Google+ LISTENING TO THE SQUEAK INSIDE art by Kirstin McCulloch of LilliBean Designs: May 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

☆ May Give Away - WINNER!

JUMP

It's that time again. Thank you everyone who entered May's give away. I loved reading how you all deal with the crap days. Such inspiring ideas. Some made me laugh, (zombies are Mr Mac's way of dealing with stress too!) some made me contemplate they way I deal with crap days.

I wish I could give you all a painting, but the random generator has picked this months winner, who is...

sammmbam who said:

When I have a really bad day, I sit down and journal about it for awhile...writing down all of my feelings cleanses my mind from them.


Congratulations on winning this months painting!


Please send me an email, with your addy and I will pop it in the post for you.

Thanks everyone for entering, don't forget, there will be another give away next month!


Monday, May 28, 2012

☆ Faded [illustration friday]


'As the light Faded
she made a wish
 on the first star'


There is only one more day to enter this months GIVEAWAY

Click here to enter

Have a great week


Sunday, May 27, 2012

☆ Where do Mermaids Stand? [inspiration avenue]

Mermaid Peek-A-Boo
AVAILABLE FOR SALE HERE
 8.3 x 5.8" (210 x 148 mm)

Every Wednesday Bean, Bug and I venture out and go to our local play group.

It's a great group, friendly people, with a wide variety of backgrounds, so it is always interesting, if not sometimes controversial. I am never bored.

One Wednesday, they were telling the kids the story of  Noah's Arc, and how everything and everyone except the people and animals on this arc were flooded. 

All the kids were nodding, were totally involved, and then my Bean pipes up. 

My beautiful, imaginative Bean says, "Except for the mermaids 'R'. The mermaids would have been ok, because they live in the water don't they."

R replies after looking startled, well of course Bean, the mermaids would have been just fine.

So where do mermaids stand? Right at the front of the queue according to my Beasties! Check out Inspiration Avenue this week for some amazing mermaids.

Don't forget to enter this months GIVEAWAYClick here to enter there are only two more days to enter.

Have a great week


 

Friday, May 25, 2012

☆ Sight [illustration friday]

It was Love at first Sight
My illo-friday post is much later than normal, but casa de Mac has been held siege by a series of yucky tummy bugs.

If not me, then Bean, then Bug and Mr Mac. We were lucky that we didn't all come down together.

It was a bit like a lucky draw though, every morning, it was a bit like - who is todays lucky recipient of the ghastly bug? Any one? Every one?

Any way enough sick talk.

Sight. And Love at first sight is what I immediately thought with this weeks topic. Especially since it is only one week until my baby Bug is two.

(She tells me she is no longer a baby, but little does she know she will always been my baby!)

I remember feeling so over whelmed by this little beastie that lay in my arms, I remember spending long moments with her just looking at her, amazed by her.

I still amazed by her, by both of them really. I can't believe how quickly these two years have passed.

Have a great weekend





P.S Don't forget to enter this months GIVEAWAYClick here to enter. Only 4 more days to enter!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

☆ No Higher Compliment.

My friend has a little girl who the same age as my Bug, they are the best of friends, and worst enemies, (as they all are at this age), and like Bug, she has started to develop a fixation with Arial, and all things mermie.

So great friend that I am, for her second birthday I decided to paint her, her own Arial.

I figure, if my children are obsessed with mermaids, it is my civic duty to encourage that obsession within my friends kids.

(And now I can have some one to moan with when my girls start with their diva-ish mermaid behaviour.)

My friend sent me this photo last night, apparently she loves her Arial so much, she sleeps with the painting at night.

Every night.

There is no higher compliment.

This photo makes my heart lift.

This photo makes the struggles worth it.


Sunday, May 20, 2012

☆ Art with Heart [inspiration avenue]

Art with Heart.

I think you can always tell when you have created something that has engaged your heart.

I think you always know when you have created something that hasn't engaged your heart.

When a painting doesn't  feel right, when it seems flat, I know that my heart isn't in it. I know that I've just gone through the motions. I know that I will never look at that painting again with out a lingering sense of sadness.

For this weeks inspiration avenue prompt Hettienne wrote such a beautiful piece about creating with heart, and living open hearted. I couldn't  have said it better myself.

And although my submission this week is not completely finished (due to my Beans highly contageous tummy bug) it started out with great heart involved. And one day I will finish her off. (Maybe when my tummy has finished turning itself inside out!)

Have a great week




P.S Don't forget to enter this months GIVEAWAYClick here to enter




Friday, May 18, 2012

☆ Life Book [Week 15]



This weeks 'mini' lesson was from the fabulous Jane Davenport

She was sharing with us a new technique, that I hadn't ever thought of, which was pencil on acrylic and using a pencil blend solvent to blend it.

I didn't have any pencil blend solvent, but Jane used a blender pen which I do have.

But the blender pen didn't work for me, instead of smoothing the pencil and blending it, the pencil became.... I guess the word for it is mottled? 

You can see it above the left eye.

Maybe it was the type of acrylic paint I used or the paper (a medium water colour) but I decided against using the blender on the rest of the painting.

But in the end I really liked the effect of the pencil on the acrylic, so I kept on with out the solvent. Also I didn't have the luscious looking Prisma colour pencils, (I would love me some of these) but I used my old trusty faber castles, which I think were just as good. 

Such a fun technique, I found it relaxing, and freeing. I loved using the bright greens and pinks for shading. 

I am definitely going to try this again, after I purchase some solvent, try some different papers, some different acrylics, and see where I end up.

Great lesson this week, thanks Jane!





P.S Don't forget to enter this months 
GIVEAWAY
Click here to enter 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

☆ May's Give Away

It's that time again gang! I am so excited with this months give away.

You see, in the last two months I have been working on smallish paintings, that I could eventually sell in my Etsy shop, LilliBean Designs.

I have also been putting off opening said Etsy shop for business, for a whole host of reasons, but bottom line -  because I've been scared. I mean what if no one bought any of my work? Would that mean I'd failed?

Man that little bitch that is my inner critic had dug in her sharp little claws.

Anyway last week, after a really crap day of feeling like a failure both as a mother, a wife, a friend and an artist, (it was a really, really crappy day) I realised that if this was the worst I would feel (which was damn crappy) in the end I would still have to get up tomorrow and do it again.

So why then wouldn't I open up my shop, because today, damn it, I had had my very own, very personal epic fail. And surely after this failure, being scared of another wasn't such a scary prospect after all.

It was a Hallelujah moment for sure.

But coming to the point of this post, which is this months give away, and I am giving away one of the paintings I created to sell in my shop. I also used it in a recent Illustration Friday prompt 'Jump' You can read more about the painting on this post

JUMP
To enter this months comp, I'm going to ask you to share with us all one thing you do to pick your self up after a crappy day. (And, Yes drinking a bottle of wine is an acceptable answer!) To receive additional entries become subscriber to my blog, and/ or like LilliBean Designs on facebook, making sure to let me know in your comments.

As always if your already a reader and liker let me know and you receive the addition entries gratis.

So easy huh?

Entries close Tuesday 29th May (around 8pm ish Australian est). As always, entries are open to everyone who leaves a comment, no matter where you live.

Good Luck



Monday, May 14, 2012

Sunday, May 13, 2012

☆ Hands [inspiration avenue]

This weeks inspiration avenue prompt was all about hands.

And when you think about it, hands are vitally important to everything we do. Everything. (well except riding a bicycle hands free). I can't imagine how I would cope with out one of mine, let alone both and yet people do all the time. I often wonder how would I create if I had no hands? How would the creativity express itself then?

Many years ago, I was lamenting my lack of ability in drawing realistic figures, and my mother bought home a book that changed my life. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards gave me the ability to tune out the inner critic while I was drawing (although I still had to deal with it outside of that time)

And I never have finished the whole book, but I was able to learn what I needed from it, that I could reproduce from life, not just from a picture and that perspective wasn't this huge big elephant in the room, but pretty easy once you had a few trips and tricks.

Over the years I have picked up the book and restarted the exercises when I needed to to kick start my creativity.

These hands are from one of my favourite exercises in the book, sketching what ever is in the grid, okay it's slightly more than that, but you get the picture .

Any way these are my interpretation of this weeks prompt.



P. S. Happy Mothers Day every one, I hope you were spoilt rotten by or where the spoilers of the mums in your life.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

☆ LilliBean Designs has Arrived

Green Leaf Angel
NOW FOR SALE

I am so excited.

Angel Watching for Me
NOW FOR SALE

LilliBean Designs has arrived and is open for business on Etsy 
and I am now selling my paintings.
(prints to come soon)

'Surprise'
NOW FOR SALE

So if you have a few minutes I would love it if you popped over and visited
I would love to know what you think.

And I have to thank you guys too. 
With out your amazing comments and support, I don't know weather I would have ever had the courage to open up shop. 
Thanks.


P.S. I haven't forgotten about this months give away, I was slightly side tracked by life this week so make sure you pop back next tuesday for May's give away. x



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

☆ Hitched [illustration friday]

Some times I think the illustration friday prompts are directly linked to my subconscious.

A lot of the time, they are prompts that reflect my life, or they are a mirror and force me to see something that I have hidden from.

Over the weekend I have been thinking about the amazing man I hitched my self to. Against all odds, after meeting at eighteen, we are still together.

I some how have found a man who is so supportive and encouraging of my dreams, who is my best friend, who is an awesome dad, who takes his own chances and follows his dreams, who is my heart.

I have also managed to find the one person in the world, who can push my buttons quicker than any one else, and makes my temper flash from 0 to 100 with one perfectly aimed poke.

And although some times its been bloody hard work, I wouldn't change anything.

(well maybe I wouldn't have eaten as much pizza and drunk as much beer as I did when we first hooked up!)

So the reason I was thinking about my Mr Mac this weekend, beside the fact that he is mine, is that he knows me well enough to give me an extra push when he thinks I need it. And I have needed it. And I am listening Mr Mac, I promise I am.




Sunday, May 6, 2012

☆ Look what arrived in my mail this week


I am sooo excited! Happy dance excited. Woo Hooing excited.

And it was a surprise to open the mail box and see the parcels sitting there, together, all in the one day!

Well it's not really a surprise, because I had to order them, but they came much early than I expected.

Not only did my awesome new business cards arrive (they are so cute, I love them, and they look so professional!)

But my new A4 water colour Moleskine sketch book arrived too!

I don't know which one I am more excited about.

So now I have a new dilemma, do I finish using my current sketch book I am working in before starting this one, or do I crack this one open, and splash some paint on the page of my new one?

What would you do?

Have a great week.




Friday, May 4, 2012

☆ Which Child Are You? [inspiration avenue]



This weeks inspiration avenue prompt was a fun one. Based around the famous nursery rhyme which is supposed to tell the future depending on which day you were born. And sometimes I think there is something to the rhymes fortune telling abilities.


Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay


So I obviously I am Thursday's child - and sometimes I do feel like I have miles to go.

Just for fun, and because I am the curious sort, I also check Mr Mac's and confirmed Beans days. I could remember which day Bug was born, but I wasn't 100% that I remembered Beans. (Fortunately I was right!)

So Mr Mac is a Thursday child too, which makes sense cause he is always on the go and Bean, she is a Wednesday child (and holy hell, she was full of woe today, starting from when she woke up crying, sigh!). Bug is a Friday child, and loves cuddles and snuggles.

So which child are you? Are you full of grace? Or you one of the blessed Sunday children, who seemed to bonus traits?

Have a great weekend.

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