The Owl and the Pussycat, next instalment

Happy New Year everyone! I got my pencils earlier today, so here is the next part of 'The Owl and the Pussycat'. Tomorrow I must see what a turkey looks like on Google, and finish the story.

The Owl and the Pussycat, and a bit of DIY

Busy day here! Guess what? I finally put those blinds up! You know, the ones which have been under the bed for two years! Woohoo, I can't believe I actually did it! The kitchen looks really fab now, ( I better take some pics tomorrow, as you don't know what on earth I'm talking about!) I also cut loads of logs, had a sort of tidy of the garage, then lit a lovely fire and had dinner - fabulous!

When I was away, I had this idea to illustrate some Nursery Rhymes, so first up is 'The Owl and the Pussycat', by Edward Lear. I haven't finished it, as I have run out of black pencils - but we're going to get some tomorrow, so I'll finish it then. I also need to find out what a turkey looks like, as a turkey marries the Owl and the Pussycat in Bongland!

Lock up your piglets - I'm back!

Hi Everyone in Blogland! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I got back yesterday, after a mammoth squishing on a packed National Express bus - I think half the country was migrating to Scotland for 'Nerdy', so seven hours of sitting squashed and hurtling up the M6! Yuk! But, oh how wonderful beyond wonderful to be back with my kitties, and Liz had the cottage lit up beautifully, with the Christmas tree lights twinkling - it's great to be home! I worked hard whilst at mums, and here are a few pictures for you to see, which I hope you like. I'll post up some more later on, and go over and see what you've all been up to, but for now I'll just do this quickly, as I want to cut some wood and generally do some bits and bobs! First up are some rough sketches and I think the rough for Illustration Friday 'Voices', which didn't go up in time, but never mind.

You can click on the images to see them bigger, and read all my mad annotation!

Happy Christmas to my Blogging Friends!

Hi Everyone, I haven't gone yet, ha ha! I go early tomorrow morning. I'll be away for nearly two weeks, yikes! I like going to my mums, but I find it hard to be away from my home and peekycatkins. To say 'bye bye', here are a few images from our cottage, showing some of our Christmas decorations. We had a pre-Christmas dinner on Sunday, so you can see our table! Well, I better sign off for now - with any luck, I'll be on my ibook at ma's, so watch this space! All that remains is to wish you all a very Happy Christmas, full of joy. Thank you for visiting my blog, and the lovely, encouraging comments you have left - doing this has changed my life! Ta-ta for now!

Santa Comes to Fluffville Part Two!

I am off to Hereford tomorrow, on the good ol' National Express (coaches that go all over the UK for not-much-money) and I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog when I get there, as my mum doesn't have a computer - let alone a scanner or broadband! Soooo, I really wanted to get this coloured in, but I won't have time. Here you can see the traced-up drawing, ready for colour (I hope it works!) As you can see, thanks to the wonders of technology, Santa does get to Fluffville, and delivers his presents to the Fluffballs. Phew! Thank Goodness for that!

Illustration Friday ' Rambunctious'

Here is the finished strip! Needless to say, the blinds and shelves for the kitchen are still under the bed (where they have been for the past two years!) I got a bit carried away wanting to finish this! When I saw the word ' Rambunctious', I hadn't the foggiest what it meant! A quick Google and I found ' Active, boisterous, disorderly, loud, raucous, rough, rowdy....' well, I'm not sure the Fluffville Orchestra were that bad, but the audience didn't seem to like them much. Poor Tiddles! I feel that Tiddles is a bit like me - he tries and tries, but it always seems to go pear-shaped! Never mind, Tiddles, we just gotta keep trying!

A Peep inside a Sketchbook!

Hi, come a have a look in here; I have started work on this weeks theme for Illustration Friday, and I thought I would share a spread from my little sketch book, where all ideas take shape - good, or otherwise! I'll try and get the picture drawn over the weekend, but I have other domestic 'stuff' to do, like putting new blinds and shelves up in the kitchen. (Isn't it weird that people really do put shelves up at the weekend!)

Zap! Pow! Another One!

Well, even though I didn't really like my first attempt, I had a go at another strip today - this time, a bit bigger. I still think it would be better to scan an inked image, and colour it in with photoshop. (I make myself laugh, as reading this back, it sounds as if I know what I'm talking about - which I don't!) Anyway, enough waffling, here is Tiddles the Tiger, demonstrating how to make a Christmas Pudding...Hmmm, an oddly oven-baked version!?

Pow! Zap! A Comic Strip!

I, in my infinite lack-of-wisdom, thought I would give the Fluffballs of Fluffville their own comic strip...what I didn't realise is how long it would take, and how fiddly-widdly it would be! I have since seen on the web that comic strip artists do them a lot bigger than I did, and they probably use digital software to colour them in - I coloured mine in with pencils Oh well, ha ha! It took about two days of screwing up my eyes and sharpening my pencils into little pointy points! (If you click on one of the images - sorry, not sure which one - you can see it much bigger)

PS. It's the top one!

IF: Fluffville Fancy Dress Party!

This weeks Illustration Friday theme is 'Similar', which I think is even harder than 'Opinion' ( but then, I think they're all hard unless they say something really basic like 'Teddy Bear' or 'Dog'!) Anyway, the little residents of Fluffville are having a fancy dress party, and there seem to be a few similar Batmen (or should that be bat-mice or bat-pandas?!)

Skiing Pandas!

Here is a little illustration of the Fluffville annual winter ski race! This must be the inaugural one, as there haven't actually been any others! (But I'm told it will be a yearly event!) Don't forget to buy your yummy hot-dog from the Bunny in the van! (You won't believe this, but I really have a hot-dog trailer like that in my garage - another one of my mad eBay money-making ideas!)

Illustration Friday 'Balloon'

What a great theme for this weeks Illustration Friday! Balloons are lovely - colourful, fun, happy! They remind me of summer days, sweet-smelling Meadows and picnics in the sunshine...... I must be imagining all that, because we don't actually have sunshine, well not the sort you can picnic in in your t-shirt! Anyway, that's certainly not the case in Fluffville, as the little pandas are playing in their hot air balloon under a beautiful blue sky (I have actually run out of white crayons!). Oh, to live in Fluffville! (Well, some might say I do!)

Stiff Neck :(

I have got such a stiff neck today (and yesterday). It's horrible, as I'm usually a very energetic person, but I'm just bumbling around at the moment, trying not to move too much! I had a car accident a few years ago, and it's never been quite right, but not usually this bad.....sucks. So, to cheer myself up, I was looking at my Venice pics from the summer - nothing like a Venice hit to make anyone smile! What an amazing place! Full of intriguing images, hidden alleyways and shadows! Ooooh, it's just the best place there is!

Italiano belissimo!

On the theme of nice old things which aren't in any way technical, here is a pic of my coffee maker and my Lucky Kitten espesso cup. This little blue Bialetti makes the most delicious cafe - which just goes to prove, you don't need to spend 100's on a tab-whatsit-looks-like-K9 coffee maker. Mind you, I wouldn't say no to a nice, shiney Giaggia in my kitchen! I got my Bialetti about six years ago, from Umbertide market, and it's still making great coffee! I'm trying to set up my new ibook today, which is so frustrating, as it's completely different to this pc, and I can't seem to get it to recognise my printer. I really like it, though, and I'm sure I'll get there in the end! (Just not sure when 'the end' will be, probably when I'm 90!)

First Job of the Day

My first job of the day is go up in to the woods at the back of our cottage, and cut some firewood ready for the evening. I really enjoy this, as it's good, physical work (and much more fun than the gym!) and it also means we get to keep warm for free! I gather old, fallen logs and branches, then saw them up with my trusty old hand-saw. I really, really wanted a chain saw - but then I thought, it's just lazy - get working with a normal saw, the old-fashioned way! Here are tonights logs in my Radio Flyer. It's a cool little red truck which I think is made in the US for pulling small children along! My Radio Flyer is from the 60's and is very retro. I think people here use them for transporting beer at festivals, but I don't really drink that much beer, or go to festivals, so I use it for logs!

Lovely Old Toys

These are my most treasured possessions, some of my old teddies, bunnies and dogs. I have had these toys for as long as I can remember, and they have travelled everywhere with me. Despite the many ups and downs of life, we are still together. I love these things very much, and I'd never part with them.

A Ticket to Ride

I used to love collecting tickets; this was in the days when tickets were little works of art all in their own right, not the nasty computer-generated things they are today, or, (shudder) 'e-tickets'. But times move on, of course, and I use e-tickets now. Here is a collection of tickets - British Rail, London Transport - I love the shapes the Conductors machine made, a different reason for every shape! How lovely!

Christmas pressie idea!

If you have a little one, or know someone with a littlely, how about one of these personalised pictures for Christmas? They are hand-drawn, and each one is unique. You can also choose which furry animals you want! They are in my on-line shop http://www.jumblesalerabbits.com/

Illustration Friday, but it's Monday, again!

Good Morning, brrrrrr, it's cold out there! This weeks Illustration Friday topic is 'Opinion'. Ooh, difficult! But I had a little think, and came up with this one. The mice are attentive students, listening to their teacher, who is telling them about their homework - which is to write an essay, expressing - yes, you've guessed it - their opinion!

I am more important than drawing!

Here is a picture of Magic, aka 'Maggot' or 'Mags', our lovely, gentle little fluffy cat. Magic came to us by way of an advert in the local supermarket (a great place, it seems, if you want a cat, as we were tipped off about Bob there too!) The ad read 'Free to a good home, fluffy black cat. Good natured'. Ah! Who could resist? Well not me, as we got her, and she is the sweetest little thing; really placid and unassuming, not like our big boys!

Woohoo! I have made a new website!

Goodness me! I am feeling rather shocked, as today I bought a 'Mr Site' thingummybob that helps you make your own website. As you have all probably gathered, I am seriously rubbish at computers, but, I have managed to do this! Me! Wow! It's such a cool site, it has a little on-line shop with a check-out and everything! You can see it at

http://www.jumblesalerabbits.com/

And another thing - I had my first Etsy sale today! I have sold a 'Peeping Bunny' card to someone in the USA! Zoiks! I have made three pounds and thirty-six pence since giving up my job! I know it's not much, but one small step for man, etc etc!

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it. I'm about to loose control and I think I like it......

(Shut up Liz, and go do do some cleaning or something useful!)

Now, what shall I buy with my three pounds thirty-six!

Illustration Friday 'Pretend'

Here's my illustration for this weeks topic, 'Pretend'. This little boy is playing dressing up and pretending to Batman! Another highly interlectual and academic response to the topic form me, haha! Hope you like it.

The Tale of Bobbity Bob Cat

Out shopping in town some five or six years ago now, we bumped in to someone who asked us if we were still looking for a cat. (We had just lost a little puss, and felt very lost without one). The lady worked at a factory rather in the middle of nowhere, and said that a big ginger cat had been living under a portacabin at the factory for the whole of the summer, about six months.....It was now November, cold and raining - not a very nice time to be living under a portacabin! The lady continued to tell us that the poor ginger cat had a nasty wound on its back, possibly caused by a dog bite.

We were immediately concerned and decided to try and find Mr Ginger at the factory, so in the pitch black, armed wih some crunchy biscuits and a box, we ventured out in to the dark night.....

We arrived at the deserted place, located the cabin, and called out, 'Puss, puss, puss'; sure enough, a huge ginger tom cat came running from under the portacabin, and jumped (he really did!) into Liz's arms. He had a cuddle, dripping wet by now, and full of mud, then had a feed of biscuits. We were alarmed at the state of the wound though. It went from his neck all the way down to his tail. It was awful, raw and open - really nasty.

So, into the box with Mr Ginger, and straight to see our vet, who administered antibiotics, pain-killing injections and bandaged him up like something from Holby City!

We christened him 'Bob', and he has been with us ever since. A real character and great hunter. (At least Bob eats his victims, unlike Magic and Bacon who seem to think we would like their mousey offerings alive!)

The road to getting Bobs injury sorted was a long one, as every time it started to heal up, he would scratch it and we would back to square one. I had to put him in a babygro, which for a big, butch cat was not a good thing! However, it did the trick, and now all that remains is a smallish, pink bald patch where his fur will not grow back.

So here is a picture of our beloved Bob-Cat aka 'Precious', as that is what he is - as are all lovely animals, everywhere.

Come and have a look inside my studio!

Well, it's my bedroom, actually. I don't have a studio. That's not entirely true - I have a proper little wooden hut at the top of the garden, but it's so so cold and damp in there at this time of the year. Ideally it needs to have insulation put on the walls, and nice cladding, but that sort of thing costs money - which is one thing we don't have at the moment, so it will have to wait! I do have the most adorable tiny woodburner to go in it, I'll take some pics of that to show you when it stops raining, as it's out in the garage.So, get a cuppa and come and have a look at some of my things. I made the memory board many years ago, and it has some of my favorite things on it; an old photo of my mum and dad, some lovely antique postcards, and some nice words from my friends....a wee bit of Dylan Thomas, and there's probably some Phillip Larkin there somewhere, ah, the angst of my youth!

The fab pencils are my fave medium, Karisma - they're called Prisma Colour now, and difficult to get hold of. So nice to work with though.

The rough guides are places I've been, most of them in my old VW Bus, which I've just sold :(

Enjoy the pics - I'm procrastinating, as usual! But better go now and do do boring, banky, formy-filling-in-type-things!

You can dance! You can jive!

.....Having the time of your life,

Oooh, oooh, oooh see that Bunny, watch that Bunny,

Diggin' the dancing Bunny,

La la la la la la........

Here is a Dancing Bunny for Saturday. I have gone slightly mad from doing lots of cleaning and possibly breathing in fumes!

(Apologies to Abba)

Frustrating day and a T Shirt

Arrggghhh! I really struggle with computers and technical stuff! I 'had' to go for an IT lesson today, to try and learn how to print cards, as I just can't seem to suss it out myself.....Well, it seemed to go OK, but of course, when I got home, I still couldn't make the flippin' thing print properly. Grrrrr.

I suppose I'll have to go back unless a miracle happens. What a clutz I am.

I did manage to produce a T shirt which is here for you to see; maybe I should stick to drawing - maybe I should just go and watch 'Murder She Wrote' on the telly......

Paddington Bunny!

I just wanted to say a little thank you to all the people who have left comments and visited my blog. It's so thrilling for me - I am just starting out doing this, although I'm getting dangerously close to being 50! It's so exciting, and quite a leap of faith, as I gave up quite a good (ish) job to 'follow my dream'. So a very big thank you to all who come by for a look - I appreciate it!

Bacon on a rug

This from Bacon, for Connie xx

IF

Here is my effort for this weeks Illustration Friday topic, 'Wise'. This is a very wise Bunny who is good at maths!

More Bunnies and a logo

We managed to finish another Bunny card today for Scotland Unltd called Bunny Cooking. We also tweeked (what a great word!) our 'company' logo for the back of the cards, so quite a productive day all in all. I was working on my Illustration Friday entry for this week, but it's so dark, and my glasses aren't quite right, so I'll finish it tomorrow in the light.

Artists' Cards

Artists' Cards commissioned these cards twenty-seven years ago - where did that time go? It seems like yesterday in so many ways, yet there are people who are gone, some sadness and regret, which is inevitable I suppose..... On the other hand, thanks to Blogger and the internet, I have discovered old friends who are successful and inspirational, and learned we always have the opportunity to turn things around, change things, make it better, do it right......