Kim's family as cakes

Knitting in the Evening

Mother's Day 3 of 4

Another interference day

Last night, I painted with some vigour - I think it shows in the strokes I used





Then today, I painted tiddles' paws, which took more concentration, and then this geisha, which I'm pleased with, even though Ian told me to call it 'Headless Geisha'

Tiddles' Paws

Finally got my mojo back!

New series of mothers' day paintings

This is 'Cake Before School Run' and Latte Break While Shopping'

Craft fair preparation

I've been busy! This is my craft fair box filled with goodies I've been working on.



these are what the 'Kite Flying in the Snow' prints look like packaged up



I've packaged little painted stones nicely - I'm planning on selling them very cheap to children for something to give their mums



I bought these lovely corduroy cards, so I've made some nice 5x5 cards using some Easter toppers, as well as some paperchase and momiji stickers I had in my craft drawer. I'm planning on selling them for £1.25 which seems a very fair price, and will allow me to do deals like "5 cards for a fiver". I'd pay that.



These are the promotional bookmarks i've made to give out to people who buy anything on my stall. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I'm going to make a golden ticket to stick in with them, for purposes which will follow.



These are how the paintings look when they've been printed out 3.5x3.5 and made into cards



This little handbag had chocolates in it. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to paint something on it. I've put some chocolates in it again after painting, and packaged it up nicely - it's going to go to the person who gets the 'golden ticket' bookmark as a free gift.

art prints for sale (and also some notecards if you fancy!)

I'm trying to branch out into edition prints. I've done ten prints of this painting and mounted it. They're all mounted and signed with the edition number, and in a plastic bag so they're a suitable gift. If you want to frame it, it's a standard A4 frame, so it's easy to find a frame.

As they're my first ones, I'm doing them for £5 inc postage and fees (Fiona, you have the artists proof coming to you, so don't even ask!)



If you get one, a bit of feedback would be great as well, thanks :D If they get good feedback, I might try some of my other paintings.

I also have a pack of 15 notecards with my paintings on the. They're square with an extra bit on the side - you write on the back, and post them flat, and then when the receiver gets them, they fold the flap so they stand up - all 15 for £20 inc postage and fees

have a look here on google images for what they look like unfolded and standing up

I still have other gift ideas for Mother's day in yesterday's post here - http://community.livejournal.com/thriftstoreuk/19367084.html

Stephen Fry portrait

Sorry if you see this more than once. I'm really proud of this and
want to auction it for the Australia fire relief. I don't want to do
that without checking with Mr Fry if that's ok. If you see this,
please repost/retweet/fave whatever until I manage to find out if The
great man minds me using his image. Thanks!

Fry problems

How the heck do you make portraits look like the person?! I'm really
proud of these as they look like people, but they don't look like
Stephen Fry!

Heidi's Shop

This is the first portrait I've done recently. I wanted to do a sweet
shop (because of the Etsy challenge called Tools, long tangent
decision) and who better to serve at the shop than Heidi
(thesugarmonster) who's finally getting everything good she deserves.

Flaming Mum

Pose based on Leighton's 'Flaming June', composition based on
Whistler's 'Study in black and white' aka Whistler's mother. Face
based on my mum, books, knitting, pier and patchwork included because
it's my mum.

Painted Stones

I painted stones on Friday night. I'm not that happy with them. Never mind. If you click on the photo, you can see individual photos of them.

If you like them, let me know, because I don't. I'm in a bit of an orangutan situation, if you remember that/

Another productive day

It's been a busy day. I was awake at 5am and painting by 5.30. Then a breif soujourn to an appointment, during the waiting for which I sketched 3 ideas, and pictured them absolutely as I want them to look in my head (this is how I work, so despite things happening quickly on canvas, the mental work which goes into paintings is often hours).

I got home at 12.30 and painted all three straightaway, in a kind of 'conveyor belt' fashion. My passion for interference colours hasn't abated, so every canvas needs 'priming' with a dark colour, so whilst each bit is drying, to save waiting in between, I can get on with another.

I'm really enamoured with these paints, and the cherry blossom effect I've managed to get, and most of all with odd shaped canvases. Now I leave my brushes alone...until tomorrow.



I started this first to match the Geisha from yesterday which got finished first today. Standing next to each other, I really like the effect, and I hope someone else out there does too.






I'm kind of obsessed with 'chinese' cherry blossom. We had a tree in our garden and it was the fluffiest, pinkest tree I've ever seen. I really want to grow one in our garden, but I fear with my knack of killing everything, even Lithops (living stones, which need hardly anything at all, let alone water, to thrive) it probably wouldn't flourish.

Dragonfly

Haven't done one for a while but needed distracting so I slapped my
leftover interference paints from the geisha on a round canvas I
painted black yesterday. I like the way the edge is darker from a
build up of the paint. And now it's time for my appt!

Geisha

Up early and excited to paint this. Pleased with the effect of
interference paints as always - they just seem to invoke the material
used in Japanese silks.

Currently working on

This long thin canvas was crying out for a tall elegant lady of some
kind. Unfortunately at the background stage she looks like she's
clearing the path of snow. That will actually be a guitar eventually.
I might do more tonight or I may curl up in a slanket and watch kill
bill vol 1 (I seem to have misplaced vol 2). Either way as you can see
it's clearly Klimt inspired at the moment.

Mother's Day craft help plea

I'm planning for a mother's day craft fair, and I thought I might try and sell paintings online as well

What do you think I should market for Valentine's Day?

Cupcakes?
french fancies?
Cats?

what would you buy as a painting for your mum?

Also, does anyone want to commission a painting? I have free slots, materials and a need to please :)

Today's work

I sketched Tiddles in bed, and then got over excited about round canvases arriving and decided a curled up sleeping cat would be perfect.



Then I painted a mountain snowscape, and put in a kite flyer, as we saw one yesterday on a snowy field. I don't often paint landscapes, let alone 'realistic' ones, so I'm highly proud of this.



Tonight I'm planning to sketch a series of holiday related cupcakes to make cards out of. I will be a success with my paintings yet...

Folksy

The wonderful Kim of Finest Imaginary has introduced me to Folksy

Life's Big Canvas now has a shop there, which is awesome because I don't have to keep trying to work out conversions of dollars to sterling.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/pesky33

There's only one on there now, but I'm going to add new paintings there instead of Etsy, and just see how it goes.

I'm having a sale on Etsy at the minute, so feel free to have a look and see if there's anything you've been coveting which is now reduced

http://pesky33.etsy.com

Grumpy Kaiser

Dia de los muertos matryoshka

Cupcake matryoshka

Two of my favourite design things combined

Featured in an Etsy treasury!

First time featured in a treasury, and it's based on owls! I'm in the top row

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=38861

Fat Matryoshka

Hat and shoe

Self portrait

Cloche hat

I really like this image I found so I sketched it. I can't wait to get
painting it! I'm going to use red and turquoise or red and purple.

Another ferret

Don't like to be defeated. I much prefer this ferret!

Ferret

Shimmering owl

Joel

Puffin

French Fancies

French Fancies
Originally uploaded by peskychloe

Peacock

Peacock
Originally uploaded by peskychloe

Tiddles in Falling Blossom

Tiddles in Falling Blossom
Originally uploaded by peskychloe

Etsy listings added (and reshuffled)

New blog

I've decided to move all my painting related stuff to this journal, and make it public. My other journal on Live Journal will now be private.

This journal will show works in progress, finished work, and have promotional stuff on it.

There is a syndicated feed on Live Journal if you wish to follow on your friends' page - http://syndicated.livejournal.com/lifes_bigcanvas/