Loving the Charcoal!

Over the past few weeks, encouraged by the beautiful artist Kelly Berkey, I have been experimenting with charcoal on wood. I want to try pushing myself to do something out of my comfort zone and using materials unfamiliar to me.

Wow! I am finding it hard. What I have discovered is that I think I am a bit of a 'neat freak', wanting straight lines, balance and symmetry. I find it really difficult not to pick up my pencil and go in to my drawings to straighten and tighten things up that I find messy and loose.

But, I am persisting hoping it will give me new skills, more confidence and a different perspective to my work.

Here are the most recent. I find it so fascinating taking a photograph of something I have been working on and comparing this with the original work. I often find I can so see so much clearer the next steps I need to take from this photograph than from the work itself. I wonder why?

Don't forget - today is the final day of my 25% off summer sale. Add code SUMMER25 at checkout xx

Concentrated Awesome!

Little Paige thinks she is NOT small, she is concentrated awesome!

Concentrated Awesome by Deborah Jackson

Little Paige just hated being called 'Little'. Arrgggh  it drove her crazy! She had been the smallest all her life. Everyone told her that one day she would 'shoot up' and be as tall as all her friends. She used to wish and wish that day would come. Now, she reasoned, she was perfect just the way she was. When people called her small, she would politely correct their error and tell them, 'I'm Not Small. I'm concentrated Awesome!'

Interview with the Little Bohemian Butterfly

Hello! And, I hope you like the new look of my little blog. It's still a work in progress but I am liking how it's going so far. I really should say a huge thank you to Claire from a Little Bohemian Butterfly for all the help in getting me started and for giving up her time to help me out.

I connected with Claire when she came along to a show I was attending and she had an instant connection with my funny girls. After an online friendship grew, she asked if she could interview me for a feature on her blog, The Little Bohemian Butterfly. Of course I agreed and if you would like to have a little nosey at what we chatted about, you can click on her link above to reach her blog.

Claire has also posted an exclusive discount code there for my Etsy shop which can be redeemed throughout August. The code will be released on my site on Friday 1st August so blog readers will have it exclusively until then.

Around the World Artsy Blog Hop!

Hello, hello!

I have been asked to take part in an exciting new artsy blog hop by the lovely Minerva Levinston. She is a fabulously arty friend and self-confessed coffee addict; well worth nicking over and checking out her lovely work.

So, the 'hop'. I agreed to join in, answer four artsy questions and then pass it forward for someone else to do the same next week. Sarah Heath will be taking the baton from me next Monday, she is a fantastic paper artist and her blog is well worth a nosey!

Okey, dokey, question 1.

Why Do I Do What I Do?

I have always had an attraction to children's literature. As a former Primary School teacher I used to love creating and illustrating stories and making books with the children. I was finding myself loving the literacy and artwork so much more than anything else in school (except of course the children hehe!) that I made the big decision to leave school and focus all my time and attention on art and writing. I LOVE it and feel so incredibly lucky to be able to do it every day.

My Very First Painting exhibited and sold

Why Does My Work Differ From Others Of It's Genre?

Wow, that's a toughie. I say that because I am so influenced by so many artists that I love and admire. I can see their infuence throughout mine and my admiration of them has helped me to grow into my own individual style. I think that my own style has really only started to emerge relatively recently but I love to experiment and try new things that my style is likely to be constantly changing. Because of my love of writing and stories; my funny little girlies also tend to emerge from the painting with a name and their own unique little story. I would love to be able to develop this further in the future.

There is definitely something tricksy and mischievous about this little girlie but she is protesting her innocence nonetheless!

How Does My Creative Process Work?

My girlies emerge in the pages of my sketchbook. I don't think about what to do; I get my pencil and start. Sometimes they appear right there on my page and sometimes they take a little longer to show themselves. From the sketchbook page they jump on over to some art grade drawing paper. My very favourite paper to use is Daler Rowney Fine Grain Heavy Weight paper. I also love Canson Bristol which has a much smoother surface. I love my Prismacolor pencils and both these papers are great for these. Most of my girls faces are coloured using Prismacolor's. So waxy and great for blending - yummy! My absolute favourite time to sketch is right before sleep! My bed is my favourite place to draw. A cup'o tea and some great music and I am away! Although now I have my new studio, my hammock swing is fast becoming the place from which my girls emerge.

My beautiful studio

What Am I Working On Now?

I was asked to take part in the Bees Knees Exhibition hosted by the amazing Aunia Kahn at her Alexi Era Gallery in St Louis. I have just completed the artwork and this has sparked off a whole new love of graphite and ink drawings. I am also experimenting with oil paints for the very first time. I love trying out new things and seeing where the wind might take me! Here's a sneaky peek at two of my pieces in the Bees Knees Exhibition which opens Saturday 19th July.