Tree obsession

 Think I have a tree obsession. Not sure how bad it is yet, but I've noticed, in the past 2 days I've done at least 5 drawings of them. This obsession came to light as I've been going through old drawings and photos of mine trying to find ideas to turn into etchings. Putting together several images, I realised two thirds of them where trees, or wood related.

 Very quick colour sketch, one day to turn into a proper painting, but I loved the way the winter light hit the bare poplars, with some of them in rich lilac shade.

 I love seeing how fallen trees carry on growing, their branches turning into trees themselves, carrying on despite the odds.

So, not sure where these drawings will take me, but I have an idea it could be quite an absorbing project ahead of me...

Wolf Alice

So this is is one of the things that I've been doing that is keeping me out of trouble till the wee small hours of the morning. (5.30am to be exact but nothing like a last minute panic to get the creative juices going...)

Managed to get three illustrations and an idea for a cover (above) done for an illustration competition for the Folio Society.  I love, love, love this publisher. They publish beautiful hard back, mostly illustrated books. All great quality, and its been one of my dreams to become one of their illustrators. Anyway, I heard about this competition only relatively recently, so once  I read the book -  'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter, I couldn't wait to try some ideas. The book is a collection of short stories, all adaptions of fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood,  Beauty and the Beast, and Puss-in -Boots, but for adults. So some pretty interesting interpretations of the old favourites, which made it really exciting to try and illustrate. The one above is called Wolf Alice, about a girl bought up by wolves, and half 'tamed' and humanised by nuns but left to live alone with a werewolf in a castle. Great story.

So, now its a case of crossing fingers, waiting, and hoping to hear the results. But as they say, its the taking part that counts...