Jessie Lilac Blog

image from janohighway.com I've been waiting with much anticipation for this year's Totnes Open Studios weekend and I wasn't disappointed. We spent the afternoon on saturday walking from house to house, (which I enjoy anyway just because it's Totnes, let alone the art!) On our travels we stumbled across a little house which opened into a treasure trove of goodies as we walked in. There we met a lovely artist called Jan O'Highway . She makes a original pieces of art in a range of media, sometimes using reclaimed or found objects. Look at the little toy figures used above! Jan very kindly let me take some photos which included her bathroom tiles. It was a tiny room but she'd made it so beautiful with her clever use of mosaics. Isn't it gorgeous?! CLICK HERE to see some more of her work. Another favourite visit was to see the drawings of Claudia Schmid. Here's a postcard I bought of hers. I can't find a web-site for her unfortunately but I j...

I've just come to the end of my sketchbook, the picture above is the last page. The pretty lights in Paignton at the end of the day yesterday. She's not playing a sad song on her violin, endings always mean new beginnings don't they? I love to choose new sketchbooks and this time I've gone for a square format with a nice hard cover and lots of pages. I have my usual problem of being too scared to start it! I used to be like this in school when I was given a new exercise book in a lesson. The first page would have perfect writing in it because it semed so precious and new and I didn't want to spoil it. Same now, every sketch every drawing that comes into my head doesn't seem good enough. How very silly. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be attacking it very soon! Meanwhile, here are a few pages from my life drawing sketchbook I did this morning.... And talking of endings , don't forget to check out my new listings of my paintings for sale HERE. Have a ...

It was my middle daughter's birthday yesterday and she's 22! This is a sketch I did the other day, it's not supposed to be her, but looking at it now I think I must have had her in mind when I drew it. Quite often I find myself drawing girls with this hairstyle when I'm trying to draw one different to my own. In fact have a look at the last post too because again it's very similar isn't it? It was a scorching hot day yesterday and when she sat in the garden I though she looked like one of the flowers! After tea she blew out the candles on her cake. She was given a mameshiba present from both her boyfriend and her brother but that's ok because they just chatted away to eachother. They speak Japanese and it sounds so cute! I'm selling a couple of my watercolour paintings on Ebay so if you have a moment, do have a peep HERE. Thankyou!

I got my acrylics out today and had a little play in my moleskine sketchbook. I love to layer the paint and then before it dries, scratch it off with the end of a brush. The red roses first had a layer of yellow, then when dry a layer of the red. You can see the yellow lines on them where I've scratched through. The great thing about acrylics is that you can paint on top of the background like I've done with the bird on the right. The bad thing is, I'm a bit clumsy with the paint brush and I'm not very patient at 'colouring in'. I've bought new brushes too! How do people apply acrylic or oil so perfectly neatly?

acrylic and coloured pencils collage watercolour and gel pens I don't know where these images that I've just drawn have come from, I really don't, somewhere in my subconcious perhaps but here they are in my sketchbook for your perusal. I had plans to do a larger scale painting on canvas but what with the imminent arrival of builders any day, it stops me from concentrating so instead I'm busy repainting old furniture. I'm renovating a Lloyd Loom ottoman, painting an old (cheap) pine table white, then onto the coffee table and another side table which just needs a sanding and a varnish. I'm sure I can find many more jobs to do before I start my bigger painting! ;o)

I like my gel pens, even though they don't last very long before they run out, they're fun while they last!

Sometimes I like to make little paint sketches using whatever mediums I'm in the mood for. Sometimes watercolour, and a little bit of coloured pencil, This one is a base of pink acrylic paint, then drawn on top with a gel pen, then I used my Inktense pencils to colour in the hair and flowers. I've also had a play in Photoshop combining 2 pictures together to make my new header. I used this one, and this one, this one above shows what it was like before and this one is after. Much better I think! (Or should I make that moon lighter...hmmmmm.......)

Just look what I found the other day at the back of the garage. I'm not sure how old they are but they've got to be at least 1950's if not another couple of decades before that! They're still surprisingly strong despite being forgotten in the darkness for many years. I know this because I tried each of them out in turn, just to see and I didn't fall straight through! I was wondering whether I should do anything to them, a make-over perhaps? The more I look at them I think they've got it going on already without any intervention from me. What do you think? In case you're thinking I'm a hundred years old having chairs like this in the back of my garage then let me just say that 2 years ago we inherited a few bits and bobs from my father-in-law and it's taken me until now to be brave enough to go through the deepest corners of the family garage! :) ~~~~~~~~ Can I show you the paintings I'm currently selling on Ebay? If you'd like a chance of buy...

This week's word is Fearless . I thought I'd try to do a collage in Photoshop again. Lots of trials and errors later, here we are!

I took some watercolour pencils with me this morning to life drawing but for some reason was only in the mood for drawing with the grey pencil. I chose a nice neat pointy retractable pencil which just needed a quick twist each time it wore down. Below is an older drawing made a few months ago with a thick graphite pencil, about 8B. It produces a different style of drawing and I'd come away at the end of the session with much dirtier hands! graphite pencil in A4 sketchbook It's funny how I felt drawn to a pointier and more delicate pencil today, maybe it's because the model is very fine and delicate to look at? When I started out doing life drawing at art college, we were encouraged to use sticks of charcoal and to work on large pieces of A1 paper. These days I go to a 'Drop in and Draw' session which doesn't have a tutor and we can just get on with it in our own way. Perfect!

Yes another post on the same day! I was determined to do Illustration Friday this week by hook (hooks on the brain, sorry!) or by crook. I had a photoshop class this morning and while it was fresh in my brain, I thought I'd do a quick sketch and then manipulate the image in Photoshop. The star background I already had from playing around with watercolour ages ago. The pen sketch took a minute to do. Put the two together and voila! I'm making it sound as though it was a walk in the park but I had a lot of false starts before it got to this stage. I'm learning, slowly but surely.

I've been doing some hooking recently. This kind of hooking will eventually be a cosy blanket to keep knees warm on the settee. This pink seems to photograph very bright. I suppose it is very vivid in real life and perhaps I've become a bit unaware how bright it actually is. I illustrate an article in the Britchop magazine and last month's issue was about how bike engines can sometimes sound like other things. Here it is in print. Next issue there's an article about traffic wardens so here is my other type of 'hooking' I've been doing! I know which type of hooking I prefer!

What a rainy bank holiday it is but the flowers seem to like it. Even the ones who are 'past their best' look stunning. Just look at this beautiful coppery golden glow. Yes this really is this bright! I love to see carpets of bluebells. Did you think it was my garden? :o) No, I took these pictures while we were walking in the gorgeous gardens of Coleton Fishacre in South Devon. We've been visiting here since the children were little and do you know, it gets better every time! On returning home, I had the exciting news that I've been included in an Etsy treasury ! My painting the Sea Horses has been chosen by nicecraftworks :) I've seen other people's work included in treasuries and now I'm one of the chosen too! Thankyou nicecraftworks, you've made my day! :))