It's all about the mushroom

Hello,

My good intentions of more frequent posts have appeared to have gone out of the window!  Life gets busy and so this blog takes a bit of a back seat.  I do want to keep it up though and will strive to get better!  

A lot has happened since my last post back in....well, whenever it was.  I've been creating some new work and taking part in several creative/makers markets which I've really been enjoying.  I've got some more of those coming up so I'll aim to write about those properly nearer the time.  I'm also going to be having a piece of work in a group exhibition coming up shortly which is very exciting for me.  I haven't exhibited anything since my college days so I'm delighted to be a part of a show now.  I will post about that soon.

In the meantime I'll share my latest piece of work all about mushrooms.  They fascinate me and are something amazingly fun to draw.  This work did go through a few iterations before I settled on this composition and colour palette, but I'm so happy that I stuck with it and I'm really pleased with how the final piece turned out.  My intention was for it to have a vintage kind of feel to it, and I so enjoyed playing with all the textures in this one.

I WILL be back soon with more updates.  In the meantime I hope you're having a good week.  It's Saturday so I'm getting out and about in (hopefully) the sunshine!

Sharon :).

A bird fest

Hello,

It's been a while (again) since I've written a post but better late than never!

I've been busy over the past few weeks creating new work and it's been an exciting and productive time.  I came back from a short Christmas break full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to flesh out some ideas that had been brewing for a while. 

For the purpose of this post I'm going to focus on three recent images I made.  My plan was to make a small group of images with a similar subject matter and colour palette.  I don't often make sets of work so I thought this would be a good challenge for me and I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

The starting point for each image was a linocut bird.  I love the textures you can achieve with linocut whilst still achieving an all over pretty even covering of colour.  I am a basic linocutter I guess but as there's no real right or wrong way for my purposes (so I've told myself), I feel that's ok.  I wanted each bird to be surrounded by a strange plant land, and I really enjoy creating fantasy plants and landscapes that are a little strange and perhaps unsettling.  I always like to imagine living in those strange worlds and whether I'd feel entirely comfortable!  I wanted the images to be retro-mid century tinged, and I hope my chosen colour palette reflects this.  Once the linocut print was down, I worked into the landscape building it up with coloured pencil, acrylic and gouache.  I get totally absorbed in creating, working up the layers, making the textures, it's a real joy.  I've started using gouache after leaving it for a long time (lots of dried tubes that have now been re-discovered and bought back to life, not always successfully)!  I find for larger areas it scans better that watercolour for me (although that may be my bad scanning technique, who knows, if anyone has any tips I'm all ears)!  I took inspiration from sketches I made from one of my many visits to the V&A Museum in London (love it so), and of course natures delights, birds, are always a lovely subject.  The V&A has a huge amount of beautiful and sometimes strange objects and artwork.  I especially love the medieval period rooms and get lost in time when I'm there.  

Well, I think I've rabbled on for long enough.  I hope you've enjoyed this post.  I'll aim to get more regular at this, although I can't promise anything!

Enjoy your day and I'll see you soon. 

Sharon :).

Summer shop update

Hello,

Ohh it's been a long time since I last wrote one of these.  Sometimes I guess you just need to do what feels right at the time.  Today I feel like the time is right for a little update.  I won't go on though!

I've been working away creating new things and I've now got some new items up for sale in my Etsy shop SharonFarrowArt, so I thought I'd share those. 

First up I've got some new Giclee prints.  I've wanted to get some new designs printed up for a while and when they arrived from the printers I was delighted with how they look.  The paper has a slight texture and a lovely feel, and the colours were just as I hoped.  Two of the prints are nature themed and one is made up of a variety of vegetables.  They are all A4 (297mmx210) in size.

I also created a couple of new birthday card designs.

Both of these cards are now available to buy with free UK delivery, hooray!  

So, that's a little shop update from me.  I'm in the process of creating some new things that will hopefully become additions to the shop at some point in future.  Today it's lovely and sunny but thankfully a little cooler with a gentle breeze, which makes it much more comfortable to work :).

Have a lovely weekend!

Sharon

New Christmas goodies

Hello,

I thought I'd do a quick shop update.  I've added some new Christmas/Festive cards to my shop.  I've got two new designs, both bird themed.  I had such fun working on these, just as we had turned into autumn and the weather had started to change.  The cards can be bought as singles or as a pack of four.  I know it may seem a bit early but if you're someone who likes to get organised you can find them here at SharonFarrowArt.

I've also got lots of art prints, illustrated cards, pocket mirrors and more over in the shop if you're looking for other non seasonal goods.  

It's a lovely start to the day here today, blue sky and those lovely leaves that are beginning to golden are swaying gently in the breeze.  Starting the day with sunshine can't help but give you a lift!

Have a lovely day and I'll be back soon :).

More new things in the shop :)

Hello again, 

I hope everyone is doing well.  I've been spending today doodling away which has been rather nice.  Autumn is very much here so I'm enjoying getting out all my cosy clothes and socks and drinking lots of tea! (nothing out of the ordinary there then!)

This week I updated my Etsy shop with some new products so I wanted to share them with you.  I've now added small lined notebooks and pocket mirrors.  I loved creating these designs.  I got really carried away creating all the patterns which was something a little different for me too.  

First up are the mirrors.  They're pocket sized 76mm in diameter so ideal to be carried in your bag.

Next are the notebooks.  A6 in size and lined so again they can be easily slipped in your bag for reminders and scribbles.

I'm really happy with how they've turned out.  Hopefully they will also brighten up your day!  

Ok, I'm off to make a cuppa, I think it's time.  Have a lovely 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!

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 :).

Bargains in the shop!

Hello,

So December is now upon us.  I don't know about you but November/December always feels pretty busy getting organised for Christmas, I tend to have a lot of lists!  Illustration wise, I've been working on a couple of commissions which is great, and alongside that organising my Etsy shop (SharonFarrowArt) so it now has a few more products.  I've added some original mini nature-themed canvasses and I've also made those canvasses into A6 postcards.  Plus, I also have a sale on, hurrah! so right now there is 20% off everything.  The four images below are the canvasses.

It was fun to work on these.  It's been ages since I painted on canvas, so it was an interesting challenge to paint on a different surface and I'm really happy with how they turned out.  

Right, time to get organised again.  I've got an early start tomorrow so I need to go to bed!

Have a great week!

Patterns, stickers and my shop

Hello,

I hope you've had a good week.  I wanted to share a few more of the images I created in my sketchbook which have now been scanned and cleaned and some of them have become products in my Etsy shop.  I'm also starting to make patterns from some of the images, more to come about that soon.  I found doing this work so useful in terms of experimentation.

Below are the original illustrations for the sticker packs which are available here.  I have some other images which I'm planning to make into stickers soon.  

Right, back to work with a cuppa.  A lovely new roll of paper arrived this week all ready to be sketched on :).  Have a great weekend!

My Etsy shop

Hello,

I hope you're having a good Friday.  Today I wanted to share some of the work I've created which is now available in my Etsy shop SharonFarrowArt hooray! I'm now stocking stickers, prints and tote bags, and I'd love it if you come and take a look.
The stickers are the latest additions and come in a pack of five.  At the moment I have packs of different types of birds, (some of my favourites) and mushrooms, (they are such fun to draw).  I think stickers are such a great way to brighten up surfaces and pages in notebooks and diaries.

Here's a couple of the Giclee prints which are also available.

I hope you like the products.  I'm planning more for the future and am pretty excited about the shop.  Today, it's not raining at the moment thankfully, which is a nice change this week as it has been rain and more rain, boo!  Anyway, I have been making summery themed work which I will share soon.  Have a lovely weekend :).