More Photo's of my boy

Thought I'd show you some more photo's I've taken of the sunshine of our life...
(click on each image to see description)

Puffing Billy

My gorgeous nephew Flynnie celebrated his 2nd birthday at Puffing Billy - Emerald the weekend just gone.

Thought I'd show you some fabulous photo's my brother, Luke took with his iphone 4!

Flynnie with Dad.

My gorgeous nephew the ghostbuster.

This gorgeous couple is my bro and his wife Danika.

Pip's Vector Doodle

I've told you that I just love to doodle... well last week I had the thought... "why could'nt I do a vector doodle! "

I just opened Adobe Illustrator, turned on the Pen tool and went for it!

So this is the result of that experiment... I just kept adding and adding addding!

Stunning Short Film

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Best Photo I've Ever Taken

About 8 months after Kane was born my lovely friend Melissa got me a job at the Kodak store she worked at.

It was there that the notion of buying a digital SLR Camera struck me and stuck with me.  I got so excited by the thought of a camera that my lovely Mr helped me buy one.  I arranged it through the Canon rep so got it at a good price.

I was a complete novice.... I'd only ever tinkered with my Dad's old film SLR Canon Camera and had no idea what I was doing. So of course... I kept it on auto settings (I kept telling myself I'd read the giant manual tomorrow!!)

Into the 2nd week of being a fancy camera owner.. I was looking for any and all reasons to take photo's.  So I followed the boys to the local skate bowl.  And it was while watching my son through the lense as he walked about the park (with no idea I was watching him), that my one and only photo miracle occurred...

I'm still actually a little stunned by the shot. I remember on the day, when I saw him lean on the fence through the viewfinder .... I just could not believe my eyes! And then to see the actual photograph that was all lovely and in focus just gave me a thrill of a whole 'nother kind!

So here it is... my most favourite photograph I've taken (as a complete amateur).

I really think it's a one in a million moment captured. One that I am so very very thankful for! 

Our truly beautiful boy with a beautiful soul to match.

Pip's Journal - Part 2

So these pages are made up of bits and pieces of my little creations from the past year.


I orginally sewed the thread through the page as a test for an idea I had for a poster. I was going to create a quote where I created the text by threading the pages. And the quote was going to be something like "Sewing the Seeds of Love"... I like the idea... but have put it on the backburner... for now.


And the flower below it is an ink doodle I did on A4 copy paper... with fineliner and markers. It was just one of what I call my "Japanese Style Doodles".


Then there's the two post it notes that I inked one day when I found this great quote on the internet. I love it when I find a quote that I relate to... doesn't happen too often... which is why I like to remember those that do.


This quote I thought was fabulous to stop any of those 'feeling sorry for oneself' blues :)

And I've added a song that I listen to so much... I just can't get enough of it! I really is one of the most beautiful songs I myself feel like I've ever heard. I couldn't even tell you the amount of times I've listened to it over the last year!

And the amazing thing about this song is... it still makes the hairs on my arm rise a little everytime!

... isn't it just gorgeous??

I could listen to Zero 7 when I'm working all day... both with either Sia & Tina.

Pip's Journal - Pt 1

For about 5 years now I've been keeping a journal.  It's has a gorgeous leather fold over cover... and is  about a C5 size. It's handmade with lovely soft hand made pages inside. It's got so many pages and so far I've filled nearly half.

It's a sketchbook, journal, scrapbook all in one. I originally did it with the thought in mind that it was a litte piece of me to leave behind for my son.

I thought I might share a few select pages from my journal on this blog on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. I hope you enjoy the pages.
Pip ♥♥

Part 1 (Created 2009)
 This page I created as a way to show in a very small way what art & creativity means to me. Especially since my passion for art and design was re-ignited to a furious flame once my son was born.

It features art by one of my favourite artists - Michael Parkes.

Doodle Pip

"How cool would it be to unite the world through drawings." - Warren

I was contacted by Warren from Washington via twitter who has a wonderful blog called 'The Doodle Daily'. He kicked off a blog challenge to the world to attempt to get 1,000,000 doodles from all over the world with the end result helping charities.  It appealed to me so I sent my following ink doodles through.

In case you have your own pre conceived idea of what doodles are... I just wanted to give you my definition of a doodle. I class doodles as drawings that start from nothing and grow into something.  I never plan or do sketches or greylead outlines... I just take an ink pen and see where it takes me! I love doodling and it's something i do all the time.   All these were done without a plan in mind... I usually start with a shape or perhaps a thought and see where it takes me. My most favourite doodles are the one's that can last on and off for days! (like the 3rd one did) The one's where I completely get lost in the moment... like I'm in the middle of a doodle meditation.  Doodle's for me are the most relaxing thing in the world for me!!


See mine as well as everyon'e else's doodles entered so far here: http://tjomies.com/blog/?page_id=4380

Why don't you join in on the fun?

It can even be a squiggle you did while reading this blog post :)

Here's where you find all the details!

http://www.thedoodledaily.com/

My Man's Graffiti Art

When Luke and I first got together over 12 years ago we used to sketch & draw a lot together. I was studying illustration (only for 1 year sadly)… all the while having a huge passion for art & design… while he had a massive passion for street art and skateboarding.  At nights he’d practice his graf sketches and sometimes I’d shade & color them because he wanted to learn new shading and shadowing techniques. We even made a skateboard together … he sanded back one of his own used boards and did his name as a piece and I did all the surrounding ink design. Fun memories!

We used to always keep our eyes out round our local area looking for the stand out best wall art and we found one of our favourite spots in Seaford through a mate which was trackside on the Frankston line.

Up till then…. although he loved sketching pieces and trying out new styles and ideas for lettering... he's not put spray paint to wall in a big proper piece fashion. Plans sometimes were thought up for putting them out there but none really eventuated.

Slowly through both being in full time work and having other distractions... I was in publishing and Luke started being a house/commercial painter… slowly that creative side and passion for both of us sadly petered out.

Fast forward to 2010 and I’m furiously being creative 24/7 thanks to my passion being re-ignited to a furious flame… first by my purchase of a Canon DSLR and then from finding and joining by far, the best community on the internet ► Red Bubble!

From this and my complete obsession… Luke slowly starts talking about and trying to dig out all his old pieces and sketches… I could see him wanting it back… I think especially when he saw how happy my creativeness was making me.

As if by fate Luke bumped into the guy living down the end of our street who he remembered from years back. He was in a Graffiti group called C.I. So of course Luke loved all the conversations with him… pouring over graffiti pieces watching doco’s on street art (especially in New York).

Turned out that this guy had access and permission to painting on that trackside Seaford wall that Luke always loved!! So of course he jumped at the chance when he was given permission to paint there.

Since then Luke has done 12 pieces in only 6 months!! All the time so passionate… sketching at nights… looking forward to the weekends when he can get to Seaford to paint.

And I have to say… he has a real talent for it! I’m so impressed by how good he was to start with and then how much he’s progressed in the short time he’s been doing it.

His graffiti name is Debaser... that dates back to before I knew him.

He chose it because of his favourite song called Debaser by his favourite band, The Pixies.

What do you think? Here’s the progression (I didn't include  his first 3 though) of his work up to his latest piece:

This is his romantic gesture to me... sweet huh! :)

this one (below) is my favourite.

This latest piece (below) we're both especially proud of and it's brings back some big memories.

This was a sketch Luke did when he was 20 and I coloured it in.  Luke found the sketch a few weeks ago... so it's kind of like a collaboration between us... in that we both had a hand in creating it... although he did all the hard work.

He keeps asking me to come paint with him... and I'm slowly warming to the idea... although I wouldn't do letters... I would definitely have to do an image/mural of some kind.

Will keep you posted.

Just to clarify... this is all legal :)

Red Bubble's Longest Illustration

There's an awesome group on Red Bubble called 'International Superheroes of Drawing, Illustration and World Domination'.... long title... but never short on inspiration, things to do and activity.  It's definitely my favourite group on RB at the moment.

So they started a fabulous collaboration project for members whereby the aim was to create the longest illustration! Basically we'd all just keep adding onto each other's illustrations... blending them as seamlessly as we could to make one extremely long illustration!!

Check it out... it's so cool!! Some incredible talent included on the list!! 

"ISODIAWD's Longest Illustration"

(click on image to view the full and very long piece of work!)

I was happy to get a turn... and this was my small part of the very large project that's still going!

(in actual fact.. it just may never stop!)

(click on image for further details & to view larger image)

My Work Space

So as far as all things internet & digital design go (not my painting & drawing... I do that on the dining room table) I'm very lucky to have an office of my very own.  The place where I work... mostly while my boys are asleep, out, or while they're at work & school.

When I first set up the office about 5 years ago I created an inspiration wall cause I really am the type of person that's loves having eclectic things around me to look at and admire.

So this is what I see if I look up right now from the monitor.  

Each and every piece up there either has an emotional link or a design inspiration.  Some of them are my own original design pieces that I've stuck up there.  

Some of the pictures I'd collected and held onto from when I was in my early 20's.

 I spent a lot of time creating it but i'm glad I did cause I cherish my wall.
And you'll notice there's still plenty of space for me to add more as I go.

Just keeping the desk clutter free is my biggest challenge... I am definitely a clutter bunny :)

Clementine

Just happily found this song thanks to my Lukey....  I really love it.

inspiration....