Captain Malcolm Reynolds - Firefly

I completely forgot about posting this painting which I completed a few weeks ago. The subject is Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly.

As usual I started with a rough black and white painting to get the general shapes and lights and shadows placed.

 

Once I was happy with the black and white painting, I added the first layer of colours and tweaked the composition again. I also put in the basic background so to make it easier to tie the subject and background together ay the end.

At this point I tweaked Malcolm's face a little, it looks a lot more like him now. I also added more colour and started putting a little more texture into the background to make it weathered.

...And here's the finished article. I had lots of trouble with the gun but got there in the end, and I had lots of fun creating the messy background.

I'm currently in the process of updating my website and finishing off a exciting commission so watch this space for up coming news. Alternatively if you would like to be kept up to date with work in progress and news please like my FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/TessaLakeillustration

Alphonse Mucha Practice Sketch

Alphonse Mucha Practice Sketch

Alphonse Mucha is one of the most famous art nouveau artists. Even if you haven't heard of him you will have probably seen his work which is easily recognizable by the elegant art nouveua style, iconic line art and delicate watercolour washes. He's also one of my favorite artists by far and I often practice doing sketches after his work when I'm struggling to think of what to draw.

...So, this year hasn't gone quite to plan yet. At the start of the year I had big plans for doing a lot more artwork. However in January I was informed that I was being made redundant (something that came to pass last week) as a result I have mostly been trying to think of ways to feed myself over the next few months!

Despite this and the ever present need to find a new job I will be trying to pick up my feet over the next few weeks. I have several ideas in the pipeline including several individual paintings, a few projects that I'd like to get finished and a deck of tarot cards. I also hope to spend a lot more time sketching and drawing as I seem to have allowed myself to get side tracked from that recently.

On top of this I'm hoping to redesign my website again using some very complicated looking books on XHTML, CSS and Java that I picked up at the library and open a eBay store.

So, if you'd like to keep up to date on whether I'm being a good girl and drawing instead of watching episodes of Lost and eating cookies, now would be a good time to "like" my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TessaLakeillustration which is updated regularly with random photos taken from my phone and odd bits of non-blog-worthy news!

Happy New Year!

 Christmas Mini Commission

Here we are in January, at the start of a whole new (hopefully excellent) year. I hope all of my visitors had a enjoyable Christmas with lots of food and the odd tipple.

For me the Christmas period was full of highs and lows. The highs were getting lots of lovely art books and a shiny new Spyder (a clever technical thing that improves the colour output on my monitor) sadly this was offset by my last little rescue rodent passing away Christmas nigh.

RIP Peanut My special little boy

He was named peanut due to his tendency to annoy everyone (human or rodent) around him to such an extent that he had to be separated from his brothers for the sake of their sanity. But once he became a only rat he seemed to mellow, he also invented the "yoggie dance" which seemed to involve jumping up and down on his hind legs while doing jazz hands until someone gave him a yoggie... It always worked! He passed away at the grand old age of just over 3 1/2 smashing Reggies record for rodent longevity.

So, what do I have planned for this year? Well I already have a few possible commissions to look forward to and I'm hoping to be a lot busier on that front this year. I am also planning to take part in a lot more craft fairs and produce a lot more limited edition prints. So all in all I'm planning to draw, paint and generally work my little socks off! I also intent to be a lot more fastidious about updating my blog, so I should be posting at least once per week (Or I will have to take myself outside and give myself a good talking to).

Todays picture is of the secret mini commission completed before Christmas. The client wanted a vintage teacup cameo necklace and specified that person it was made for is not a girly girl so no flowers. Instead I used a gold lace motif which was no small feat particularly as my computer decided that it didn't like the first one and chose to crash just as I finished! Modern technology is definitely a double edged sword.

Don't forget that you can now follow me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TessaLakeillustration

News from the Studio

So, I’ve been quite quiet again recently for a very good reason. My poor old laptop, which I have been using for my artwork for the past couple of years, has been slowly grinding to a halt. It was barely usable up until a week or two ago when despite repeated attempts to resuscitate it, it rolled over and refused to do anything more exciting than look at Facebook. On the bright side I am now expecting a shiny new computer with whistles, bells and the spec to actually do what I want… I’m just a little excited :-)

While I remember. Here’s a picture of my stall at the Vic vintage fair earlier this month. It was lots of fun not least because it was being held in a pub! Although I’m afraid my takings may have mostly been spent on tea and cake…

The next event that I will be attending will be the M.E.C.A Craft and Vintage fair in Swindon town centre on the 9 th of December. I’ve been by sellers that were at the Vic that it has a brilliant atmosphere so I’m really looking forward to this one! :-)

Don't forget that if you want to be kept up to date with all my latest news and some sketches that don't make it onto my blog just head across to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TessaLakeillustration and click "like" :-)

Time for a short news round-up

Hello Peeps!

The past couple of weeks have been a little quiet in the studio (also known as the messy corner of the living room!) due to some rather intense decorating after I decided that all my walls should be white. About 6 coats of paint latter and I’m nearly in a position to put the studio back into working order and get started on a new painting. Watch this space! I’m also working on getting some note cards made from “Make Way for the King” and my burlesque ladies, and I have some rather fantastic limited edition, giclee prints of “Make Way for the King” that I will be putting on sale soon!

In addition to being able to follow me on Blogger, Facebook and Twitter, on Sunday 21^st October you can pop along to the Vintage & Craft fair at the Vic, Old Town, Swindon and keep me company while I man my stall selling prints and other goodies. All donations of cups of tea gratefully received!

Technical Difficulties Once Again!

I was hoping to share with you one of my many current work in progress tonight but sadly Blogger says no! My recurring upload problem has… well... reoccurred.

I shall now go and spend several fruitless hours trying to get assistance and answers to my problem which I’m sure will do no good but hopefully my problem will mysteriously disappear again within a few days like last time.

Wishing you all a glitch free weekend!

New Website and Folksy Shop

I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks but I haven’t been idle. In preparation for the vintage fair next weekend I’ve been revamping my website and creating a Folksy shop which is now up, running and stocked!!!

So please pop along to my website at www.amatheya.co.uk and let me know what you think of the new layout and design and drop by my new Folksy store http://folksy.com/shops/Amatheya and let me know what you think.

Hopefully I’ll have some new artwork ready to share in the next two weeks!

RIP Anne McCaffrey

I rarely blog about real world news but I was truly sadden to learn that the Anne McCaffrey passed away today at the age of 85.

Ann McCaffrey has been writing since the 60’s and I’ve been a fan of hers for over half my life thanks to her Dragon Rider books. Since reading Dragonflight I’ve tracked down nearly everything she’s ever written and read it at least twice. Many of those books have become staple favourites of mine and inspiration for my artwork…. It was a model dragon based on her character Ramoth that earned me the A* in my Art GCSE that convinced me to go to art school.

It’s very sad to think of all the stories that will now never be written but Ann has left a huge legacy for sci-fi fans that won’t soon be forgotten.

RIP Anne McCaffrey and thank you for the dragons.

Technical Difficulties – The Continuing Saga

Well I’m no further on in my quest to banish the technical difficulties from my blog. Now not only can I not post pictures but I also can’t look at my blog details and traffic report. I’ve still not received any response from Blogger but I have had a nice chat with a lovely lady called Ms Ruby who runs Ruby’s Musings (http://ruby-rubymusings.blogspot.com/) a lovely vintage style blog. She is also having issues getting her uploaded photos onto her posts and has been trying to get help to resolve the problem (which in her case is intermittent) since May!!! That doesn’t bode well for my chances.

I will give Blogger a week or so to resolve the problem but if I get no further in that time I’m afraid I will have no choice but to pick up sticks and move to another service. I really don’t want to move as I have connected with some amazing people through the site and it will be a little like leaving a home where I’ve made friends with the neighbours and just finished the decorating but if Blogger won’t let me upload my artwork I can’t see how I can stay.

It’s all very sad and I hope it doesn’t come to that… I’m sure the saga will continue soon!

Technical Difficulties Again

Once again my blog seems to be giving me grief. I am currently unable to load images. The problem has been reported and hopefully it will not take long for the technical bods at Blogger to kick the gremlins out of the system but until then I shall just have to ramble on without all the pretty pictures.

WIP 8

Not much of an update for you today I’m afraid, just a little work on the paints and paintbrushes. The reason for the appalling lack of progress is two fold. Firstly I’m being a little pathetic and didn’t get anything done over the weekend because I have a cold. Secondly when I sat down to work tonight I was almost immediately interrupted when a firework shattered my living room window!
Luckily only the outer glass of my double glazing was broken but the whole room seemed to shake with the explosion, it felt like being fired on by a cannon! Peanut the rat slept though the whole thing…

WIP 5

Another couple of hours done on this one and it’s only the small fiddly bits and the background left to do. Today was spent working on jewellery and my little ratty friend who has come out looking very cute even if I do say so myself. I don’t think it will be long now before I’ve finished this one but I’ve got a couple of unproductive evenings coming up (in other words I’m off down the pub!) so I probably won’t get the last bits polished off before the weekend.


Technical difficulties – I’m currently having technical difficulties with my blog. It would seem that I can post to it, but not respond to comments or view it myself! I’m hoping to get this resolved shortly and will reply to all comments as soon as I can.

Help Raise Money for Alzheimer’s Society this Halloween

Will you be a trick or a treat? This year the Alzheimer’s Society has linked up with Tesco to raise money for their very worthy cause. All you have to do is text the work “Scary” to 70444 this October. The text will cost you £1.50 which will be donated to Alzheimer’s Society and in return for your donation you will either be sent a trick or a treat.

Sadly with my luck I was always going to get a trick which turned out to be the following joke which I will share with you simply because misery loves company.

“What’s a pumpkin’s favourite sport?”

Have you got it?

“Squash!”

I really am truly sorry for sharing that!

If you would like to read more about this fund raising idea or the Alzheimer’s Society and their work please go to http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=1075

Please let me know whether you got a trick or a treat! :-)

Shiny New Website!

Things have changed again!

I’ve been beavering away at my website for the past 6 hours (I really would like to go to sleep now!) with the goal of making it look a little more professional and I thought I would give my blog a matching facelift. So long burgundy background, hello classic black and white.

I hope you all like it and please let me know what you think of my new look website at www.amatheya.co.uk. I may have “borrowed” a few web design ideas from my good friend Jen but Shhh… if you don’t tell her I won’t!

A Lovely Surprise

Yesterday I gave my Pooch painting to his owner, today I received this lovely little card attached to a even lovelier box of chocs. Just what I needed to help me get over yet another cold!

Radio Silence!

Sorry about the recent radio silence. I was off visiting family in Canada over the Christmas period and it’s taking a little while to get going again.

Normal service will resume soon :)

RIP Moniack

 I’ve not had the best time of it rat wise recently and now I’ve lost Moniack too. It’s been quite a shock as although he’d been ill for about a week and had suffered with bumble foot for at least the past 6 months I have always thought of him as a baby and so I always expected him to get better. I was quite surprised when I looked at his birth date and realised that far from being a baby he was in fact two and a half, a very old gentleman by any ratty standard.

Moniack was one of two rattys that I had from breeder friends of mine, a fact that made them very special. I had met their parents and watched them grow from little pink sausages into hefty soppy rattys. Sadly I lost Moniacks brother at the age of one which was heartbreaking and after that Moniack refused to live with any other ratty. As he grew up Moniack became known as my fat sewer ratty because of his often dishevelled fur that was perfect sewer rat colour and he had the distinction of being the only rat to have ever sent me to A&E *bless the little booger* He was also well known for his obsessive love of biscuits, his very unratty love of chewing cage bars and his reputation for being a coconut short of a shy!

Good night my silly boy, go find your brother who I know you’ve missed.

With Moniack gone Peanut is now an only ratty. Being another boy who refuses to live with others it looks like mine will be a one rat household for a while.

A Quick and Random Post

I thought I’d make a short and random post as I’m very proud of myself and my friends today… We won a charity quiz night!!

We’ve been going to this quiz for 6 months blinking months and never done better than 5th place so we were slightly stunned when we won tonight… We skimmed over the fact that we had one more person than allowed and were therefore technically cheating. To be fair I don’t think that I really count as a person for all the questions I can answer. Apparently I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed!!!

So anyway, well done the “Us” team (after winning we wished we’d spent more time thinking up a team name lol) we may have cheated but at least we cheated and won unlike the other dozen times we cheated!!

To prevent this post from being nothing but a ramble I thought I’d post this video which I found on www.emptyeasel.com and thought was very interesting. It covers a method of adding shadow to skin tone that I think I will try next time I paint a portrait.


Speaking of paintings I will be starting a new one next week possibly featuring a harpist, although I haven’t finished planning it yet.

RIP Dizzy

 Last night I lost my last old boy Dizzy. It wasn’t unexpected he was looking very old and I think he missed his cage mates Sausage and Mr Slinky the past few days. The evening before he went we had a nice hour sat together. Dizzy was never a cuddly rat but he sat and fell asleep on my lap while boggling (a ratty sign of pleasure) madly… He’d never boggled for me before.

Dizzy came to live with me with his brother Mr Slinky. They were unwanted pets and because they had been ignored they were pretty wild and it took a long time to bring them round. Dizzy in particular was very aggressive to everyone (and everything) and even after he’d been with me a year he still liked nothing more than to sneak up on me when I was sitting on the floor and nip me on the back to make me jump… little booger lol.

He also loved to sit and stare making little “nom” movements with his mouth. It was very funny to watch.

Good night little man, go find your cage mates and keep them in line!

PEAS!!!!!! Dizzy didn't believe in only taking one :-)

It’s very strange in my flat now, I’ve gone from having 20 rescues to having just my old man Moniack and my little lad Peanut… It’s suddenly very quiet here!

Butterfly of Gion

Butterfly of Gion

Watercolour on 180gsm Watercolour Paper

Yay! Moms b-day present it now framed and ready to be wrapped. I’ve re-named her “Butterfly of Gion” as I wasn’t happy just calling her Geisha, Gion is a famous Geisha district in Kyoto (it was the location for the book “Memoirs of a Geisha”).

I’ve never had to properly frame anything before but as the Swindon Artist Forum requires members to professionally frame their work I thought I would practice on this piece. I chose a white frame with a black border (I couldn’t tell you why it’s just what jumped out at me at my local store) and I bought myself a 45 degree angle cutter so that I could cute the board to the perfect size. It’s a bit fiddly cutting out the board with it but I got there in the end… I also discovered my math left a lot to be desired lol!

Below are a couple of YouTube videos that I used to learn framing. As I said I’d never framed anything properly before and was under the impression that all you needed to do was stuff the picture in a frame and that was that, apparently I was wrong lol

Cutting Mat



How to tie picture wire



On a completely unrelated topic I hope everyone had a good 5th of November and saw lots of amazing fireworks. For those of you not in England the 5th of November is Bonfire Night when we remember an attempt to blow up the houses of parliament and kill King James I in 1605. The Gunpowder Plot failed and to celebrate we set fire to a “Guy” (an effigy of Guy Fawks) and set off loads of fireworks.
I went to see the local firework display with my friend and a fluffy hot water bottle (Well it is cold) tonight and had a great time writing rude words with sparklers lol

“Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, guy, t’was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England’s overthrow.

By God’s mercy he was catch’d
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

And what shall we do with him?
Burn him!”

- Traditional Bonfire Night rhyme.