Saturday 17 July 2010

'I do believe in fairies...I do, I do!'

'Peter Pan' 2003


Tales of fairies, or faeries, have been inspiring the arts for hundreds of years, particularly during the Victorian era. Interest in Britain's cultural heritage, myths, legends and folk lore underwent a revival during this time. The Romantic movement was born as a reaction to the Industrial revolution, the new philosophies and theories presented during the Age of Enlightenment, and advances in science and technology.

Works of literature, such as Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen, and William Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream, inspired artists like Richard Dadd, and Arthur Rackham. J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan helped the popularity of fairies continue into the twentieth century and encouraged children to show that they believed in them by clapping their hands. Tinkerbell still remains one of the world's best known fairies: with the 2003 film version of Peter Pan bringing her back to life with the cry ' I do believe in fairies... I do, I do!'

In 1920 two British girls claimed that there really were fairies at the bottom of their garden, and had the photographs to prove it: the Cottingley Fairies sparked a controversy around the world that was to last for decades.


Today fairy art is as popular as ever, and they can be found in all shapes, sizes and styles. Here are just a few examples

This is a card with my drawing in coloured pencil, perfect for any little (or big) girl!



Take look at this cute t-shirt. How could anyone say 'No'?

Do you believe in Fairies? shirt
Do you believe in Fairies? by babyfreak
Shop the t-shirts section of zazzle


Here's a mousepad with a beautiful, sparkling fairy in front of her magical tree



A mug with a wonderful gothic inspired, fantasy, anime illustration. One of many by artist Meredith Dillman



A card with sweet and simple whimsical cartoon design




A fun mousepad with colourful, playful fairy enjoying a bubble bath



This beautiful baby is one of the many fantasy characters created by Creechers



Here's a very glamorous fairy dressed in red



This is an elegant, modern version of an old vintage drawing



I love this style, very cool.



A fresh and funky t-shirt from PeppersPolishMafia



I love the originality and quirkiness of this beautiful 'ugly' fairy design



Another different kind of fairy is depicted in this wonderful sketch

Saturday 3 July 2010

The Safety Dance

If there's one song that's going to remind me of Summer 2010 then this is it. It was originally released in 1983 by Canadian band Men Without Hats accompanied by a memorable video with a cast of quirky characters.



It's now undergoing a revival and seems to keep popping up all over the place. My favourite routine from the TV series Glee has to be Artie's version of the song in his dream dance sequence at the mall. It has also been used in the Uk for Freeview's Tiny Streaker ad campaign during the World Cup.

And if there happen to be any men, or women, without hats out there looking for a change of image - then here are a few cool designs for a hot summer!

This is my gold, orange and red 'Sunset' design hand-drawn in Caran d'Ache Aquarelle coloured pencil and gold ink, cropped into an oval shape


Sunset trucker hat hat
Sunset trucker hat by jessperry
Create trucker mesh hats online at zazzle.com


Run for your lives its the Dawn of Shaun the Segway Zombie Flesh Eater! Scary but so much fun...




A beautiful detailed whale shark design drawn using coloured pencil and paint shop




These fabulous camels were created using collage and painting techniques




This great 50s retro car design just looks so hip, daddio




Get a blast from the past and celebrate the 1980s. A rock guitar, boom box, cassettes and vinyl...aaah memories...I had one of those...


Retro 80's Music hat
Retro 80's Music by MindDesignGrafx
Create trucker mesh hats online at zazzle.com


A clever idea that looks so stylish, I love this fish




This fresh, modern and colourful pepper design says it all




Yo ho me hearties! This collage be a little treasure, arrrrr!




I love this bold eye-catching Samurai design




A simple and classy keyboard composition that hits the right note




Yeeha! A rootin' tootin' western-themed fun hat



Cow Girl Hat hat
Cow Girl Hat by SalonOfArt
Browse other custom caps on zazzle

Thursday 1 July 2010

Sign of the Crab

Cancer the crab, water sign, June 22 - July 23 (there may be a variation in the dates from year to year). This was the first drawing that I did with coloured pencils (as an adult!) when I treated myself to a box of Caran d'Ache Prismalo Aquarelle watercolour pencils in the early 90s. I loved all the bright colours so decided to do something in blue and orange complementary pairings. My drawing style is naturally quite rough and I wanted to keep that energetic feeling so didn't blend the colours too neatly. I finally completed my zodiac this year, about 18 years later!


This is a great design in watercolour. I love the colour scheme and the use of the claws in the wording


Here's retro style keychain/key ring. I really like the quirky face.



The simple design and bold colours make this mousepad/mousemat really striking.


Here's a mug with a cute, fun design for a 'girly' girl!


This is a lovely stylised design. I really like the patterns.


This zodiac mask design is beautiful with exquisite detail.



My star sign is Aquarius, but didn't feel that I fitted the typical description so I was interested to find out that my rising (ascendant) sign is Cancer - this affects your outer self, the person that you present to people you meet. Your inner self, the person that you present to close friends and family, is affected by your moon sign.
Cancerian personality traits include being: kind, loving, caring, nurturing, intuitive, sensitive, untidy, over-emotional, moody, defensive.
Some famous Cancerians: Clint Eastwood, Drew Barrymore, Nelson Mandela, Boris Becker, Princess Diana, Ringo Starr, Mike Myers and Courtney Love.
Find out more about this zodiac sign here.