For you Allison!
Another crazy, busy month has flown by with no time for blogging (as I seem to be so often reminded these days.....ALLISON!)
So, the first birthday went off without a hitch - except that I learned the hard way that it's best to wash all felts BEFORE using them on lovely delicate little dresses - yep, all the dye ran and stained Jades little party dress after the first wash. It's now ruined, but at least it was AFTER the party! Funnily enough I don't seem to have any pics of her in it though! Raymond J and I are pretty hopeless at the taking pictures thing! Yes, even for such big events, but that's why we rely on all the relies to take them.
She's also WALKING now! I just can't get used to see our little baby walking about the house. It's gorgeous though. She is, of course, now into EVERYTHING!
We've also been on holidays since my last post. Two lovely weeks driving up through Canberra, across to the NSW coast, and onto Sydney for a few days.
One hightlight for me was visiting the Handmade shop in Canberra.
I picked up a copy of their book in store (the middle one!).
The sewing book was a gift (can't wait to get some time make some stuff out of it...maybe next year!!?) and I picked up the studio book along the way too! Some inspiring stuff in there!
The second highlight was staying with friends in Sydney (ALLISON!!!) and visiting Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I just love it there. It has the best views of Sydney.
I was also lucky enough to drop in on the publisher Scholastic Australia, who I have been working with lately. It's funny how you do everything via emails these days, often without ever meeting in person. It was so great to put some faces to the names and to get a bit of a sneak peek at some of the new projects they have lined up for me. SO EXCITING!
I also got to get a look at the first digital proof of my latest book with them.
Obviously I still can't show you yet, and it's just a proof at this stage, but it just looks awesome and I am so proud of it. I also managed to squeeze in an activity/colouring book with them before I left for our trip and I can't wait to get some copies to play with!
Oooh, I almost forgot to tell you about my new birthday pressie. It was my birthday 3 days after Jades and it was a big milestone one this year. My gorgeous husband has a bit of a tendency to go overboard with the pressie thing and this year was no exception. Well, no complaining here, but this one is HUGE! Check it out.
I was a little unsure what it was at first. I thought it was a new monitor for my computer, but it's the latest in Wacom offerings called Cintiq. You basically draw directly onto the screen with the pen! This could change the way I work forever! I'm a bit of a traditionalist and have always seen the computer as just another tool in the paintbox. I love the hands on sketching and usually scan things into the computer to play around with as the final art process. This allows me to sketch directly into the computer.
This both excites and terrifies me. I get frustrated enough when updates and upgrades change the look and layout of programs, because it slows me down at first. I just want to get on with things.
I am pretty quick with my graphics skills, and all the shortcuts and tricks are all second nature to me now. It's quite tough to stop and force yourself to take a step back to change the way you work. I am sure that it will be invaluable in the long run, but I'm not sure I will have the time to retrain! I have so many new projects lined up between now and Christmas, it will be interesting to see how I go! But it's such a beautiful piece of equipment that I can't let it just gather dust! Has anyone else out there had a play with this technology yet? I'd be very curious to hear any tips or advice!
Wow, sorry for the long waffly post! I'd better stick to shorter more regular posts now! Oh and a quick thank you to Princess Jade for dancing her way through Sesame Street and Playschool while I wrote this! x
Type Summary HereType the rest here
So, the first birthday went off without a hitch - except that I learned the hard way that it's best to wash all felts BEFORE using them on lovely delicate little dresses - yep, all the dye ran and stained Jades little party dress after the first wash. It's now ruined, but at least it was AFTER the party! Funnily enough I don't seem to have any pics of her in it though! Raymond J and I are pretty hopeless at the taking pictures thing! Yes, even for such big events, but that's why we rely on all the relies to take them.
She's also WALKING now! I just can't get used to see our little baby walking about the house. It's gorgeous though. She is, of course, now into EVERYTHING!
We've also been on holidays since my last post. Two lovely weeks driving up through Canberra, across to the NSW coast, and onto Sydney for a few days.
One hightlight for me was visiting the Handmade shop in Canberra.
I picked up a copy of their book in store (the middle one!).
The sewing book was a gift (can't wait to get some time make some stuff out of it...maybe next year!!?) and I picked up the studio book along the way too! Some inspiring stuff in there!
The second highlight was staying with friends in Sydney (ALLISON!!!) and visiting Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I just love it there. It has the best views of Sydney.
I was also lucky enough to drop in on the publisher Scholastic Australia, who I have been working with lately. It's funny how you do everything via emails these days, often without ever meeting in person. It was so great to put some faces to the names and to get a bit of a sneak peek at some of the new projects they have lined up for me. SO EXCITING!
I also got to get a look at the first digital proof of my latest book with them.
Obviously I still can't show you yet, and it's just a proof at this stage, but it just looks awesome and I am so proud of it. I also managed to squeeze in an activity/colouring book with them before I left for our trip and I can't wait to get some copies to play with!Oooh, I almost forgot to tell you about my new birthday pressie. It was my birthday 3 days after Jades and it was a big milestone one this year. My gorgeous husband has a bit of a tendency to go overboard with the pressie thing and this year was no exception. Well, no complaining here, but this one is HUGE! Check it out.
I was a little unsure what it was at first. I thought it was a new monitor for my computer, but it's the latest in Wacom offerings called Cintiq. You basically draw directly onto the screen with the pen! This could change the way I work forever! I'm a bit of a traditionalist and have always seen the computer as just another tool in the paintbox. I love the hands on sketching and usually scan things into the computer to play around with as the final art process. This allows me to sketch directly into the computer.
This both excites and terrifies me. I get frustrated enough when updates and upgrades change the look and layout of programs, because it slows me down at first. I just want to get on with things.
I am pretty quick with my graphics skills, and all the shortcuts and tricks are all second nature to me now. It's quite tough to stop and force yourself to take a step back to change the way you work. I am sure that it will be invaluable in the long run, but I'm not sure I will have the time to retrain! I have so many new projects lined up between now and Christmas, it will be interesting to see how I go! But it's such a beautiful piece of equipment that I can't let it just gather dust! Has anyone else out there had a play with this technology yet? I'd be very curious to hear any tips or advice!
Wow, sorry for the long waffly post! I'd better stick to shorter more regular posts now! Oh and a quick thank you to Princess Jade for dancing her way through Sesame Street and Playschool while I wrote this! x
Type Summary HereType the rest here
Comments
I'd love to hear any tips your daughter might have for me too. I'm still a bit scared of the Cintiq!