Scraperboards and Bluebells and Blossom

I really enjoyed the two giveaways I have just completed even though they were quite a bit of work. All but three packages have been posted now and two of those will go on Tuesday (Bank Holiday on Monday). The third one is just waiting for an address. I know some bloggers have already received their prizes but please let me know if anyone doesn't receive theirs.

This quirky little piece is Bird Guardian

I was browsing in a local art shop on Saturday when I came across some scraperboards and tools and I decided to buy them and have a go. I have been meaning to try this technique for ages but haven't actually got around to it till now. I must have been one of the very few school kids who never got to try this out. I think perhaps our art master Mr Woods didn't like scraperboard. It took a little while to get the hang of the scraping tools but I am very pleased with the result considering I am a complete novice. I think perhaps I should have made the bird and the girl's face whiter but the scan has made the whole thing greyer than it actually is in reality. Perhaps a photo would be better. The tools were very cheap as I didn't want to spend much until I had decided whether I liked the technique. I have decided that I do and I will invest in something of better quality. It is a very similar process to linocut in that you are carving white lines and therefore you need to plan your work much more carefully than you would a drawing. I think it will be quite a little while before I can produce anything remotely like the Cathie Bleck artwork below mine...haha.

White Bird

Here are some seriously professional scraperboard images by American artist and illustrator Cathie Bleck, although Cathie uses a slightly more complex technique by using layers of ink in her work. She is truly a master of this medium with so much detail, energy and graceful lines in her work. Cathie has her own website here with lots more black and white and coloured images. You can also see lots of her work on the Enid Lawson Gallery website here.

Cheetah

With The Wind

Polar Bear's Dilemma

I found this delightful childrens' poetry book in a charity shop the other day. It is a collection of poems compiled by Nicola Baxter and illustrated by Cathie Shuttleworth.

Cathie is an English artist and illustrator who hails from Suffolk. She has illustrated many books over the years and her style is wonderfully delicate and detailed watercolours. These are just the sort of illustrations that I loved as a child. Cathie has also branched out into very clever paper sculptures and you read all about that on her website here.

I couldn't resist uploading a couple more cherry blossom pictures. All the blossoms are fading away now, especially with the very wet weather we are having this weekend.

I like Jill Stewart's quirky and decorative metalwork a lot. She lives in the north of England and creates lovely clocks, mirrors and jewellery among other things, using differently coloured metals. Her work is very decorative with etching and texts and she obviously loves birds and forms of nature. You can find Jill's website here.

Clocks

Earrings

We found a wonderful bluebell wood whilst out geochaching last Sunday. The bluebells weren't out properly that day but I made a return visit later in the week and captured them in all their glory. There were two shots of the wood but Blogger, in its infinite wisdom, decided to delete the other one and as you all know you cannot fit anything into the post once it is uploaded. Still, not to worry as I have lots more bluebells to come yet...lol.

and these are the individual flowers that make up those gorgeous swathes of blue

I love Karen Birchwood's beautifully delicate and fresh approach to painting. Her work is filled with colour and light. Karen originally graduated in textiles but has now moved to painting in the Kent area of England. She takes her inspiration from the landscapes of "the garden of England" and is also inspired by the likes of Mary Fedden - another favourite of mine. She has lots more lovely artwork on her website here.

Red Mug

Garden View II

Wild Flowers, Romney Marsh

The lithographic images below are the work of Czech graphic artist/printmaker Marina Richterova. She was born in Russia and you can see that influence in her work. I love the intense detail and the melancholy of her art. You can see masses more images of her work on Celebrities on the Web here. If you click on the images on the right sidebar and then click on the image again you will get an enlarged version of the picture.

Haiku

Donna 2006

Butterfly Dreams

The Pilgrims

Portrait In Red Chemise - In Honour To My Father