Yukai Neko...

 I don't know if you remember these three. I did them about a year ago and was going to make plushies out of them. They didn't come out the way I wanted them to so I decided to scrap the idea completely. However I did cut them out and have kept them hanging around the office since I find them extremely cute. I saw them last week after they'd been hidden behind my office curtain for a while and thought they'd make great phone cases.So I took up my pen tablet on Friday night and had a go and this  is what came out of it...

 I thought they'd look super cute with a cheerleader sort of name patch and tried it out. I think it works really well.

 What do you think?

Yukai Neko YEEEY! Click the pictures to get redirected to the MobiLOVE Etsy store :D

Patterns made by ME!

Half of the patterns are ready! I had so much fun creating these and it has inspired me to try something new out. I will tell you once I've stewed over it a bit more... Brain is ticking away!

First Pattern: Here's my first pattern anyway: Apple and Lime, and this is what it looks like on the phone case. You can click the picture and it will take you straight to the shop listing on Etsy!

Second Pattern: Apples and Oranges, same goes for this one. Click the picture to get to the iPhone case shop listing.

Third Pattern: This is my FAV! I loooove it and I will make a case for myself I think. Tulip Pattern! I also decided that a Monogram would look lovely on this case, so you can choose whether you want it with or without. Same again, click the photo to go to the shop listing on Etsy.

Fourth: I am in love with the colours of this one. Crossflower Pattern I call it. I dono why, I just found it hard to put a name to the flower. Yet again I thought a Monogram would look great and this one has got the option to be made with or without the Monogram as well. Click the picture below for shop listing.

Since I am new to making patterns I would love your opinions on these ones. Anything I can do to improve?

Inspirational Patterns of the 50's...

Yesterday I thought I'd have a go at creating my own patterns. I haven't finished yet as I need to sit down and read through and watch some tutorials on how to make proper patterns in Illustrator. But I found loads of inspiration from Google Image search. I find myself drawn to 50's and 60's patterns mostly, but I wanted the patterns to have a touch of my style as well of course.

 So after browsing Google Image Search for about half an hour my head was filled with ideas. It is funny how much effort you can put into these seemingly simple designs. Sometimes I find it harder to keep it simple and I was exhausted mentally after drawing these.

 I think I came up with some cool original looking shapes though and can't wait to get started in Illustrator, which will be tomorrows job.

These patterns are for mobiLOVE, so you will see them on phone cases eventually. However if they come out nice I might make some new products out of the too. We'll see. Now I'm off to work! Have a great day all of you!

My Friday; The day of Sculpting...

 Hope all of you had a great weekend! I worked all weekend but managed to take some time of on Friday. So I thought I'd show you my Friday in pictures. It was also the day of sculpting. Which I did plenty of!

 I started the day with editing pictures and uploading the Bunny Hat tutorial and then me and my other half went out for lunch and a lovely walk in the spring sun. I wouldn't mind living here, I can see myself decorating that balcony with loads and loads of flowers and greens... If only!

 We got a beautiful park just down the road from where we live that leads straight to the beach. This is probably one of my favorite places in Bournemouth. I think mainly because it is so quiet and all you can hear is birds singing. It is hard getting away from people and traffic when you live in such a busy town as Bournemouth. So I really appreciate this place. It is like a little sanctuary.

 Spring sun!

 One day I'm going to photograph one of my sculptures here. A sculpture I am yet to make and it needs to be very foresty looking I think and a bit mystical :)

 Wonder where this leads? Probably to someones property, so I've never dared to walk up....

We finally made it to the beach where it was super windy and super cold, but we were set on having our lunch there and so we did. As long as the sun was out it was fine, it warmed you up nicely. And sorry for the Instagram photos, there was so much sand blowing around and I wasn't allowed to use the camera. You don't want sand in your camera....

The beach in Bournemouth is beautiful this time of the year, and it is also the only time you can enjoy it properly. In a few months you won't be able to see the sand anymore. Last summer at the peak season there was 70 000 + people on the beach at one time. And last weekend when we had a hint of summer with 18 degrees warm there was probably somewhere around 10 000 people down there. I had a panic attack and started crying and we had to walk above the beach after climbing about 500 steps of stairs, to get away. I am a bit too sensitive right now that I'm pregnant and all, but I don't like crowds of people and I hope that I can afford to buy a house on the country side one day, where I can get away.

 Anyway, Friday on the beach was great, and when I got back home it was SCULPTING TIME! So these are the things I use when I sculpt...

 I couldn't live without my sculpting tools. These are for wax carving but works wonders with Scupley too.

 I only just started using clay shapers and WOWIE are they good or what. It is so easy to get smooth fine details with these things. Definitely a must if you want to work with clay of any sort. They just make life so much easier.

 I always drift of when I sculpt and totally forgot to take photos as I was sculpting. I am not completely finished yet as I changed my mind about a few things. The red eyed one will get paws as well and I also decided not to use the hat I made the other day. I will use it for something in the future, but not for this Munny. Got other plans now that I will show you once I am done.

 So yeah, it became a bunny like creature and a cat like unicorn creature. Got some finishing touches left to do and then I need to burn them, prime and paint, as well as making accessories. Oh! Can't wait to get them done!

As for this coming week I've got allot to do. I have started making weekly lists of what to achieve and I think these will really help me to get back on track with my life and especially my business. So it is time to pull out the note pad and get planning.
What are your plans for this week?

Turtoial: How to Make a Fleece Bunny Beanie

Last night I started preparing for my big day of sculpting. I thought since I was making a hat for Munny that I could run you through how to make one. Funny thing about this hat is that you can apply it to anyone, no matter how small or big. Your baby or even yourself. So here's how to make a fleece bunny beanie:

This is what you will need, plus some sort of fabric paint which I forgot to include in the picture:
2 Different Colours of fleece (or more if you feel like it)
Cotton Thread
Bobby Pins

Stuffing Tool (or anything pointy that will do the job)
Hand Sewing Needle
Tape Measure
Marking Pen
Fabric Paint

To begin with, take the measurements around your models head and split that in half. Munny's head was 20cm around. Also measure the height of the head from the forehead to the crown. Munny's head was 4.5cm high. I also add an extra 1cm to the height. Make a pattern on a separate paper so that you can use it over and over again. This is how I do it...

Fold the pattern in half and cut along the drawn line to make both sides equal...

Use the same technique to make the pattern for the ears. The ears can be any size you want. I wanted mine to be quite big and made them 14cm long and 7 cm wide. Yet again add and extra 1cm around...

You will also need a band for the head piece. This needs to be as wide as the head bit and as high as you want it. Mine is 3cm high... Once you got all the patterns sorted you can start drawing them on to the fleece you want to use and then get cutting...

Fold the head piece in half and cut a little nodge at the top to round the hat off a bit. Sew along the nodge...

Attach the band to the bottom bit of the head piece and sew along the edge. Then fold the band in half and try to sew along the same seam...

Then move on to the ears. Make sure when you work with fleece to use allot of pins, as fleece tend to twist a bit when you sew it on the machine. Sew along the edge and use a pointy tool to turn them the right side out...

Since the ears were going to be quite small I needed something to weigh them down. When you work with larger hats the fabric will do the job itself. But in this case I had to make little sand bags so that the ears would hang nicely. It is very simple. Just take a bit of any fabric you've got handy. Make sure that it is dense enough so no sand falls out. Draw a ring on the fabric and fold it in half. Sew along the line and use the pinking shears (zig-zag scissors as I like to call them) to cut around the stitches. Leave a little hole at the end, big enough to get a funnel end into it.

Use a teaspoon to fill the funnel with sand and slowly let it sink in to the little bag. Once filled, close the hole carefully. You don't want to get sand into your sewing machine. Then place the bag in the ear as you turn the ear inside out and try to place it nicely at the bottom of the ear...

I used this chinchilla sand which I get from work. I always keep it handy as you never know when you'll need it for your models. It is really handy!

Ones you got all the pieces sewn and ready it is time to finish things of. Pin the ears to one of the head piece halves. Ones these are positioned right, pin the two head pieces together and sew along the edge.

Tada! Finished! Super Cute! And super simple!

I also wanted cross eyes on my little beanie. Start out with a marking pen so you know exactly where to paint. You don't want to mess up the hat at this point... ;) I use DYLON fabric paint for more or less anything fabricy that needs painting on. And a clay shaper in this case, rather than a paint brush. You just have more control with the clay shaper I think.

Once painted, let the paint dry for a few hours and when dry, fixate the colour with an iron. The paint has got the directions on the back. It also softens the paint so that it feels like part of the fabric... And that's it! Your Bunny Beanie is finished! It only took me about and hour to get this done, so not long at all!

I also prepared the eyes I plan to use, the night before. It is important that the acrylics are dry before you put them on to your sculpture and they can take some time to dry properly as I use so many layers. This is tricky as hell and I really don't like painting eyes. I have OCD when it comes to painting things round. They just have to be perfect, and that is more or less impossible. This time I only messed up one though, so not to bad. I would like to get some air-brush tools for the future as this would help majorly during this process...

I am making a hat for Trikky as well but that will be a later tutorial. For now I am ready to start sculpting and ready for a new day of creativity!!!

Trikky and Munny...

What are you lot up to today? I got a day full of work but have made some plans for tomorrow. It is Friday after all and I am working at my part-time job all weekend. So I decided that tomorrow is me time....

I got these Trikky and Munny DIY dolls for Christmas and they've been sitting around for long enough now I think. I've had my mind set on the designs for them for quite a while, but I like to make my ideas stew for a bit if there is anything I might want to change.

After doing all the reading on Etsy the other day I've decided to make weekly set goals and this is part of my first week. As I am a working artist I do take my "personal" projects in to mind when it comes to work as well. It is important to me as an artist to feel that I have a free mind and a choice. When I don't variate my work I tend to go in to "robot" mode and I slowly head down a steep hill when I do this. There is a fine line between work and free-time when you spend most of your time working with what would be your spare time if that makes any sense at all. I'm sure most of you know what I mean. Anyway, Friday is creative day. No computers, just clay my models and myself in mah bubble! lol 

Today I got a load of cases to finish off and I've also noticed and decided something very important in my work from home life. I suck at taking breaks. I get up, have my breakfast in front of the computer, where I read all my blogs and sort my own blog out as well as all the social media. After that I get stuck in my slackies working all day. I do take a break when I am so hungry that my tummy hurts, but that is it. Not a great way to work I think. So today at around 13.00 I am taking my man for a coffee and a stroll around the neighborhood. And this is going to be a daily routine for me. I live in the middle of a beautiful town center which I never seem to take advantage of, so now I'm going to and I am going to feel great about it. 

Oh and I have to tell you about my new best friend. My NOTE BOOK! I always envied people with note books, however silly that may sound. But I was always useless at taking notes. Maybe because I never found anything interesting enough to take notes of and rather scribbled little funny characters in them than anything else. But now that I have found a path, a calling, I tend to write every single little quote or good point on how to make a good business, down. It is always next to me now when I surf the internet for information, or just for fun, it seems to come in handy everywhere. Maybe I'll start carrying it in my hand bag as well.

Lesson for today: NOTE BOOKS ROCK!