When the FUNKY COGS start working . . .

When the 'FUNKY' cogs start working, 

and the pages fill with colour,
Cartoons suddenly come to life,

Bring a 'GIGGLE' to share with each other.

Hello everyone, here we are at the end of Summer and into Autumn we start to glide, suddenly long leisurely hacks are replaced with muddy boots, spiders loose their summer homes as the rugs come back out for winter, and water troughs suddenly become grubby and full of leaves.That gleaming coat you have been taking photographs of all summer suddenly looks like a raggy teddy that has been hung out on the line too long! 

I know both our ponies are looking VERY fluffy again, Smurf is starting to grow his mustache back as he does every year, he looks so funny. I love my little FUNKY ponies.

I have started this blog post with not really much of a plan of what to write, I haven't done very much 'arty' this year until this last few weeks when i have felt those funky cogs start to work again. It was nice to feel them, even if they took some getting into momentum . . . They were of course seized shut from being locked away for so long, BUT they are moving, admittedly at times rather CLUNKY and they heat up easy and i fear lost bolts, BUT moving is momentum, momentum is good. 

So then what have i done with my 'MOMENTUM' ? Well after a summer of PONIES and our second summer with Sparky pony and the inspiring collection of memories stored from days with the kids and ponies i have been sketching down ideas for future cartoons, lots of giggles, many a smile! Along with this Smurfmy little rescue foal is now all grown up and can you believe he is 3 years old! What a life we have had together so far, so many memories, we have also come through so much together and i feel this incredable bond with him i have never felt with a horse before, he really is SPECIAL. We have mainly spent our days chilling together in the field and i have been enjoying playing and running with him on the lovely summery days we have been having. The times i have with Smurf fill me with joy, and Sparky she is just such a gentle and loving character with a lot of cheeky-ness thrown in! 

Add the pair of them together and there is some serious amounts of HUMOUR! 

My cartoonwork i feel has a fresh edge to it now that i have the opportunity and privalage to have the ponies to inspire me, my work will have a more personal feel, a new edge. I always got attached to my Funky GeeGee's when i created them but now that i am creating them with all these personal memories and feelings attached to them and now with them being MY ponies i am creating for my new collections . . . 

 . . . . Well that just makes them even more personally FUNKY! :D

My newest collection of paintings are based around the ponies, the first collection is SMURF and his pre-school updates as he gets ready for 'proper' school next year.

I'd love to share with you the few i have done so far, hope they make you GIGGLE~

He really is a FUNKY little GeeGee!

I also plan to create a collection starring Sparky pony and the troubles of a first pony which i will launch later in the year. I hope to share many giggles and the ability to relate to the comical side of our GeeGee's. I as always am very thankful to all of my followers, i love to know my work is also enjoyed by others all over the globe and i feel privileged to have you all join me on my FUNKY journey, wherever that may take me.

To end this blog post i'd love to share with you a video of my cartoonwork over the last couple of years, mixed with an insight into my Funky life and the ponies. I plan to move forwards with all these new FUNKY ideas that are wizzing through my head at the moment and also plan to get back into writing and releasing all these funky ideas out onto paper, YIKES . . . Best go buy some more, oh yeh, and where did i last see that pencil sharpener? Hahaha, Hope you enjoy my video, thankyou all :)

Catch up REALLY soon ~

Love ~ Miss Funky xxx

Rumours in the wind of another holiday, cor blimey where do these GeeGee's get the money?

The weather these last few days has been glorious, COLD, but GLORIOUS. The thing is with sunshine and blue skies is that it makes you want to go on holiday, that slight wiff in the air of coconuts, beer and BBQ's, the waves crashing on the shore as you run sand through your toes looking out to see through your over sized sunglasses. Oh how i would love a week away somewhere tropical!

So you can imagine how i felt when i found out that the GeeGee's had been planning their next holiday and after a cold break in Moscow they have decided this time they want nothing less than

 SAND, SEA, and CARROT COCTAILS . . .  Apparently!! 

They sat on the trampoline, backs against the netting warming their withers in the sunshine yesterday, on closer inspection i could see they were looking through a holiday brochure and putting circles around pages with a pen. Hmmmm what are they planning now, I wondered. As i took out their carrot shakes they wanted to the garden for them i asked what it was they were planning next "Somewhere i can go scuba diving" Frog replied instantly looking at a page advertising swimming with marine life and riding on dolphins (poor dolphins was my immediate thought, i don't know whether a 14hh pony weighing over 400kg might exceed the weight and height restrictions, but i kept it to myself to avoid dampening any excitement!) "SURFING" Hattie screamed out as he bounced up on the trampoline giving Frog and I an impression of him riding the waves, "Look at me - Pro wave rider". After sitting back down and taking  a good gulp of his carrot juice, Hattie turned to frog shutting the brochure firmly with his hooves he said "GOT IT-YEH, we know where we want to go", Frog nodded and they both sat back and gulped the rest of their juice. Apparently though they aren't telling me yet, they need to see if they can book the flights?!! I did offer to help but i'm guessing i'm not needed, Booohooo. All i want to know is where they are going, I suppose at least i have some clue -

Somewhere with SAND, SEA and COCTAILS, BIG Waves and some Dolphins??

 Hmmmm  that narrows it down a bit . . . NOT!!

I shall keep you informed, up until now all i know is I'M JEALOUS LOTS!
I wanna go to the beach!!

I can just see them now soaking up the sun and playing on Jet ski's,

 Lets hope they do it without any mischief :)

Catch up Soon ~ Miss Funky xx

A spring day followed by WINTER!

Teasing us, that is my theory on the current weather!!

We have had a two day Spring to be thrown directly back into winter, There is only one thing for it, I'm going to start drawing some Spring and Summer time cartoons, cheer my Funky butt up!!

The school holidays are almost over and for the middle of the week we were given a real treat, SUNSHINE, yes you did here me right, SUNSHINE! So what do you do when you are blessed with a sunny day? Get out in it of course.

Good job we did because today we were welcomed on awakening with high winds, showers and a bitter nip in the wind threatening us with snow. Not so fun. The wind is ROARING so angry, my garden is playing music like it is part of a band and the trees? Well i'm sure they are practicing YOGA! The trampoline is pinned down with everything that has weight, so far it has stayed where it should be. It is just so noisy and fierce out there, i really hope the wind drops by tomorrow, the weather forecast doesn't seem to think so. To switch off from the noise i decided to draw, just a quick one inspired by my racing heart each time there is a gust of wind and how our GeeGee's must feel at times too when expecting the fetlock eating monster.

I'm not expecting the fetlock eating monster, but i am expecting some sort of damage, I'm hopeful everything is tied down enough and the winds pass soon. Until then i shall no dount keeping jumping everytime a sudden gust lifts up a plant pot or something similar and flies it across the pavement. YIKES!

The couple of nice days i suppose were just a teaser and a reminder that actually WINTER isn't done with us yet. So i have been thinking about Spring and Summer Funky drawings and seeing palm tree's, GeeGee's in grass skirts eating ice cream in my mind, well it has made me smile. I was looking at some of my previous Summery paintings and it gave me that warm fill the air with coconut kind of feeling.

Here is a couple for you to get that warm fill the air with coconut kinda feeling . . . 

I have just finished making Sparky pony her door sign, I asked the Mini Funky's what they wanted Sparky pony to be doing, they said DANCING!! Hahaha, Sparky pony dancing, now that would be a good one to see, she is a very laid back little thing i'm sure to Sparky dancing is TOO MUCH LIKE HARD WORK, Hahaha.  So I set to work making her Funky version DANCE . . .

 . . . What do you think? FUNKY? Well the Mini Funky's certainly think so, they LOVE IT and we cannot wait to see it up on her door and see what Sparky thinks of it. My Guess? She will gulp hard and hope that is not our training plan. The Mini Funky's thoughts? Sparky does this kind of stuff all the time while we are not around. Hahahaha, TOTALLY!

I also did a sign for Mr Funky's Dad, he wanted me to make a sign for his friend who owns a tiny little dog, he wanted a dogs head illustration in caricature style and me to write on it somewhere along the bottom 'Little but Lethal'. I doodled a few ideas, but they looked boring, So i FUNKY'd it up a bit and i doodled the design for this one and showed him it as a watercolor pencil sketch, His face said it all, FUNKY ENOUGH?I asked him. Like that yes was my reply . . .

 . . . Father in laws, tough customers hahaha, But TOTALLY WORTH the critic :)


Here is the finished product, well once it has been varnished and has it's house number put on. I think its quite COOL, and as i don't draw dogs very often, GOOD PRACTICE for me :)

I have another doorsign to do for a friend of mine, she has a little grey Welsh pony that keeps her Welsh cob company. She has a sign for her other horse i did a couple of years ago and He was running a bar so to match we have come up with a great design based around a coctail bar a pink fluffy clubbing boots, hahahaha. I can't wait to see this one finished :)

I'm also working on a page for this blog which will be WIP (Works in progress) From sketch to Finish. I think it's nice watching the cartoons go from a vague pencil sketch to jumping off the page to become FUNKY. I shall let you all know once i have it sorted.

Well i'm off now to wind down and switch off from the chaos outside. Tomorrow i plan to do some varnishing and work on the other sign, i also want to try get some ideas of something nice to make Nanna's for mothers day so the Mini Funky's can give something nice and homemade by their own little tiny fingers, bless them.

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky xx

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Happy Valentines day to EVERYBODY, 

A day of LOVE, A day of caring . . . 

 . . . If only it were 365 days of the year 

 the planet could be saved!!

Here is a little cartoon of two GeeGee's sharing their LOVE . . . 

. . . Getting out there and experiencing the world in their own little love bubble, Bless them <3

Love to you all

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky Xxxx

Oh how i have missed those GOOGLEY EYES!!

Hattie and Frog have safely arrived home after a safe and easy flight, a steady landing, and they even managed to catch their train from the airport at the correct time too . . .
. . . Awww aren't they so clever!!

They came POSITIVELY BOUNCING into the garden at around 4am this morning, MY WORD I bet the neighbours didn't know what was going on, they really do need to learn to be a little less CLUMSEY on their hooves, and a little Shhhhhh wouldn't do any harm either,THANKFULLY they didn't wake the Mini Funky's. 

Never mind the noise, I'm just glad they are home safe. 

After a coffee for me, and an apple tea for the GeeGee's,

 I sat ready and eager to hear ALL ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURE!!

 Oh and what an ADVENTURE it sounds!!

They sat waving their little fetlocks in the air, Hattie's feathers kept hitting Frog in the eye balls causing him to need to wipe his eyes and whilst doing so, elbowing Hattie in the ear! If you could of seen them, HILARIOUS, they were so over exited as they tried to tell me about it their train of thought was all over the place, i got snippets and half stories followed by a complete new story, and then ending up back where we started on the original story that was being told . . . CONFUSING i know! And without gaps between words can be a little difficult to follow cohesively.

They seem to have been to many places, bus tours to posh big buildings, cathedrals, theatre's, art galleries, a park with a huge water fountain (Apparently great for a drink mid tour) and also they had their photo's taken next to a HUGE BELL!! Hattie said both he and Frog had tried to lift it but it was just too heavy, one of the guards came over and asked what they were doing, when they replied 'We are going to ring the bell, they were  told "It doesn't ring". I explained to them that some of these things are so old they don't work anymore but people like to be able to see them and touch them and take photos of them. Frog's reply was "What is the point in a bell that doesn't ring?" Raising my eyebrows i explained that once upon a time it would of rang. Sometimes its best to just change the subject, so i asked if they had taken any photographs while they were away. Another coffee and a second serving of Apple tea for the GeeGee's and we had giggled our way through many a captured memory. Their photography skills are pretty good, and i'm very impressed the camera came back in one piece and only needing a good clean.

They did mention the Segways, they told me they had great fun riding them round the city and it was nice to rest their legs, Apparently they are really good on them. I just ZIPPED MY MOUTH and well RAISED MY EYEBROWS, I can't exactly say anything can I ??

After looking through umpteen photos and listening to the details as they projected it so excitedly, we realised it was almost time for the Mini Funky's to get up for school and i would need to return to Mama Funky mode. Just before the GeeGee's went off to rest their googley eyes from their long trip they said i had to CLOSE MY EYES they had a SURPRISE??

A little worried at what i would open my eyes to i slowly closed them and took a deep breath hoping that i wouldn't open them to a huge cleaning or property damage bill.

1.2.3 OK YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES . . . 

 . . . Slowly and trying to be optimistic i opened my eyes -


OH MY WORD, WHAT A FUNKY SURPRISE I OPENED MY EYES TO :)

THEY BROUGHT ME HOME A PRESENT, A RUSSIAN DOLL!!

Awwwwwww, HOW CUTE???

I have been playing with it since getting it, i forgot how much fun they were as a child, so simple yet so fascinating, BIG to LITTLE, put them in a line, put them all back together . . .

. . . SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeech!!

Yeh i also forgot how much i CRINGE with the squeak of the wood, It goes right through me. YIKES! Like nails on a chalkboard, Screech through the bones!

I am so thankful for my gift from them both, how sweet to know they have been somewhere and bought me something to give me a little piece of their adventure too, Soooo sweet, i'm so lucky to have these FUNKY GeeGee's around me, and BOY they come with a whole HEAP of entertainment and humour !!

Here i am with my little gift from Hattie and Frog . . .  I LOVE IT!!

My Russian doll . . . Thankyou GeeGee's xxx

I'm over the moon they have had great fun, I bet they sleep well tonight!! 

There will be no better feeling for those GeeGee's than being back in their own bed and able to use the toilet when they choose and not when they 'finally manage to get the toilet seat lid up'

 (Hattie's exact words!)

 However they are already chatting among themselves about where they would like to visit next . . . 

 . . . They seriously make me GIGGLE OUT LOUD,

These Funky GeeGee's!!!

Catch up soon ~ Miss Funky xxx