Crystalised Ragworth

This morning was the first serious frost we've had here, so I wrapped up and snapped a few shots.
Don't they look sweet enough to eat, like crytalised candy flowers.
But wouldn't you know they're actually poisonous, so we'll give them a miss!
I'm posting it up for the topic 'Sweet', this weeks Thematic Photographic

Christmas Party Pals

"Is the hat really necessary" grumbled Toby, "yes,"replied Josh "it's a Christmas party for kids, they'll love you in it"
"Well, I feel ridiculous, like one of the seven dwarfs"
"Alright, Grumpy, lets go and have some fun, or is it Dopey?"
"Please, at least let me be Doc"

The boys are working out nicely, now I just have to develop a background style, that's the hard part for me.
Please, if anybody has background tips or ideas, I'd love to know about them.

Opinionated Pals

Toby was of the opinion that Joshua badly needed a haircut."I mean really, my dear chap" said Toby "you're looking rather scruffy, I can hardly tell if you're in there, I feel like I'm talking to a giant hair ball"
"Oh give it a rest Toby" Joshua replied "You know I hate going to the barbers, we're not all Dapper Dans like you, you know, and besides the grunge look is making a come back,so chill out dude."

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Opinion'.
These are two characters that I'm working on at the moment.
Joshua is the reincarnation of my Old English Sheepdog that I grew up with and loved dearly.He was a rogue and a slob and a real people person.
Toby is new to me, but he's definitely a another kettle of fish altogether! I wanted to create a contrast in the characters and have always loved Basset hounds, so he seems like a good choice.
Toby is very opinionated and Josh is very easy going, so they should rub along together nicely!

Broken Angels

This is a photo of my work in progress from a few years back.
Thought it fitted well for the topic 'Broken', this weeks Thematic Photographic
These are the 'green' clay angels, green meaning they still have to be fired in the kiln, then glazed and re-fired, so basically they're still in the very raw stage and easily broken!

Sorry about the poor quality photo below, but at least it gives you an idea of how they finished up.

Row of Penguins

I have a passion for penguins both the feather-back and the paperback kind!!
I'm always on the lookout in charity shops and car-boot sales to add to my collection.
They do seem to be getting scarcer, although you can still buy them in second hand book shops,but that kind of takes the thrill of the "Find".


Thematic Photographic this week is 'Rows'

Pretending to be wise!

Illustration Friday's topic last week was 'Wise' and this week it's 'Pretend'
So I'm submitting two in one!
These lemurs are pretending to be the three wise monkeys!
See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

" Wisdom is a variable possession. Every man is wise when pursued by a mad dog, fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion."

-Robertson Davies

A streak of Red Squirrel

I snapped this little fellow at Fota Wildlife Park
Unfortunately the red squirrel is almost as exotic in Ireland as are giraffes and cheetahs!
It was a thrill to get a glimpse of him and believe me that's all it was, they are so tiny and so fast, and perfectly camouflaged in the autumn leaves.
Well not perfectly 'cause they're like a streak of fire when the sun catches them.

Thematic Photographic this week is 'Autumn'

Popper

He's a nice guy even if he is a bit vacant!
You know, the light's on but nobody's home:)
Well he's a popper, what do you expect!!?

Illustration Fridays topic this week is 'Vacant'
Acrylic on canvas 8" x 8"

Night Prowler/ Peeping Tom

Thematic Photographic this week is 'night'

Photos of my furry friends in Fota wildlife park.

"Oh Gawd, here comes yer one again with her camera"



"Just act dumb"



Outa hear



Does this one remind anybody else of Circus McGurkus?



What, was it something I said!



"Figaro,figaro,figarooooh......



"mnaah..what can I tell ya...on de one hand it's dis on de other it's dat..."

Wordless Wednesday/Thematic Photographic

Ya, I know it's friday but I've had a busy week and I'm only catching up now!

Does anybody out there remember the LIGA ad,
"Where's my Liga"..."Children these days, so demanding"
Well that's what my photo reminds me of anyway:)

Thematic Photographic this week is 'Kids'
Check out other Wordless Wednesdays here

Wordless Wednesday

Martha Stewart 'n Me

No I'm not claiming to be the Cookie Monster, well not THE cookie Monster anyway!
I've entered a competition to be Blogged about by Martha Stewart, it would be something like Martha Stewart and the Messy monster.
But seriously how cool would that be, a living legend blogging about a living leprechaun!

Thematic Photographic 'Nature'

I'm taking part in Thematic Photographic, where a topic is posted every Wednesday evening.
This week it's 'Nature'
Well this little Ring tailed lemur is living, not quite as nature intended, on Fota Wild Life Park.
He's obviously missing his native Madagascar sun, or else he's been reading the tabloids where everybody seems to be using the sunbeds!

I'm not one for zoos myself but Fota Wild Life Park is exceptional and the only thing the animals complain about is the weather, but then so do the rest of the Irish population!

These Madagascar lemurs are my favourites, they're so full of character and mischief. They are an endless source of inspiration

Wordless Wednesday

Tuning into the tranny

Thematic Photographic post's a new topic every Wednesday evening.
This weeks is 'Close-up'
So here's a close-up of my transistor radio or tranny as we call it.
It belonged to my partner's Granny.
It's a Granny Tranny!
But in this day and age of ipods and mp3 players I still love my Granny Tranny.
There's something very comforting and companionable about taking your radio with you around the house.
Especially listening to it while gardening, it always reminds me of my teenage summers spent potato picking for pocket money.
The tinny sound of the tranny blaring out the 'Top Ten' hits of the day and the smell of warm freshly turned earth.
Ah yes those were the days my friend....

Island

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Island'
This is an old acrylic on board that I revamped in photoshop.
Below is an edgier version.
I think the top one has a sort of dreamy oasis feeling whereas the second one is like the aftermath of over population and pollution!

Wordless Wednesday/Thematic Photographic

Faded.

Rooks on the brain

Crows are my passion at the moment.
Rooks in particular, they're so charismatic.
The juveniles strut around in gangs, squabbling and squawking and throwing shapes, just like teenagers!
I've been taking lots of photographs and now I've finally started to sketch from them.
I did these two with my Inktense watersoluble pencils and then finished them off in photoshop by posterizing them.
I think it gives the sketches a more dynamic look.

Have a look at the cutest odd couple, it's like something Walt Disney would have made a movie out of:)

Clutter

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Clutter'
Something I do very well, this is just a small area of my desk.
From left to right we have Dinosaur Dave, Froggy, Doggy, Pink Monster and Martin.

Jim Henson, My Hero

The first time I went to the cinema, I was nine years old and the film was The Muppet Movie by Jim Henson
I was enthralled and still am:)




I had a trip down memory lane last night, watching all the Muppet Show clips on youtube.
It was a family ritual (the only one that nobody objected to) that on a sunday night everybody sat down together and part took in the crazy zaniness that was The Muppet Show.
As far as I remember there was only the one channel on RTE but had there been a choice the vote would have been unanimously in favour of Kermie and the gang.

PJ Lynch's slant on Vermeer's 'girl with the pearl earing'

'Boy with the blue base ball cap'




I came across this Irish Illustrator, P J Lynch, today at scamp

I'm in awe of his work and I can't wait to have my own copy of the book 'The Bee Man of Orn' which he has illustrated.
It looks so rich and intriguing, I just know I'll be sucked right in.
His youtube video is very interesting and he has a few others well worth watching too.
They take you right through his creative process, amazing stuff.

Ernie and his rubber ducky

8" x 8" Acrylic on canvas

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Memories'
Well I have very fond memories of watching Sesame Street and Ernie was definitely a favourite, actually he still is:)

Red Admiral Butterfly

Snapped this fellow a couple of days ago in the garden, isn't he a beauty!
Apparently they feed on nettles and buddleia and over ripe fruit.
I have all three, the fruit being blackberries!
It's nice to know somebody's benefiting from the abundance of nettles and brambles in my garden:)
I was surprised at the beauty of the design on the underside of his wings, his showy top side is almost boring in comparison.
He was quite friendly fellow too, he landed on my leg and stayed for a chat, not that he had much to say.
But in the words of Mr. Ronan Keating 'You say it best when you say nothing at all'
Lyrics, that I might add, I've always found annoying and offensive.
I mean, what, is she too stupid to express herself or too annoying when she does opens her mouth?
Anyway Mr. Red Admiral could have been telling me the answers to the universe and everything but I was far too busy oohing and ahhing at his gorgeousness!

Bats in the belfry

Ok I don't have a belfry but I did have a bat in the conservatory this morning.
He's a Pipistrelle, the most common bat found in Ireland.
Sorry about the poor quality of the photos but I was too excited by my guest to concentrate on the photo shoot!

He was tiny, about four cm, with his wings closed anyway.
But you should have seen his fangs, a mouth full of tiny sharp needle points that he kept bearing every time I went near, just as well he was a pipsqueak!
I found him just sitting on the floor and he made no attempt to spread his wings when I picked him up.
I put him into a box to keep him safe from Ms.Tippytoes the cat.
Gave him a drink of water with the head of a cotton bud, which he thoroughly enjoyed and put us on a far more friendly footing!

The water must have revived him, a few minutes later he crawled out of the box, sort of half flew, half fell to the floor, which seemed to remind him that he had wings and then he flew a little groggily out the door.

I hope he's ok, I was rather bereft to see him go, I had grown quite fond of his furry face:)

The Owl and the Pussycat

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Sail'

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

First verse of the poem by Edward Lear
I had to look it up as I could only remember as far as '...a five pound note'
So I didn't realise there were stars involved!
Oh well they have actually sailed right through the night into the dawn and Mr.Owl has put his guitar away and they've eaten all the honey:)

Submarines in heaven!

Love this song and the video is my idea of heaven!
I have just started surfing again after a six year lapse and now I can't believe I've left it for so long.
It's fantastic.
Although I do have to say it's Irish surf, that means I'm covered from head to toe in neoprene.

Dandelion clocks

Illustration Fridays topic this week is 'Poof'

One dandelion clock, one big puff and poof it's gone with the wind to create lots more dandelions.
Great, just what the garden needs!
But still I can't resist.
Poof, there goes anther one!

Rain Angel

Rain Angel


String of Pearl


Handful



Just a few more raindrops.