Coloured Pencil Characters

Airabella is a farmer of lavender...I am conjuring up her little short story as I work on her.

I am thinking that this is the year I get my first book out there with all my coloured pencil characters!

Pencil On Watercolour Paper

I really fell in love with using my beloved colored pencils on really textured watercolor paper.

I feel like the colors are so deep and I can layer like crazy, especially with the Prismacolor.

Sometimes I drag my heels on images because I am multi-passionate & can't decide on a medium.

 but now and then an image just scream on out

"I want to be done in watercolor...I want to be a lino cut...I want to be ink pen on board"

I love it when that happens and I try not to ignore the instinct.

Ink to Lino

Have I shown this ink drawing of mine to you guys yet?

I think it's going to be one super fun image to redo in linocut, I can't wait.

Studio Break

It's been a long heatwave...summers are just getting wetter and way hotter we find.
It's hard on the buns to be stuck inside so much, especially when they know it's summer out
but even if it wasn't too hot the mosquitoes are just too bad & now of course it's shad fly season!

I am just super duper grateful that we have AC now & can keep everyone cool and nice long
days inside in my studio (currently tidying & reorganizing) feeling cool as a cucumber
is feeling very nice too, the outdoor chores aren't going anywhere after all!

A Kind Night

Here's that new image I am slowly plugging away on inspired by the Herons we see when kayaking.

I know unfortunately that Herons eat all kinds of creatures, so this image is called "A Kind Night"

Froggie Time

I looked at my colours and than at Miss Misa and I asked them

'What shall we create today lovelies?'

and the pencils said "something in green and blue" and Misa said "A Frog Mama"

So a frog we are now working on...in between 5 or 6 other images of course!

Gold Touches

I've been putting little gold highlights on a few original pieces...

whiles watching 'Once Upon A Time', the two activities seem to go hand in hand!

Pishner Coming Along

This guys name is Pishner Toppingale...

I think he's going to be one pretty cool dude.

Airabella In Progress

I started in on an Arabian Gazelle...I hope she turns out like I image.

Her whimsical little tale is already weaving it's way outta my brain.

Quiet & Raw But Good

I've been back at it...

to art & bunnies & all the good beauty amidst the bad...

Things are still very raw and we are feeling very quiet...

But Jaks obviously doesn't have many days left, he needs me back at work,
at my desk, keeping his old bones company.
I admit I feel embraced & bolstered by the cozy whimsy of my art spaces.

Shimmering Rabbity Sweetness

This has been what my desk upstairs looks like, full of little beauties getting their finishing touches.

I love this part...applying varnishes, clean edges, titling, adding sparkles, attaching hangers etc.

As I was telling you in one of my last posts, I work all over the house to get work done whiles I

spend time with all of our 9 rescue buns so I work on quite a few pieces all at the same time...

For a spell it seems like I am getting nothing new done and than all of the sudden bam a whack

are finished and lovely and whimsical and shimmering with good happy rabbity mojo, ha ha!

A Pink Leaping Bunny Who Could Want More!

My sweet vegan guy and I have been working so hard on my new website...

This pink leaping bunny was supposed to go on t-shirts BUT for now it's my new site header

and I adore it so so much, I feel like it just brings my website to  a whole new beautiful fresh level...

take a look-see and tell me what you think so far at www.MandySaile.com (bookmark it too please)

We are doing things a bit differently this time around with my website,

we're just tackling one page at a time and uploading & refreshing that page as we're done it.

So check out the changes so far, tell me what you think

& keep checking back cause it's just

getting better and better, so far we're done the Home page, Keep In Touch and Contact pages.

Pishner Toppingale Started

I have to be able to work in all kinds of corners of the house...

wherever a bunny needs company is where I have to be able to get some kind of artwork done...
On top of getting up every 10 minutes to see what a rambunctious bunny is up to
I also move between my work areas scattered throughout the house ALOT!

It's proven to be the only way to mix my two passions of bunnies & art
(with a life of debilitating chronic pain!)

For example, in Jaks room, I have several pieces going, coloured pencils, mixed medias & weaving's.
Whiles 'Florin Blue' is being done in the living room for the evening bunny rotation.
In my downstairs studio I have 3 lino cuts in progress, pastels, sketches, computer stuff etc
and than in Higgins area I have sketchbooks and a desk set up for when feltwork/stitchery strikes me.
Whiles in a corner of Misa's rooms, on a teeny desk, I just conjured up this new bird character...
it's my way of having 9 buns & still getting lots done, it works...most days, when the pain isn't bad! 

Florin Blue Started

I started a new bird...you've been seeing it's progress if you follow me on Instagram.

I like to title my pieces early on in the process if I can, it helps me connect with the piece, 

So this one is called "Florin Blue" because for some reason 'Florin' to me is a pretty name that I think of when I think of something feathery and 'Blue' because I am seeking beauty & peace in a sad time.

I Can't Wait To Show You...

This pretty gal is all done & I am so anxious to show you, she's going to make for lovely art prints

BUT my scanner is dead again....and of course so is my printer!...

Technology and I don't tend to get along well!!! So I've got to figure those 2 situations out asap

& than I'll be back on track to showing you images & shipping orders out, bear with me!!!

Working, Working, Working

I am whirling in circles between the studios, my new website currently underway & the bunnies...

Things feel crazy but my migraines & headaches have been a lot better the past 3 weeks, hooray!

Looking Promising

I won't have "Feather Song" completed today to show you so instead here's a peek at a new lino...

I've been doing a lot of linos, most I don't like enough to show but this ones looking promising.

A Pretty Bird

I love doing birds...so here's the first one of 2018...

the feather work is complicated so I am going gently, letting the colours lead me slowly...

this one is in Polychromos on stonehenge, a heavenly mix.

I think I might try something totally new for me, which is to leave the background white...

'What, you may ask'! ha ha, I know, it'll be a first and it'll be different because I am soooo used to filling in the background with colours as bright as the main part but I think for this one it'll be right.

Tiny Chisel

Tiny lines...

Tiny tiny chisel.

I Messed Up

I was so happy with how my nesting doll was turning out

but than I worked on her during a bad migraine when I shouldn't have and guess what

I completely screwed up the background!  I made it way too dark, I used the wrong medium,

I wanted to scream but than I calmed myself down and said okay Mandy, this is fixable...

The only thing to do was to cut her out which was more difficult than usual because
she's on thick watercolour paper but after I cut her out it was looking good again, phew!

So now I am just inking the thick paper sides so they aren't so noticeable than I'll lay her back
down, this time when I figure out the background I'll wait until I am clear headed!!!