Tuesday 23 October 2012

"An elf is for life, not just for Christmas"


I have been working with Lapwing as a tutor for the past two years, being paired up with the very inspiring Paige C Clifford, we are now sadly in the third and final year.  
The tailored made course taught Paige textiles and crafts.  However, working on a brief Christmas card project last December the course took a little side road which then lead to a massive explosion of glitter fuelled ideas...
Disguised as elves, we have been creating away ever since on a project which has finally been revealed to the public today in the window of LoveOne. 


The fun and quirky window display is a great representation of her brand, as well as getting a little festive!  LoveOne's Christmas window goes up early November so make sure you get down there to see how many elves (and a little walrus) you can spot!!



"The House of Elves" fills the gap in the market for all things elf related with the perfect tag line: "An elf is for life, not just for Christmas"! This initial gift range includes greeting cards, elf plushies and DIY elf packs, all of which will be available to buy from LoveOne this weekend.  Her website will then be the hub for all future projects and gifts that she (and her little family of elves) have in the pipe line.

I have been very fortunate to have Paige as a student over the past three years.  She is extremely hard working, driven and talented.  I have no doubt that her elves and her brand will go down a storm and will continue with the success long after our course has come to a close.




I started Lapwing with a student, and I shall be leaving with a friend. x

To support Paige & elves check out LoveOne this Crimbo and her website here.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Mister Millerchip Plush



Early Summer Joel AKA Mister Millerchip, approached me about a collaboration   He was wanting one of his characters brought to life in the form of a giant head and fore arms.  Having been a massive fan of his for years I jumped at the opportunity to work with him...

Original mock up & close up of freehand embroidery

He sent over the mock up of what was needed for his character "Two Sticks Foggan".  This certainly was a new challenge for me.  I have never made a mascot head to fit a human before, so the structure was a daunting prospect.  After doing a little research I decided to build up a sphere from layers of upholstery foam and then carved more to shape...

Foam head base size

Applique embroidered facial features

Stuffed forehead & nose & sculpted hair

I then started adding his design using applique and freehand machine embroidery techniques.  Sections of the face had stuffing added to enhance his shape and make his profile more interesting.  The hair and beard were hand sewn on and stuffed again.  Finally his neck was added, which will be tucked into the T-shirt so no human flesh is on show.

His arms were made in the same way, with a layer of wadding to make them padded.  All the hairs and tattoos were appliqued on individually.






Joel is planning a photo shoot with Two Sticks Foggan in December so when the images return I shall post them up.  In the mean time here is a quick snap of Mister Millerchip himself playing the part of his character when I presented it to him at Stix Festival....


I absolutely loved working on this collaboration & Joel seemed over the moon with the results.x

To check out all his brilliant creations, characters and chipshop goodies have a peek at his website here.

Saturday 13 October 2012

Stix Festival

Another commission I had during summer was to produce a poster for the Stix Festival.  I had to follow a strict five colour palette to fit in with the Mix's branding, and to include illustrations of the festivals activities.  Below shows the development from initial design, to what was edited down for use.

Original mock up for Stix Poster
Final Stix poster


As well as working on the poster, I was asked to hold another Critter workshop as part of the festival.
Equipped with two sewing machines, a cloud of stuffing and fabric up to my ears I set up my workshop  in a beautiful green patch, under a canopy of trees in the last of summers' sun.
The day was a huge success with many fresh critters being born!  I had a real range of ages getting involved, but it was great to see many budding young sewers use a machine for the first time.
The father of two little ones kindly sent over some photographs of us in action:





Lucy & Emma's freshly created critters! They worked so well and really got to grips with sewing on the buttons....think their dad is going to be learning from them!!

The day was a great success, thank you to all who came along and got involved, hope to see some of you again at future workshops. x

Check out The Mix section on ip1zine to see what activities are happening soon.

Monday 8 October 2012

Pillow Fight




Ohhdeer.com had a summer competition called pillow fight.  It gave illustrators and artists the opportunity to upload their designs onto cushions, with the best being sold online.  They were inundated with entries and so decided to sell all designs for a limited time period.
I have two designs now available on their site amongst many other beautiful cushions by talented humans....Click the links under the images to go to the webpage.x

Thursday 4 October 2012

Puppy Love

Lurchound

Basseter


Another little commission over summer was for two dog themed mugs.  She requested a lurcher and basset hound for herself and her partner.  Both mugs were completed with a paw print inside and "puppy Love" tag.x

Thursday 27 September 2012

Sweet Philosophy






A very talented cupcake maker approached me over summer to make her logo for her new business venture.  Sweet Philosophy produces "delicious delights" bespoke to your occasion and needs.
She asked for a classic cupcake design complete with butterfly.  I added a little of my own touch to separate it from the usually quite plain cupcakes.


If you are after scrummy cakes with a smile Agnes is your lady.  She is super friendly and will work with you to create your delightful dreams of deliciousness!!!x

Email her on: agnesogundiran@yahoo.co.uk

Thursday 6 September 2012

Fabulous Flamingos




Over summer I was commissioned to create a mug for a flamingo fan.  The mother of Tabby wanted to get 18 gifts for her 18th birthday, of which my mug was one.

It was lovely to hear this week that she absolutely loved it!! x

Thursday 23 August 2012

Age of Anxiety

Issue 43 of IP1 provided me with another challenging article to illustrate, again by the same writer of Josh Russell.  Our styles seem to marry up so we have collaborated on pieces over the last year or so now.  This piece raises awareness on what it is like to suffer from anxiety, but visually, didn't sum up much imagery for me.  I drew out several phrases to work from.. hiding away, inside a box, back in sunlight.  These three instantly made me think of a tortoise who hides in his shell, scared of his own shadow, and finally comes into colour when he pops his head out...
Here is the final result of my little anxious tortoise...









Monday 13 August 2012

A little love for you

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by some very creative people.  People who I often draw on for inspiration and advice on my own work.  Once you have spent four years being in a creative environment 24/7 it can be challenging to have a network of that scale again, if at all.  My network now is much much smaller, but it is full of opinions I truly value from inspiring and genuine people.  

Along with their support, I have also managed to collect pieces of their own creations.  Some things have been made especially for me, others have been parts of a series or as a gift knowing I would appreciate them.  I have a habit of keeping almost everything I am given, especially if it provokes a memory or has meaning behind it.  However, here is a small sample of the works of art that live with me now...


ISC Photography & caricature

Jon Burgerman doodle & random found bunny 

 Frankie Leigh cushion & cross stitch

Kris Skellorn & Jevan Math Watkins-Jones 

John Harris inside out & ISC blue tak creations 

Lisa Woolnough Pet Rock 

King Louie Mermaid & Pirate Squizzle 

King Louie two of four paintings


Some of these guys are working professionally as creatives, others are simply creative at heart still.  My pet rock, by one of my dearest friends Lis, was a gift for my 21st.  When she asked what I wanted for my birthday I gave a simple and honest answer.  A pet rock!  She took it above and beyond my wildest dreams, Gus came with his life history and box.  I have had several pupils at work as about what pets I have to which my answer always include him, many of them don't believe me!!

A little thank you to all of you (not just those shown) who have inspired, encouraged and motivated me with my creations.  It has never gone unnoticed. Love x

Check out some of their works below:

Friday 3 August 2012

Monthly Moon

 July full moon

August full moon 




For those who do not know, my name by birth is Selina Lucy.  Translated into meanings it comes out as Moon Light (this was completely unintentional on my parents behalf).  
I have always loved the moon, and along with the connection to my name this is why it often crops up within my illustrations.


A lot of stuff has happened during the period of time that passed between these two full moons.  
I noticed the intensity of the light a few nights ago when I got into bed at 3am.  It reminded me of the beauty of the last full moon when we watched it reflect in the water.  It made me realise I am in a very different place, both mentally & physically a month on.


Having left work for summer holidays, my routine has morphed back into my nocturnal ways.  I have been fortunate enough to be forced back into hiding away in the studio for the majority of my waking hours.  The saying of "you wait all day for a bus, then two come along at once" could not be more true.  Having a few briefs that I knew I had to complete over the summer break, suddenly tripled in load in the first week.  I have loved working late into the night again, when it is quiet and peaceful, only hearing rain against my window, and the occasional hoot from an owl.


I have been working on some really great briefs which are now back in the hands of those who commissioned them.  Once they have released them for their purposes I will post images on here.  Until then, above is a sneak peek of a collaboration I worked on with a dear friend, posted because it fits perfectly with my moons!!


Roll on the creativity and productivity as I embark on my other projects waiting to have pen touch paper x


The moon that got caught in my studio x

Sunday 22 July 2012

Mugs for the missing...





This year the school I work at have lost many big characters, sadly including several of my best friends.  To make matters worse, all three of them are moving abroad (or might as well be for the distance of one of them) so it is unlikely I will see them again.  As a parting gift I made some mugs (other than the one moving to Oz as he doesn't like baggage!) as a reminder of their time back here.  Tye requested an owl mug several months ago, so I incorporated a little inspiration from her love of sugar skulls too.
Ian's facial wear will go down in history at Northgate, so I picked two of his most unique moustache styles to illustrate.
I wish all three of them the very best for the future, it will never be the same without you. Love x

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Stowfest Music Festival 2012






"THE MIX" got involved with this years Stowfest on Saturday 9th June despite the high winds and spots of rain....
Representing the Mix was the very talented Mister Millerchip getting some drawing activities going on  as well as my critter creating workshops.  The day was a huge success and drummed up a lot of interest in the full workshops that will be taking place in Stowmarket through out the summer.

Register now to hear about opportunities coming in the near future here.

Enjoi x