Painting No.2...

Very quickly, this is a painting done using a brush combined with a glue spreader (much more pliable than a plastic palette knife) which represents the view from my studio here in East Yorkshire, one grey February morning!

Paper Cup completed

As can be seen by the Event of Facebook here, the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre in Scunthorpe are hosting a paper cups exhibition to highlight the environmental concerns surrounding the use of disposable packaging in takeaway food, as well as breathe new life into the humble object that would normally be thrown away.

This morning, with the aid of a mini hot glue gun and my acrylic paints, I have completed my entry for this exhibition. I'm afraid you will have to wait until the exhibition opens before I show my photograph of it on the web, but suffice it to say I now have many more ideas for creating other paper cup works of art! I really enjoyed the challenge of something different like this,and look forward to actually visiting the exhibition to see what everyone else has done!

Paintings sold within 24 hours of uploading

I have sold two of my most recently uploaded watercolour paintings within 24 hours of listing them on the Affordable British Art website. By now they should be with their new owner as I posted them off yesterday morning. "Blue Abscape 1" and "Blue Abscape 2" were the smaller of the four watercolour landscape paintings I produced.

New Items On Etsy

I have recently listed two more of my magnetic note-pads on Etsy, which you can purchase there by clicking on the title link of this post. I am taking all of these to the next RGC exhibition on May 16th in Cookham and still have a couple left to decorate before then.

They make great birthday gifts at only £6.75 each (on Etsy everything is priced in US dollars) and they are practical as well as arty!

On the left is "Palest Sprite" and  on the right is "Tartanic".