I'VE MOVED

Come and join me at my new home. I'm still settling in, so excuse the mess... but head over to www.lucyolive.co.nz and check it out!

See you there kids.

MERRY CHRISTMAS :: 2012

It's that time again... that time when we spend lots of time with family friends, put our feet up, and eat lots of goodies! It's also the time when Ben and I give out our Christmas cards – we have heaps of fun making our own cards each year. This time we used shots from our engagement shoot to create a little postcard. Ben cracked me up when he decided to make himself a Christmas tree, I couldn't stop laughing, what an egg! You can check out last year's card here.

I hope everyone has a relaxing break and enjoys Christmas. Thanks for keeping me company on the blog, I really appreciate your time and comments! Much love! x

WEEKENDS :: SEPTEMBER + SPRING

Spring has arrived, and I'm hoping it will make itself at home very soon. I've had a very laid back weekend as my body recovers from overdoing it on the computer – Friday was spent in discomfort with my head stuck on one side and a prompt visit to the physiotherapist, yeowch! Hence why I shut down the computer this weekend and got out the ol' sketchbook, doodling this homage to the first month of spring.

MISS VAN :: IN THE EYES

There are two things that have always struck me in Miss Van's street art and illustrations. First of all, the shape of her characters' lips have a very distinctive, jubey shape. Secondly, and my favourite, are the eyes – piercing seductively (or perhaps meanly?) from long, half-closed lids.

OUR BOOK REVEALED :: YETIS

Holy grand reveal, batman! I'm so excited to finally show you what Ben and I have been working away on in secret... we're thrilled to announce that we are the author/illustrator team behind this new book, 'Yetis... and how they discovered the cold'! Go on – click here and have a nosey!

DOODLES :: TATTOO NOTEBOOK

As an avid doodler, I love this idea... though it is a tad on the kooky side! Check out this Tattoo Notebook –100 pages of high quality, thick, matt paper featuring different body parts, all set for your unique tattoo doodles. Bare arms, hands, backs, bellies and more make the perfect canvas for your designs! Don't worry, there's no rude bits. See for yourself here!

TWEET-A-BRIEF EXHIBITION

Illustration agency Handsome Frank turned to its Twitter followers for inspiration in their latest exhibition. Known as 'Tweet-a-Brief', HF's twitter followers sent through over 200 briefs that the agency's artists responded to. It's on for a couple more days in London, so if you're over there, you've got to check it out. Read below for details. Or if you can't make it, see below for a couple more of my favourite pieces.

DOODLES :: STRAWBERRY BLONDE

As I've said before, there are a few things my desk is often littered with: empty glasses of milk, pencil rubbings, paper and stationery almost always clutter the area. So when it's time to take time out from the screen, it's inevitable that I just grab the nearest pencil and start a doodle. I quite liked this girl, so I chucked her into Photoshop and gave her a quick spritz of colour. (Wait, didn't I say I was taking time out from the computer...?) I could have taken the opportunity to clean her up a bit, but hey, a little sketchy-ness never hurt nobody. Depending on the type of sketchy we're talking about, that is.

HAND-LETTERING HARMONY

You know when you see something and, somehow, it just resonates with you? It could be a movie, a piece of clothing, a shop front; anything. This heavenly cover for OC Weekly has got my name written all over it. Well, technically it doesn't, but what it does have written all over it is some of the sweetest type combos ever. I love the colours, the photo, the type treatments... everything. So harmonious. I adore this!

SEMI PERMANENT DOODLE :: HENNA

I love doodling. I'm prone to stains. It seems only natural that I would have a love for henna! The ink, which derives from a plant, has been traditionally used to decorate young ladies' skin since forvever. I'm talking pre 1500 BC. Skip forward through time and you'll find me sitting on the couch, doodling on myself with the ink. It stains the skin, leaving a browny marking that lingers for a couple of weeks. Don't ask where to get some though – my henna was brought back from Singapore.

STRAWBERRY SUGAR

A sketchy sketch with a splash of pizzazz. Colours inspired by a gorgeous bunting my mama has, and the strawberry macaron I bought at the French markets today.

MERRY CHRISTMAS :: 2011

Here's the Christmas card my boyfriend, I mean, fiance (!) and I designed this year. We drew ourselves, and Ben also drew our pooch Juno on the reverse. Happy holidays!

CHALKY GIRL

Yes, I'm still here, believe it or not! I haven't had as much time to do my own illustrations as I've been working on other projects for other people, but here's a little something I whipped up this week:

Just for fun. Plus I love, love, love these colours.

SPIRIT

Today was one of the best days I've had in a long time. It was sunny enough for me to get out of the cave and appreciate the land we live on – and feel glad to be around. There's nothing like a good dose of nature to confirm your place in the world.

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One day I want to live on a good chunk of land so I can always feel close to nature. There's something so free and wholesome about that idea... herbs and fruit in the garden, a swing on a tree moving in the slight autumn breeze, the pooch lazing in a shady spot, the hose dripping from watering the plants earlier.

Trying my hand – Conrad Roset style

Well, I got there in the end! Here is my rendition of Conrad Roset's lovely watercoloured style.

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Had a bit of fun with this one. I really need to get some good paper for watercolour paint though – normal printer paper didn't seem to go down too well (funny that). It was nice to get out the ol' watercolours... I say it every time I use them, but I really should dust them off and practice with them more often! My favourite part of this picture was drawing the eyes and doing the splattery paint bits, hehe. My least favourite part was that damn hand, which I hid under her arm after much anguish. Argh!

Click for full view

Trying my hand – Jamie Hewlett style

Here's my little something inspired by Jamie Hewlett's Gorillaz style. I was going for a profile view to match the art on one of the Gorillaz albums, and I liked the way it turned out. I'm even going to include some development doodles this time, ooooh!

Click for full view

Click for full view

The colouring method is super easy, so I decided to do two very different variations. One has cooler tones and features geisha type make-up. The other one is a warmer, and makes me think she may be someone you'd find out in the desert. I can't make my mind up as to which I like better!

Trying my hand – Viet-My Bui Style

For some reason this picture did not want to work for me. Computer issues, file corruptions, half finished drawings just disappearing into space – I've had my share. But after all of that, I just managed to sit down an hour and a half ago and pump this out, from sketch to coloured painting. Sheesh!

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So I tried painting in Viet-My's style, and used colours that she favours often in her own art. The end result is ok (but better in full-view, nudge nudge), and it was a lot of fun. I know Viet-My doesn't always use lines with this kind of painting, but I'm not confident to go without yet!

Trying my hand – Skottie Young style

Freakin' finally! Took me long enough. I've learned that Skottie Young's style is not something that comes naturally to me... but hey, I learned a bunch, and that's what it's all about.

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It took me forever to pick a scene to draw. I was so eager to start that I would just begin doodling without knowing exactly what I was doing (unless you like running into dead ends, do not do this, people!). I wanted to draw a dude since, well, I never do, so that was another hurdle. And for some reason I chose to draw a night scene, which was silly as the whole reason I picked Skottie Young was because I wanted to try his bright, pastelly colour palette (d'oh!). All in all though, I'm happy with the end result... and I gotta say, using Ben's Cintiq to paint with sure was fun!

Trying my hand – Fafi style

Believe it or not, doodling can be a lot like baking. Looking at a delectable piece of sweetness may make me think "ooh, I think I know how they did that", but actually following the recipe leads me to think "ooh, I certainly know how they did that!"

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This is a little sketch I did in Fafi's style (see my previous post for more on her). I'd love to colour this properly one day as Fafi's palette is so bright and fun – unlike the colours I'd typically go for! And, from this point on, I thought it would be cool to follow up every inspiration piece with one of my own attempting their style. It's certainly a great way to learn. For instance, I like the nose and lips in this pic, so I might like to use those elements in future drawings.

Woman of the Wood

Dabbling in watercolours is something I love to do, but I must keep practicing and get more comfortable with it.

Woman of the Wood

This Woman of the Wood was first sketched in pencil prior to watercolouring. On second thought the colours seem a bit gothic for my style, but theres no 'apple Z' with watercolours! Had a lot of fun with the hair, though. I picture her to live in a cave river. Click on her for full size/detail close up.