louise-rabey

Hope you are all well and had a lovely Christmas

I just wanted to apologise again for my lack of interaction on this website. I have been doing more arty things, but finding the time to do it is difficult since i had a christmas job (which has now ended) 

Now that it has ended I have more time... at least until i get another job! So I thought I would write in this to update everyone on what I am up to at the moment and some updates on the projects I mentioned in my last entry. 

I have finished my illustration short course now and moving onto the intermediate one in a couple of weeks which I am looking forward to - the book I started making in the course received really good feedback and everyone recommended that I carry on with it (someone even said i should try and get it published!) so that is going to be my 2014 project to illustrate my own book and see what happens after that - I am going to attempt to write it as well, since a post graduate course I hope to do looks for writing potential as well as illustration (it is a course in authorial illustration) but luckily I have a sister who is going to study creative writing at university so she can help me! 

My little christmas painting I was hoping to upload by christmas - obviously didn't work out, I had a few things come up which had to take priority... such as my dad wanting a commission for christmas and now wanting another painting as well. I also found a new greetings card company who are currently looking for illustrators which I applied for and I had to do 3 quick sketches for proposed cards - my christmas painting i planned was amongst those sketches and so I have a basic sketch - I just need to start painting it in photoshop which I am going to start working on in the new year if not before - I am hoping to finish it within the next couple of weeks but i do still have my dads other painting to do first! 

For anyone who is interested the digital painting is called 'Snowglobe city'  

And that brings me to new years resolutions. My resolutions are to read more (chapter a day if possible!) and to draw more, I have an A5 sketchbook in which I am going to do a drawing a day - this could be something I spend hours on, or a simple half an hour doodle - it might be observational or from my head, I think this will be an excellent way for me to relax and not focus on any projects and just try something different or draw whatever i feel like drawing at the time - the drawings themselves may even turn into a project so I am hoping it will help me with inspiration. I also hope to join a local art club who offer life drawing sessions since I miss doing them. 

I am of course going to add every drawing to here I will probably make a folder called 'drawing a day project.' I really hope I can stick to this resolution and think it would be interesting to see what I come up with on the first day and then in a years time see if and how i have improved from that!

Also I am looking to upgrade my premium membership, but I have no money at the moment since I blew it all on a PS4 - I regret nothing. So if some of you kind people would be so generous as to donate some points, I will be most grateful  

Commissions are still open as well, I am currently only accepting animal portraits, but I am in the process of updating my website and opening an Etsy store, so I am hoping to offer more commissions as well in animal illustrations and maybe landscapes - or dreamscapes as I call them. I also have the long laborious task of re-photographing all of my work... not only to make better prints but also because i lost my memory stick and asked for a new one for christmas - which I got, and now have to work on putting all of my work back onto it... So i have to re photograph all my work, or rather what I have with me, which is really only my university work, college work may have to be downloaded from my previous deviant art account, as well as a lot of my sketches... I am just going to put on it what I think is worth keeping anyway for portfolio purposes. Obviously I will have to turn to deviantart now if my work happens to be stolen and use the dates and times as proof the work is mine, but hopefully it won't come down to that. 

You can find information on my commissions here: Paintings

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Well that is all from me, I have a good feeling about 2014, I would really like to start making a living out of my artwork and have a few illustration and exhibition opportunities lined up - hopefully I get them, I still have this sunfish sculpture to paint as well, which will be the week commencing 27th January - very excited about that. 

Merry christmas everyone, and a happy new year  

Erm, I realise I have not been very active recently, I have completed my degree now and currently seeking employment. I have also been suffering from major artist block, I didn't get a fantastic grade in my degree and so it has knocked me down a little bit, but I realise that the reason I got the grade was because I was studying a Fine Art degree and doing 'Illustrational' work according to my tutor. I wish i did Illustration now but alas it is too late. 

I tried to change my work for the sake of my degree, but unfortunately i still didn't get the grade I wanted. It really got me down and for a while i started thinking my work was crap, or not good enough etc... so I have been a bit unmotivated, but I am trying to get back into it now! 

So plenty on, I am currently sketching ideas for all of these projects so hopefully I will start uploading again soon!! I am really hoping I can start making a living out of my paintings now, as I did my degree for that reason... I am looking into part time teaching or being an 'activity coordinator' or something that will allow me to be creative in my work, but obviously I want to paint for the rest of my life... I am hoping to rent out a studio space when I start earning some money, since living in a house share, doesn't really give you that much space and motivation to paint!

Really sorry for the lack of activity guys, I will try to be more active now!  

If anyone is interested I am also still taking animal commissions, so please take a look  

'I'll give you the moon' (paintings I am developing for my short course) 

The title of the story is also (obviously) 'I'll give you the moon' The same title as the original paintings