6th annual Doctors & Derrieres

Come join myself and several other Edmonton artists on April 15th (this Friday!) at Enterprise Square from 7 - 11pm as we auction off many fabulous nude pieces of art of local medical students. Every year the fun seems to double - there's wonderful live music, scrumptious food and the place gets packed with art enthusiasts sipping wine while bidding on art for a great charity. Go to doctorsandderrieres.blogspot.com for more information.

Copper Etching Class

I finished a copper etching class last week at SNAP. The traditional method of printmaking is very intense involving many steps and despite my resolve to create a nice, clean print, I managed to create something quite sloppy (the technicians call this foul-biting). I'm afraid I do not have the patience to take up etching on a more serious basis as I'm sure that only the rare and amazing god-like artists of my generation have the patience to do anything as dedicated as by-hand copper-etching style printmaking these days. A big shout-out to my instructor, Jill Ho-You, whose work is delicate, elegant and as near to perfection as this student can bare to look at.

Here's my attempt:
& The press:

April Colouring Page

Spring is in the air! It's been warm enough in Edmonton these last few days to go outdoors puddle splashing with my son, the "doodle-bug". All of this inspired this month's colouring page.

Get a printable version and download more colouring pages here.

Santa Series #3

Almost finished the four paintings for Surtex! Only a day away from scanning the fourth painting for my agent. Can't wait...

Santa Series #2

Here's painting number 2 for the Santa series going to SURTEX this year. Here's the link to the sketches for the series.

Had a great trip to my Grandparents & Aunt/Uncles homes in British Columbia last week. It was such a welcome relief to the craziness that has been my life this year.

6th annual Doctors & Derrieres

Currently work on my annual Doctors & Derrieres contribution... Here's the scoop on the event:

"Doctors and Derrieres is a unique fundraising event in its 6th year where medical students pose nude for talented local artists and sculptors. Art pieces in diverse mediums celebrating the human body are then donated by each artist to be auctioned off at the main event."

Here's the sketch, done from life. I was only able to attend one drawing session this year, sadly! I've never submitted a sketch of a man before, so cross your fingers that I can turn this into somthing great.

Oh, and as a side note - I've given up facebook for lent. Wish me luck!

Santa Series, painting #1

I've finally finished one of the santa paintings from my new series for my agent (she's taking them to Surtex in NY this year). Thoughts before I finish the other three (here's the link to the sketches for the series)?

March Free Colouring Page

Here's my March free colouring page. Print it, share it (with your school, library, etc), colour it. Please email me photos or scans of the finished coloured pieces, I'd love to post them on my blog! Printable copies are now available in the colouring page section of my website. Click here to print or view past creations.

First Linocut!

Had a crazy good time experimenting making my first little linocut seahorse. I'm hooked, going to buy a whole bunch more carving pads and go crazy in the evenings carving and stamping. Next on the list is making some herbs to put on teatowels to give as gifts. So much fun!!! Yahoo!

Winner of 3rd Giveaway!

Congratulations Mandy of Edmonton, Alberta! Mandy is an illustrator and mother to two wonderful boys. She is the lucky winner of the $60 gift card to CSN stores. Have fun shopping Mandy, thanks for following the blog!

$60 CSN Giveaway - CLOSED

It's that time of year again... CSN stores has approached me asking if I'd like to give my readers another $60 gift card to their online store. I said - why not!? The store is fabulous, selling things like swing sets, a cars themed art desk, and even Michael Kors bed set, with many items that include free shipping...

It's just too easy to enter. Simply visit the wayfair.com, find something you'd love to spend your $60 on and then leave a comment on my blog. Bonus entries for anyone who follows me on twitter, blogger or facebook (one extra entry per follow). You've already seen what I'd pick (links above), so get browsing! Good Luck. Draw is in one week, Wednesday, February 16 at 2pm.

Save & Close

Santa Series

Working on a new santa series for my licensing agent, Elaine. Coming in the next couple weeks is another CSN giveaway of $60 for anything in their stores... stay tuned!

February Free Colouring Page

Here's February's free colouring page. As always, feel free to print it, pass it on, colour it, use it for your classroom, local library, playgroup, whatever! Email me for a larger, more printable version. One day, I promise to set up a link on my website where you can download them right off the net instead of responding to all the emails.

Family Day

There's a couple of new things happening in the studio these days. First of all, I've temporarily moved into a lovely office at The Met Agency while I do some technical illustrations for a few weeks. Secondly, I volunteered to help co-ordinate a free family day event in our local community. Here's the poster - if you're in Edmonton, pop on in and I'll paint your face for you.

Art Show at Alder Flats Elementary School

Our Growing Up Exhibition through TREX (via the Art Gallery of Alberta) is currently up at my old elementary school - the Alder Flats Elementary School (the art is making it's way around Alberta in various settings, mostly schools). I made a quick visit to grades 4, 5 & 6 and loved the questions they had for me. It was such a treat to have my art hang in the town I grew up in!

Clothing Swap!

There have always been several things in my life I can't seem to shake. One of them is, you know... doing the "green thing" (recycling, using cloth diapers, etc) and the other is saving money (I'm otherwise known as Mrs. Cheap-o). Luckily, though, sometimes being a cheap hippy has it's upside. I'm throwing a clothing swap! It's just a little shin-dig at my house - ladies only (sorry boys) in February. What happens is guests will bring some no longer wanted gently used clothing, dump them in a beautiful heap of splendor on my living room floor and once everything has been sorted, guests will take some new pieces home to love and cherish. The remaining clothes get donated to a local women's shelter (and last time I hosted an event like this had 16 garbage bags left over) - and I had an entire new wardrobe to waltz around in. Fabulous! Can't flippin' wait.

Here's my poster, which I will allow anyone to take from my site and turn into a poster for their own event. Just add the date and address and let me know how it goes! (Okay, if you're going to print it, please email me first for a larger copy. I'd just hate to have my drawings printed at a quality so ugly that it made my doll look like a lego person. In fact, if you ask nicely enough, I'll add a date and address on there for you - just pass on the "green" love!).

January Colouring Page

Here's January's colouring page. Sorry I'm late! Feel free to print this, pass it on, colour it, use it for your classroom, local library, playgroup, whatever! Email me for a larger, printable version.

Tools For Schools - Finished!

Here is my final Tools for schools illustration - C for Clothing. Finished! It was pretty hard to piece together after I scanned it. Whew... now, onto paying work (after the sketchbook project and this it feels like all I've been doing is charity & personal work for months).

Details:

Sketchbook Project - Finished!

It's over. The sketchbook is finished! That little brown craft moleskin, with it's rather thin pages and 40 double spread pages of blank could-be-anything starkness has graphite scribbled on everypage, new covers of illustration board secured on each face and contact details inscribbed on the inner covers. Daunting. But finished. And I'm so darn happy about it.

Cover details:

Back Cover:

Sketchbook Project Finished!

It's over. The sketchbook is finished! That little brown craft moleskin, with it's rather thin pages and 40 double spread pages of blank could-be-anything starkness has graphite scribbled on everypage, new covers of illustration board secured on each face and contact details inscribbed on the inner covers. Daunting. But finished. And I'm so darn happy about it.

Cover details:

Back Cover: