A good year for Love Lucy Illustration

I'd like to thank you for supporting Love Lucy Illustration this year, with your orders, repeat orders, feedback, Facebook likes and comments... everything - it's all much appreciated. I wish you a very Happy New Year, full of good things.

As with most greeting card designers/creators Christmas was busy, busy, busy in my online shop!

Personalised gifts for little ones...and some big ones, too!

Personalised Cards

Personalised Valentine's Day Keepsake Cards kickstarted the year- I had sooo many commissions for these and enjoyed each and every one. I EVEN had men ordering them! Been hinting, have we, ladies?!

I had some really fantastic feedback so I'm planning on doing them again this year, but with a slightly different design, so do keep your eyes peeled!

Personalised Valentine's Cards

In the pipeline

I finally got round to planning something I've wanted to do for a long time - fabric! Still working on and completing a small range... lots of you have expressed excitement at the idea... coming soon in the New Year, I promise!

                                            

Family Tree Pantings

I've enjoyed painting families from all over the world - UK, USA, France, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Hong Kong! Each one is a pleasure to paint and by the end of it I almost feel like I know the family personally. 

Family Tree Paintings

Phoenix Trading

I'm delighted to say that the fabulous Phoenix Trading published four designs of mine in 2014... here they are

Phoenix Trading cards

On a personal level, 2014 was extra special... our super dooper little son turned one, and then on Midsummer's Day I became a Mrs! What a lucky lady.

 

                                                           

  

Please stick around - I have so many new designs planned for my online shop this year... I'm bursting to tell you but just need to dot a few i's and cross a few t's and all shall be ready to be revealed!

Love Lucy x

Shirley Hughes, 87 today: happy birthday!

Shirley Hughes is 87 today. I'd like to wish one of my all-time favourite illustrators a happy birthday.

I've admired the children's illustrations of Shirley Hughes for as long as I can remember.  As a child I've lovely memories of being read to by my mother. As an illustrator I find her work really inspiring.  And now, as a mother I'm reading the Alfie series to my son Remy, who is showing all the signs of becoming a fan, too.

Shirley Hughes has written over fifty books and illustrated over two hundred. I thought I'd read most of them but it appears I was fooling myself.  So I've more to discover, which is an exciting prospect.

I adore the way Shirley captures the postures, shapes and characters of little ones. She spent many years taking life drawing classes at Liverpool Art School and then Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford - it shows. 

I adore her attention to detail - it's what I remember most as a child - I'd spend a long time being mesmerised by the illustrations.

Shirley Hughes has a daughter, Clara Vulliamy, who is herself a children's book illustrator. You can visit her website here. 

Clara Vulliamy with Shirley Hughes

If you're interested in finding out more about Shirley's life and work, I'd highly recommend her autobiography 'Shirley Hughes, A Life Drawing' published by Random House - a must-have for all fans like myself!

ALL ARTWORK IS COPYRIGHT OF SHIRLEY HUGHES

A few favourites for National Stationery Week

This week is National Stationery Week, I don't think I actually need a special week to celebrate stationery - I've celebrated it everyday since I can remember, with my love of paper products and art materials.

It did seem a good excuse, though, to compile a few of my favourites here, for you.

I'll start with notebooks. You really can never have enough notebooks. I have different ones for different topics. I love lists, and have found myself occasionally making a list of lists I have to make! Typical Virgo, moi?!

Whenever I need new stationery, one of my favourite destinations is Liberty, London, where I can't resist pretty bits and bobs like these...

Now, to write or draw in all these lovely notebooks I absolutely insist on the sharpest pencils possible...

or (this will no doubt sound a little odd) a Barclays Bank pen - a surpisingly lovely writer!

I keep all my pens and pencils in this wonderful desk tidy by All Things Brighton Beautiful via notonthehighstreet.com

My absolute all-time favourite paper to use for my paintings is by Fabriano, I often go to great lengths to get my hands on this, nothing else will really do...

In my dreams 

I own this Faber Castell Special Anniversary set

and I have aallllll this washi tape

                                               image from Mariage Original

I couldn't really talk about stationery without popping in a couple of my own designs for Phoenix Trading, surely?!

What about you, what are your favourites? I'm guessing the fact you're reading this means you rather like stationery, too?!

Bits and bobs for baby...

Time's whizzing by, and I can't quite believe I'm already seven months pregnant! Suddenly my bump feels huuuge, the reality of it all's kicked in, and I'm feeling the need to get organised now.

I've had lots of fun in recent weeks starting my collection of bits and bobs for baby.

Finally I have an excuse to buy Sophie La Girafe - I've wanted one for such a long time!

I was most impressed when I realised this lovely giraffe serves a purpose as well as being a little beauty to look at... William Morris would've approved! Might have to buy another, though, once little one gets his/her milk teeth into it...

Thought this rabbit nightlight would be nice and calming in those sleepless nights that await us...

A little library is growing nicely... a kind cousin gave us a lovely hardback version of this classic to start it off...

And then there's all my old picture books Mammy-dearest patiently kept, boxed up in the garage, for years and years...

I'm hoping to put them all in this wonderful bookshop-style bookcase by The Great Little Trading Co.

or maybe this one, if little'n turns out to be a girl...

I haven't purchased anything from Moulin Roty yet, but I find their little world very enchanting indeed...

Frenchie and I are both very lucky in having kind and thoughtful families. Lovely sister-in-law sent us over boxes full of gorgeous clothes and a Moses basket that's been passed down in his family for years and years.

And I hadn't realised I had such creative aunties until now... we've been inundated with beautiful handmade knitted cardigans, blankets, booties and even a little beret for le petit bebe! 

There's something very special about a little baby wearing clothes that were made with love. They'll be very treasured, just like him/her.

My Phoenix favourites: part one

I've been working with Phoenix Trading for a couple of years now and I really love freelancing for such a smashing company. One of the best things is the way they keep their catalogue fresh by introducing new designs every couple of months. 

While browsing the new March catalogue I found myself compiling a list of my favourite Phoenix artists. Here are a few of them; I'll be featuring more in a future blog.

Sarah Summers: Sarah has such a lovely delicate, feminine style and paints birds beautifully... just look at this delightful blue tit!

Louise Rawlings: I love Louise's use of colour, and she always sets a scene so perfectly.

Claire Henley: As well as being a Phoenix artist, Claire's also a very talented children's book illustrator, and I've been a fan of hers since discovering the wonderful Zippity Zebra and the Windy Day.

Amanda Loverseed - Amanda is a prolific Phoenix artist, with a whopping 81 designs in the current catalogue! And it's quite clear why...

Kate Gunn - I love Kate's bright colours and adorable characters, just such fun! I can see her style working wonderfully in children's books...                                

                       

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I can't resist including one of my own designs! Like most artists, I find my favourite piece is usually my latest, so that would be this little lady who is very proud to be featured in the new catalogue.

You can see all of my current designs for Phoenix Trading here.

Wonderful workspaces

Well, it's back to work we go this week, after the Christmas break. I'm on the lookout for ways to make my Love Lucy Illustration workspace more inspiring and lovely in 2013, and while browsing the web I came across these beauties...

I love the cheeriness of this studio

Every artist or crafter will know the importance of good lighting... so this workspace is just perfect, ahhhh, one can dream!

Beautiful colours in this studio:

I spy Ikea drawers!

Wow - a dedicated space for everything, now that I like...

Hugely practical - think Frenchie would appreciate this:

Practically perfect...

Such a clever idea to brighten up cupboards and add a creative touch...

I'm going to attempt to re-create some of these ideas. Nothing too fancy, just pretty and practical is all I'm after. 

The best workspace I've ever used was this cute and quirky caravan, in my mother-in-law's garden, which I used for several weeks last summer .

If you have any inspirational photos or ideas on creative workspaces, I'd love you to share them over on my Facebook page 

Love Lucy x