Autumn cartoons

Here we are in the depths of Autumn here in the Derwent valley. The tree's have all changed their leaves and the ground is covered in a carpet of burnt orange and yellow, truelly stunning time of the year . . .

 . . . Well in-between all the RAIN SHOWERS!!

The ponies are both layering up, they have lost that shiny gleaming coat in favour of thermals and fluffy boots. Smurf is starting to get his moustache back which he gets every winter, so cute! Mud is starting to build up in gateways and around water source and the ground is becoming slippy to walk in many places. Oh how i haven't missed all this mess haha!

It is that time of year now when i see friends horses and ponies start to be clipped out and their fluffy coats replaced with brightly coloured, sometimes very FUNKY patterned rugs. Many are coming in on a night now, all cosy in their thick fluffy beds, that smell of haylage and garlic that fills the air!
Our two ponies will live out this year, the meadow they are on is 13 acres with ample natural shelter, a fresh running water source and a nice sized herd to all huddle and keep warm. The farm will start to hay them when the grazing dies back, but for now the grass is still green and they are thriving on the grazing they have. I love these two so much, they really do make me SMILE!

As you can see, they are FLUFFY! Unlike the Funky GeeGee's, 

YES, some of them have been for their hair cuts, and OH HOW SMART!!

Don't they look smarty pants, don't worry they all got plenty of blankets to keep them warm, they were shivering like i'd robbed them of their skin! I did tell them they would thank me when they go out and do their exercises, they looked at me like exercise was a good winter plan and asked when they would be supplied their hot cocoa's and onsies. WIMPS!!

I have been painting again, i forgot how much i missed my acrylics, i tend to mainly work in watercolour pencil now but there is something special about the feeling you get pushing paint around the canvas, It's not a horse . . . But its close to one ~

Its not quite finished yet, but i'm enjoying working on it. I'm also enjoying working on a rather FUNKY halloween GeeGee and also getting the Funky GeeGee's into the Christmas spirit in preperation for our Christmas 2016 collection of pictures. Lots to come over the coming weeks.

I also had a play with colour and texture and created an abstract piece.

I hope everyone is well, and i shall catch up real soon with some 'Seasonal GeeGee's' and some more cartoons of my best friend 'SMURF'. Meanwhile HAVE FUN WITH YOUR HORSES, and enjoy their FUNKY SIDE.

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky

We are on our SUMMER holidays, and although it aint SUNNY al the time, when it is we make the most of it!

SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE HERE . . . 

 . . . we have made it,school term time IS OVER Wooooohooooo . . . 

 . . . and now we have 6 weeks to relax and enjoy the simple things in life.  And well most of our time is going to be spent out in the fresh country air with the GeeGee's.  I feel calmer, more grounded and happy when i'm around the horses. I dont feel so raaaaaaaaaaaaaaar, more ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. :D

 I love poop picking the field,watching the birds as they flutter by or sit singing in the hedgerows. It is so peaceful, so good for the runaway mind. And just watching the horses grazing or playing in the fields is better than any Tv show or you tube video. I just feel like 'me' when i'm at the stables. Whole again.

The Funky's ABSOLUTELY love it, they have so much space to run around, climb, play.  It's a chance for them to make like minded friends as there are other kids on the yard and they all seem to get along great (well as great as can be expected from a small group of 5-8 year olds hahahaha). It was lovely watching them play farmers the other day, they had a sack barrow and 2 haynets filled with hay, they swept 2 stables and pretended to put down the straw and then hung the haynets. Bless them they were so cute!! They potter on, and are getting much better at imaginary play together.

The Funky's riding is coming on lovely too, and they have been practicing really hard on their riding position and balance ready for a little local show we entered couple weeks ago.  They were brilliant, we had a perfect day and everything they had worked so hard on payed off for them as they come home with two 4ths and a special. Bless them they were thrilled. I was emotional, anxious, excited, proud, scared, anxious, anxious, anxious, anxious . . . . Infact the Funky's made it look so easy, they giggled and smiled, and had a happy vibe coming from them, My anxiety then seemed silly, Ho could they be braver than me? Come on, Sort yourself out and make this an adventure to remember i told myself!!  And with Mr Funky also with us, snacks, and lots of photos.  We all had a brilliant day.  Im so glad we went, although for 2 days afterwards i could barely walk and felt drained. I must have walked about 15 mile or more round trip to the show and back ( i walked there with girls from the yard, was a lovely route through the countryside). Consiquently i gave sparky 2 days off, i couldnt face lunging or leading and i was betting she was feeling much like me too!! We both deserved a rest!

Here are a couple of photos from our day. 

This pony is special in a million different ways, She is a true family pony.

It was brilliant really really brilliant, I loved every minute of it and through every emotion i smiled with pride at my two angels who are  truely enjoying life, living in this moment with no thought of the next. No expectations, just experiences and adventures. They had worked hard and they had learned that hard work pays off, and living in the moment makes happy memories . .  .And well there were plenty of those made on this particular day. :) Im so proud.  And above all we are so thankful for having Sparky pony in our lives, she is truely one in a million. Such a special part of our lives.


Summer holidays we plan to spend lots of time up the stables.  On rainy days i have some crafty ideas we can do.  I could do with a crafty afternoon it has been a long time since i have had any crafty time.  Here are some piccies of me doing a little commision for a friend of a friend.  Her daughters pony had crossed rainbow bridge and she wanted to giver her something special.  She asked me if i would paint something and i said i would try but im not very good at realism.  She said she loved my style and wanted it like another one she had of her own horse painted by me. So i set off to capture a moment that felt special was full of empathy but also had a feeling to it, hopefully a good memory trigger.  My instructions were PINKS and PURPLES. Now that is TOTALLY fine with me, I love those colours!!  It actually turned out well, and i was pleased with it when i handed it over.  Its the only thing creative ive done for a while so at some point im going to fit in an art and craft day with the kids.  Get my creative brain woke up a little.

Hope you all enjoy your summer.  Catch up after the holidays.

Stay safe and lets hope for some SUNSHINE and warmer days :)

Love ~ Miss Funky

Easter holidays are almost over time to get cartoon brain switched on

Sooo the Easter break is coming to an end, and we have been blessed with sunshine for the last week that makes you think THANK GOODNESS IT'S SPRING!!

We had a fab Easter, Binged on faaaaaaarrrrr too much chocolate, and have enjoyed our time together.

We have also had a very very busy fortnight, and we have filed it with a bit of allsorts! We have done egg hunts (many) we have had a 'chalk' day (Lets just say my garden and fence are very colourful until we get some rain!) We have been out for walks and scooter rides (Miss Funky on foot as I am yet to get a scooter, BUT i think i will one day. They seem such fun and i'm missing out on it), We have painted, cut and pasted, and done many a thing to stop the dreaded "Im bored".

We have had MANY of a pony afternoon, and also a worrying time when we thought that Sparky (The kids pony) was in foal as i havent had her that long and well lets say over this last few weeks she seemed to get VERY BIG . . . VERY QUICK!! And she had us all thinking she was in need of maternity leave from her childcare duties and summer of fun planned. BUT after a vet check (poor pony) haha GULP !! It seems that it is EXERCISE she needs!! She even had the vet fooled, she was sure looking at her the way it was all on her belly and seemed to move to one side. BUT NOPE . . .  NO FOAL Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!! We really are relieved because we are in no position to offer 3 ponies a home, and its all a big worry a baby on the way.  But nope now i may plan an exercise regime and our spring and summer can carry on as planned. We want to get to grips with Horse Agility and lots of fun with that. Also I'm really looking forward to teaching the children to ride, and they are at a brilliant age where the lessons can be structured around fun and fun and

 erm . . .FUN :) Oooo PONY FUN, BEST KIND OF FUN. Can't wait for the children to enjoy it too.
And Sparky is perfect for them, and they are bonding lovely in the few month we have had her.

This pony is just such a sweety too, She is so quiet and lovely natured.

Lets not forget the MAIN MAN though . . He is growing up soooo quick. He is casting his coat at the moment so he resembles a tatty teddy but he does look much cleaner because under all them colours there is a white coat hahaha !!

So this weekend we are going to be spending getting our brains back into gear for work and school.  The children are going to do a little story about their Easter break and draw a few pictures. And I have been doodling some ideas, and writing down ideas ready to get going with the second book in my SSCMH book series. I have also had a bit of a play with my remaining paints on a painting for my very good friend who has helped me alot and has been an absolute star in many ways. I wanted to give her something special to say thankyou, She loves sheep so i knew what i wanted to create it was just not something i normally do or have done . . .A challange,

AND A CHALLENGE IS GOOD FOR ME :) 

 So challenged I was and created it became well EVENTUALLY after many Grrrrr's n Rrrrrrr's and other things in between hahaha.

Meet Larry the sheep (Named by my good friend Kay)

The children are back to school on Tuesday so i will be back to the drawing/writing board
VERY SOON. Until then im soaking up the sun, and enjoying the time out in it while i can. APPARENTLY RAIN IS DUE :( Never mind, we have had a good week of almost a summer in spring so we cannot complain. Soon the days will hopefully stay warm and dry and the days are longer so that means more time to enjoy OUTSIDE in that great mind clearer called the fresh air and countryside :)

Well i'm off to hit my pillows hard with my head, im dragging my feet round i feel so tired tonight. But soon i shall be sitting for many hours so I will not complain about that either <3

Catch you all soon, Enjoy your GeeGee's and that uplifting thing 

called SUNSHINE <3 Miss Funky

Spring . . .Just around the corner

Hello, WOW Spring almost . . .Already ??? This year seems to of gone faster than a GeeGee on a speedboat !! It only seems 2 mins since we were pigging out on christmas dinner and fighting over the last christmas cracker !! And now, its almost Easter !!!

So what have i been upto lately ?  Well not alot really, I have alot of stuff i am tied up with at home, lots of sorting and tidying as i feel as if my house is at bursting point with what it can fit in, and the garage has become the storage for EVERYTHING most of it absolutely useless hoarding !!  So a spring clean is in order in the Funky household :)

Other than that not really alot else to report on, My creative energy is at a complete standstill, I will get back to it but with all the other things i have going on at the moment i am just exhausted ! I have yet to create anything productive, but i will.

I have been spending time with my little friend Smurf Chocolate Buttons :)  After a stressful day there is nothing better than some equine company with your best four legged friend who is always there to listen to any ramblings or rants you may have brewing and need to let out.  Thank goodness he cannot talk, thats all i will say.  And if he suddenly starts walking away ignoring me, WELL I suppose ive probably rambled on quite enough.  He is such good company though, and such a good mood enhanser, you cannot help but smile when you are around him.  And watching him grow and learn new things is such a wonderful experience. Im so so proud of my ikkle bundle of fluff :)

He's such a little beauty, I know i am biased ;P  But He really has turned into a little topper :)

I have also FINALLY managed to make my VERY FIRST you tube vid . . .YEY :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khOCkVeNnKc

My Channel which i will add to as i get the hang ;P

http://www.youtube.com/user/missfunkysgeegees

Well I shall be back, Until then . . . .ENJOY YOUR GEEGEE'S xxxx <3 Miss Funky

COR BLIMEY !! It's been a while, but busy busy !!

HELLOOOOOOO  . . . hahahaha :D

Its been a little while, I know.  But I am still here, and i have still been creating.  Just i havent been creating so much of my cartoons recently, I sort of went off tangent a little and decided to try my arty hand at some other work and painting a rather large and seemingly goes on forever fence :( . . .But that doesn't count, gardening is boring at times, i like planting seeds and stuff, but fence painting ? . . .  . . . Pass me a 10ft canvas anyday.

 Ive also been helping in School with the kids and a local artist, creating new wall murals for the school yard NOW THIS WAS FUN, VERY FUN, And i learnt lots too  .  . ..  . See like i say, Busy, busy :)

 I think after cartooning like crazy trying to get my final illustrations complete (Which may i add, i almost have completed . . .The 'Almost bit' is hard to swallow, I neeeeed to have these done very very soon !) BUT I hit a wall, so to speak . . .A big one with huuuuge bricks and i just needed a break from my cartoon brain and time to relight my inner creative light :)

So i created some different peices, I did a couple of horses, a few birds, a couple sandy beaches, bit dishy dashy here and a wishy washy there, and i even tried a person ! . .  . YEP, A 'real' looking person :) No quirky cute nose and twidly little cartoon fingers, A whole heap of pain in the butt, mind boggling shading to resemble the human features !! . . . .Remind me again why we can't have cute little button noses, and paws for feet and hands ?? Never mind . . . The challenge did me very good to be honest, and i really was pleased with the results :)

Here is couple 'Non' Googly GeeGee's I have created over last few weeks whilst i took a break from the cartoon brain. Lets call it . . . .A bit of a holiday :)

 Alluring ~ Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20"

One day ~ Acrylic on Canvas 16" x 20"

                                                        Starry Eyes ~ Acrylic

                                                       'Spring Bonus' ~ Acrylic

                                                       'Moonlit Contemplation ~ Acrylic

Elements of illusion ~ Acrylic

But my CARTOON head is back on now. And im feeling back into full motion, I think haha.
So now i can continue with my final illustrations for my book, and crack on with some exciting things i have lined up for you all. I have lots of ideas wizzing round, just wish i had some extra arms to hold the darn paintbrushes !!  Never mind, One must not winge, but just jilly jolly on and get there happy and in my own time, rather than rushed and bundled.

One painting i cannot wait to get onto is the final of the larger peices for the Summer 2013 peices. This one will be titled Beach Babes and will be the GeeGee's sunning themselves on their Jolly holiday. This is a very exciting collection that i have really enjoyed working on and getting together. I have almost finished the Airport but it is simply mind boggling crazy materiel . . . .You go dizzy working on it longer than a couple of hours, ive had to put it away for a while, but it will come back out soon Pheeeew !

Here is one of the Smaller peices to go on display with the summer collection.

'Orienteering GeeGee's'

'Oh dear, something tells me they may be lost, I quickly snapped a photo of them with that confused expression and wonder on their faces . . . .Then i promptly turned the map the right way round for them, and pointed them in the right direction '

Good deed done for the day.

So what else have i been cartooning lately ?

 WELL GUESS WHAT ? !!

I AM GOING TO HAVE MY OWN STUDIO SPACE !!

Yep like a REAL Studio, a place to go where i dont have to listen to Peppa pig, repetitive tunes on a running outta battery toy, clunk, clunk, clunk, as spiderman plays pinball around the living room !

YES . . . . . Finally a little 'Escape' Pad, In the garden :)

We are gunna start building work very soon, and this will be a perfect place to display my work instead of it been piled in . . . .'Cough'    . . . In Neat and tidy piles around my increasingly bursting home ! This will happen of course . . . .WHEN IT HAPPENS, But even sooooo EXCITING :)

Well, I will update very soon when i get some more craaaazy creations created :)

Until then here is a GeeGee who i just HAD TO Create, I love this song at the moment, Naughty boy ~ Sam smith. And this GeeGee was more than happy to slip into the costume of the little boy in the dance video and give me his best LaLaLa :D

Well, till next time, goodbye and enjoy that big yellow thing in the sky . . . .Apparently it's called sunshine, and we dont get it that often so make sure you make the most of it :D

Miss Funky <3

Its gotta be the COLDEST EASTER WEEKEND on record !!!!

WELL I CAN HONESTLY SAY I'M DONE WITH SNOW !!!!

Ok, Ok, SPRING, WHEREVER YOU ARE . . .YOU CAN GET YA BUTT OUT HERE NOW !!

I'm so fed up of it, I mean i love the snow don't get me wrong.  But this amount for this long is really started to wear me down. I miss the warmth, i wanna go out in just a thin jacket and not be layered like an onion in the midst of a deep freeze. I literally feel as if i have become a hedgehog, hibernating til spring, and wondering if it's slept too long and skipped a year ? ?

 Oh winge . . . I'l give up now Hahaha. Either that or work out away to become hardier in the weather (since not owning my little horsie friends, i find i have become somewhat of a wimp)

So then what have I done to keep myself busy whilst the freeze outside continues ?

WELL I have been working some more on my Funky illustrations for my book.  I am really enjoying these, slowly building them up with memories from my thrills and spills of memorable horsie owning days :)

I must admit however, with all this cold and freezing winds, im sorta enjoying my first winter without breaking water troughs and fiddling with freezing fingers and fly away surcingles . . . at 7 am !

I have also been doing a little in the way of my 'other art' I had a painting i started a while back i wanted to finish, and i really enjoyed the change working on something a little different to horses. This peice was a dream I had . . .Yep My dreams are rather FUNKY too :)

'Quantum Existance' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas 50cm x 60cm

This week My little boy's school had an egg painting competion :) Oh i love a challenge !! So i sketched down some ideas for my egg.  I wanted something pretty easy, but unique. So after a play about with the pencil i decided that I would go for a school bus design, and incorporate the school logo in there. I worked til darn late on it, because the acrylic was adiment it was not going to play games and stick to the shell this time Aaaaarrrrggghhh, Then everything seemed to take forever to dry, but i did enjoy the challenge, and here is my Eggy creation :)

I have also been working on my Summer 2013 collection. 2012 collection went down really well and I wanted to continue the theme this summer, which i will create 5 peices on the theme :

' PACKAGE HOLIDAYS '

I have really enjoyed working on these so far, and I have One finished and

One part way there,and another is at the sketch stage.

These are really cheering me up, just thinking of the Summer sunshine on your back, the gentle sound of waves crashing. The smell of sun tan lotion fills the air as your troubles just

drift away with the tide !

Here is a sneek peek at One of the finished peices.

'FGG Water-sports' ~Acrylic on stretched canvas 50cm x 60cm

I also created a couple of other peices of work to spread the word of some worthy causes.

'Red Nose Day'

'World Book Day'

SO THEN WHAT HAVE THE FUNKY GEEGEE'S

BEEN UPTO THEN ? ?

Well the weather has been so cold and dull and some describe it as

UNSEASONABLE DEPRESSING !!

Many of the GeeGee's have been just staying warm in their stables and topping up on their fibre intakes with a haynet ad-lib.  Some have braved the cold and enjoyed their time in the snow, looking anywhere they can for any possible signs of the green stuff thats been missing since Autumn !!

BUT THEN . . . .The papers came out, And the whole yard stood silent !! There was VERY VERY BAD NEWS in store for the GeeGee's. In the form of . .. . . .A SPRING GRASS SHORTAGE !!

It was a very silent day of utter dis-belief, So much so that there has been a huuuge reward placed for anyone who can find the spring sunshine to shine upon their paddocks to bring light to the land and let it thrive with sweet green delicious SPRING GRASS !

There has also been some AWFUL Bugs going round the yard, and the tack room stock of vapour rub is slowly running low, Spoilt I'm not sure, but for some reason I have been demanded to fetch hot lemonade's and duvets for all in need of some TLC and plenty cuddles.  It's been a demanding and tiring job, but it's worth it when you see them banging on their doors and destroying their water buckets again !!

The Scientists of the GeeGee world have been working with top class computer programming to work out the evolutionary journey of the Equine species from data they have today and their future projections of climate change.  They have come up with an Artists impression of how the Equine species may evolve giving our Summers are becoming wetter and our winters longer. This is a projection of what their programming and expertise came up with :

Well even when life outside seems cold, dull and still . . . .We can still fill our lives with colour and warmth from deep inside our hearts.

I will leave you with that thought, as I go warm my thoughts with some Funky Summer GeeGee's and a hectic busy Airport ! . . . .Watch this space :)

Love ~ Miss Funky x