Homemade Lightbox

You know the phrase you don't know what you've got til it's gone. I recently realised how useful the lightbox at uni was and actually how much I used it. But luckily for me, I have a father who is better than Ted Glen and can do anything! This weekend he built me my own lightbox using bits my mum didn't like from our new kitchen (mainly the under cupboard lights). Here it is in action.

Moustache and Buttercup 10.12

My work this month in booklet form.

Open publication - Free publishing - More elly carthy

Quiet

It's been a bit quiet here on my blogspot recently, I'm finding Tumblr easier to handle. I'm going to keep this one up and running but if you want to see more of my work please go to: ellycarthy.tumblr.com

In the meantime I recently did some illustrations based on the book "Fifteen Rabbits" by Felix Salten who also wrote Bambi. (You can see them here.)

I submitted them on Creative Review and I got an email today saying that they're online.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/feed/october-2012/28/fifteen-rabbits

Ham For Breakfast

So this past week I've restructured my attempts of being freelance. I discovered that although I only really started a few weeks ago that I've begun far more projects than I've attempted to finish, which is very silly of me. So I have endeavoured to help myself by putting a monthly deadline on my work called Ham For Breakfast.

Ham For Breakfast is a cross between a summary, a portfolio and a magazine. Overall I want to be able to put my work together and go: "this is what I've been working on this month." And at the same time keeping my skills in InDesign fresh in my mind, I don't want to lose the graphic design skills I have because I'm sure they'll be useful.

So this month is a little leaner than I expect of future editions but in any case here is the issuu version:

Open publication - Free publishing - More artist

and here are a few pieces of the work involved:

The Toucan Can-Can range including: a bookmark, giftwrap, three greetings cards and a notebook.

The Down on the Farm range of greetings cards.

And a cheeky photo of my hare in his new home.

Blackberry Picking

Illustration Friday

Haven't done this in a long time. In fact the website has had a revamp since I last did this! So this week is imagination. This drawing started off as a doodle of a cat and evolved into this:

An Update (with added Bear!)

It has been a long while since I last posted properly here and I am sorry about that. Time gets away from you in the Summer, especially when you're moving house. So an update: I have now finished university at the grand old age of 21 and have only the graduation ceremony in November left. A new world of non-education begins! But to hinder me ever so slightly I have moved house... and so only managed to set up a home studio in the past week or so but now I have it and work must really begin. This is what it looks like:

This is my gigantic drawing board given to me by a friend of my Mum's who is clearly wonderful. Thanks to Annie and Gary who it originally belonged to. So here is the first produce of my drawing board:

A Brown Bear. He's the beginning sketch for a painting I hope to do but because I liked him so much I decided to make him into a piece of his own too.
So now it's set up, watch this space!

(Also watch this space for more: Ellyphant (Tumblr))

Cat's Chameleon

A Chameleon for my Best Friend who loves Pascal from "Tangled".

Coventry Transport Museum

Today myself and Stephen went to the Coventry Transport Museum to do some sketching. This museum is one of the best things in Coventry for me and as it was once the hub of car manufacture in Britain it gives you not only a history of cars but also of the city itself, which is quite nice. Here are a few drawings from today, I think you'll agree that I need some practise but I had lots of fun and drawing old cars is definately better than bicycles.

Une Nuit Loin D'ici - Julia Wauters

During my trip to London last week I visited the Nobrow shop and bought this beautiful book by Julia Wauters. Slightly unfortunate for me it's in French and my French has deteriorated over the past 5 years but I know as much as the title is: "One Night, Not Far From Here" and it talks about animals in different areas of the world. It's a lovely book, I especially love the sloth.

Robert Best

So I was looking at Barbie Dolls for inspiration on this website. And whilst trawlling through the different poses and outfits and expressions of varying models I came across the concept work by Robert Best and was quite simply blown away because I previously had not thought about Barbie having fashion illustrations. It's obvious now that I've seen it and I definately feel a little silly but to make it better I shall just look at Best's lovely work.

All Quiet On the Western Front

On Monday my sister dropped by to visit me here in Carlisle, and we visited the second hand bookshop. I always love to visit this bookshop and usually I come away at least one or two items and this time was no different. This time I found a beautiful folio society book for £12. All Quiet on the Western Front written by Eric Maria Remarque and illustrated by Charles Keeping.

Creative Review

I just got my animal fact cards onto Creative Review! Click here to see the feed!

Myoe Win Aung

Recently I've been playing with inks and watercolours, it seems I had forgotten just how much fun they were. I just came across the stunning work of Myoe Win Aung, these are absolutely beautiful watercolours and I am truly very envious of his skill. My favourite thing about his work is how he sets the mood with colour, these paintings leap off the screen at me. I'd love to own one.

To find out more about him and see some more of his work go here.