Floating Lemons: Bit by Bit Blog

Provencal Olive Oil Can

When lacking in inspiration, just look for what you normally take for granted around the home and you'll eventually find something to draw. Found this metal olive oil 'can' in the kitchen. Decided that it needed a bit of 'brightening up so I played around some and came up with this:

Yes, that's a photo I took of a crumpled but clean tea towel. Not sure of how 'good' the end result is, but as long as the learning process is fun the final result just never seems that disappointing, wouldn't you agree?

It's Sunday so am going to take a day off work and relax and flip through magazines and cruise the airwaves for art sites, searching for the elusive switch that will turn the "Ideas" light bulb on as it's not been powered up recently. At least my home is getting a good cleaning -- procrastination comes in useful for one thing if not another. Cheers!

Provencal Olive Oil Can cards and products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

Red Rose sketch

I'm going to have to blame my lack of inspiration, imagination, and drawing skill to the fact that I've had a cold for the last week so my brain is a fuzzy mess. I'm not happy with this one, but it did at least provide much needed therapy.

I now have to figure out what to draw next. Still uninspired ... NOT a good beginning to the new year, but hopefully (and I'm always hopeful) I'll catch up soon enough and will find new delights to capture my attention. Life has been full of distracting puzzles that I can't seem to figure out recently. Perhaps it's just time to let them go and look for new ones to work on. I could always conquer my fears and procrastination and try messing around with paints finally ... :) Cheers!

Red Rose cards & matching gifts at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

Clementines the 'Christmas Orange', Natascha & Goddess

Last week we bought a small basketful of Clementines from the weekly village market. They look and smell so bright and cheerful and summery, lift the spirits even on cold winter days, and are absolutely irresistible. I've since discovered that they are also called Christmas Oranges as they're available from mid-November till January. Sweet and seedless they're teeny pop-in-the-mouth treats. Had to draw them of course.

This was done in coloured pencil on a large-scale moleskine sketchbook that I'm now quite in love with. I haven't really finished the drawing and I hate not completing something to my satisfaction once I've started it, but this will just have to stay as is, as I am away for a couple of weeks as of tomorrow and needed to post this in order to wish everyone a lovely Christmas and New Year!

I'll also add my latest customer/friend requested text designs, Natascha and Goddess. Enjoy the holidays! Cheers.

 

Natascha products at Floating Lemons Typography at Zazzle

Goddess products at Floating Lemons Typography at Zazzle

Merry X'mas, Happy New Year 2010 & Gift Boxes in progress ...

There truly is not enough time in the day to do everything I want or need to do! I look up -- and days have passed ... and there's always more that I would like to do but simply can't fit in yet. Yet.

I've been completing text design requests and have to finish most of them before Christmas, which has kept me occupied for a while now (with a trip to London as a break in between of course LOL), but I managed to finally drag out a wonderful extra-large moleskine that I'd purchased some months ago. Started playing within it's pages and found myself doodling gift boxes ...

I love gift boxes and wrapping papers and it being the season for it, am not too surprised that it's what came to mind. Still, I'm only part-way through colouring them in but thought I'd put them up here a proof (to myself really!) that I AM doing some much-needed drawing in between sketching out text designs. Simple stuff but just as therapeutic and as much a pleasure to do.

I've also completed a couple of typographical designs for the festive season and here they are:

 

Merry X'mas cards, stamps, gift tags & matching products at Zazzle.

Happy New Year 2010 cards & matching products at Zazzle

Red Christmas Ornament & Lara

Another quick Christmas doodle! I've turned it into cards for the festive season :)

   

Red Christmas Ornament products at zazzle

Also managed to get a text design done for my niece:

Lara blue products at Zazzle

Still getting tons done around the home ... time seems to fly past far too rapidly. Need to clone myself. Cheers!

Christmas Tree Cupcake, Tini, Sprog & Kristen

Christmas Tree Cupcake products at Zazzle

Just a doodle -- that ended up taking days to finish as I've been inundated with guests recently. Very happily so I might add. I ended up declaring a holiday/vacation "go slow" for myself as a result, and am only now finally getting my act together again.

Perhaps being ill made me realize that although work is definitely a priority it certainly should not be my top priority, and that Quality of Life (which includes family, friends, and enjoying the glorious summer days in Provence) and Health should be moved above Work on my little list.

At any rate, I'm finally winding down as far as visitors are concerned and in a few days will be back on my own and back at work. Good timing too as I'm now itching to get back to some drawing, though I'm also looking for a different approach to my art. Something needs to be changed, I need a dose of New Perspectives. Am not quite sure of what that might be as yet, but it's there just at the edge of my vision (isn't that frustrating? Like having that word just there, on the tip of your tongue ...) and I'm hoping it turns up soon to inspire me ...

Meanwhile, these are what I've managed to squeeze in thus far. The above drawing popped into my mind when customers began purchasing my Christmas products! And below are some of the text designs requested by wonderful friends and customers. I've enjoyed doing them and still have a list of more to go through, so will be putting them up as I go along. Cheers to all!

Tini purple Products at Zazzle

Sprog lime green Products at Zazzle

French Hens & Marisa in cherry pink

I tend to find myself irresistibly attracted to charming things -- which has led me into trouble far more often than not -- but these delightful French chickens were crying out for attention and how could I say no? I am far too easily persuaded :) They belonged to the friend of a friend and sat on her table, all round and smooth and quite a pleasure to behold. I've changed the colours but hopefully retained the simplicity of form and it turned out to be a simple yet extremely therapeutic and enjoyable drawing.

I also have a wonderful queue of requests for my type designs which is a great and very pleasant surprise. I'm going through them all in between drawings, but here's the last one I managed to do, for my niece:

 

I'm pleased to say that the sticker for it won me a TBA Award at zazzle on the 28 August :) Thanks Marisa!

 

French Hen products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

Marisa cherry pink products at Floating Lemons Type at Zazzle

My dog Bertha

When I get tired of uploading or creating products on my numerous online stores, I play scrabble with friends online, on facebook (if any of you would like a game just click on my FB link in the right frame and let's play, though I think it's for the whole world BUT the U.S. and Canada). This gives me ample time and opportunity to do quick sketches and just fool around with inspirational ideas. Today I pulled out an old photo of one of my dogs, Bertha (they never lie still long enough to draw live) which I liked because of its warped perspective, and decided to spin a fast sketch from it to make up for the tedious (but necessary) uploading process. Here you have it, warts and all from my moleskine sketchbook.

Do all dogs have that pathetic, sad "please love me and give me a treat" look on their faces? Mine certainly do. ALL the time. Bertha and her sister Bella have followed me all the way from Malaysia to Australia and now to France. I am stopped constantly by passers-by on our walks who wish to know what pedigree they are. I tell them with complete confidence and pride that my dogs have at least 10 different pedigrees in their blood. Pure Malaysian Street Dogs :)

I wouldn't be here in France on my own without their companionship and protection. 

A Floating Provencal Sunflower

I bought a bunch of sunflowers from the markets the other day, they are so wonderfully cheerful. It's also the first time in my life that I've seen fields absolutely full of sunflowers, a sea of bobbing yellows and oranges capturing the joys of the day, I love it.

Am not so crazy about the drawing though, I'm not quite sure why but it seems pale in comparison to the real thing. I haven't captured the vibrancy and am a bit disappointed -- maybe next time ...

Floating Sunflower cards and matching gifts at Floating Lemons at zazzle

Sightings!

I've just noticed that my Go Green Leaf design is featured in a post called "Beautiful Hand Drawn Typography" over at Smashing Magazine! Am extremely proud and gobsmacked as some of the font designers included in the post of 40 creations using hand draw type, are wonderful. It's definitely a 'wow' moment for me :)

I'm also featured over at http://thedesigninspiration.com/fonts/go-green-leaf/ under the 'Font Inspiration' section ... also among some brilliant type designers so I'm in a bit of a state of amazement here ... am going into speechless mode now ...

Here's the design that both sites are featuring: