More pictures

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care. This was a sletch for an idea of a child asleep with doll images crossing the floor in front of her, you can see the idea for the composition in the top of the picture.

I just love Rookwood cemetery. I haven't been there for years. I did this sketch years ago and based a large painting on it. It fitted in well with some short stories I was writing.

The pencil drawing for Melusine.

Bird in the Afternoon- another narrative without text, or rather to accompany text but not directly linked to that text. Would love to do a narrative in text and pictures where the drawings are part of the narrative, not just an accompaniment.

What am I doing?

I really haven't got the hang of blogging. I've linked this blog to facebook, I think. I'm hoping to use this blog to showcase my artwork and toys.
I dream of giving up my day job (casual teaching) and making enough money each week from toy sales to pay the mortgage and have some left over - like for going to Florence for the Biennale (or just sending some work over for it).
The recession should be a good time to start a business selling locally made, affordable toys and patterns and kits for making your own. Marketing is my downfall and the urge to give away my products to people because they like them. Any managers out there? I'm sending a call for help into cyberspace. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...

Time for an update

The Toy shop. This is one of the paintings for Sophie Masson's story about two dolls. The story was written because I gave her two of my handmade dolls. Whether we'll get a publisher interested, I don't know. I personally don't think there are enough stories about toys.

Just a boy, not a portrait of one real boy but a little bit of different boys, including my son Gabriel, now 15.

This is an illustration for Cinderella. I got the idea from an engraving by Dore. I love fairy tales with pictures that look like classical paintings.

Pan. I did love this fellow, maybe I shouldn't have sold him, still, I'd have to store him somewhere.

Sherlock Holmes and other murder mysteries have inspired me to do a series of illustrations which are not directly linked to any particular text but are supposed to suggest a narrative of their own

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Latest knitted fashion dolls

These are the two latest in my series of knitted fashion dolls. Pinky and Melissa are inspired by the big eyed, long limbed Asian ball jointed dolls. My daughter told me they had to be as unlike knitted fete fodder as possible. What do you think?

Melusine

I've also bee painting again. It's great to have holidays in which to play without the worry of using them to make money. This is Melusine.

Knitted Minnie doll

Here is a picture of my finished Minnie doll. Minnie is our chiuhaha (spelling?) and I've always thought she'd be great fun to dress up in pink and with ribbons and bows. Instead I've tried to make a knitted doll version of her.

More dolls

Here we are again, just me, myself and I. Well, we enjoy our company. I'm going to put some new photos up of my dolls. They are all designed and made by me. Enjoy!