New Books

A parcel of books, Robin Hobb covers and Meg Lindholm. They look and feel good. And inbetween all the things like blogging and taking Hannah to doctors for jabs and shopping and trying to sort out money things I managed to do a few hours painting. When working on the rough for this years MBF card I wanted to do something more simple in design, and very much had Japan on my mind.  Soon off to Porthgain to film men in a boat. And still looking forward to working on new books by Hobb.

 

Two Wolf's Brother covers and Reindeer People again.

Usually by the time I am at the end of a painting all I can see is all the things that failed to work as they should have worked. Sometimes this falls away when a piece comes back from the printers. Anyway, despite the editors at Harper Collins being pleased with teh wolves I couldn't let them lie so decided to have another go. Result? Now I am dissatisfied with two pieces. Ah well. Just have to let go and move on to the next work, so off down the beach for a short while then time to make presentation for next week's school visits in Hartfordshire.

 

First painting for cover

Second painting for cover

I will send both paintings to Harper collins and they can choose.

 

Ice and snow.

Inside the house is all Icebear, snow, reindeer and wolves. Outside the house is all sunshine and sizzle as the sun strips the dewdrops from wild roses and turns the land to dust. But the sky ripples with horse tail clouds that might bring rain.

 Took three attempts to work this painting and I am glad to see that the amber bead does glow.

Reindeer people cover, front and back.

Cloud view from my studio window.I do love these transient drawings.

A river of wolves ran through my mind

Front and back cover with running wolves for Wolf's Brother by Megan Lindholm. 

Got up. Painted. Went to bed.

Early morning walk on the airfield in sunshine. I saw

a blackbird with a worm

oxeye daisies, gorse

spiderwebs stretched over tall grass flowers

creeping buttercup

crane's bill

wild carrot, skylarks, clover, red and white

marsh orchids, yellow vetch, rattlegrass, knapweed

honeysuckle, purple vetch, cat's tail, speckled wood, plantain

stitchwort, white throats, tormentil and cinquefoil

horsetail, ragged robin, yellow iris, foxglove

and bramble bushes with a promise of berries.

Back home, I painted cats, shot arrows in the field while some paint dried, fell asleep in a pool of sunshine while glue dried a little and gilded. A parcel of books from Harper Collins contained Dragon Haven and paperbacks of Dragon Keeper as well as some treats for Tom and Hannah, both of whom are devouring books.

Start the week

1. Make list.

2. Do three covers for Harper Collins.

3. Do powerpoint and facebook invite for school visit in two weeks in Hartfordshire.

4. Roughs for nursery rhymes.

5. Write up panda story.

6. Invoice people for work done.

7. Leave time for unexpected happenings. 

In between times I have to walk dogs and look after big kids and am off to hunt snails. I am learning the names of grasses and hoping to visit some bees.

Wolves and reindeer.

There was not much on the list to do today and even less that got done. But I did listen to a choir of larks, watch blue butterflies, do roughs for Megan Lindholm's Wolf's Brother and Reindeer People ( and get the go ahead from Emma at Harper Collins, so now all I have to try and do is two fiercely elegant beautiful flowing and large colour pieces to attempt to do these two books justice), cook supper and take Tom to rowing. This last entailed sitting in the sunshine in the shadow of a cool wind and watching light on water.