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• Fish: school holiday colouring in

  08Apr
  Categories: drawing Comments: 2

  Hi. D’you have kids? Youngish ones? On school holidays at the moment? If so, would you like the fish colouring in picture* I made for my kids? (Click HERE ). Maybe then you can get back to your own creative space, or at least have some mental space…

  This is the raw just-as-I-drew-it version, not a tidied up “design”. I think it’s nice for kids to see a little quirkiness from time to time.  And yes, I encourage my ones to draw from their own imaginations, not always do colouring in. But it can be fun once in a while, no?

  * For the enjoyment of children in your family and their friends in your care ONLY. Not for sale or modification. All rights reserved

  Tags: child, coloring in, colouring in, fish, kid, school holiday activity

• Mardi Gras (Sydney version), Fasching & Carnival

  01Feb
  Categories: Sydney, design, drawing Comments: 0

  Happy February!

  As promised, here’s the free February wallpaper for download by clicking HERE (1024 x 768; 371 KB)* or HERE (1280 x 1024; 628 KB)*.

  This time I was inspired by Mardi Gras (the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, obviously); Fasching/Fastnacht (which I learnt about in German class) and the Rio Carnaval (because I had photos of costumes beside my bed when I was a child).

  I first went to Mardi Gras (Sydney version), when I was about 13, with Mum and Dad. Ages ago. At that stage I didn’t realise there were other, more religious, versions of Mardi Gras.

  Whatever, this image is still February for me. Note the milk crate. Shame fluoro pens are so hard to scan.

  *The wallpaper is for you to use on your computer desktop; I’m keeping all other rights/copyrights.

  Tags: fan, hand drawn, ink, mask, milk crate, peacock feather, pencil, shoes

• Simple, simple Christmas decorations

  06Jan
  Categories: craft, drawing, home Comments: 1

  

  Because it’s Twelfth Night tonight (at least the way I count it). Time to take down the tree. And you (or I) might want to make these decorations next year.

  Christmas trees and kids

  You see, if you have young children, say aged 2 & 4, Christmas decorations are always a dilemma. Do you:

  1. use the decorations from before-you-had-kids, but insist you are  THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO TOUCH THEM, rather dampening the Christmas spirit; or
  2. use those gorgeous decorations from before-you-had-kids, screaming silently each time your helpers shatter them; or
  3. decide that all decorations have to be kid-friendly, preferably cheaply homemade?

  This year, my kids were both old enough to ask. As you might guess, they voted number 3. They put the decorations on the tree themselves, the tree didn’t need a barrier and I didn’t even freak when they went to play jumping on the bed with various new “bracelets” … although I did insist all decorations be returned later.

  How to make

  They’re so simple, I’m sure you know how to make them just by looking. But, well, Christmas can be a little stressful, making even the easiest tasks seem hard …

  1. buy some foiled card from, like, Kmart (scrap-booking section), or find any stiff paper really;
  2. use a clean mug to trace circles, a ruler to trace sets of 6 strips, and cut;
  3. fold circles in half and staple each one to the next in groups of 3 (husband’s preference), 4 (kids’ preference, I think?) or 5 (mine);
  4. arrange 3 strips in a star-like shape, turn over, and wrong sides facing wrong sides, arrange 3 more strips in the same star shape. Staple in the centre;
  5. staple folded curling ribbon to hang.

  Actually, I love how they turned out: they feel so Christmassy to me. I’ve since realised that my absolute favourite decorations as a child were foiled paper, in the exact same colours: gold, silver, red, blue, purple and green … ah, so nostalgic.

  Tags: children, Christmas, decoration, easy, foiled, homemade, kids, made, paper, simple, tree, Xmas

• Happy 2010: Bondi sunrise X Japanese woodblock

  01Jan
  Categories: Sydney, Tokyo, design Comments: 0

  

  Happy 2010, everyone!

  This year, I’ll be sharing more of my love of pattern, colour and prints with you here (my love of fashion will soon be a separate blog). I’m planning a few downloads for you, like desktop wallpaper for each month, and perhaps a few other products, too.

  As a start, here’s the January 2010 wallpaper for you to download by clicking HERE (1024 x 768; 152 KB)*. I felt the sunrise and the circles were full of hope for the New Year. And you see how my time in Tokyo keeps on influencing me: it’s a Japanese woodblock version of Bondi beach!!

  Also, Melissa and Veronica, thanks so much for your comments

  *The wallpaper is for you to use on your computer desktop; I’m keeping all other rights/copyrights.

• Illustration Friday: Forgotten

  09Jun
  Categories: drawing, random Comments: 2

  
  I think our impact on the environment is easily forgotten as we hurry about in our daily lives.

  Made at Yoyogi park, from the many, many cigarette butts under the bench I was sitting on.

  For this Illustration Friday, I knew the idea I wanted to convey, but it took lots of attempts to get looking right. I tried making paper cuts of rubbish to lay on grass, but I didn’t like the paper cuts. I made lots of versions of the forgotten at the park … wrote in the dirt etc, I only liked the final one…