Illustration Crush - Katie Vernon

It's all about flowers on today's illustration crush! Illustrator and florist Katie Vernon lives in Bloomington, Indiana in the USA, which seems like the perfect place for a florist/illustrator to live! I stumbled across her work on Pinterest (find me here), first off spying this gorgeous elephant print.... as you all know, I LOVE elephants and just had to know more.

I then discovered, to my delight, that Katie has a whole series of these simple, lovely animal line drawings with a mass of colourful, detailed and gorgeous flowers blooming from them. Such a lovely concept, beautifully executed.

As well as these animals, Katie designs some stunning floral patterns. I can just see these on fabric, made into amazing skirts or bed linen or cushion covers. Or an upholstered chair! Now that would look fabulous in the corner of my studio!

Check out more of this lovely work on Katie's Etsy store, her website or her blog.

Katie's work really makes me smile. A lot! What do you think? Which one is your favourite?

Jen x

Drawing Challenge Update!

Who would have thought setting myself a week to do my drawing challenge was a bit optimistic! It's been a couple of weeks now and although I'm still not finished I thought I'd post my progress thus far. I like some of these more than others, but they all challenged me to do something a bit different to what I normally do when I sit down to draw, and that was the whole idea! And it was fun! So here we go...By the way, you can check out the original post here if you missed it and it's never too late to join in!

1. Draw what’s on your desk in front of you.

I actually think this one is my favourite! In reality, there's all sorts of other junk around my computer but this makes my desk look very clean. And yellow! Which it isn't. Unfortunately.

4. Draw the dream you had last night.

Ok, now this is weird. It's a very stylised version of my dream in which I was supposed to be getting married in a stone circle on a clifftop. There was a special room, or cave really, in the cliff face where the reception was going to be but we had to time it just right because at high tide the cave fills with water. So my whole dream really was spent waiting for the right moment. In my dream, the staircase was rickety and wooden, but for some reason when working on this sketch in photoshop I was inspired to do rainbow steps.... I like that it's kind of magical, leading you somewhere special!

5. Draw a picture inspired by your favourite song.

I found this challenge REALLY hard!! I went through so many of my 'favourite' songs before settling on Playground by Sia, where she sings "I'll take you to a boardwalk". I think my drawing is pretty average, and my colouring in half-hearted at best. In fact, I was so uninspired for this one I had to google images 'boardwalk' to get some ideas! This was drawn from one of the google results..... Oh well, it was a nice exercise in perspective if nothing else. And please don't ask about the frame... I don't know what I was doing!!

6. Draw your letterbox.

Our letter box is kinda cool, but the teeth around the actual letter hole, that was accidental. I was drawing this really quickly and when I saw what I'd done I thought it looked funny so I left it there.

7. Draw your morning cup of coffee (or tea if you’re one of those tea drinkers!). 

My morning cuppa in one of my own designed mugs for Loud Coffee.

8. Draw your favourite outfit.

So here we have my favourite black and white stripey top, my very old and disintegrating denim skirt, trusty black leggings, my favourite boots (which have recently been chewed beyond recognition by my lovable yet very naughty puppy), and one of my favourite thrifted vintage silk scarves. I enjoyed doing this one and drawing it has given me a fabulous idea! (Well, I think it's fabulous - my husband looked at me as though I'd lost my mind when I told him!) I am going to draw my entire wardrobe! Because we are moving soon I am planning a big cull of possessions, including clothes. I have so many clothes that are pretty old, falling apart at the seams and that I hardly ever wear, and many that I simply don't like or that don't fit me properly. So the goal is to par down to a small wardrobe that I love and feel good in! The result? Less to pack and move and less washing to do!! In fact, maybe I could draw all my possessions! Now that would give me good insight into how much stuff I have and how little of it I suspect I really need!!

So that's where I'm at! I still have 4 to go and will post another update when they're done.

These ones were all done in a similar style - hand drawn but with fineliner straight up (usually I draw in pencil, then use a fineliner once I'm happy with the basic lines), meaning I couldn't refine my lines. Thus, the drawing style is messier than usual for me but I enjoyed the spontaneity of this, of knowing these drawings were just for fun. Then I used photoshop to colour, as I usually do, but I did less touching up because it was nice to keep these drawings spontaneous, faults and all. I worked much faster than usual, again because there was pressure to 'get it right' and it was, of course, an exercise in developing the drawing habit.

I was so excited that many of you have joined me in the challenge!! Here's a few links to people who have blogged about it - check them out! It's so great to see you out there working that creativity muscle!!

Art by Wiley

Muddle on Through

Smashing Smile Designs

Koosje Koene

If there's more of you our there please leave me a comment below with a link so we can check it out! And if you've been playing along but are not a blogger, I'd still love to see what you've drawn if you'd like to share. If you're on facebook, perhaps you could upload your drawing to the Red Parka page? If the link doesn't work (I've been having trouble with this one!!) just search Facebook for Red Parka Designs and I should pop up!

My goodness, that's the longest post I've done in a while.... better get going as I have vegetable soup bubbling away on the stove and a hungry puppy and husband to feed!

Jen xx

PS. Don't forget to enter the giveaway here to win your own choice of Red Parka print!!

Happy Blogaversary to me! And a Giveaway! CLOSED

Readers of this blog will know that I like any excuse to celebrate and I think milestones in life should be recognised and noted! Last night while I was drifting off to sleep it suddenly occurred to me that the one year anniversary of my blog slid by me without even a blink! In fact, I am one and a half months late in noting this particular milestone but as they say, better late than never huh?

It was 10th April, 2011 that I sat down and wrote my first ever blog post, followed by my second where I attempted to state my purpose! It has been a long time coming as I had wanted to write a blog for so long but had never worked up the courage. It seems a little strange now, but I was SO nervous about what people would think of me. And even more nervous that no-one would ever read it and therefore they'd think nothing of me at all! I can't remember where I heard it but I relate to whoever it was that described themselves as an introverted extrovert - I've always been quiet and shy, yet most of my life felt there was a crazy, noisy and outrageous person bubbling away inside me waiting for the right opportunity to explode! The truth is I was scared. The biggest thing holding me back was the thought that 'what if people think i'm stupid?' Sound familiar?

I'm proud of what I've done with this blog over the last year. I've overcome some fears and gained a lot of confidence. Despite being a technophobe, I've learned how to do (very simple!) CSS, even dabbled in HTML (even though there's so much more to learn!). I've showcased the work of many artists around the world whose work I admire. I've written about myself, shared some things that were not easy to share but which I felt good about sharing. I've done my best to be authentic here and while I'm still a baby in the blogging world, I'm excited about the future for Red Parka Diaries. BUT..... most of all, I've met some wonderful, supportive, creative and all round awesome individuals through this blog. To every one of you who has read, commented on, shared or enjoyed my posts - THANK YOU!! You've made this journey what it is. Thank you for being part of my world and making it a better, brighter place!

A Giveaway!!

I'm going to celebrate my one year anniversary with a giveaway!!

One lucky reader will win an A4 size print of their choice from the Red Parka Store, one of my Mystery Card Bundles (containing 10 unique Red Parka cards), a pack of animal magnets AND a pack of 10 collective noun postcards!

All you have to do is visit my store here, then come back and leave a comment below telling me which is your favourite print. Don't forget to include a method of contacting you should you win!

You can get a bonus entry by following my blog with either Google Friend Connect or BlogLovin' in the side bar - just leave me a separate comment telling me you've done that for your extra entry (if you already follow, mention that too to get another entry)!

I'll draw the winner at random at the end of May and you'll get the print you liked best plus the other goodies in the post! Yay!

Goodluck!!

Jen xx

Was Charley Harper the greatest illustrator of the 20th century?

I don't know about you, but I only discovered Charley Harper recently and cannot believe I spent this much of my life not knowing his name! His work did look vaguely familiar to me though, so I dare say I encountered his work from time to time (he illustrated some Golden Books, of which I'm sure I read many in my childhood). Anyway, I have since become completely enamoured by his stunning illustrations - his use of colour and geometry is just divine! Saying he's the greatest illustrator of the 20th century might be an impossible call, however, he's got to be right up there with the best of them!!

Born in 1922, in Cincinnati, USA, Charley Harper was best known for his modern and highly stylised wildlife and nature illustrations. He illustrated children's books and did artwork for many nature-based organisations, as well as producing prints and posters. If you'd like to read more, there's a great article about Harper over here on the Juxtapoz blog. The Charley Harper Studio site also have lots of info and a great range of prints to check out.

But for now, here's a few more pics to whet your appetite!

Have you heard of Charley Harper before now? What do you think?

Jen x

The Sunshine Awards!

The lovely Stacie Swift recently nominated me for the sunshine awards, a fun questionnaire for your favourite creative bloggers. Seeing as it's wet, windy and grey outside, I figured today was the perfect day to answer the questions and let you guys know a little more about me. So here we go...

Colour
I love all bright colours but red is definitely my favourite. Not only is it in my business name, but it features prominently in my work, my house and my clothing! I'm a natural redhead too, although have been known to give it a little bit of assistance from time to time (or a lot of assistance, as in the photo below!)

One of my favourite old photos - me and my gorgeous friend Lara in St Kilda having just come off the Spirit of Tasmania, about to embark on a drumming adventure through the Australian desert! And of course, it perfectly shows off my super red hair AND my beloved red parka!!

Animal
Elephants - they have always been my favourite! Apparently one of my first words was elephant but I pronounced it 'emas'. I do love the animal world though, and very close in behind elephants would be zebras and bears. And killer whales. And tigers, rhinos, dogs, otters.... Eek - I love them all!

My Elephant Tumbling print - one of my oldest and favorite pieces!

Non-alcoholic drink
No question  here. It's coffee. I drink it by the gallon and am seriously addicted! It makes everything better!

Twitter or Facebook?
Facebook for personal stuff and Twitter for networking/business. I've met so many interesting creative people from all over the world on Twitter! So I like both for different reasons.

Getting or Giving presents?
I'm definitely a giver. I love the process of planning/searching/dreaming/making a present for someone and have a tendency to go overboard with the wrapping and surprise element. I just love surprises!

Flower
Umm.... I don't know! Maybe irises, tulips, gerberas, liliums? I love flowers, the brighter coloured the better! For my wedding I had no idea what I would have until that morning at the flower stall, where I picked out some gorgeous yellow and orange roses!

My wedding bouquet

Pattern
Stripes, for sure, although I'm obsessed with all sorts of patterns. I've long held the belief that stripey socks will make one's day more happy!

Passion
Art and travel. Preferably at the same time!

Number
I love the number 7. I was born on the 7th, in the year 1977 (not in the 7th month unfortunately!). Oddly enough, when I moved to Melbourne my first house was no. 7, second was unit 7/777 (seriously!) and now it's no. 49 (7x7).... pretty cool I think! I wonder if the trend will continue when we move back to Tasmania?

Check out Stacie's answers on her blog over here.

Thanks Stacie!

Illustration Crush - Anna See

When I stumbled across Anna See's work on Etsy, I immediately fell in love with her lino cut pieces.... her images of animals and birds are everything I love in art - simple, colourful, emotional, unique.... I remember doing lino cuts in art class at college and enjoying the process but it's not something I've ever tried since. Anna, you may have inspired a new artistic experiment!!

Based in Pasadena, California, Anna is an artist that is hard to classify, working in illustration, print-making and digital formats in all sorts of styles, from these amazing lino cuts, to fashion illustration, children's books and even toy making! However, I simply can't get enough of these gorgeous hand-pulled lino cut prints. I particularly love the little details, such as the patterns on the squirrel's and skunk's tails. In fact, I just love that she has done a skunk - such a curious creature for us Australians!

If you'd like to see more of Anna (and there's so much more than what I've shown you here!), you can check out her Etsy store, website, blog or Facebook page.

Jen x

Reconnaissance Mission: Tasmania!

I spent last week in Tasmania looking around at houses for Wade and I to move into when we move next month. I LOVE Tasmania so it was an especially fun trip for me, even though most of it was spent house hunting and studying - I am studying through University of Tasmania at the moment so it will be doubly nice to be closer to school. The distance thing is hard!!

I just got back last night and have a gazillion things to do today so for now I'll just share a few of my many instagram pics of my week.

1 & 2. Old Hobart architecture 3. Favourite thrifted find of the trip 4. Tassie sunset 5 & 6. Cray pots and fishing boats at Hobart's waterfront 7. The GPO 8. A gorgeous house found by accident

I just love instagram! My username is @redparka - if you're on there too leave me a comment with your username and we can link up! So excited that I will soon be able to call Tasmania home once again!

Jen xx