Up, Up and Away

Weeeeeell I might have missed out on last weeks Handmade Monday, but that doesn't mean I've not been busy...

I started my Love Nature: A Bird A Day series the week before last. I'm honing in on my sketching skills by drawing birds four or five days each week. They will always be birds that I've seen with my very own eyes too. I think there's a bit of a character in all birds when you draw them you know.




The Great Crested Grebe.



On Friday I started making Valentine's Cards. I found a pack of 5 deep pink card and envelopes in the depths of my crafty box and created 5 limited cards - so once they're gone, they are all gone!

 

 

Here's the link to my brand spanking new shop - http://nicolaellenillustrations.bigcartel.com

 

 

 

 

Aaaaaand then yesterday I spent all day getting my website up to scratch. Added new work, changed the style, and organised it a bit better - yep, nice and simple with a few small bits left to add over the course of the week.

 

 

 

 

I have also taken up knitting again - I bought some beautiful baby yellow wool and have started making a scarf. By the time it gets to next winter I am sure it ready hehe! I will post a preview next week.

 

XX

LOVE NATURE: A Bird A Day

Here's what I've managed so far - 5 birds a week is what I'm aiming for :)

 

 

I Could Have Danced All Night...

Hello, hello, helloooo,

As a gift for Christmas I received a pair of tickets to see My Fair Lady at The Crucible in Sheffield. As it's one of my favourite films, I had incredibly high expectations. Luckily Dominic West and Anthony Calf did NOT disappoint! An intimate setting, astounding music, an incredible cast - what more do you need in a girly night out?

 Two years ago I cut letters out of a piece of foam. At the Time Headbutt had been released by The King Blues, so that's what I decided to experiment with.

I finally dug the foam sheet out again after a big bedroom clear out. Along the way I found a nice selection of old poster paints and figured it was about time I actually did some printing.

 

 

 

 

This week I'll be working on mushroom villages.... but that's a creation that you'll have to wait to see.


So I'm off to work now in the lovely icey snow but I will be checking up on the posts on Handmade Monday!

XX


 

Here's to Black Dresses and Exploding Robots..!

Haaaaaaaaaaaappy New Year!!

Where do I start on my quick round up of last year huh?!

By far, my biggest achievement is a mini victory for me. I gained almost a stone in weight last year! The feeling of ending the year so much happier and healthier than how I started it is amazing.

In 2012 I  left the job I didn't like, started volunteering, started a temp job, visited New York and Washington, witnessed my best friend get married, started a permanent job and I've made a lot of great new friends along the way....

So onto 2013, I am off to see Gaslight Anthem, Muse and Bruce Springsteen live, planning a trip to Dublin, a possible trip to America and I am in the process of booking a sky dive for charity!

                      (left: At my lightest in March - right: getting towards my heaviest in November)
   
Weeeeeelll enough of my rambling .... here's the handmade bit where I made presents for Christmas because when I started thinking about Christmas when I was unemployed.

I put a foodie hamper together with homemade Lemon Curd in for one friend and for another made an origami heart bookmark to go with a scrapbook for another friend. I didn't photograph these though.

 

 

 

  And here are some of my best bits from 2012 :D

 

 

 

 

 

There are some great crafty year round up's over on Handmade Monday's page too - somewhere I'm hoping to contribute my pages more often :D

Thank you to everyone that has supported me over the last twelve months. It's not been the easiest of years but everyone's encouraging words have helped so much, especially from you internetty folks that welcomed me back after a few months of quietness!!!

 
And with that, I bid you a safe, happy and wonderful 2013!! XX

Business Boom Collective

This lovely post has been up a couple of weeks now on http://businessboomcollective.com but I've been manically busy and feel like I've only just come up for air! Phew!

The Business Boom Collective is an amazing place to find a whole array of designers and artists and creatives. There is some phenomenal photography on there too.

I was over the moon to receive an email from these guys asking me to participate and am very happy to be featured alongside these fantastic creatives on such an awesome website.

So go check out my feature at http://businessboomcollective.com/1025/nicola-ellen/

 

Vivienne Westwood - New Fashion Illustration.

Hello, hello - how are you all?

It's been a while but here's some new work to share with you.

I was having a mooch around Gem Fatale's blog for a bit of fashion inspiration and came across her London Fashion Week adventures. Nothing gets me excited like a gorgeous red dress, so when I came across Gem's account of the Vivienne Westwood show, I couldn't NOT draw this beauty!!!

Image courtesy of Style.com

I absolutely LOVED illustrating this - plenty of colour, a splash of Andy Warhol in the make up and only a hint of black.... RIGHT up my drawing street!

Take a look at the rest of the bast stage shenanigans right here.


Til the next time! XX

Handmade Monday: Time for a catch up?

So it's been a few weeks since I made my internet come back and I've struggled to blog anything creative as life has been bloomin' hectic!

Well.... where do I begin?

I've been starting to set my own business up, working on a book commission, making a special picture for a friend who's leaving for uni this week, packing my entire room into boxes so it can be redecorated, visiting zoos, abbey's and cliffs.... OH and my sister returned from two years in the States this week too!! Phew!

On top of that I got back into baking this week and I have a very handy assistant in my sister! We baked some chocolate goodies for our family who came over to see my sister at the weekend and they went down a treat. Sadly I couldn't eat the Oreo Truffles though because they are made with cream cheese and I can't eat lactose!

After all the struggles this year it's really good to have so much to do! Aaaaand good news to for those of you that have been following my blog and have been supporting me this year - I have FINALLY managed to start putting on weight! I am back to the weight that I was at the start of the year and if I can crack seven stone by the end of the year, I will be back to the weight I was when I started uni SIX years ago. Things really are starting to look up! :)

Oooookay.... enough rambling - you just want to see some pretty pictures don't you? The last couple are what I entered into our local gallery exhibition but sadly they weren't picked :(

Flamingos at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

I'd go and check out the great blogs over on Handmade Monday for some fantastic inspiration and great lunchtime reading!

XX

Dreamcast Worlds: A Design History.

It's not often you'll see me post about gaming as I usually have my head stuck in a sketchbook but when I started to read about a old school friend's latest venture - I couldn't not tell you about this!

As you'll know if you've ever tried to write, illustrate or publish a book on any subject, it is a costly and time consuming task. What Zoya has cleverly done is made up several packs at varies different price ranges for interested readers to fund the book for her. So not only does she get the money to back her book, these potential readers are gaining all kinds of great things from a PDF chapter of the book at $5 to a sponsorship deal for $2,500 and there are plenty more packs for a wide range of prices.

A very good deal indeed for everyone involved!


So, what is the book about?

In Zoya's own words..

'Dreamcast Worlds will tell the poignant story of Sega's last games console. It will expand my 30,000-word MA thesis written at the Royal College of Art into a book covering three different Dreamcast games. I take an innovative and unique approach to history, stepping inside the game worlds to tell the story of the Dreamcast through buildings, artefacts and spaces.'

With high interest from enthusiastic backers, from games industry veterans to dedicated retro games collectors over the past seven weeks, the funds raised so have reached over half way, but with only four days left to go there is still a big push needed!

I whole heartedly suggest you get yourself over to http://www.indiegogo.com/dreamcast to find out more and get yourself to the links where you can buy your own slice of this book. Let's make this book happen!

Good luck Zoya!


UPDATE!!
31 August 2012 - Zoya's target of $5000 has now been reached after a nail biting few hours! This means the book will most definitely be going ahead! Here is what Zoya had to say this morning http://www.indiegogo.com/dreamcast?c=activity
Make sure you keep checking the above page as you'll be able to see how the book is progressing and where you may be able to help!! 

DIY Rotating Goal List.

Just a quick one this morning!

I'm sure I'm not the only who struggles with completing massive to-do lists. Seeing this fantastic blog post courtesy of Cornflower Blue made me realise I need to try something new!

Sooo this is my version:

It does have another row of post-its but they have top secret information on them!! :) 


What do you think? What tricks do you have to get through those pesky ever growing lists?

Off for a nosey at everyone elses Handmade Monday offerings :) XX

American Birds.

I've been back from the States a couple of months now, so this is a well over due post!!

I absolutely LOVE birds so I could wait to get bird hunting while over in New Jersey, New York and Washington DC!

I don't know all the names of these birds so if you do or know anyone that does, please let me know as I'm very curious to find out more about them!! :)

Blue Jay.

Blue Jay.

Rusty Blackbird.

Rusty Blackbird.

House Sparrows.

Starling.

Swans.

Northern Mockingbird.

Northern Mockingbird.

Red-Winged Blackbird.

Laughing Gull.

Turkey Vulture.

Turkey Vulture.

American Robin.

Gray Catbird.

Northern Mockingbird.

House Sparrow.

House Sparrow.

Purple Martins.

Purple Martin.

Great Egret.

Great Egret.

A Family of Ducks and Ducklings in the War Memorials in Washington DC.

:) XX