Art Journal

Mondoodle 08-03-2010

elise — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:21:08 +0000

Over the weekend I have done two markets. The first was in the St Kilda Town Hall on Saturday. For those of you not in Melbourne, it was wrath-of-god type of day. I was well-inside the beautiful old hall – well-dwarfed by tall arches, well-sheltered by lofty ceilings… when half-way through the afternoon the skies opened. Everything darkened, we shouted to be heard above the pounding rain and impressive thunder, lightening (contrary to its name) turned out the lights (to a collective “Oooh”)… and then the rain came in. It flooded through the roof into the foyer, scattering market-goers. It flooded into the near-by library. Unbeknownst to us it pounded all of Melbourne – shredding trees, breaking windows, flooding roads and tunnels and underground carparks and caving-in glass ceilings. Pete, on his way to retrieve me, sheltered the car from the wrecking-ball ice, then battled on. And after all that, we made our way home along green painted roads between green cars, as if a leaf-god had strewn our path…

The second market was at the Convent where it was very quiet. Reports of a possible weather-wrath repeat had people in hiding. So at the market we amused ourselves and I painted most productively.

Here is a little of what I painted.

Aboard the steamer she posed for my Mondoodle.

Monday March 8, 2010.

Mondoodle 01-03-2010

elise — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:19:42 +0000

Today’s Mondoodle is one of my favourites. Although it feels like it came from nowhere… today I looked an “Bird” the artists book by Kat Macleod, I sat having a coffee at uni with papers swirling and flapping around me in a vortex of wind, I flew home fast on my bicycle in the cool evening air, I saw chickens with flamboyant plumage this afternoon and I watched some dinosaurs on television late this evening.

Combine, mix well, allow to simmer unexamined, then draw quickly.

Who would have thought? I’d like to know more about them.

Drawn in the lounge, 11-11.06 pm on Monday 1st March, 2010.

Behind me, before me

elise — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:23:07 +0000

I’ve been burning the midnight oil this past month, finishing off the last of my normal book jobs. We’ve had the oh-so-cute picture book My Boots in Season drawn, painted, fonted and handed in. And then yesterday I rode my bike into the city to hand in Sarindi’s Dragon Kite. What a job that was! Over 70 pencil illustrations to go with this absolutely wonderful children’s novel. I sincerely hope that this book gets some attention as it is a real BOOK. It is set in Indonesia and tells the story of little Sarindi and the events that surround his birthday. It is beautiful writing by Janine Fraser – simple and strong and a hell of a story… an earthquake strikes Sarindi’s homeland and changes everyone’s lives. I’ll let you know when it’s out (published by Harper Collins). In the meantime there are the first two books in the series to enjoy – Sarindi and the Lucky Bird & Sarindi and the Lucky Buddha.

And next??

I get to focus! There’s painting for my exhibition at the end of May, working on my novel at uni and working on the epic graphic novel The Protector. For me – that’s a new experience. Long term projects only and no scattering my head in a thousand different directions each week. How strange.

cemetery

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KOKO Black 2010 Creative Drawing Prize

elise — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:05:43 +0000

There is still time to get your entries in for the KOKO BLACK drawing prize.

Yes, a drawing prize created and supported by the delicious team at KOKO BLACK, chocolatiers extraordinaire.

Pop onto their website quick-smart and download the entry form and drawing template, or pick one up in person from any KOKO BLACK shop. Drawings must be on A3 paper, so if you’re printing out the template you’ll need access to an A3 printer. Entrants must reside in Australia.

Who, or what is emerging from the giant burrow? It’s up to you to draw it!

You have till Friday 5th March when entries close.

Prizes vary depending on your age but include such things as a fund toward art education/supplies, membership of the NGV, and naturally, their oh so fine chocolate. So give it a go. Why am I posting about this? Because I am one of the judges for this year’s prize and I can’t wait to see all of the incredible drawings.

Mondoodle 22-02-2010

elise — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:55:37 +0000

Hello again. The lightbox and I have had words. Yep, I’m going to suck it up and stop complaining. And try to finish my work before sun-down…

Here’s the Mondoodle. It’s a bit of a case of… here’s one I prepared earlier. Because Of COURSE I wouldn’t get distracted during a tough deadline! That’s just not me. I have a steely resolve. I’m known for it. It’s practically a hyphenated middle name. I will be drawing something fun today but I’ll have to wait till I’m in class tonight for that. Hmm. Yes. There’s that Steely-Resolve against distraction at work again.

Drawn on the tablet (a week or two back) but completed today! Monday 22nd February 2010, 3.49pm.

I’m wrestling with a change in technology with this one… but I will prevail. And you know why.

Let me know any quick-draw suggestions please! I’ve had one bat suggestion so far. I’m trying to think of the twist…

Ah, hindsight

elise — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:19:50 +0000

Well you learn something new every day…

1. I do like hard work and, not being a morning person, I actually like working late at night.*

2. Working on a nice hot lightbox is best reserved for winter, if possible.**

3. Bugs are attracted to lightboxes on hot summer nights.

4. Flywire is recommended for studio windows.

5. Bugs are hard to clean off white paper.

6. All sorts of marks can be incorporated into pictures – right?

7. No point using recycled paper on a lightbox – especially if there is lots of writing on the other side…

8. There is not enough coffee in the world right now…

9. The person who thought up the word deadline made it sound ominous on purpose. Like flat-line. Firing-line… What was wrong with goal, objective or aspiration date… happy day.
Work-end.
Holiday!!***

Back to it, I guess…

* This is generally true. Evenings have fewer distractions.
** Like your own private brazier. Toasting the arms.
*** It was a conspiracy of lexicographers. (That sounds like a collective noun.)

Mondoodle 15-02-2010

elise — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:38:37 +0000

It’s a busy busy week. Today I worked for a meeting tomorrow with my Epic editor. No, she isn’t epic, the story is Epic. Otherwise known as The Protector. I also went to my novel class. Novel as in new, and as in, well, novel. Yes, I’m writing one. All the way till the end. And tomorrow I’m teaching and meeting and photocopying, oh my.

And, on a less complicated note, here is the Mondoodle for today.

Cutie.

Drawn in the lounge, 10.30pm on Monday 15th February 2010.

j’aime le marché

elise — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:11:28 +0000

It’s time again for the o-so-brilliant

10 – 4pm
@ the Brunswick Town Hall
233 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, VIC.

If you’ve never visited, you should come along. If you have already then you know this is always a good one. Don’t be put off by the scaffolding outside for all is quite normal within. I wonder what I should paint??

Don’t forget to email if you have something you desperately want set aside for you on the day.

elise

The drawing two-step…

elise — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:10:18 +0000

I was talking to someone outside the gym the other day and she said it must be hard to work from home. Not really, I said.

True and not true. Today I find myself working but succumbing to my usual problem. No matter what I am working on I always seem to want to work on something else. Does anyone else have this issue?

I’ll just do a little more…

elise — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:02:00 +0000

On that last Mondoodle. Which leads me to a question. When is a picture finished? How do you know when to stop? Sometimes I know I go on too far with a picture – there are often lots of points when you think - that’s pretty good now, I should stop… I’ll just do a little more.

And then you think, no, the picture was definitely better before I did that! But you don’t know until you’ve gone on. The worst thing is if you use computers enough you find yourself thinking… I’ll just undo.

It’s funny doing the video drawings and actually noticing how I work around a picture. I don’t ever really just do one bit and leave it. Part of that is because I’m not planning the picture fully. This means that the balances of detail and space, lights and darks are constantly shifting, and changing one area often necessitates some work elsewhere to balance the image. Which means needing to do more work somewhere else, and somewhere else. And so it goes on until the page is often quite fully filled. But as I draw partly for the effect and partly for the pleasure of drawing, it’s not so bad.

Look how much space is still on the left! I’m kind of proud of that… And that little dark patch in the lower right corner was an important last bit. Making the stripes darker on the dress was an improvement too.