Jessie Lilac Blog

(click on pictures to see more detail)  I love watercolour but recently I've been inspired to get my acrylics out again. I've been playing in my sketchbook journal with layers of texture and paint and having fun with silver acrylic! Silver acrylic, where have you been all my life?! I'm really enjoying layering and acrylic is great for this because it dries so quickly and lends itself to holding a texture too. Each page goes on its own journey from the first layer to the last.  Like a real journey, there are moments when it's possible to make mistakes in direction and other moments when the route is smooth and pleasing. One of these days I'll remember to record it so that I can show you the process. Some of the layers have writing, pourings from my heart and quite private so I cover them with a layer of paint. Still there, still felt.  These pages above are scanned so they don't show the shininess of the metallic paint but if you imagine the light ar...

Here's my picture for Illustration Friday 'Swell'. I've been away from Blogland recently. My reasons?  A week in my favourite place of them all, St Ives. I overheard the crows saying how much they enjoyed the view too! and a visit to Perranporth to see my older children. I never thought I'd see them playing with the sand together after all this time. :))

I've been away for the early part of this week and visited a place called Torcross in Devon. There was lots to inspire me there such as seabirds to draw,  and lovely patterns on the rocks. Some with stripes,  some with wavy lines,  shady trees and sparkling flowers! As soon as I'd got home I went out to a life drawing evening that was unlike any I'd been to before. A burlesque one no less! While I've been away, I've been painting in my sketchbook too. One of them you can see in my Illustration Friday post and here are 2 pages I did before drawing the final one. I hope you're all enjoying the summer.xx

This week at Illustration Friday, the word is 'obsession.'

(click on the pictures to see bigger) Ever since I first started art college I've kept a sketchbook. At first I found it laborious and self conscious but after time I grew to enjoy it and eventually to actually need it! My favourite size is A5 with a hard cover. I think this is because it reminds me of a normal sized book and although I don't read novels very often, I can relate to the excitement of looking at the cover and wondering what's lurking inside!  I tend to use it as a visual diary and among the pages are fragments of my inner life. Sometimes the pictures are easy to interpret and with others I don't even know what the pictures are about until I go back and look again and the passage of time reveals the answers to me. I love to look at other people's sketchbooks too and at a recent visit to the Beryl Cook exhibition I enjoyed her little sketches on scraps of paper as much as the finished paintings themselves! All the pages sho...

Do you ever have a time set aside for making art and for some inexplicable reason, you feel stuck and can't paint? Well that's been me. My muse appears to have gone on holiday! While I await the return, I've been doing other creative-type things to help me keep sane. ' Sane' you ask? Yes and I know I'm not alone in this. I've spoken to other painters who feel the need to be in the creative process otherwise they get a little difficult to be around (to put it politely!)    So, I've redecorated the sitting room and bought a lovely garland to hang on the wall. I love it! (click on the photos to see them bigger.) It makes me happy just to look at it. :) I've bought a new frame for the etching I won in a recent giveway and now it looks just right. When you feel unable to paint or create in your usual way, what do you do to stay in the creative mode? 

Here is my very first Youtube video. I've always wanted to make one and it's only a minute long if you'd like to have a watch. :) In other news... I've been busy making more patchwork. I found an old sheet that was just asking to have a new lease of life. It did a very good job as a bed sheet for many years but now it can have its moment of glory as part of a cushion cover. Here's a close-up. Sorry about the picture quality, I took it with my phone camera but I think you get the jist. :) I've also been gardening and found an old yukky coloured pot that was a nice big size but eww what a disgraceful colour it was. I got out my trusty can of lilac aerosol paint spray and now it is a delight to my eye! I know I haven't yet finished the patchwork cushion cover I'm making at the moment and I really shouldn't even be thinking about buying new pieces of material when I've just boasted about recycling old ones but. What can you do when ...