recent nailsperiments :)

Lymeric

There once was a girl from Blackwater
Who was very arty - well, sorta
Her projects would linger
'Til she pulled out her finger
And got down to work like she oughta

In memory of my time at university :P

beautiful silver lacy nails

Thrill the World 2010 and Scotland

SHOUT outs!

Browsing through Blogger, I was very excited to discover I'd been given a shout out from my friend Dan! http://dansonlinescrapbook.blogspot.com/ It's very sweet to be thought of so here's Dan's Blogger sketchbook so you can check his artwork out!
On another note, dear attentive readers, I do hope you weren't holding your breath since my last post because then you would surely be dead. I, on the other hand, am bouncing and alive and here's what I've been doing with my life:
First, I quit my job at Zumo at the start of October. It's just going downhill so badly and I couldn't cope with the stress anymore. All predictions point to bar closure in the near future, which at least makes me feel a little vindicated. I poured my heart and soul into that sh*t job for two years and got absolutely no thanks for it, it was time to move on.
I haven't found a replacement job yet but I feel like I can move on with my life now, now that that chapter has closed. I almost got a job at Barclays being a counter assistant, but after getting through CV check, online testing and a phone interview, I fell at the last hurdle when they actually met me face to face for the first time :P I have yet to squeeze any feedback from them despite promises beforehand that they would at least deliver this if not employment. One job that DID want me was unsolicited door-to-door chugging (charity mugging), 8 hours of bothering people in the cold and dark and rain for no guaranteed pay-off, not for me. I really just want a cosy 9-5 deskjob where I don't have to deal with customers, although I'm admitting defeat now and handing my CVs in at shops.
Halloween was a flop for us, since only two of the millions of people we asked could make it, so we had to cancel our house party. We ended up staying in like it was a normal night since we were both zoinked from staying up til 8am the previous night, watching horror films at Quad. This reminds me, my boyfriend and I have a joint Blogger now where we review films we watch, go check it out at http://coupleofspoilerz.blogspot.com/ ! I designed myself an awesome-cool Day Of The Dead outfit but haven't worn it yet, photos follow when I do. The one Halloweeny thing we DID do was the week previously when we dressed as zombies to dance Thrill The World, which was satisfying since Jim and I got to be in the front row :D
One last thing: searching online for jobs I found this oppertunity to design and write for a cross-stiching website, which was too good to pass up since I love crafty things! I've done a few designs at home but now I have some professional software and will be posting my own designs on the website in the near future. Check out the website here http://www.cross-stitch-ideas.com/ :D

Cheerio for now,
x Britta

another day, another nail

getting excited about hallween :D

The theme for our halloween party this year will be 'Mexican Day of The Dead', so we've starting planning what to do for food and costumes and such. We'll be trying to make sugar skulls and breads and other such Mexican snacks. For drinks, I think tequila will feature :D And COSTUMES! This is the bit I'm excited about :D I love painting my face and looking weird and wonderful ^__^ My plan is of course to be a sugar skull'd 'Catrina', complete with bouquet and flowers in my hair. This is what a Catrina looks like, for those not in the know. I found a tutorial on my regular crafting website, http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/, for making skull flowers, which are fabric flowers with little 'Jack Skellington' skulls in the center. So right now I have about 40 little clay skulls waiting to air-dry so I can get them painted up and glued onto the flowers I got from Poundland :D. Last night I did a makeup test for one possible version of my sugarskull face. Here's the sketched idea and then the photos. I can see that there's some improvement to be had with the jaw shape and the layout of the design elements, but for a first go I'm pretty happy :)

Photos from Germany

Germany Trip

I've been visiting family in Germany the last week, first in the picturesque town of Flensburg, then in Hamburg, which is basically London but better. The weather went a bit crazy; sunshine beating down one moment and then torrential rain the next, often stopping just as soon as I'd put my raincoat on to make me overheat with sun again. The trip was a really good break, lovely to see and get to know relatives (last I saw of them I was too small and didn't speak enough German to communicate well enough), and have Jim get to know them too. Amazingly Flensburg has jellyfish and starfish in the waters around the harbour (depending on seasonal conditions of course - we were lucky). Hamburg as I said is comparable to London, but it also has lots of green spaces and parkland which make it that much more pleasant. Though I don't think I will ever really like big cities with their big scary ways. Flensburg is much better for me. It even has its own Prince Pug! As well as a working rum distillary and many yummy food shops where even the bog standard is better than in England (think Greggs but with non-greasy, interesting pastries!). Photos to follow once I've sorted my way through all 300-odd of them (and that's AFTER I'd deleted all the fuzzy/duplicated ones!)

stripey / leopardy / lacy nails :D

pidgeon etching plate nail prints :D

turns out nails are fun :D

Strawberries painting

To celebrate Summer :) Lest we forget as the days darken, that joy once existed...

i still exist

Just incase you were wondering
still here
just not updating my blog
Anyone dissapointed?
no :)
I'll be back when I have wonderful pictures to share!
Like I said before, I do draw every day
Just a matter of uploading it all
such HARD WORK!
One of these days eh? :)
byeeeeeee!

continuing flibblyness

I have my brother visiting for the weekend, so today we went out to an activity farm and stroked some goats and fed the chickens and rabbits and ginueapigs. There was a big black pot bellied pig too but he was hiding in his plastic tub most of the time. Took some good photos, might use some to draw from. Good day :)

Please not the dappy lions anymore!

Gosh
Well
You might have noticed.
That art a day thing didn't last long did it?
Main reason was I had a couple of long days at work
like wednesday, 8am to 6:15, then straight to dancing, then straight to cinema, then 45 minute walk home and then BED!
No way the first thing I think to do when I get home is say Yes Let's Sit Down And Update My Bloggity Blog!
So I didn't
and now it's been like 3 days
and I feel like a faaaaiiiilllluuuureeee
but not too bad because it's not like this is the end of the world
I've decided an art a day isn't really do-able
I mean I do draw every day
or at least doodle
But scanning it and uploading it an all
not so much fun
so from now on I'll post when I have the proper urge to
when I have something exciting and relevant
and not just throw pictures of dappy lions and such at you
god that lion was a bit crap wasn;t it?
I appreciate y'all for not saying anything
God knows I hate criticism
But I am always looking at my art myself
and I can tell if it is a bit dodgy
most of it is tbh
but some bits shine through :)
and you gots to perservere
cos the more art you make, the more there is to have a chance of shining
that's my theory
I realised at college and uni
watching my fellow pupils
not that I wish to be mean
but sometimes quantity IS quality
like you see one picture
it;s a bit crap
but if someone's filled 20 sketchbooks with it, and has framed one nicely
then you start to think there must be something to it
like that must be their STYLE
and who knows if they do that so much
they're bound to develop
and have it all figured out
and it'll count.

So.

I'm not planning to throw quantites of crap at you.

But I wish to just use this post to say sorry I fell off the art a day bandwagon
But I WILL be posting more arts
and hopefully with this new mindset
they will be better.

Or at least not dappy lions.
x Britta

1st request art

'machines or rocky landscapes' was the suggestion last night, so here's a quarry with some scaffolding :) Might do something more 'machine'-y tomorrow, since I'll admit scaffolding is a bit of a cop-out. I based it on a picture I founded on the internet of a film crew (hence the scaff) in a quarry. I like the colours (dropper-tool samples from the original photo) and the dotty rock. Thoughts/suggestions anyone?

Wizard of Oz - Brain *and* 'da noive'

I drew a lion with a very basic nervous system. Gah. I should really dedicate a bit more time to these drawings, and maybe fingure out a theme. So that I can develop, not just do a random thing each day, which fun though it is, doesn't make me feel like I've acomplished much. Maybe I should start getting people to request things? That would be more of a challenge. Any suggestions?

doodle a day number 3

Just a quick one this morning as I'm working most of the day. After work I'm going straight to Poetry night, and I've actually written a poem for it for once! Never performed yet so I shall see if I have the nerve. It's a very long one, telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood. I shall post it tomorrow maybe if it hasn't been too traumatic! Anyway, back to the picture; It's a fox with cybernetic front legs, and his friend mouse who designed them for him. It's nothing amazing but I do think the fox is quite cute and charming :)

2nd day, second picture

Browsing through the internets I found this cute goat and decided he'd make a good 'art for the day' number two! I meant to just do a quick sketch but I think he ended up taking me about 40 minutes of tweaking and layering. He's still not perfect. I think next time something a little more free-hand will get more exciting results. I know goats have weird eyes anyway but this guy's are just ... bleh. Not even freaky devil goat eyes. Just dead.
I do like his little expression though, and the fact that he has his mobile number pinned to his ear so any goat laydees who like what they see can get right in there :D

2nd post in as many days

gosh aren't I prolific?
if that is the word
I've seen a thing where people have a blog and they do a doodle every day
like every single day
including birthdays
including christmas
Every
Single
Day
.
Could I do that?
do I have the commitment?
Do I have the ARTS??
only one way to find out :)
I'll do an art quickly to start it off...




















...
tadaa!
It's a hyena
bearing in mind I didn't look at a hyena before I drew it
it might not look anything like a hyena
infact before I put the spots on, I was complimented on my lovely hedgehog
but it is half past midnight
and I am pretty pleased with my grouchy hyena friend
makes a pleasant change from all those horrible laughing-at-you hyenas
(stupid hyenas)
so I hope you like too!
This is it my friends!
The first of what will hopefully be a long and unbroken string of doodles
ahem I mean GREAT WORKS OF ART!
oh yes!
Definately won't be just drawing them in Paint
*ahem*
...
...
comments please :)

1st blog ever woooo

gah.
I was really into doing a blog
and then this was all more complicated than I thought
and now I'm deflated
like a forgotten beach ball
all colourful and fun looking
but ultimately useless
sigh

maybe tomorrow.