Animation Friday - get packing!

I'm not sure if this animation will work properly actually - I've built it in Photoshop (my first attempt) - so maybe you'll only see it move through once... if that's what happens I'll come back later and try and fix it. If it doesn't move at all... well, I'll definitely try again later. EDIT - HEY! Thanks Cintia - it works!

Anyway, a lovely lovely lady ordered FIFTY of my charity hankies last week (supporting the Scarlett Kisses Project), and here they are. All packed up and happily jumping into the Express Post bag.

They really are a great 'little' gift. When you want to give something, but the littler and easier-to-post the better. They're $6 and if you go to my new site when it launches this Monday you can order some to jump in a bag and be sent to you!

I wish I could have shown you my makeshift tripod set up (but the camera was in use!). A ridiculous assortment of boxes and New Guinean statues holding down the camera strap as the lense balanced precariously off the edge of the cabinet. Really professional.

So for more nifty (and perhaps more active) animations, come join in at my poppet (where you'll be glad this is not smellamation!).

Animation Friday - a Backdrop and some background

 
Ah, it feels like it's been a big week - and even though it's been more 'at home' than last week, I think the sense of being stuck in the quicksand that is 'housework' gets to me more than anything.

The girls are both interesting and delightful at the moment, and that seems to come hand-in-hand with 'creative destruction', 'culinary destruction' and of course, 'wanton destruction'.

So every time I manage to achieve one thing (like hanging a load of washing on the line or oh, putting breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, earth-shattering stuff), I turn around to find:

• an entire collection of straws pulled out of a basket and distributed through the toys, or 
• the dog's water found behind the tree (where I thought it would be a secret between myself and the dog) now tipped on a freshly-dressed-to-go-out toddler, or 
• a baby who's managed to climb from a bed to a chest of drawers, and is now hanging from a wall-mounted shelf (no photo for obvious reasons)

- honestly, even by the fourth, they're still coming up with things I haven't got solutions for.

And I know I'm not Robinson Crusoe here.

The house is so FULL of stuff, I'd love to cull, but simply keeping up with the day-to-day is all I can manage at the moment. Ah! Remind me of all this when the kids are bigger and I complain about being busy, ok!

So what am I doing typing a post instead of doing the other stuff on my list? 

At least I can feel there is something that I have done today that is finished, won't be undone as swiftly as it was done, and that I've been in contact with other adults. And that may be the reason why I blog!

Today's very quick animation is from Wednesday's painting of a photography backdrop. I like the way you can see the light change through the day. I started at about 11 in the morning (it took that long to move the furniture, get the paint and set up!) and finished close to 5pm (the kids ended up having dinner at Mum's that night - thanks Mum!).

Visit Cintia at mypoppet for more animations.

Until next time... I've got a few things I need to get done around here...

Animation Friday - Butterflies

Today's animation is of a painting done this week and mentioned in yesterday's Creative Space.

It's more of a 'decorator piece' than anything. The numbers are from the pages of the lovely old butterfly book that I refer to.

At the end though, I changed one of the blueish butterflies to much brighter colours as I wasn't happy with the weight of the tones. I also lightened the tone of the background as the piece progressed, to give more contrast and interest.

Hope these are still interesting enough!

 

For quite a variety of different animations, head over to the not-very-well-today Cinti at my poppet.

Animation Friday - Well Hello Dora

It's my niece's birthday today. What was going to be a Dorothy cake, became a last minute request for a Dora cake.

And that became today's animation!

NOTE - My mother looked at it and said 'is it a cow?' and I said 'no, it's Dora the Explorer - it's a girl' and she said 'well, what are the horns for?'... and now I see them...

More of such things over at the lovely my poppet!

Happy weekend to you!

Animation Friday - more Nathalie

Nathalie's source images for her mural. Gorgeously expressive line drawings.

OK, OK, so this has been Nathalie Lete week around here! Honestly, I haven't felt so enthusiastic about a particular artist for ages.

So my submission for Animation Friday this week is from the photos I took of Nathalie painting the window of the Blue Illusion store at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, last Monday.

Thank you for indulging me! Of course, for a bunch of other interesting animations, head over to mypoppet. You could add one of your own - they're very simple to make.

Next week I'll have other topics to mention, I'm sure. And the results of my Nathalie-inspired art-hearts to show and tell!

Have a lovely weekend.

Animation Friday - Poppies Galore

As promised in last Monday's Art Tip, here are animations of the process of the two poppy paintings I featured. One on a black background and the other on white.

I'll be giving one away in just over a week - all you have to do is leave a comment on last Monday's post, telling me which you prefer. Good luck!

On white

or on black?

There'll be more Animation Friday discoveries over at my poppet!

Have just discovered that the wonderful French artist Nathalie Lete, who I posted about here, is painting at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast on Monday. Am definitely moving heaven and earth to be there.

Animation Friday - Flashback

This is a painting that I did a couple of years ago, so I haven't photographed as many steps as usual. Sorry! And I did an extremely brief blog post about it here.

But I think it demonstrates next Monday's Art Tip, which will be about painting on a coloured or black background.

I love all the bright colours and the freedom in this one. And it was bought by a family with four kids, three girls and a boy - that's them, floating in the sky! I think this animation also shows the variations in colours possible with photography. And they're not all good.

Once again, this is my contribution to Animation Friday, over on the lovely my poppet.

Animation Friday - In the garden on Margaret Street

Detail of "Margaret Street Garden", 60 x 90cm, acrylic on canvas

This week's animation is of another painting done for the Carnival of Flowers exhibition - delivery is this Wednesday. The theme has to be "Wine, Food or Flowers" (and flowers are obviously the subject here). I used to have an issue with painting flowers, thinking that they just didn't 'say' enough, but in recent years, I figure if Margaret Preston was happy to call herself 'a flower painter' then it's good enough for me!

To do this one I walked around my parent's garden (I've been painting at their place lately so Mum can help me with the kids) and took photos of some of the different plants, and put them together in this scene.

I overpainted a painting from a few years ago, starting with black gesso and then the shades of blue. I've propped the canvas up on a couple of my sister's tupperware containers which are now uniquely decorated - she didn't know about that, until now. Sorry Loz.

Glazes were used to 'knock back' the brightness of the greens, and to add depth to the background. I consciously made the background lighter than the foreground, where usually I do the opposite. I'll be talking about the different kinds of white that make this look possible in a couple of 'Art Tip's time.

And I finished off with my signature 'swirls and curls' for movement.

Often I think I'd like to stop at the 'sketch' stage though. That's the part that comes most naturally I think.

Thanks for indulging me! I hope someone finds this sort of thing interesting - I personally am really nosy about how other artists work! Next week I should have a different style of painting to share.

To see my fellow animators, visit my poppet today.

Animation Friday - Finches in the Flowers

Finches in the Flowers, 60 x 90cm, acrylic on canvas.

A painting I did this week, that will be in entered in the Carnival of Flowers exhibition.

I really enjoyed using big brushes, loose strokes and a limited colour palette. It's a bit 'decorator-ish', but there's a lot of detail up close, so it's really growing on me.

Come back Monday - I've got 20 topics for my promised 'Art Tips' Series, and it's all ready to go!

In the meantime, for more Friday Animations, visit the lovely my poppet.