cosy, winter commission

I had a lovely commission a while ago, to do web icon designs for a wood-burning stove company and I thought now would be a great time to share them, as hopefully you are currently curled up in front of a log burner, mug of hot chocolate in hand (possibly reading a copy of the Beano) and a pile of kindling chopped up in the corner!

These were such good fun to do - I really had no idea that there were so many different types of chimney pot...

It was also strangely liberating to have someone else telling me what to draw as usually I spend half of each day roaming around the house wailing "I can't think of anything to draw," to anyone who will listen, only to come up with a brilliant idea, the one that will be my best ever lino print, just after bedtime.

love birds

Something without hearts...
...in my Folksy shop today...


I've also put a few links over there on the left to some of the galleries around the UK who stock my work and I'd be so happy if you went and popped into any that are near you, because they all do such good work promoting artists.  I will try my hardest to find some new galleries to fill in the many gaps around the country too as there is a very Southern balance at the moment - but hey, that's where I am!!

small children and sharp tools...

The smaller people in our house are always drawn to tools - axes and saws, wood engraving tools, sharp kitchen knives...

When I'm feeling very patient I have started letting them do a bit of lino cutting, but I have to close my eyes to tools aiming at fingers or waving around in the air as they chat away mid-session because I have told them on repeat, well over two thousand times to cut away from their hands and keep the tools on the table when not in use!

This time we only needed one sticking plaster and the blood stopped flowing very quickly so the message must be getting through.  And after all, my adult classes have sometimes needed the odd bandage!

They love the whole process, designing, cutting, printing and just look at these two pictures, both by a five year old (who did have some cutting help for the trickiest shapes!).

a chink of blue...

Not big enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers, but it was there...

First printing session of 2012

Isn't it great to get back to 'real' life after all the partying...or maybe the partying is the real life bit?  It's all so confusing.  Whichever way round it should be, too many parties stop me printing and that starts to make me twitchy after a week or two (or maybe that's all the parties too?  Aaaagh)

Anyway, printing has been done.  Owls have emerged.  If only daylight levels would rise a bit I would take some proper photos and put the 'Running Owls' into my Folksy shop,  but here they are in all their dingy, bloggy glory instead.

This is my companion on my printing table this week and it really is the smelliest plant I have ever had.  That is a good thing, obviously.

Hope you are managing to keep your hat on and the insides of your wellies dry!