Thirteen Feathers

 Thirteen Feathers

I am always collecting feathers and I love to draw them. The thirteen long tall feathers belong to the Seagulls.  I find them on the shore where I live and each and every one has a different shape, pattern and Colour. Hours and hours of time passed by as I sat drawing all the details and captured them on paper.  All my artwork comes from being inspired by Nature, from this lovely English countryside surrounding my village. 

Yesterday we took an early morning walk and everywhere is now so green, cows in the fields and the hedgerows are bursting with wild flowers and blossom.  The birds are singing and someone is scanning the banks and branches for nests.  He spotted two, the intricately woven nest with a sitting blackbird and a tiny circle of moss belonging to the Wren. 

Whilst I breathe in the soft familiar scent drifting through the air before you even see the carpets of Bluebells.  It is nest building time, two nests in my garden and young birds been shown around the garden and fed by parents. The blue tits have the luxury of a bird box as we caught sight of a tiny head peeping out.  

I know I am lucky to live here and be able to enjoy and appreciate the different seasons throughout the year. Nature is very evident inside my house too and the choices I make. We are all aware how very fragile Nature is and we all must play our part to care for it, for the future. Having a garden for the wildlife has always been my aim and one of the pleasures is hearing the birds singing from dawn to dusk. They usually sit in the Ash tree at the bottom of my garden.

My beautiful Canvas by "Photowall"  of my Thirteen Feathers.

One of my greatest pleasures in life has to be having the ability and time to draw nature. All the beautiful things I see and find, collect and record in my sketch books. Then my project of making inks and drawing with my own colours has been so exciting. Discovering and finding colours from plants and berries from the hedgerows and also using them to dye with. So much to learn from Nature.

A page in my sketchbook using my own ink to paint eggs and a row of  smaller feathers using a dip in pen in my walnut ink.  

I am getting used to this new beautiful Canvas Picture in my living room, it really has changed the focus and made the whole room look so lovely. I am still using the back of my sofa as my gallery.

Everything I put next to the giant feathers looks so beautiful and matches so well.  I  have been drawing and learning  names of different Moths after we saw a Moth trap and then  made our own in the garden and had a glimpse of what is out there.  I recorded my favourite moths as postcard sized drawings, adding to them as and when. 

This leads me to telling you about, 'The Thirteen Feathers'. I was invited by a company called 'Photowall' to try some of my artwork on one of their products. I chose the large size canvas to display my feather artwork.  Which they very kindly gifted to me.

 Thank you, it is beautiful.

The Photowall website was really easy to use. I just had to upload a high quality photograph of my work and then pick my size. My illustration was printed the same day and arrived three working days later sent all the way from Sweden. It arrives with all parts and instructions to construct as a framed canvas ready to hang. There is even a helpful video on the website to show you how to put it together.

 

When my print arrived I was so pleased with the quality. As you can see from the photographs the detail of my illustration has enlarged really well to make an impressive piece of art work. 

I chose to work with this company as they share a similar love of nature and really do care about the environment. Photowall strive to minimise their environmental impact by printing only what is required and they have an environmental approach which permeates everything they do. The printing ink they use for their wallpapers contains no solvents or hazardous chemicals, and is biodegradable. 

I would not hesitate to use Photowall in the future. I am wanting to try some of my work on a poster next. The website has options for printing Wallpaper, Wall Murals, Canvas and Posters. The site has heaps of ideas if you want some inspiration to help you decide what you want to print.    

I uploaded my photograph of my own art work but there are thousands of different images and subjects to choose from, in the different sizes. You can print your own work, maybe your children's artwork or even treasured family photographs. A great personal gift.

As a treat for my blog readers , photowall gave a discount .....Sorry this discount has now expired.  You can still  visit  the excellent website and view all the gorgeous art work. 

Today is a beautiful sunny day so I am off for a walk on the shore....might even find some new feathers to draw for my next canvas idea.  Hope you enjoyed seeing what I have been up to, see you soon, Take care,  Eileen x   

I also have a new Instagram account where I will be sharing my art at www.instagram.com/drawingsfromnature

All  artwork by Eileen Postlethwaite. Please respect my ownership.

Looking Forward

 

It is officially Spring and the daffodils are out.   We  have put the clocks forward for British Summer Time. 

 The day has been dark and gloomy with a grey sky and a windy rainy wet view looking out of the window.  With  the arrival of the the full moon, it brought the high tide with sea water  covering most of the shore.  Thank goodness for the yellow cheerful jug of flowers.  It was one of those days when you need the lights on and a cosy fire going in the woodburner,  as the rain never seems to stop!  

    I sit by the window with the lamp fitted with a daylight bulb.  I glance around at all  my clutter and decide to have a little sort out, as it seems being organised is not my best trait. It is good clutter, creative inspiring and keeps me going during this strange time we are all living through. Under the lamp is a collection of  objects like the ivy skeleton leaf ,big pebbles and berries and blue china and jars of my ink and acorns that have been there a while. Then I am ashamed to see a jam jar with pink water containing  the first and second snakehead fritilliary flowers  from the garden that I picked to draw. The first one was never drawn and has now collapsed, shrunk and hanging off the side of the jar. 

 I did manage to draw the second flower this week in ink and used the water to wash my pen and brushes. hence pink water!  And I enjoyed painting the big pebble with the red berries as I liked them together. And the lovely new Sketch book was used to draw the skeleton leaf with my own handmade ink, using a dip in pen. SO all that clutter was used well.

Does anyone else use the back of the sofa  as your gallery?  I found some other art work I have been doing and there seems to be a colour theme going on.  Another lovely coloured  pebble  along with the acrylic paints and mussel shells.   So the gallery exhibits were propped up on the sofa to view.

 I really love this pebble found on the shore where the old iron mines were, hence the red colours.

Talking of colours I found my big box of crayons and have been sharpening some for the blue china found on a beach walk . Since the lock down here I have just been walking in the village. So these objects remind me of the sea shore which I am so looking forward to having the freedom to go on some lovely long leisurely walks along the sands.

I have had a quiet time drawing and working on some of the found pieces of broken china. It is fascinating looking at all those little patterns, fragments from the past  and all such beautiful little treasures.

 

 

I have seen two tiny ladybirds resting in the sunshine. One morning a butterfly decided to wake up thinking it was Spring,  No, I refused to let her go even though she had spent her winter sleeping in my bedroom window and was now flapping her wings and trying to be free. The times not right, you will thank me for it.   She settled down again and remains still in her sleepy state. The weather man said we might even have snow yet.  The little yellow bud and leaf I picked one day this week were added to this sheet of other little finds. I picked it from the hedgerow on a walk this week, as lots of plants are starting to show.  The birds are just as confused as us, a blackbird has started to build a nest in the garden

 

Sending everyone good wishes, hope each and every one is keeping safe. I hope you enjoyed seeing my little Gallery.  From little part of the world.....See you soon.  Millyx

All art work By Eileen Postlethwaite   Please respect my ownership and copyright.2021