News from Spring

I thought I would swing by to update you on few things I have been up to lately. We went camping at Wombayan caves with family, followed by a relaxing few days at the beach, and returned refreshed and ready for the lead up to Christmas...

I painted a piece of timber for the "9x5 show" for the Illustrators Australia “CARNIVALE” exhibition. I was inspired by a past trip to Venice and Padua. If you happen to be in Melbourne you can visit the 9X5 Exhibition at SPACE 39, Lvl 2, 39 Little Collins St, Melbourne. Opening night is this Friday the 9th November 6pm-9pm.

Last Saturday I went to "Pinerolo" Margaret Hamilton's children's book cottage in Blackheath. She runs courses on children's book publishing among other things. It was so lovely to be swept up in her enthusiasm for the books she has created over the years and all the amazing writers and illustrators she has worked with. She was also joined by renowned illustrator Wayne Harris who showed us many of his award winning books and and the original illustrations he created for them.

I enjoyed Margaret's original collections of artwork from many amazing artists including one of my former tutors Tony Oliver. I didn't get a chance to have a good peek at her book collection.

Autumn colours

I took these photos a while ago... but I liked the colours and they capture the feel of our Autumn this year. A beautiful sunrise, rain and then fun at the park when we got a bit of sun.

Thinking about colouring my hair again. Photo and hairstyle tutorial here.

Friend in the garden

This water dragon hangs out in our garden sometimes. It makes me happy when I catch a glimpse of it. I like to think of our garden as a haven for native animals. Here it is hanging out on the veranda of the kids cubby house.

My favourite paints for kids

I thought I would share some of my favourite art supplies for kids. I love these washable dot paint markers for kids. I can't find these particular ones online but I bought these in my local toy shop. I guess they are kind of like bingo pens but they come in an array of colours. We like to use them to decorate plain paper for personalised gift wrap. We have been using this set for over a year now and they are still going strong. My 17 month old likes using these too.

We also like the Faber-Castell Finger paints which come in a set of six. The small pots of colour are great, but only last a few sessions (if that).


"Blue Heart" January 2012

I'm still looking for some good paint in tubes or large format. I did buy some large bottles at my local art shop, but the colours dry dull and are still potentially messy after they have supposedly "dried". They are so successfully washable that the paint will get wet again if you touch the work with slightly damp hands. Please note that my son is using the paint that I am not fond of. I put it in the little Faber-Castell pots.

What are your favourite paints for kids?

Leaf rubbings


The other day we were driving in the car and my son was talking about the different sizes of leaves on the trees. Aha I said, we should do some leaf rubbings! So a few days later we set off on a walk to collect some different leaves to try. It was still a bit hard for my four year old to get much impression from rubbing over the paper and leaves, so I did need to help him at times. My one and a half year old also had a go.


Beach Holiday

We just spent 10 days on a traditional Lloyd summer holiday with extended in-law family; around 30 of us in total this year. By traditional, see the patched up beach umbrella which has seen its fair share of beach holidays. The break was much needed after December craziness... Came back home a few days ago feeling refreshed and invigorated, ready to start 2012 with renewed enthusiasm.