illustrations

Studio Sale

| Martha Lightfoot

Two weeks ago I had a big Summer Studio Sale to make a bit of space for new work (and to sell things of course).

I covered the walls of my studio with old illustrations,which had been lurking in portfolios stuffed behind my drawing board.
studio salestudio sale deskAlthough I haven’t been working with such thick outlines and bright colours much recently, it was good to see everything up together. I also found some etchings that I’d done years ago in a print studio in London, and a huge pile of rather silly mono prints. It reminded me how much I love printmaking and how I’d like to experiment more with prints in the future.

studio sale etchingsI put up some of my more recent ink illustrations too, but I was surprised to find that I kept quite a lot of them back at the last minute, as they just felt too newly-done to sell. I don’t usually feel like that, but I think it was because a lot of the illustrations were about my family life, and I just wanted to hang on to them.

It was a very busy day and I sold lots of paintings – it was easy to part with the old ones and great to know that they were going on people’s walls. I did sell one of my favourite family illustrations – to a very dear friend. This moment in the bathroom trying to clean two of my children’s teeth one morning reminded me that it’s not all about rushing out of the door to get to school on time…

william

Sunday in the Studio

| Martha Lightfoot

Anyone in the Stroud area…I’m having a Studio Sale on Sunday! If you’d like to come, please let me know and I’ll give you directions.

Anyone interested and not in the Stroud area….there’ll be lots of Sale work up on the website soon!
Sale invite

Inky Birthday

| Martha Lightfoot

Today I made a little birthday card for a Garden Designer Friendinky birthday…

And then I found that it was really good fun to play around with the colours in Photoshop…if I squint a bit I can pretend it’s old fashioned flowery wallpaper.

I’d better stop now though because I have one child left to tuck up.

Happy Birthday Sarah, last week!

purple birthdaybluey birthdaygreeny birthday

pinky birthday

Dogs & a Drawathon

| Martha Lightfoot

TedThis is the School Dog at my children’s school, who I saw this week sporting an Inflatable Anti-Scratch Collar. I’d never seen an inflatable one before – it looked like a big black doughnut.       

And this is a dog NOT wearing an inflatable collar. She’s not gloating though.

Zoe

Like many people, since the shocking news of the recent earthquakes in Nepal I’ve been wondering what I could do to help.

I came up with the idea of a sponsored Drawathon at the school which will last for one school day, with other artist friends helping too.

All the children in the school will come and draw with us, and the money that we raise will go directly to a school in Patan, which is South of Kathmandu. We’ll draw onto one long piece of paper and have one class at a time working on it. I’m still finalising the details!

drawathon leaflet

Ten Years of Illustrations…

| Martha Lightfoot

One Lucky Duck Ten years ago I had just started illustrating my first children’s book, One Lucky Duck, written by Alison Maloney and published by Meadowside Children’s Books.

I painted in the evenings and while my one year old had her daytime naps, and her naps never seemed long enough for the work that I wanted to do. I worked on a coffee table and had to clear it all up whenever I stopped.

Most of the books that I worked on after that were painted at a table in my bedroom…until I’d painted enough illustrations to afford a studio in my garden.

Recently I’ve been sorting out my studio, and looking through the artwork that’s been piling up.  I realise that I need to make some space for my new work (both physically and mentally)…I don’t really need to hang on to all these paintings.

studio floor

 book illustrationsSo at some point in the near future I’m going to have a Spring Studio Sale and try to create a bit more space.

And I still love the fact that I can spread this many paintings out in one room without having to put them on a bed or worrying that someone will stand/crawl/draw/scribble on them!

1st of the month illustration

| Martha Lightfoot

Rufi The ‘first of the month’ theme on twitter (#pinchpunchpost @pinchpunchpost) is DOGS – so here is a dog.

This one is a Real Dog that I know, who has noticed that I only draw made-up dogs and has been feeling most affronted. Hopefully this will soothe his hurt feelings a little. And then he’ll enjoy a run in the grass…