In my last blog post I was quietly hinting that I was pretty much ready to finish The Duck's Lunch.
Well...
Truth be told, I haven't been able to get back to it at all in the last month.
Meanwhile, I have been busy wearing my other creative hat.
I've been designing my Gnome Christmas card collection for Parade Handmade. You probably know by now that I like to add some new images of my favourite little character each year...
I can hardly believe it myself.
As I write this, I'm also conscious that I may not actually publish this post until the last minute. Why? Because although I haven't managed to return to The Duck's Lunch, I have created six new pieces of art in the meantime. I'll tell you all about those in a moment.
And I still mean to get back to The Duck's Lunch tomorrow. Hopefully, very soon, it will finally be ready for sale, complete with the option of archival-quality Giclée prints.
So that is where we are.
One very patient painting is waiting for me while six new pieces have somehow appeared in the meantime.
Six New Pieces of Art... Sort Of
There is a little bit of a story behind these six pieces.
I've been busy designing my Gnome Christmas Card collection for Parade Handmade. It should really be underway in July but if it's done by the first half of August it's forgiveable. Otherwise time just runs away with itself. Between tax returns, the completion of giftware collections and accepting more from my suppliers plus the related processing and content creation, website management etc on top of everything else, they may not get done at all.
You probably know by now that I like to add some new images of my favourite little character each year. I enjoy imagining him getting up to all of his favourite seasonal activities.
Over the years he's been ice skating, cross-country skiing, baking the Christmas cake, Christmas shopping and generally getting himself involved in all sorts of seasonal adventures.
You may also have seen him on a summer day out by the sea, fully equipped for a successful and fulfilling day at the seaside.
He likes to surf too, so there's a painting of him down by the beach huts, posing on the sand with his paddle board.
I have quite a soft spot for the little fellow.
This year I've added six new pieces to the collection for Christmas.
From Pencil Sketch to Christmas Card
The originals of these new images began as pencil sketches.
I photographed the sketches and uploaded them to my phone, where I developed the imagery further using digital tools.
And no, in case you're wondering, not AI.
I used digital tools to add colour and develop the details of my own drawings. It's a process I've enjoyed experimenting with and it gives me a way of taking a simple pencil sketch somewhere quite different.
For the Christmas cards this year, I've decided to have the finished images printed as postcards rather than printing directly onto card or using sticker sheets from my home printer.
The quality of the image and the colour rendering is simply better that way.
As long as I'm happy with how they turn out, I'll be mounting them onto red blank greeting cards. Each one has Happy Christmas along the bottom.
I also rather like the fact that the image can eventually be removed from the card and framed.
The card itself is A5, so it can be displayed in an A5 frame, while the postcard-sized artwork retains its white border and can be removed and framed separately in an A6 frame.
So there is a little bit of artwork hiding inside the Christmas card too.
Am I Putting the Cart Before the Horse?
Quite possibly.
I haven't even had the finished printed cards in my hands yet as I write this.
I may discover that something hasn't worked as well as I imagined.
Perhaps the colour isn't quite right.
Perhaps the printing doesn't look as good as I hoped.
Perhaps I'll decide that one of the designs needs another tweak.
That's all part of it.
I'm so excited about seeing them, though, that I really wanted to tell you about them before I know exactly how successful the experiment will be.
And I think that's alright.
One of the things I want to do with these monthly art updates is to let you see a little more of the process rather than only appearing when everything is beautifully finished and polished.
There are highs.
There are disappointments.
There are unexpected successes.
There are moments when you wonder what on earth you were thinking.
And then there are those lovely occasions when something comes together better than you expected.
I think the journey is interesting too.
Meanwhile, The Duck's Lunch
And what of my poor, neglected The Duck's Lunch?
It is still here.
Still waiting.
Still very much on my mind.
I haven't abandoned it. Quite the opposite.
I am determined to finish it and get it ready for sale as an original artwork, with the option of archival-quality Giclée prints for those who love the image but aren't looking to invest in an original painting.
I am actually very excited about reaching that point.
This is a significant piece for me and I want to give it the attention it deserves rather than rushing through the final stages simply because I've already been working on it for so long.
That's something I'm trying to get better at generally.
Not confusing taking a long time with failing to make progress.
Sometimes a painting is quietly progressing even when I'm not physically standing at the easel.
Sometimes another idea comes along and takes me somewhere unexpected.
And sometimes, apparently, I decide to design six Christmas cards instead.
Six New Pieces Later...
So here I am.
Another month has passed.
The Duck's Lunch isn't finished.
Six new pieces have appeared.
A Christmas collection is in production.
And I have absolutely no idea what I'll have to tell you about by the time the next art blog comes around.
Which, when I think about it, is rather nice.
I don't want this art journey to become too predictable.
I want to be able to follow the ideas when they arrive, experiment with new ways of working and occasionally take a little detour.
After all, that's where a lot of the interesting things seem to happen.
I'll let you know how the Christmas cards turn out.
And, fingers crossed, I'll also have some very good news about The Duck's Lunch next time.
Until then, thank you for coming along for the ride.
Amanda x
