Sunshine and painting!!

The weather has been GLORIOUS LATELY!! 

We have been blessed with SUMMER HEAT. Which means SUMMER VIBES. SUMMER TUNES and of course PAINTING OUTSIDE!! I have LOVED painting outside. I have quite a nice tan going on. I have sat in my shorts most days CHILLING soaking up those rays whilst i paint!! 

I am currently finishing off a REALLY FUNKY PIECE. WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Hope you are all well

Love ~ Miss Funky xx

It has been AGAIN. Along time. I havent created much, what i have created however I have been proud of. It took alot to do. It made me remember LOTS. 

I don't know what is the matter. The FUNKY has left the building. Those funky eyed ponies i cannot see anymore. They are not talking to me. How I wish they would (what did I say lol!)

I do keep trying. Their legs might be wobberly and out of proportion and their body's may be a long and strange shape . . . BUT I DO TRY. And soon i hope i succeed.

Its not just the drawing.  It is the writing. That ability to have words just COME TO ME. Humour seemed easy? Yet here i am re-reading. proof reading. contemplating if even what i wote here is strong enough. Im trying. And Im hopeful. One day i hope it becomes second nature again. Until then . . . I practice til i manage. Perfect is not an option. I just want to be ABLE!!!

First christmas painting of 2018

I am on with my first Christmas painting of the year. I didn't do any last year so I really want to get back the tradition of creating a couple of festive paintings this year!

I am halfway through my first and I cant wait to show you it when i have finished. It's snowy and sweet and its making me feel all fuzzy inside knowing Christmas is on its way!

I have been camcordering the progress and plan on making a speed painting video with the footage. I't's coming on lovely so far.

Hope you are all having a FUNKY Autumn. We have been blessed with mild and mostly dry weather. It's lovely to get out in the country air looking at all the colours of the tree's and leaves around us. PERFECT!!

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky xxx

My first vlog

I was nervous talking to the camera. I felt a bit silly. But I did it, and now I just gotta try and do it again!

I have wanted to vlog for a while but i didmt have the confidence to do it. My main reason was to share with you all what i have been upto, and also give some behind the scenes to my FUNKY Creations.

I love watching Vlogs. People seem so good at it. My favourite vlogs are studio vlogs where you get to see behind the scenes and also whilst the artist is working. I love the little insights into their life. It feels like you really get to know the artist. I like that.

Here is my first ever Vlog. Be kind, im just getting to grips with it. And also gaining confidence in front of my camera.

I am creating like CRAZY and taking part in INKTOBER!

I have been creating like CRAZY Lately, just mainly quick sketches of IDEAS, Things to make dreams come true. WATCH THIS SPACE.

I have been creating whilst listening to my favourite inspiring vlogs, which made me think . . .

 . . . SHOULD I VLOG?

I have made some pretty cool music vids with art

But I thought that a more personal approach would be better. HI. HELLO. THIS IS ME.

Im working hard at the moment on INKTOBER. But ALSO creating MANY a FUNKY GEE-GEE


Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky xxx

The pencils are dancing again!

Get IN , . . . Woop woop They are DANCNG!!

Like not swaying but BOPPING and JUMPING!!

The FUNKYNESS  is BACK like really BACK :)

So I have been CREATING . . . LOTS! I have managed to do alot of sketching and then brought them sketches to life with ink and watercolour pencils. It's almost like i have been creating all along. Yet I will NEVER EVER take this creativity for granted! I remember the time i couldn't and I am determined to stay where I am!

I picked a theme ~ Careers and i have had the best time creating some so far! I have created some VERY FUNKY Gee-Gee's doing some very FUNKY JOBS. I can't share jst yet. As i have plans for them all.

I then decided to take part in the popular challenge. Inktober. If you have never heard of it, it's a challenge where you create a peice of art each day using the prompts given. It was created by Jake Parker and it is a brilliant way to disapline one's self to create EVERY DAY throughout the month. I wanted to join in to really push my creative boundaries, learn skills and get better at something I love the most!

Here is the prompt list

Here is my first 5 ~

Poisonous 

Tranquil

Roasted

Spell

Chicken




NOW IT'S ONTO THE NEXT 5 AND THEN THE 5 AFTER THAT! 31 Illustrations im ABLE and READY!!


Watch this space ~ Miss Funky xx

Well that went badly didn't it?

So my last post's were all 'KINDA' FUNKY and POSITIVE.

Full of optimism, and pride for what had once been.

I made a promise and I failed to follow it through. 

I am deeply sorry for that.

The truth is I am creatively STRUGGLING. Well actually struggling is an understatement. Creativity was something that I needed to do, a calling, as natural to me as taking a breath. I suppose now without it, it is like suffocating. And it's scary. Like wondering if one could ever breathe again, I wonder if i will ever create in the way i did. Naturally, not forced. I am looking back at what seemed easy and wondering why now it seems SO HARD?? 

It's not the lack of trying. CRIKEY. I have tried, Many a time. And sometimes it works, it looks like what it's suppose to be . . . Except it lacks the FUNKY that once i could see and feel with each stroke of the pencil or brush.  That excitement, BUZZ, ENERGY. What it was I lived for. Each day.

I spend so much time now looking at wonky lines, out of proportion features and the wrong mixture of colours. It's just not working for me. How I so dearly wish it would. 

BUT I still feel it. That has to count for something, Right? It's faint. Very faint. The memories a little blured. But I do remember the buzz i felt, the crazy hand that HAD TO BRING CREATIONS TO LIFE. The way i looked at the world in cartoon form.
 Mishaps made into funny memories. Memories made into cartoon form. When we are children almost everything feels this way. Like a cartoon. Everything exciting. Bright colours that remind us of things, times, places. As adults we become desensitized to those 'perfect colourful memories' everything can easily become black and white with shades of grey. Colour is something we rarely notice. Unlike childhood when the smallest things seem colourful and are worth noting. And i felt so blessed to be able to see things in such humorous form, bring a simple thing to life with a FUNKY twist. Storymaking with my Funky GeeGee creations. And also meeting some fantastic people and their horses and ponies along the way and having the privalage to bring their best friends to life in FUNKY form. 

I think it is all these memories that keep driving me to try. I am filling in what used to be creative time with family life and my pets. I love each day I am surrounded by each of them. I am also horse riding and spending times with horses as regularly as i can. I'm surrounded some days by 'horsey people' 'Brilliant, lovely people' and I am forever thankful for this too. But there is that missing peice. I'm sure other people can relate to. And I NEED IT BACK! I really really need it back.

For now I look through my portfolio of older works. They do inspire me, as well as dishearten me. But the mixture of both emotions gives me the will to KEEP TRYING. KEEP DREAMING and somehow KEEP BELIEVING it WILL come back!!

Thankyou all for bearing with me. 

Here is a few of my older works to share for now. ENJOY

To see more please browse Galleries or past blog post's.

LOVE ~ Miss Funky xxx

Ive new ideas, after just playing with paint and enjoying it again

Sometimes we need to step away from what we once enjoyed to try something new and expand on our knowledge and personal skills. 

Then when the time is right we can come back to the thing we once loved with a clearer view, better insight and renewed inspiration.

(Stacy)

I have done just that. After a creative block/break I found myself looking for ways to break that barrier. It took time, time away from what i loved. But time can go quickly, when you fill it with other things and you try not to worry over what was. Just enjoy what is. When i finally broke through my creative block and i found i had a paintbrush in my hand again, i tried not to force the Funky GeeGee's. After all they are my favourite kind of art. What i love to let my creativity free with the most. But i still found them hard. At times IMPOSSIBLE. So much so I almost put the paintbrush back down, until i remembered how good it felt to have it there in its pride of place once more. 

For many years i have blogged about the importance of finding that creative side of ourselves. 

Being beaten by my own words is not an option. I picked up some acrylics, a few brushes, a couple of pallette knives and i filled my pan with water ready to bring some part of myself to the blank canvas in front of me. I let the colours flow and the paintbrush dance. Abstract is where i find peace. Where i can let whats in, out. Letting the brush strokes and colour speak for me, however i am feeling or whatever i am thinking at the time.

I will get back to creating my Funky GeeGee's when the FUNKY side of me comes back fully. I promise, soon THERE WILL BE a FUNKY GEEGEE. For now though they would just be GeeGee's and they deserve so much more than that!

I have had many an idea come to me (which is good) But translating those ideas with pencil, ink or paint is just not happening for me like it once did. BUT it will. I tell myself IT WILL. and until then i am just happy to have a paintbrush in my hand again. The music plays and i drift off. 

MY MEDITATION. MY CREATIVE JOURNEY.

Catch up soon  ~ Miss Funky (Stacy) 

The pencils that dance the best . . .

I have been keeping my funky brain busy with some cartooning and some art over the last week or so, call it relaxation in the run up to Christmas and all the excitement that is literally lifting the roof of our house! Yep the mini Funky's are well and truelly excited for the man in the red suit and our house has gone from a tad untidy and in need of storage to a WINTER WONDERLAND and even more untidyness. Lametta and tinsel have it in for me, im sure they wait until i have put the hoover away and then throw themselves off the tree! And what is it with the Blu tak these days? It couldn't hold a piece of tissue paper up let alone a card, i'm forever picking them up as they fall off the doors! I remember when i was little i would use blu tak to hang my posters from my favourite magazines and my Mum would go nuts because it would pull the wallpaper off! Not a chance of that now, its as good as cellotape after its been ran along a hairy pair of jodphurs!

It's all worth it though, because on a night when those lights are twinkling and the tinsel and toys show their pretty colours it just makes you feel all gooey like a ginger bread just out the oven :)

I love my tree ~

 I bought a beautiful snow globe for our table ~

So what have the pencils been dancing to? Well certainly not Christmas songs, i still consider it too early for those! Ive been enjoying some nice remixes of the chart hits going into my own little bubble and thinking of Funky ways to express Christmas with the GeeGee's. Ive done quite a few which i have been sharing on my Instagram and Facebook, I hope they make you Giggle ~

I love cartooning, i really, really do! It is so much fun and the only limit is my imagination . . .  Which it seems has no limits, so limitless fun is what my creations bring me :)

Last blog post i talked about my favourite pens, for this blog post i'm going to talk about my favourite pencils that just LOVE TO DANCE!

 I need a pencil that does the tango, the salsa and can street dance, they need to be hard wearing as i am terrible for dropping them or pressing too hard. They need to be BRIGHT, FUNKY, and let me express the FUNKY-NESS that i need to express without any limitation. And to add to that they need to be within my tight budget. I cannot afford the expensive top of the range brands i see advertised, I like my brands but i have to go midway on quality to stay within my budget. And as i use so many i also need pencils i can restock quickly.

I started working with watercolour pencils a couple of years ago and over this time i have tried out many and some i loved and have stayed faithful to, others were handed down to my children to scribble with as their pigments - or lack of, meant i couldnt release ANY FUNKYNESS. Not good for Miss Funky, but mini Funkys? Well they think they  are well cool budding artists like mum!

SO, What are my favourites that i use regularly?

Reeves watercolour pencils, they blend beautifully and their colours are POW! they have a slight glaze to them when they are layered on top of each other. Remind me alot of the good old crayola pencils. They are also good price at around £10 for a pack of 12 and so far hey have handled my constant drop test i seem to put the poor things through! They also sharpen fab and are really comfortable to hold.

Also i use alot of Derwent watercolour pencils. I can only afford academy grade but i find that they work fabulous and layer really well. They range in price depending on what size pack, I recieved my last batch as a gift. They are readily available in most arts and craft supplies.

 How i use them ~ I layer them up, starting with adding in my shadows i then build up my colours towards the lighter tones which layer o top. I tend to only use a damp brush if i want to blend the colours, sometimes i dont i just layer them and blend on top of each other. It really depends on the mood and how i want the finished cartoon to look. Whichever i choose Derwent watercolour pencils hold up to both, along with my small collection of Reeves which are so vibrant and soft so ideal for layering. Derwent pencils however don't seem to handle been dropped very often and i have broken the leads in many of them meaning they can be tricky to sharpen. The wood casing is also not very strong when it comes to sharpening them so i try and get Mr Funky to sharpen them with a knife for me when the edges get a little splayed. What i love most about the Derwent watercolour pencils is their huge variation of colours, I have so many colours to choose from that they really do give me the opportunity to add extra Funky-ness to my cartoons as i can add in many different tones and streaks of colour. They aren't as vibrant as some of the colours in the reeves set though and i especially love reeves red pencil which is so rich it jumps off the page!

Illustration in progress using a mixture of Reeves and Derwent watercolour pencils.

Here is a picture brought to life using a mixture of Derwent and Reeves watercolour pencils and then brought to life with the Uniball Eye and Posca. The effect of layering and using a tiny weeeeeenie bit of water on a brush has transformed a picture into FUNKY GeeGee's and well a couple of Funky goats :)

Afternoon stroll ~ Watercolour pencil and Ink.

I'd love to hear about your favourite brands of pencil and what you love most about them.

ALSO . . . 

 . . . DO YOUR PENCILS DANCE? 

Well i'm off to create some more FUNKY-NESS as i watch my Christmas tree glisten. I will be back soon with some carole singing GeeGee's who are off around the North East of England singing so loud their little fetlocks are shaking and their forelocks are waving!

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky and the GeeGee's xxx

Pen review ~ Uni-ball

The pencils, pens, paintbrushes and funky cogs have been working overtime this last week and i have managed to stick to my schedule (yes that is sometimes possible haha) and get through the work i wanted to get done this week. 

I still have a few more to complete but i have managed to get the majority of my Festive themed GeeGee's drawn out and some have been brought to life and some are waiting eagerly for their colour. This feels good and productive and it spurs me on when i chuckle away in my little funky world and become surrounded by GOOGLEY EYES! :) 

Its been hard to kick my hindquarters into gear with these dark days and nights though . . . COR BLIMEY i feel like it never really gets light enough to call it daytime, i must get myself sorted with a lamp or something because working in my kitchen the lighting is so bad and it causes mayhem when i'm trying to colour highlights. My hand becomes a constant shadow and i have to keep moving the canvas or paper around to try and see what i'm doing. NOT GOOD FOR FUNKYNESS.

I have also been testing out some pens sent to me from Uni-ball. Thank you Uni-ball :)

I received a lovely collection of shiny new pens to test out. 

And if there is ANYTHING I LOVE MOST . . . 

 . . . It is letting those pens DANCE!!!

I was sent the uni-pin fine liner along with their uni-ball white signo gel pens and the uni-ball eye fine. I sometimes use white pens but mainly black so it was the black pens that would be getting their workout. And a workout is what i gave them. I had some sketched out GeeGee's ready to bring to life with the fine liners and the music blasting through my headphones ready to spur them on!

 The uni pin's didn't hold up very well, they started out great, very smooth and good depth of black colour, and i was optimistic they would do their job as i really liked the look of the nibs. However they clogged up really easy and then started to just scrape the paper and not glide leaving gaps of no ink. Ahhhh how i hate that!! Unfortunately they only managed one painting before they were deemed buggered?! Maybe they would be better suited to just outlining when there is no water colour or acrylic paint involved?

The white signo gel pens worked beautifully, however i was not sent a black so i cannot comment on how well they work as i haven't used the white ones often enough to test them properly but so far i love how smooth they are and the white ink is really white and covers well. Ideal for SNOWY GeeGee's :)

The uni ball eye fine however flew through every test i put it through. Both canvas and paper.  I work with acrylic and also water colour pencils. Pen nibs really have to be strong to work against the water colour that will lift off and try to mix with the liquid of the ink, and the Acrylic can be bumpy especially if i am using the pens on canvas paper which is abrasive. However the uni ball eye pens seem to be made of steel and they continue to glide right down to the last drop of ink. Most definitely one of my favourite in their range of pens. And i would definitely recommend them for artists that are looking for a pen that is both waterproof and strong and durable. 

Here is a couple of cartoons i have recently finished using the uni ball eye and watercolour pencil ~ 

Watercolour pencil and Uni-ball eye pen.

Watercolour pencil and Uni-ball eye pen

As you can see the depth of the black is fantastic, and because they are so easy to use and glide effortlessly, this means i can freely express my FUNKY side, and i just LOVE PENS THAT LET ME DO THAT!! I really cannot fault them, well except for when they eventually run out :(

And here is a painting using Acrylics on canvas with the Uni ball eye pen and uni ball POSCA paint marker which is also a fantastic product made by uni-ball which has the added bonus of being varnish resistant which is something i am yet to find in ANY other pen on the market. ~ 

Funky GeeGee's ROAD TRIP ~ 50cm x 40cm Acrylic on canvas.

SO THE UNI BALL EYE and the POSCA PAINT MARKER win the day, and the best thing is you can buy 

them almost anywhere!

WHERE DO I BUY?

I get my pens from CULT PENS ~ Click here to be taken to their site and the Uni ball eye pens. HERE

They also stock the paint markers I use, Uni ball POSCA PAINT MARKER. Another fantastic product that lets me express my FUNKYNESS with NO LIMITS :) 

My next blogpost i will be reviewing my favourite WATER COLOUR PENCILS, pop back  to read more ~

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky and the GeeGee's

Mixture of Ponies,Snow,Mud Skiing and some FUNKY GeeGee's!

This week while the kids have been at school i have kept myself busy with a mixture of Ponies, snow, mud skiing and some . . . 

 . . . Funky GeeGee's too! 

Middle of last week we were thrown into a Christmas scene. The ponies thought it was great and they had a real SPRING in their step when i went to visit them.

The only problem is, white snow makes my horse look YELLOW!! And well every colour in between, he really is such a mucky pony, good job i don't have plans for him to be a show horse haha!! He is SUPER CUTE THOUGH, I love this pony.

Sparky pony looks fabulous in ALL SEASONS, Her black coat is striking against the snow.

It didn't last long, it was gone by the night time and it has been replaced with MUD!

Walking across the fields to check them requires skills on one's feet, mud skiing is the new walking!

So whats been happening in the studio?

Well the pencils got dancing and the sketchbook is beginning to come to life. I have lots of ideas but i'm trying to bring them together in themes. Now that we are in winter the GeeGee's are modelling their clips and rugs. Cozy scenes are starting to make it feel more like Winter as the GeeGee's brace themselves for the dark long cold nights.

This GeeGee has it sussed though . . . 

The weanlings are learning about their world and having some fun exploring and growing independantly without their mother.
This little guy is having great fun!

Some of the GeeGee's however are not having the best of times getting used to the winter routine . . .

I have been busy also creating some FESTIVE GEEGEE'S. I do this every year and i do hope you enjoy them as much as i enjoy creating them. This years theme will be Landmarks of the North east and i hope i can recreate the ideas i have wizzing through my head.

I painted this piece to get me in the mood and also because i haven't used the Acrylics in so long to paint a Funky GeeGee so i felt that need. Smurf and Sparky are the stars in this painting, HOW CUTE! They got some presents from Santa.

Christmas Gifts ~ 10" x 14" Acrylic on canvas paper. 

I will share the Landmark pictures nearer the time, I'm still working on them and hope to have them ready for a FESTIVE and FUNKY December.

Hope you are all well and having fun practicing that art of MUD SKIING . . .

 . . . Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky and the GeeGee's xxx