01/12/Aurelia

Little Sweet Pea - Aurelia, she is nine months old now..and the fun just started...!

A Year for Growth. Surprise yourself !

I have read a little but great and inspirational (as always) post at art is a way and I have decided to mentally join in.
Yes! Surprise yourself. I just love that idea of challenging yourself and pushing a bit further. Not for others pleasure and expectations, not from destructive feeling of obligation, but simply for yourself. Sometimes we are our worst enemies to battle with, the inner voice of critique and disbelief. Take small steps, change the shoes, jump where you always use to walk, walk where you always use to run. Don't moan about how far it is, or how hard it is gonna be or how much time it is gonna take. Change doesn't happen over night. Putting things off isn't going to make it happen faster either, does it?
I really like 52 project challenge idea and I wanted to join one a long time ago, but as I have three small kids
I have to be realistic with time and what I can really count on.
To stay true to myself but to not to feel already like a failure after just week three... (and taking everything
into account)

There: here is my own 52 project challenge for this year 2015:

I am challenging myself this year to:

 make something every week (be creative - 52 weeks project!) and that includes:
- make at least one finished illustration per month (ideally two)
- be creative every day, live creatively: smell, see, listen, eat, prey and laugh!
- sketch more, read more
- bake something nice for the weekend at least twice a month
- do more with my little kiddos as they grow soo fast
- take more photos, the Little Land visual journal where the little people run, dance, splash and have fun!
- be present (oh,this is the hardest one, as I tend to shift between past and future all the time)

. . . 

                                    "(...) Whatever your reasons for starting a project-whether crass 
                                    or noble-they have to be clear unencumbered. Obligation is a flimsy 
                                   base for creativity, way down the list behind passion, courage, instinct, 
                                   and the desire to do something great (...)"  
                                                                                                        Twyla Tharp

Feel welcome to say hello! join in or be just the witness of my journey this year...

Obstacle is a mother of invention

I made a polymer clay picture for my friend's daughter nine birthday. If you want to see the progress or read about my struggles, you can check it here, on my second blog I run. To tempt you a little here is the photo of it: Do you like it? Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you wish to have a similar one:))

Liliana's necklace

I have to share something with you, my older daughter Liliana has just turned FIVE today!!! Yes, I can't believe how quickly time flies. She is going to school in August...
I made a polymer clay necklace for her and a matching bracelet (you can check a part of the process up here, on my second blog I have). This is actually my first completed piece of jewellery so I am very proud of myself, and hope you will like it to.

Parenthood

Do you get this ''feeling'' about all the wonderful stuff you are going to make in the evening and as day
goes you just can't wait to sit behind your desk? I have it almost every day, but...because here in Glasgow it is a bright day till late night at this time of the year ...quite often, after bed time hour, we still have some visitors in our living room....
Usually, one of them looks like this :

Doesn't she look adorable? As much as I am frustrated that another evening we will spend between our little girl's bedrooms trying to put them to bed on time, I just can't stop smiling seeing Matylda with all her treasures holding tightly in hands...

Tilly and Lilly's adventures

I am working on a new project now. I want to decorate my little girl's room with my own works. I have never put anything I did on the wall, at least not yet...But I am determined now to make this project happen.

I did the drawing already, but still looking for the best way to apply colour to it. The best medium I feel the most comfortable with is the pencil...line work. Colour? I love watercolours, but I would like to take it little further, but not to overwork...will see... I hope Matylda and Lila will like it when it is done.

In a meantime I walked upon my old drawings, when Liliana who is nearly 5 now, was just ten months old!

I remember it was soo difficult to catch her in one place. I use to have few drawings started in one time and just shift from one to the other while she was moving between her usual positions...

One more thing, I added Liliana's gallery on my blog so you can check it out and see how clever my little girl is!

Monkey and Me

Do you remember, I had a project I didn't finish. It was way too big for me. Recently I was given a small book for my girls : "Monkey and Me" by Emily Gravett, and to be honest this was IT! In my personal opinion this is exactly how my main character should look like:

Mine was too cute... and I was already tired trying to find her...anyway, hope the author has found what
she was looking for and the publisher agreed to her choice. As far as I know it is not the writer part of the job to look for an illustrator, is it?

This is a reminder how mine character looked like when I stopped to work on her...