Summer is on it's way!

Welllll,

It's been a while.  So rather than dwell on that I feel it's time to just get on with writing another post :D.  If you're reading this ta very much!

Today as it's getting warmer here, and we've had a run of really lovely sunny weather here in the UK (which as everyone knows is something to celebrate here), I thought I would share some work I made last year in the summer which I haven't yet revealed here.  It's also some of my favourite work.  

Last year I did a lot of markets.  It was an experimental year on that front for me, some worked, some didn't.  I still do think generally speaking the best time for markets is in the lead up to Christmas but I did do pretty well at some summer ones too. 

I made these two prints mainly for my shop, and I wanted them to work well together so if people wanted a pairing these could do the job.  Both of them have proved to be my best selling prints for sure which is great for me obviously.  I'm also hoping they show my food illustration style well as I would like to get more commissions in that area.  You're always welcome to email me sharon@sharonfarrow.com if interested.

I thought I'd share them now as they have that summer vibe (I think) I hope they resonate with you too!

I'm selling them in my etsy shop SharonFarrowArt as both A4 and A3 prints and I'm also with the stockist Deptford Does Art in London so you can find them there too.  

I am have been working away since then even if I've been very slack on here.  I'm working on some new things now which hopefully I should be able to share with you soon.

I do really appreciate you if you've stayed around to read my blog.  I do think I've been on here longer than anything else online now so it's good it's still going.

See you soonish for more updates, until then have a good one!

Sharon :)

New prints and an Illustration Fair

Hello,

I thought it's about time I shared something new here.  Over the last few months I've been working away creating images, just taking my time and not putting too much pressure on myself to post anything until I am ready to do so.  It has meant being more relaxed with my social media (not that I was every an avid poster really) and I feel ok with that.  I know lots of people have been doing the same thing and feeling a similar way too.  It does mean I have collected a few images together, many of which will never be seen by anyone other than me, and it's been a great time for me to experiment and really make what I fancy.  So it's been a very enjoyable time work-wise.  Some of those images have now become new items which I've put into my shop SharonFarrowArt and I want to share those with you.  

First up are some Giclee art prints.  The idea behind these illustrations was to give a positive vibe and message.  I love incorporating text into my work, and the text used in these images was inspired by music I've been listening to, things that were happening personally to me at the time, and in the general goings on of life.  I feel that the words are open enough to be interpreted in anyway that relates to you personally.  I also experimented with adding linocut areas on some of these designs.  I always have a lot of fun creating textures but lino helps me to get an even coating of colour in some areas, whilst still providing subtle texture, I like that contrast.  I had a lot of fun (and made a lot of mess, always a bonus)!

The unicorn and peacocks images are also available as small A6 cards.  I usually make square shaped cards so I thought I'd try something a bit different. 

The other new product I have is a new home card. 

Also, a couple of weekends ago I took part in the Illustrators fair at Granary Square in Kings Cross, London.  It's my second fair with them and I'm hoping to do more.  I still feel very much a fair novice but with each one I learn a little more, and it is lovely to meet people and chat about my artwork.  It's lovely to have that face to face interaction with people.  The Illustrators fair organisers have been amazing at promoting everyone and making the fair a huge success, so a big thank you goes out to them and to everyone that came along :).

All of the products shown here are available now in my Etsy shop, SharonFarrowArt.  

So that's some of what I've been up to recently.  I'm now ready to start with some new ideas which I'll share soonish :).  Have a great week!

12 Olympians - Greek Mythology illustrations

Hello,

Today I'm going to share a project I've been working on over the past few months.  I think I actually started it at the end of 2020, but I've worked on it on and off since then and it's now finally complete!  I had an idea in my head for a while beforehand about creating a series of illustrations that would work together as a distinct set.  I'd also had the idea about doing something around Greek mythology for a while.  It's a subject I find interesting and I wanted to embark on a project where I would learn.  I decided to create the images of the 12 main Olympian Gods.  I thought this would be a project that would be achievable (12 illustrations), but also would be long and involved enough to be a challenge.  I stopped and started many times, worked on other things in-between, almost threw in the towel on a number of occasions but I did persevere and I'm really happy I did.  

I set a few style and image parameters from the start.  Each illustration would feature the full length figure and would include some of their attributes drawn in black and white.  I wanted a uniform colour palette and I wanted it to link to the ancient pots, vases and plates which I always loved looking at from museum trips and photographs, so I chose rich red brown and yellow ochre/raw sienna to be the accompanying colours.  

I'm really happy with how they've turned out.  I haven't done too much figure drawing over the past years so that was something I was keen to work on and was another part of the challenge.  I spent a lot of time especially early on, going back and forth abandoning images and re-creating them, but I definitely found once I'd created a few more finished illustrations I got into my flow, (as tends to happen) and I started to speed up and see consistency in the images.  I hope you enjoy my take on a selection of the Greek Gods!  Here they are in no particular order :).

Finishing that project has been the start to 2022 for me.  I'm excited for what the year ahead will bring and I'm looking forward to getting started on some new work.  One of the first things I'm planning to do is make some design changes to my website.  I've wanted to do this for a while but I also know for me this can be quite a task! It's on the top of my list though so I am going to start on it soon.  I'll let you know when it's complete.  

Have a lovely rest of the week :).

Pre lockdown 2 Museum visiting

Hello,

Just before lockdown 2 here, I headed out to a couple of museums before they shut again for a few weeks.  One of which was the Victoria and Albert Museum.  This is one of my favourite museums to wander around in.  At that time some galleries were closed but it didn't matter, I didn't have time to get around all that were open anyway.  I knew I specifically wanted to look at tapestries on that particular visit, and that I could do.  When I came home, I started sketching a few ideas for an illustration based on what I had seen and this is the final piece.

I knew I wanted to feature a unicorn, and I also knew I would find them within the tapestries on display.  That was my one 'rule,' I could only feature something I had seen in some form, but I was free to change it as I wished (I always like to give myself a few boundaries).  I took a lot of inspiration from the beautiful wrought iron work on display (there is a pretty large collection there).

I do love wandering around museums and seeing all the amazing things they have on display.  I love everything about it, the quietness, learning, and of course seeing all the beautiful crafted objects.  A visit to any museum for me can really transport me somewhere else, and give me so much to think about.

I had so much fun creating this and I have so many ideas have been sparked off in my head from what I saw, so there will be more to come I'm sure.  With everything that is going on right now it was so good to escape into my own world of fantasy :).  I hope you're all doing well.

London

Good morning!  It's a rainy morning here in London...again!  Still, March is almost here so I am confident that will mean things are on the up.  I can spy a lovely array of spring flowers from my window out in the garden, and that's always a highlight for me at this time of year.  When it stops raining I will pop out to pay them a visit.
I wanted to share a recent personal piece I completed of some London 'things'.  It comes as no surprise that I do love drawing iconic London buildings and bits and pieces.  There is such a wealth to draw from, and many places I've drawn a lot, Tower Bridge is a prime example ;).  I feel I know it very well now!  When you live in such an impressive city with so much history it is tempting to take it for granted, but I still get awestruck when walking around, crossing the Thames and so on.  I still will make many more drawings of London, there are always ideas pulsing away in my head, but for now here's the latest.

I made a lot of preparatory sketches which I then copied and scaled up and down until I was happy with the composition.  In the end I removed the purple and used brown as the additional colour, I wanted mainly to use red, blue, black and white.  

I hope you can tell this is a corgi!  I'm sure that in their spare time the Queens doggos love to have a good run-around in their own crowns :).

Ok, it's Friday which means a drawing day for me.  I've been working on some commissions which I can't share but today I should be able to work on something new that I've been doodling with for a few days.  Have a lovely Friday and weekend!

Under the sea

Hello,

I hope you're having a good week.  Today I'm sharing another sea-themed work (I think I really need a coastal visit!).  I had a very specific colour palette in mind when I started this and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Drawing all the creatures for this was such fun and I hope it conveys as sense of the movement of the sea.  

Below is one of my work in progress sketches.

Also I picked up a copy of Uppercase Magazine which features an illustration of mine.  The illustration was for a They Draw and Cook challenge.  The theme was 'Food Geometry' so I created a food pattern.  I was delighted when it was one of the entries picked to appear in the magazine.  

Ok that's it for now, keep warm!

January cosy time and the outdoors

Hello,

So the first week of January is in the bag, which is good news for me.  I'm always glad when we're at week two!  The first week feels a little unsettled.  Now back to normal, full of plans.  So, I've been planning, organising, thinking, getting the body back to it's regular state after the increased Christmas sugar intake!  I've also been feeling cosy and homely so I drew this...

There were a few different colour combos, but in the end I opted for this calm green and pink.  Looks nothing like my home by the way, purely imagined.  

I think I may have mentioned before I love walking out in nature, it really clears my head, so yesterday I went with some friends to visit Wimbledon Common, my first ever visit there.  It was a lovely sunny day and the sky was a perfect blue :).

It was great to have several hours stomping around, and the light is so pretty at this time of year.  Afterwards (of course), we went for food, always essential after a good walk.  Need to keep the belly happy :). 

That's all for now, I'm now thinking what to make for tea, something soupy and spicy I think, yum.  Have a good week and I'll be back soon.

Happy New Year!

Hello and Happy New Year!  I've had a lovely break away for Christmas and am now enjoying being back, sorting out a few things, and doing some drawing :).  I always really appreciate a break at this time of the year.  It is so nice to just slow down a bit, relax and spend time with family.
I wanted to share an illustration I completed just before Christmas still on a sea theme.  I've really been enjoying drawing sea creatures, they are so fascinating.  The colour palette I hope gives it a vintage feel.  I didn't get to spend much time at the coast on this visit home, just because it's Christmastime and it's a little more difficult to get out.  Next time!

When I got back to London I spent a beautiful day out walking from Hammersmith to Richmond.  It was a glorious sunny day and the light was sooo pretty.  

It was such a lovely day :).  

Finally, as it's New Year, and 2020 I've also got a sale on in my Etsy shop SharonFarrowArt 20% off everything.  There are prints, xmas cards, originals, stickers and postcards to choose from so please come and have a browse.

I hope you've had a lovely break and I hope you have a wonderful 2020.  I can't believe we're at that date already!  I'll be back soon, now it's time for coffee and some drawing :).

Beyond the sea

Hello,

Today I'm going to share a personal piece I finished this week.  I've been thinking about the idea for a while now, ever since I took a trip out to the Suffolk coast back in September.  The area is full of folk tales and I get really caught up in those when I'm out wandering there.  I love going for long walks in the countryside possibly because I live in a big busy city so I really appreciate nature when I get out in it, and also because I grew up in the countryside so I feel the need to get back to it when I can.  This particular illustration is inspired by an old tale that when fishermen die they become seagulls.  I read it whilst looking in a local museum and it began conjuring up ideas in my head.  They've had to stay there for a while whilst I was completing other work but I had time to work on it this week.  I really enjoyed drawing all the sea creatures and I'm now sketching out ideas for some new work on that theme.  I love how one thing can lead to another!

Here are a few photographs from the trip.  If you are interested the place I visited is called Dunwich.  It has suffered heavily with erosion in the past, and there are many tales of the sound of bells ringing from sunken churches on dark windy nights ;).  The gravestone shown is the last remaining from one of the churchyards that have fallen into the sea and the photo below shows the ruins are from an old monastery.

I'm hoping over Christmas I can get out and do some brisk winter walking in the countryside.  I can't wait!  

I hope you've had a good week, are wrapping up warm and enjoying the cosy time of year! :).