Kazart Gallery

illustration Friday: intention

2012-03-08T02:13:00.001-08:00

My main intention this week was to create something for IF completely by hand - no Photoshop, no Illustrator - just pure and simple hand drawn and coloured. I have also been intending to do a 'thick black glasses' sketch for a very good friend since last year(!) SO to follow through on my good intentions (and kill two birds with one stone - oooh!), here is this week's contribution...

Intention - another sketch for the 'thick black glasses' series. This one is of my friend, Helen, pulling a Helen face, and is much smaller in size than the others (only 297 x 420mm). Sketched and coloured by hand using a 2B pencil and pastels on cartridge paper, there is nothing digital about this artwork - although i did use a digital camera to take a photo of it?!

Illustration Friday: Capable

2012-03-01T19:18:00.003-08:00

Thought I'd dedicate this weeks challenge to my brother who thought he was capable of everything and anything when he was just a boy (of course, wearing a cape always helped...). I remember spending a lot of time in the waiting room of Emergency at the local hospital! It seemed that he wasn't quite as capable as he thought, especially when it came to being a super hero... (xo DJ)

Capable - even the rubber duck's not sure about this one! Sketched by hand using 2B pencil and then scanned onto the Mac and digitally coloured. Background has sepia filter applied to give it a hot Aussie summer feel - the swing set would literally be burning hot to touch...

This sketch changed so many times! Here is how it started...

Initial sketches - originally the boy was going to be jumping off a diving board wearing a cape, goggles and snorkle, into an Olympic swimming pool. Then it changed to jumping off a plank of wood on top of a shed and into a wash tub. Finally he had ditched the snorkle and was jumping off the top of the swing set and into a rather small blow up pool! His legs also grew along the way...

For this illustration, I actually drew all the elements separately (due to the fact that I couldn't make up my mind...) and when I was happy with each element, then pieced them together in Photoshop. This saved redrawing the entire thing every time I changed something (which was numerous times!). The finished sketch ended up looking like this...

Finished sketch - composed of 4 separate sketches pieced together in PShop. Have to say that this illo just didn't happen as easily as some others BUT I got there in the end!

Goodjoe Tee Design Competition - "Good Books"

2012-02-28T04:37:00.004-08:00

Its a miracle - actually came up with a design and finished it in one day for the Goodjoe Tshirt Design Competition: theme being "Good Books". Sounds so simple but it was a struggle... just when I had given up, an idea popped out of nowhere (somewhere?) and I started to sketch it...

Curl Up with a Good Book - originally sketched by hand, this design was created using Illustrator. Yep, I finally gave Photoshop the flick for a bit... worked out OK! Phew...

Phoebe, of course, has taken 'curling up with a good book' literally and fallen asleep with the book. She looks so comfy don't you think? Either that or the book was so dull that it put her to sleep but that doesn't fit the Goodjoe theme does it?

Anyway, please, PLEASE, PLEASE(!!!?) vote for my design - its for a good cause. Its easy, just go to the link and vote if you like it (or not?). Thanks heaps x

Also, Goodjoe are looking for more artists to design Tshirts. There's are few different competitions running and prize money involved. Seriously, check it out! http://www.goodjoe.com/Contests/Design.aspx?id=50038ff9-a012-46a8-96bc-4feb77e27013

Twitter Art Exhibit: Leap of Faith

2012-02-23T19:29:00.001-08:00

Just sent off my postcard artwork for the 2nd Twitter Art Exhibit happening at the Moss Public Library, Moss, Norway - officially starting 7pm, 13th April 2012. The exhibition is being run by David Sandum and will raise money for a very good cause - the Women's Crisis Center in Moss (you can go to their website for more info: http://www.moss.kommune.no/artikkel.aspx?MId1=5277&AId=2515). I'm very excited to be a part of this worthwhile project and also to get my artwork displayed way over on the other side of the world in Europe! If you happen to be in Norway and just passing by, please pop in and have a look - here's a pic of my artwork that will be on display...

Leap of Faith (or reach for the stars...) - Wow! Not used to working on such a small scale... the background was created using watercolour on thick watercolour paper. I then used watercolour pencils, dry, to draw the leaping lady (Phoebe), the stars, and a few added effects to the background. The stars and her hair were finally embellished with a bit of gold glitter. Size: 160 x 120mm (postcard size)

This artwork is a actually redo of part of my first ever Phoebe artwork. Why? Because it was symbolic of my own leap of faith out into the world with only my artwork exposed and I remember how scary that was at the time. I thought this idea, being very positive, would give women of the world a little bit of hope, strength and courage to take that leap (for whatever reason...) and help them to go for their dreams.

If you'd like to enter or find out more about this exhibition go to:

http://davidsandumart.posterous.com/call-for-artists-2nd-twitter-art-exhibit-in-m

Illustration Friday: Fluid

2012-02-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

Fluid... going with the flow. Phoebe decided to let go of her anxieties, hold her breath, and let the current take her on to her future destination - whatever that may be. Her life was no longer going to be an upstream battle...

Fluid - the background for this illo was created using watercolours on thick watercolour paper. I let the paint go with the flow of the water and then took a photo before it dried to capture the wet look. The drawing was sketched using black felt pen, scanned onto the Mac, coloured in Photoshop and then collaged with the background.

PS. Just in case you get the wrong idea... she's holding her nose, not picking it.

Commissioned Portrait (so far)

2012-02-19T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a commissioned painted portrait over the last couple of months. The reason I haven't posted anything until now is because I wasn't even sure if I could do it! This artwork is completely different to anything I have done before and using oils (I haven't done much in this medium...). Complete lack of confidence, I know, but this was no ordinary portrait to take on...

Gloria - the portrait so far. Its almost finished, just a few more tweaks here and there, but I will have to put the paintbrush down at some stage and declare it finished or I'll go on tweaking forever... the more I look at it, the more things I find to fix!

The lady to be painted, Gloria, sadly passed away last year, which is why her husband wanted her portrait painted. Unfortunately there were very few photos ever taken of this wonderful lady because she didn't like having her photo taken and the photos that do exist are not very detailed. The brief was to paint a portrait of her sitting on her favourite chair with their little dog sitting next to her. As there is no actual photo of this scenario, it had to be reconstructed using about 5 different photos as reference (a couple of photos of the sofa, one of the little dog, and a few different pics of Gloria sitting on another chair).

This was the final approved sketch which was then drawn onto the canvas.

Once a rough design sketch was worked out and the best format (square or rectangle canvas) decided on, I finally started painting, which was to be on a large size square canvas (approx. 1 x 1 metre). The actual painting of the background was the most daunting part - I had painted faces and people before but not furniture or room settings! I then realised the scale of the job ahead... BUT I was determined to prove to myself that I could do this - no matter what the negative little voice in my head kept saying. And so I began to paint...

Day 7 - this is how the portrait looked after approximately 7 days of painting (over a period of about a month that is). The background was killing me... at this stage I was ready to give up.

The sofa was killing me... so much detail, so many little studs, I felt completely overwhelmed - could I really do this? At this point I actually rang the client and suggested he find another artist. My confidence was nil. But somehow he managed to talk me around and convince me to give it another month (what an incredibly wonderful man?). I agreed to keep going, got off the phone and amazingly started to paint...

A couple of weeks later, the portrait was close to being finished so I sent him a photo. I waited anxiously, convinced he wasn't even going to recognise the lady in the portrait! He was really happy with it - only her eye colour needed changing! You can't imagine how relieved I felt...

Now to just get those final tweaks done. Will post the completed painting soon...

Illustration Friday: Popularity

2012-02-15T01:54:00.000-08:00

Her status in cyberspace had become so incredibly out of this world that they crowned her Miss Popularity 2012. Out there, she was Queen of the Tweets, Empress to the Blogs, but in reality, it was just her, sitting on her throne, with the constant chatting and tweeting that buzzed around her head (inside and out) day and night... or were they circling? Oh no! They're after her crown!?

Popularity - the chair was the first thing I drew. It started out as just a throne but seemed to take control of the pencil as I sketched and ended up looking like this! No idea where it came from!? Possibly could get up and walk away too. Skinny Girl (who I'm thinking of calling Phoebe) appeared next and managed to fit into the chair perfectly (in her twisted way) using it as protection from the hovering tweets. Hand drawn using felt tip pen then coloured using Photoshop.

Thick Black Glasses No. 4

2012-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I did a BIG face wearing thick black glasses. This one has been in the works (my head) for a while but just needed a prompt (kick up the backside) to get it done. As you know I love thick black glasses and I love Lisa Loeb's music AND she just happens to wear... What you didn't know is that my husband has a thing for librarians which is strange because he married me and I have never worn glasses (up until now that is...) but he does hang out in bookstores a lot... hmmm. Anyway, decided to do something special for him (partner/manager/buttkicker/inspiration) for Valentines Day this year, not that I believe in it but might as well make the most of it. Sort of killing two birds with one stone really, a present for his majesty AND getting that next BIG face out of my head and onto paper...

Thick Black Glasses No. 4 - this is sort of a tribute to Lisa Loeb, librarians and women in general who wear thick black glasses (cool). Sketched using pastels on a big piece of cartridge paper (approx. 60 x 85cm) on the floor because its so messy (love it). Really enjoyed drawing the hair and yes, I know she doesn't have red hair but just had to get that orange in somewhere...

"Kazart Butterfly No.4 iphone case" iPhone & iPod Cases by Karen Sagovac | RedBubble

2012-02-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not a pink person at all but I am really happy with this...

"Kazart Butterfly No.4 iphone case" iPhone & iPod Cases by Karen Sagovac |

RedBubble:
You can now also buy the butterfly designs printed on greeting cards and postcards from RedBubble too!

New Stuff on Etsy

2012-02-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

Finally I've added some new stuff to my Etsy shop - yeah! Eventually will get around to adding more - it all takes time. Here's a sneak peek...

Kazart Butterfly Print Greeting Cards & Gift Tags - the butterfly designs are now available as printed cards. Each card comes with a BONUS matching gift tag. These designs are actually reproduction prints of original painted canvases I did as part of a series. The paintings have all sold except for one (bottom right design). I will be adding the unsold painting to Etsy for sale soon.

Kazart Cat Greeting Cards & Gift Tags - this is the whole kit and kaboodle of Kazart Cat characters which are now available as printed cards. Each card comes with a BONUS matching gift tag. There are also 8 x 10" prints available too!
Mreow(x8!)

Click here on Etsy shop to see more Kazart stuff! You can also buy the cats and butterfly designs printed on greeting cards and postcards from RedBubble too!

Illustration Friday: Suspense

2012-02-07T23:56:00.000-08:00

"suspense - state of uncertainty" (English Dictionary)

The suspense was killing them... was she going to make it? Luckily, she was being suspended by a safety harness (bungi rope?)... just in case.

Suspense - hand drawn using 0.2 black felt tip pen and coloured in Photoshop. The spiral background was created using watercolour on paper, which was then scanned onto the Mac and a radial blur filter applied in Photoshop.

Suspense... Alfred Hitchcock. Spiral. Nail biting. Scary movie. Jaws theme music. Scream! Walking on a tight rope? Why am I writing in short, sharp sentences? The answer to the last question is because writing in short, abrupt sentences creates drama and suspense (this was actually a question in my daughter's homework this week...). The answer to the first question is, I have always found watching tight rope walkers very stressful and suspenseful (is that a word?!) especially when they're way, way up in the sky between two skyscrapers - why would anyone want to do that?!

So, I imagined Skinny Girl walking across a tight rope, with only her artwork to help balance, eyes closed (she can't watch), feeling extremely anxious about falling off into the spinning abyss for ever more... obviously she's in a complete state of uncertainty. Lets just hope that safety rope is attached to something secure and not an unexpected big scary nail biting movie type thing... AHHHH!

"Kazart Cat Stack Tshirt" T-Shirts & Hoodies by Karen Sagovac | RedBubble

2012-02-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

"Kazart Cat Stack Tshirt" T-Shirts & Hoodies by Karen Sagovac | RedBubble:

Cat Stack

2012-02-05T03:37:00.000-08:00

Cat Stack - this is the official stack of Kazart cats - the whole kit and kaboodle! Created by collaging (and slightly tweaking) the original drawings which were all drawn and coloured by hand using Derwent colour pencils.
Hopefully I can come up with a stack more...

Just having a bit of fun here... this idea was based on a T-shirt design I created for Good Joe not long ago (it didn't win...) which featured a few of my cat characters, some existing, some still evolving. It was a simple dark grey design with only the eyes brightly coloured. So, having finally completed the finished drawings of Sneeky Cat, Grumpy Cat and Fat Cat, I have put together a full colour version of the original design using the final drawings of each cat plus the original Scaredy Cat (centre stage, of course). Creating this design was stacks (sorry) of fun! Check out my Red Bubble shop for Cat Stack T-shirts and prints. Definitely one for the cat lover! Mreow(x4)!

Sneaky Cat

2012-02-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

So I have been trying to come up with another cat character... happy cat (too happy), sad cat (too sad), black cat (there's already a billion zillion out there), super cat (zzzzz...) but just couldn't imagine the right one. I even tried to remember every single cat we had when i was growing up (I've said it before - we had a lot of cats) and strangely, a sleek black cat kept popping into my head. I didn't remember having this type so I checked with Mum, and sure enough, we did have one when I was very little. Funny how your earlier memories can become like flash cards with no words?! Anyway, I let it go until it found me and finally, the character emerged from somewhere (obviously very dark and shadowy...) and plonked itself (not quite...) on the page.

Sneaky Cat - this is my latest cat character inspired by another cat we had when I was very little, "Blacky".

Medium: drawn and coloured by hand using Derwent colour pencils on cartridge paper.

Black cats always seem so slinky and sneaky like they spend their entire day grooming their fur (actually, I think they do...). The long tail just kept getting longer and longer until it formed a perfect swirl and then four of the whiskers fell off (!), leaving a sleekly tweaked moustache (no idea where the moustache came from? Possibly inspired by IF...). The blue grey colour in his coat was actually a mistake (I thought i had picked up the dark grey) but i really liked the effect so kept on with it. Finally, his shifty eyes had to be blue because: 1. I haven't done a blue-eyed cat before and 2. it brings out the blue in his coat.
OK, he's not exactly an entirely black, sleek cat like i intended but I didn't want him to be just another plain black cat to add to the billion zillions out there already. He's unique. He's a Kazart cat, which is probably the only thing that justifies his weird tiger stripey fur (all my cats have this...). Oh and between you and me, judging by the eyes and moustache, I'd say he's pretty untrustworthy too... mreow!

Illustration Friday: Forward

2012-01-31T02:42:00.000-08:00

Thinking forward (very far) into the future, I imagined myself at 88 years old (very old). I don't want to grow old gracefully (I'm not very graceful), I want to be a crazy old lady waving a cane who dyes her hair purple and can still come up with creative ideas. And at that age, it will take a lot of creative thinking, serious cane waving (and pointing) and some very clever accessorising (gym boots, skateboard and a fast dog...) just to get out the door! Lets face it, to get anywhere in this world, you must go FORWARD with all your might...

"Forward Sunny!" - this illo was sketched by hand (about a zillion times...) and then colour and texture added using Photoshop. The bone was an after thought - Sunny needed something to look FORWARD to (just to get him through this ordeal!).

Grumpy Cat & Fat Cat

2012-01-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

Grumpy Cat - hand drawn and coloured on cartridge paper using Derwent colour pencils. Yes, the fur takes forever but its very calming - possibly like knitting? I don't know, I don't knit.

You either love them or you hate them - cats, that is. I love them. My husband hates them. SO the only cats around our house are hand drawn (or strays but the dogs chase them away...). Which is why I created a character called Scaredy Cat a few years back, based on a cat I had when growing up, and I have been meaning to do some more as part of a series but just haven't got around to it. Having done a few rough sketches just recently, today I finally took one to colour - YAY! So here is my latest crazy cat illustration called 'Grumpy Cat' (above). Quite similar to Scaredy Cat (obviously related) but much, much grumpier and possibly very mean (I wouldn't get too close or you might find out why...).

OK, now for the next one (I'm on a roll...), possibly called Fat Cat after a cat (yes it was fat) my parents had when I was younger...

Fat Cat - yes, this cat is a big cat. In fact both cats this illo is inspired by were huge (or was I just little?). Again, hand drawn and coloured using Derwent colour pencils on cartridge paper. Its so good to give Photoshop a miss and get back to hand colouring...

Actually this character is a cross between two cats we had (we had a lot of cats) - one was a beefy boy black and grey tom cat (who chased dogs...) and the other was a soft, floppy black and white cat with a weird pink tongue (it was a bit dopey). We had more cats too - but at different times of course!

Illustration Friday: Twirl

2012-01-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

Twirl - hair twirler extraordinaire! I was wondering where my paintbrush had got to...
Doodled by hand using a black felt tip pen, then scanned onto Mac and coloured in Photoshop. The infinity swirl background was created in Illustrator, imported into Photoshop and then a motion blur applied.

I'm a severe hair twirler. After a lot of hair twirling, staring into space (humming 'You Spin Me Round' by some 80's band... forgotten their name?) and procrastinating, I realised that being a self confessed hair twirler, there was nothing else to draw but me twirling my hair! So I started doodling (I'm not a doodler) while thinking about hair twirling and this twirly haired doodle emerged! I think I like doodling... also swirls... and orange and green.

Thanks again Illustration Friday for pulling me out of another rut (although I did get a lot of hair twirling done!) :)

Illustration Friday: Prepared

2012-01-19T03:11:00.000-08:00

Prepared - you have to be really prepared to enjoy a day at the beach in the hot Aussie sun (or you'll get burnt and end up looking and feeling like a cooked lobster...). Illo sketched by hand with felt tip pen, scanned onto Mac and coloured using Photoshop.

We recently went away for a few days to visit family who live near the beach... it doesn't matter if you go for two or twenty days, when you have kids there's a lot of preparation (and packing and planning ahead) involved, especially going to the beach when you're a non-beachy bunch like us! We rarely go, so the preparation involved is always super stressful - sunscreen, towels, swimmers, spare clothes, water, zinc, more sunscreen, more water, hats, sunglasses, rashies, boogie boards and a humungous bag to put everything in. And the sun is sooo hot here in Summer (and super intensified on the beach or in the water) so being prepared is very important for lilly pillies like us! Fun in the sun? Not if you get burnt! I know - I missed putting sunscreen on my ankles... the pain.

All Cats are Grey in the Dark

2012-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

Just entered a couple of more designs into the latest GoodJoe T-shirt Competition: Theme No. 10 'Proverbs'. You know, proverbs as in wise things your mother (or someone wise) used to tell you ie. Patience is a virtue, Look before you leap. Remember those ittle gems? Anyway I chose 2 and and came up with a some ideas but finding something that will appeal on a T-shirt isn't easy. However, I'm really loving doing this, its such great learning curve AND its for a great cause. Again its all about the process, trying new things (ie. tackling Illustrator instead of using the usual Photoshop) and pushing myself to a whole new level (hopefully not over the edge...).

All Cats are Grey in the Dark - sketched by hand, scanned onto Mac and then redrawn using Illustrator. Outline was then imported into Photoshop and colour was added.

Really happy with the Cats in the Dark design, it was great fun and not as try hard as the other one (Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder) which looked great in my head but just didn't translate into Illustrator as well as I would have liked - too tight or something. Agh... Illustrator versus Photoshop, a constant battle. Cats however are always fun! Even slipped old Scaredy Cat into the mix (of course). Feel free to pop over and check them out at GoodJoe and vote if you like (pretty please with sugar on top? xo).

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder - this design was created completely in Illustrator

Illustration Friday: Grounded

2012-01-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

"grounded – unable to fly because of weather conditions." (English Dictionary)

Grounded – hand sketched using 5B pencil, scanned onto Mac and then colour and texture were added using Photoshop. I'm loving Photoshop lately (we have a love hate relationship).

Have to say that this week's topic was an absolute torturous struggle for me. Felt like I was grounded from coming up with an idea! Actually had to consult my faithful old high school dictionary (obviously desperate) and it quoted the following: grounded – unable to fly because of weather conditions. This meaning then circled my brain in a continuous chant for what seemed liked days (OK maybe a few minutes) until finally something came to mind... a boy, standing with his finger in the air testing for a breeze, desperately wanting to fly his kite, only to find that there is no wind, not a single wisp, thus rendering his kite unable to fly because of weather conditions. Yep, sounds really lame when you put it into words. Anyway, thought I'd take advantage of the boy and his kite idea and try a retro ish Aussie summer ish style this week – something for the boys rather than the usual girlie illo!

PS. the hardest part was coming up with a boy style kite! I must have drew at least half a dozen (batty dragonee, octopusish...) before the sad eyed monster appeared. Hope its boy approved?!

Illustration Friday: Highlight

2012-01-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

Highlight - the outline of this illo was hand drawn using black felt tip pen, scanned onto the Mac, then coloured and texturised using photoshop. The background is an original watercolour background I created using watercolours on watercolour paper which has been collaged into the scene.

Actually I think this illustration has been the highlight of my week! I enjoyed creating it sooo much from the initial thought through to its final colourful outcome. My first idea was a firecracker filled night sky with the silhoutte of a kid and her pet sitting on a hill, watching the fireworks being the highlight of the New Year, blah, blah, blah, boring... Then I thought about how much my daughter loves her dog, Skippy, and how Skip is the highlight of every day of her life (along with rainbows and the colour green) so it just transformed into the two of them sitting on a hill, illuminated (highlighted?) by the glow of a rainbow sun shower... obvious, really. Or you could just take it on face value - there is a high light in the sky...

Yay! Just entered a T-shirt design Competition!

2011-12-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

I finally did it, that is, came up with an idea, created a design and entered it into a competition before the closing date (first time for everything...). Great way to end this year and start the next. I'm very excited about this comp, not that I expect to win, but it is for a good cause, Goodjoe is a T-shirt design company that only prints designs that will make a difference to the world. Love this idea - good on you Goodjoe! So, feeling very strongly about overly-plastic-packaging and over-consumerism and thinking back to an era when life was much more simple (and so was the packaging), I based my design on KISS - which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid (advice given to us by our Geography teacher in High School). Have to say I hated geography and didn't do very well at it but this little gem has stuck with me for life (so I did learn something after all!).

PS. if you want to check out Goodjoe T-shirts or even better, vote for my design (?!), then go to the Goodjoe website. x

KISS - hand sketched with black felt tip pen, scanned onto Mac and coloured in Photoshop. The dress is actual fabric scanned in and colourised in Photoshop too. Wanted to create an illo with a simple late 1960's to early 1970's style. And yes my mother did dress me in homemade dresses and big bows when i was very little (love you Mum).

Below is another design (Plan B) I created for the same theme but somehow the impact got lost in the translation from my head to paper ie. it sounded like a grreat idea but just didn't cut it (no lunch pun intended) as a final design (to me anyway). Oh well...

KISS lunch - I used a scrunched up brown paper bag for the realistic bag texture. Liked the idea of collaging real textures - something new I haven't tried and seemed to work for this simple style. You see what I mean about the lunch design though - just doesn't have the WOW factor needed to be able to pull off being printed on a T-shirt, does it?

There's no place like home...

2011-12-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

Some people go away for the holidays but I think its much more relaxing potting around at home with the kids and the dogs (and the chickens) - playing games, doing humungous jigsaws ( that stay on the floor until February...), going on mini outings (ie. the park or shopping or a walk down the road), watching silly kid movies, etc. The kids turn wild (only brushing their hair when we go out) and everyone is relaxed. We all get to do the things we've been meaning to do all year like revamp my blog, revamp the vegie patch, tackle the washing pile that never seems to make it into the washing machine, catch up with people we've been meaning to see, read that book that I'm always too tired to read. The inside of our house looks as if a giant cracker full of toys and craft has exploded (so please give me half an hour notice if you plan to pop 'round...). Yep, nothing like staying at home for the holidays... anyone know a good house keeper?

This is the house I created for McFester the Jester but it does resemble our real home (slightly sort of kind of) so I thought it would be good to use for this post. I was wondering where all the cutlery had gone...

illustration Friday: Messenger

2011-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

"I try to be a truthful artist and I try to show a level of courage. I enjoy that. I'm a messenger."

~ Jeff Koons

Messenger - sketched by hand using black felt tip pen then scanned onto Mac and coloured in Photoshop. The painting on the easel is actually an abstract painting I did a few years ago. I collaged it into this illo because it was a very expressive piece which captured what I was feeling at that time (only I know its truth...)

Its true - my art is a personal truth, not always obvious, but none the less, always visually saying something about me and how I feel, even if the viewer is unaware. Sometimes when I have something to say or express, something that is too personal or scary to be verbalised with words, I can get it out there by recreating it visually, allowing the feelings and message to be expressed as part of my art. It takes courage to be truly honest - I portray this fear of exposing oneself as standing naked with only my artwork exposed. I think when we connect to a piece of art that we are viewing, then we have truly understood the message the artist was sending. Indirectly or directly, artists are great messengers...

Illustration Friday: Sink

2011-12-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Sink –sinking down, down, down into the dark deep. Sketched by hand using black felt tip pen and then scanned onto the Mac. Background created using watercolours on watercolour paper, then scanned onto Mac. Collaged using Photoshop and then colour and effects added. This illo features same character as IF: Scary.

Sink – sink, sunk, sinking feeling. For this weeks IF topic only one thing came to mind – the sinking feeling of losing your main source of work (to the financial crisis) - a big shock that can knock you completely off balance and into the deep... sinking, down, down, down. Luckily all my Christmas shopping has been done so guess I'll just chill over Christmas and start looking for more work in the New Year. I should be back afloat by then...
And thankyou Illo Friday – creating this artwork made me feel sooo much better and actually pulled me out of a pending artist's block. IF is definitely worth the effort! x

He's checking his list...

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

You better watch out, (you know the rest of the the song) 'cause Santa has new glasses, in fact, big thick black glasses (of course) so now he can actually see who has been naughty and who has been nice. None of this just sending presents to everyone willy nilly. He's checking his list (for real) so you better be good?! This is the theme of my 2011 Christmas card illustration. I wanted to do something that drew on stuff I had done this year and so it made sense that Santa should be wearing thick black glasses. If this is your first visit to my blog then flick back to the 'Thick Black Glasses' post and then it will make much more sense. Its been a common theme in my artwork this year, especially as I had to get glasses myself! (I think I'm over it now by the way but I'm sure something else will catch my fascination soon...)

Illustration Friday: Brigade

2011-12-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

We put up our Christmas tree this weekend (after much pestering from the kids) so 'its beginning to feel a bit like Christmas' (thanks Bing...) at our house! Even the Santa stockings are hung by the chimney ready to be stuffed to the point that toys are spilling out onto the floor. The size of the stockings seems to be getting bigger every year (if someone actually wore them they would be a giant...) and kids' Christmas lists are definitely getting longer (and very specific). This led me to thinking about poor old Santa trying to deliver the HUGE amount of presents asked for by kids all over the world each Christmas. How does he do it? With a BRIGADE of helpers of course! If there was ever anyone who needed a brigade it would have to be Santa, hands down, he wins. So this weeks illo is in honour of Santa and his brilliant brigade of helpers who miraculously get the job done in just one night every year...

Santa and his trusty Brigade
It would seriously take a brigade to get that HUGE sack of presents into the sleigh. What would he do without them? Sketched in black felt tip pen, scanned onto the Mac and coloured in Photoshop.

Illustration Friday: Round

2011-11-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Staring at the wall (late last night), trying to think of something clever for 'Round' that didn't involve Santa, Santa's belly, a bowl full of jelly, Santa's nose or Rudolf's nose (Christmas is obviously on my mind...), I noticed I was actually staring at a framed lino cut print I did ages ago and funny enough, it was of the full moon and its very, very round glow! SO its now my contribution to Illo Friday this week. Basking in the moonlight, you can see me sitting under a tree, trying to get away from it all in the Blue Mountains, with the bright lights of the city (Sydney) far away in the background. When i lived in the city years ago I loved to go there and funny enough, its now pretty much where I live! I must have made a wish on a star...

'Thursday Night' - lino cut print (no. 2)
No idea why i called it Thursday Night - seems odd to be sitting under a tree, far away in the mountains, on a weekday night. Maybe it was just wishful thinking...

Illustration Friday: Vanity

2011-11-22T03:34:00.000-08:00

As soon as I found out the IL topic was VANITY, I started thinking about bright red lipstick (followed by bright blue eye shadow and running mascara...). Made me think of someone I once knew who was hysterically dramatic and used to put lipstick on, purposely going beyond the lip line and over her cheek, just for a laugh (she later went on to study acting...). Someone else once told me that when you turn 40 you are allowed to wear bright red lipstick - not sure what that means? Anyway, my imagination has been playing with dramatic actress faces (obviously over 40) wearing too much make-up holding ornate mirrors which led me to thinking of the wicked witch from Snow White - "Mirror, mirror on the wall...". SO i sat at my drawing table and started sketching, thinking of doing a watercolour and pen thingy, when I noticed my daughter's water soluble oil pastels on my table... hmmm, that could be interesting! SO so this weeks illo is a bit of an experiment with oil pastels and water colour pencils (no red lipstick used although in hind sight that could possibly have worked...). It was heaps of fun so hope you like it (if not, that's cool... I hate bright red lipstick and wouldn't be seen dead in it - is that vain?)

Vanity (or Bright Red Lipstick)

Medium: water soluble oil pastels and water colour pencils on watercolour paper

McFester the Jester

2011-11-19T03:36:00.000-08:00

I think after my last freaky post you are possibly primed to meet my oldest, dearest and most precious character - the Jester. He is very, very odd and has been hidden away for a very long time because I just couldn't find a box or niche to put him in. He just never seemed to fit peoples' expectations of me (whoah, deep...) but after my last unexpected creative outburst (ie. Silent Mime) I think his time has finally come. Very few people have seen this character so putting him out there is bigger than Ben Hur (to me that is...). Sounds crazy, I know, but the Jester goes back a very long way and has emerged time and time again, sometimes clothed (that never worked...), sometimes happy, sometimes sad but he has always stayed true to his character. He doesn't see himself as ugly or odd and can't understand why people stare and gasp. He has no vanity (which is why he doesn't wear clothes) but I think the Jester's most important quality is that he only sees inner beauty - he doesn't get distracted by or judge anything or anyone by appearance. Yep, the river runs deep where the Jester is involved - he comes from a very deep and dark place.

Come on Mc Fester, you've waited long enough! I promise they won't bite...
(PS. Try not to stare and gasp too much - you'll scare him away. And please, don't point - its rude!)

McFester the Jester (and he waited...)
Medium: watercolour pencils on watercolour paper

Illustration Friday: Silent

2011-11-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

Yep - I know! Its a bit freaky BUT feeling a bit freaked out and overwhelmed this week (work is busy, chicken turned out to be a rooster, blah, blah, blah...) and I think this has oozed out into this week's Illustration Friday illo which started out OK - silent, speechless mime artist in sepia silent movie ish style - but then i started on the hair and it all went crazy from there. The orange took over as per usual. So even though the mime artist isn't making any noise, the surrounding atmosphere is (and especially his hair...). Its sort of a visual of noise instead.

Silent Mime (overwhelmed and freaked out...)

Hand-sketched, then colour and effects added in Photoshop.

Classic Graphic Art

2011-11-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Really busy with work at the moment - as you know, I am a freelance Graphic Designer and I do design work for a book publisher. I work closely with an editor, and even though she is in New Zealand and I am in Australia, we email each other constantly all day, sending PDFs back and forth through cyberspace. Its amazing really when you stop and think about it! On some books I have worked with illustrators and editors who lived on the other side of the world. Made me think back to the days before computers when graphic designers were graphic artists and we worked on big drawing boards with T-square rulers, tweezers and scalpels. I kid you not! Those were the days when you really did sweat to make a deadline, running back and forth from the typographer to the dark room to your drawing table. There was no such thing as command Z or undo! Last minute changes to text meant grabbing a scalpel and a pair of tweezers and dissecting the pasted down text to move a letter or delete a word. And then there were all the overlays on the artwork for colour specifications and pre-press instructions. Now we have to be pre-press geniuses and do it all ourselves before it goes to print! Ah the drawing board - those were the days. Actually I still have the same drawing table (in the photo below) that I bought *#!!*?! years ago to use at home. Its a bit wobbly now but I love to sit at it in front of the window and draw (or just gaze out the window...).

This was me working on artwork for a 45 jacket for a record company (somewhere in the 80's...). It was a freelance job I was doing from home. Note how the artwork is black and white only and the image was only a rough positional? The film maker positioned the actual photos or trannies (transparencies). The artwork would have had a couple of overlays with instructions for colours etc., so you really had to have the final look completely sorted in your head 'pre-press' as any changes to film were costly!

illustration Friday: Stripes

2011-11-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... stripes - that's a hard one isn't it? Made me think of the silly clown character I created when I was obviously over the moon about something!? Jumping around like a clown, you know that feeling when you just can't contain yourself (and you really hope no one is watching...) leaping around like a complete idiot? AND what else would an over-the-moon-explosively-happy clown wear? Bright stripes from head to toe, of course! Lets face it, only a clown could get away with it...

Clown No. 4 - colour pencil on cartridge paper.

Scaredy Cat - mreow!

2011-11-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

OK the artwork on my last post was probably a bit dark and creepy so thought i'd lighten up and introduce you to one of my other favourite artworks, Scaredy Cat, who has been around for heaps longer than this blog. If you knew Kazart from before then you would have already met Scaredy Cat. This character is based on a crazy cat I had when I was young - freakishly wild at heart, often seen screeching down the hallway and up the leg of the dining table with a mischievious look in her eye. BUT I loved her - she was my cat. Oh and she wasn't actually stripey orange, she was more tortoise shell... stripes just make her look wilder!

Scaredy Cat (look into my eyes... mreow!)

Colour pencil on paper.

Hey if you'd like to purchase a Scaredy Cat T-shirt or mug then go to the Kazart Gallery Shop at Cafe Press (go to Fave Links in right column of this blog). Hope to get more designs on there soon...

Mona Lisa Smiles

2011-11-02T02:14:00.000-07:00

On my studio wall there is a big drawing of a quirky man with bulging eyes and everyday he stares at me and reminds me that I can draw (sometimes I doubt myself...). He has a very powerful presence - black and white with no wishy-washy inbetween. His features have been distorted (on purpose) giving him one eye which is bigger and blacker than the other - sometimes it reminds me of the black hole in the universe. I did this drawing a long time ago but it has always been one of my favourites. Obviously its not everyone's cup of tea BUT this man has kept his eye on me for a very long time and lately I can almost sense a Mona Lisa smile on his black scratchy face...

Distorted Man in Black (compressed black charcoal on cartridge paper)

Size: 550 x 750mm

Illustration Friday: Scary

2011-11-01T03:16:00.000-07:00

Scary is... throwing yourself into cyberspace, naked, with only your artwork exposed (at least that's how it feels), in an attempt to put your artwork out there. I just recently started this blog to do just that... really scary. AND this is my first ever Illustration Friday illo... exciting but still scary. This illo is what came to mind when I found out this week's topic! Medium - watercolour, pencil and pastel.

Girl in Black (Glasses?)

2011-10-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

Entered a couple of artworks in a local exhibition this weekend in another attempt to get my work out there - this is one of them. Sketched in black charcoal in about 20 minutes at Drawing Group a couple of years ago. LOVE the shape and form of the model's pose - its so tucked in and contemplative. Sometimes you get lucky - a really interesting model who does the perfect pose in that small window of time - precious. And of course, she's wearing thick black glasses - coincidence or what?! Freaky...

MTAS Spring Exhibition - School of Arts, Richmond (28th – 29th Oct 2011)

...just in case you're interested.

Geek Girl

2011-10-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

Funny enough, I was trying to come up with a new witchy character to accompany another character and Geek Girl appeared - no idea where from? She's obviously been waiting in the back of my mind for her moment to shine. I was thinking of people who inspired me so perhaps she is a collaboration of that idea. Her cowgirl boots are definitely a tribute to the inspirational artist, Kelly Rae Roberts, who literally changed my life overnight. I guess Geek Girl also reminds me of a truely inspirational friend of mine who of course wears glasses, is a sharp witted amazing writer, often peeks over her glasses fluttering her long lashes and who is constantly trying new ways of taming her mass of springy curls (although her hair is not at all orange - I just like using orange...). The black skivvy and pink skirt probably represents my fatal attraction to black versus my horror in wearing anything pastel. The leopard print tights? Definitely an after thought - just seemed to add another layer of intrigue. But hey, lets not over think things...

Geek Girl character is hand-sketched in pencil and coloured using Photoshop.

Big Face in Black Glasses no. 3

2011-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

I love this drawing - it makes me laugh everytime i look at it! Its a BIG pastel and charcoal drawing of a very good friend's very good (looking) friend - obviously in silly cogneto with the beanie and borrowed glasses. It was supposed to be small but somehow ended up BIG (surprise, surprise). Oh well, I'll just have to do another one much smaller... now I have my new glasses (any wonder my artworks were getting bigger and bigger). Guess what colour they are?!

if only i can work out how to get the images to appear bigger on this blog - sort of defeats the purpose don't you think?!

Thick Black Glasses

2011-10-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just recently realised I have a thing for thick black glasses. Elvis Costello, Lisa Loeb, Tim Burton (love their stuff) - not only are they incredibly talented and cool BUT they also all have something in common. You guessed it – thick black glasses. AND they all inspire me no end. Now I’m becoming obsessed with the idea of doing a series of sketches or paintings based on this theme. I’ve also just realised that 2 of my favourite sketches stuck on the walls of my studio are in fact wearing… yep! Watch this space – there are lots of big faces with thick black glasses filling my head – lots of black charcoal dust will be floating around my studio soon…

Which reminds me – I seriously need to get my eyes checked. The Lisa Loeb look could work well for a self portrait?

And here's the first one - inspired by Elvis Costello (xo). Pastels on paper (on a sheet, on the floor, otherwise as I recently discovered, everything gets covered in fine dust... including my computer) - very messy but oh so much fun! Size is about 600 x 850mm... BIG.

And here's another one created the same day. If you think it looks like Tim Burton then you are correct (if not then its just a man wearing thick black glasses that sort of resembles a young Tim Burton... ish). Anyway, I think I'll just do one a day from now on - the second sketch lost something - could have been my enthusiasm. OR the fixative spray went to my head. Note to self: don't spray artwork until finished for the day...

I Dream of Big Faces

2011-10-26T03:40:00.000-07:00

I dream of big faces – sounds odd? Yep. For years I have gone to sleep at night dreaming of a huge studio full of big bold faces - painted on canvases, sketched on huge pieces of paper, bold, black and white, bright coloured backgrounds - I could see them clear as day. Obviously it was a dream which I have ignored for years... until now. After losing sight of who I really was for a while (and ending up immensely unhappy in the process) I have recently woke up and revived my love of drawing. The big bold faces just never gave up - the more I tried to ignore them, the more they tugged at my soul until… FINALLY I did one! SHE'S ALIVE! At least that's how it feels. Have I been asleep like Snow White or what?! That's why i have created this blog - to inspire me to keep going and post my new artworks as they emerge.

So here's the first big face. A bit on the portraity boring side but it took me 3 days and far out did it feel good! There's other more interesting big faces coming so please keep posted...

Painted on canvas using acrylic, this portrait is a model from the drawing group I attend (used photo as reference). Size 900 x 600mm. First big painted portrait I've ever really done - very exciting! Not sure if its any good or not but hey its finished and its going in the local MTAS exhibition this weekend (scary...).