Hoarding stuff

Illustration Friday's topic this week is "Hoard'

Well I'm a self confessed hoarder.
I cannot walk on the beach without picking up pebbles, feathers, shells or whatever else might catch my eye.
I cannot walk past a charity shop without having a good old rummage.
I cannot throw out a shirt without saving the buttons.
I have boxes big and small full of bits and bobs that I just know will be crucial to some artwork someday somewhere!
The fact that it has never happened yet doesn't stop the hoarding.
So for this weeks Illustration Friday I gathered some treasures together in a sort of display case format.
I haven't worked out the logistics of keeping it all together to be able to hang it on the wall yet.
But I must say I thoroughly enjoyed playing with my precious hoard, it was like meeting old friends!
Below are a few close-up photos.

Smelly animation

'A rude awakening!'

illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Punchline'

This is my very first animation.
I know it's silly but to be honest I'm quite proud of it really.
It was done in flipbook
Which I found via bookbaby

Hydrangea

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden lately.
Mostly behind the camera but a bit of actual gardening does happen every now and then, like when a withered flower pops into the view finder I deadhead it!
But I'm really enjoying the colour spectrum of the hydrangea as it slowly changes from the vibrant blues and purples of it's first flush to the more subtle hues of later days.
It's a perfect example of ageing gracefully and beautifully!
Below is my study in watercolour of the early petals. I found it very difficult to create the transition of blues to purples that occur, it's so delicate and subtle and yet vibrant too. Mother Nature is so talented:)

When the day breaks

I came across this beauty on milk and cookies blog who explains how they did it too.
It was created by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.
You can watch a larger version of it here
And it certainly deserves a bigger screen.

Worry

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Worry'
I've put the two worriers up 'cause I'd love to know which one others find better or worse as the case may be!

Malevolent Magpies

My bird feeders have attracted a couple of uninvited guests, monstrous magpies!
Well monstrous is a bit extreme, they're actually beautiful to look at but their tendency to eat smaller bird's babies is rather off-putting.
Naturally their carnivorous appetite has widely discouraged my little feathered friends from visiting quite so often as they have done in the past.
I'm disgusted, this time last year I was happily enjoying the antics of the Green finch and their chicks as they figured out how the feeder worked. No sign of them this year.






I still have a few blue Tits, coal tits and great tits feeding, and chaffinches too, but there haven't been any baby birdies yet.
I keep shooing off the magpies, but they're really cheeky.
They have pecked a big hole in the bird feeder to get at the nuts, do they think they're vegetarians or something!
I just wish they'd go find some roadkill for themselves and leave my feeders alone.

We are sailing ,Music video

Via BifSniff
This is a real favorite of mine. The music is by a Cork singer song writer, John Spillane and the animation is by Frank Prendergast.
It always puts a smile on my face.