Jane Davenport Blog

Did you know my first ‘real job’ was as a Fashion illustrator? I even went to Paris to study at the Institute of Fine Arts. Alcohol-based Markers were my weapon of choice because they are clean and quick to work with. I still have my collection, and there is plenty of juice left in most of them. Pantaone Letrasets, Yokens, Shinhans, Chartpaks, Prismacolor markers… some are stinkier than others (Chartpaks = pee-yew!), but its the Copics that reign supreme. The are the least wiffy, the colours are magic and the brush nibs are heaven-in-a-pen. But they have pretty much sat idle for the past few years…

Then along came Adriana Almanzar and her Siren Dreams class. I have admired this talented ladies work for some time. I was tempted, I love mermies! But I am teaching online at 21 Secrets and giving that my all. I was also working on my book, meant to be painting ( there is only 1 painting left in my gallery now! ), plus I am going on my big trip to Paris and Portugal and I am planning it down to the minute. I don’t have time for another class!

But then I found out that Copic markers were a big part of the class. And I buckled! And man alive, am I glad I did. Ady is so generous with her classes. Videos galore! And she creates seriously gorgeous art…she calls her subjects dollies, and in her accent, the word takes on a lustrous importance.

So I have had the videos playing while I was working on my book…ladybirds and mermaids are a surprisingly pleasant on-screen combination. I have set up a mini-studio next to my chair in the media-room. I stocked it with supplies I wasn’t using as much but deserved their place in my hands. My Copics are all prettily lined up. and my second- favourite pencils, Lyra Polycolor, are in work. And while watching a video ( Grand Designs and Angel) or two, I draw. And draw. And draw.

They start off as doodles…just simple random sketches, and build up into mermaids and goddesses…

And here I’ve used my new Copic Ex 4 set – super, super light colours. I like the pastel, bleached by the sun effect I’ve got going on here. My marker techniques from those illustration days are coming back to me, and I am learning lots of new methods from Ady. This Mermie isn’t finished yet, but I thought I would show where I am up to:

You can swing by Ady’s classroom site and watch the free tutorials she has prepared, plus sign up for her classes…I love the way she draws eyeslashes!

Copic marker portrait set is available here: Blick Art Materials
Lyra polycolor pencils available here: Blick Art Materials

The delightful Jeniffer Hutchins of Art Joyful Art Studio is a fellow 21 Secrets teacher, and I have an interview on her groovacious blog…!

http://www.joyfulartsstudio.com/inspiring-artist-jane-davenport

Yay! I finished the edit and re-design of my book ‘the Garden Guardians’ for it’s 4th edition. Yes! Its a best seller. It has also won some speccy awards…. I don’t like to brag, but I will about this book. It is terrific!

I love my books. My heart was all swelling with pride about them on the weekend, and the next thing I knew and 600 photo stills later, and I have three cute videos…

The Garden Guardians is about the ‘good’ bugs in your backyard, those tiny little helpers that work day after day keeping pests in check. It shows who the beneficials are, what they do and explains how to attract more. There are reccomendations on eco-friendly gardening products and plenty of organic gardening info. There’s even a Bug-liography!

and this is the hard back USA Edition.

Ladybird Ladybird was produced to accompany my large-scale photographic art exhibition as Art-in-Residence at the Hunter Valley Gardens:

And last but not least…my Love & devOcean Postcard book – made this morning at the beach!

p.s. If you feel like getting one, I’m about to have a super- special celebratory offer on them for my ladybird Letter subscribers!

So make sure you are joined up…

http://tinyurl.com/join-ladybird-letter

or buy them here : instituteofcute.com.au

x

Jane

At current count I have had 201 adorable members join in my Draw Happy classroom.  And what a lively bunch! My classroom is frequently the most active. Not only do I have my lovely and talented students posting their work, but the commraderie and support between participants is really something to behold (Marta, Karen, Tammie and Carla Rey are the  happiness princesses!).  I hold firmly to my belief that Journaling makes lovely people, well, lovelier!

I thought maybe I would get overwhelmed…but I am fielding questions and brainstorming and suggesting and guiding with ease and joy. And the happiness I receive by joining other creative souls on their own path is inspirational. I am on a high whenever I have just come from my online classroom…woo!

I almost feel guilty to show you just these images from the classroom… but I had to pick a few! Look at these faces – cute right? Oh yes, and some feature little ‘ol me…so of course I’m going to show you those…

Artists featured (click on the names to visit their blogs – so much fun!) : CarlaRey, Monica Sanchez, Tammie, Tee and Sigrun Karlsdottir

21 Secrets is in full swing – and you can still join in…we are having a great time and all the teachers are rolling out the red carpet for you!

Click here to view more details

Through the magic of the internet, you will be transported to Dirty Footprints Studios,
for more info and registration.

I have LOVED working on this and will definitely be doing more so if you
sign up for my LadyBird Letter you won’t miss out.

…………………………………………

I did a lovely interview with Tracie Hanson from My Blooming life. She is featuring Artist’s studios in her new series “Room to Bloom”.

http://mybloominglife.blogspot.com/2011/05/room-to-bloom-with-jane-davenport.html

I love my studio!

i have SO MUCH work to do. Truly. And what am i doing? I’m pfaffing about in my Journal. Delightedly so.

As a little treat I ordered a Fujifilm Instax 50 s from Photojojo. It takes little instant photos… and I big red heart it! I’ve never really incorporated photos in my pages, but I’m loving this…and I get to use some snippets from my VAST collection of cute tapes (which I just can’t seem to stop buying – oh well, at least they are a cheap addiction).

I cant WAIT to travel with it on my (super-electric) upcoming trip to Paris/Portugal/Singapore. Somehow I manage to make everyone look very hideous in these photos, but they have so much life! Even my dogs turned out very strange…but they are the BEST photos I have ever taken of them…weird, but true (very weird).

And yesterday I made a watercolour paint folder…and I even filmed it. Oh yes, there is some serious procrastination goin on Miss Jane… But at least it’s active procrastination…I can console myself with a rewarding pat on the back that Im not watching the boob tube or playing Tomb Raider on the PS3 (well there was a that passage of time spent on Plants vs Zombies on the iPad..shhhhhh…!).

'Nervous Performers' - Doodling in my Journal is too much fun..I'm doing alot 'cos im teaching my online 'Draw Happy' Class at the moment.

So today, right after I finish typing this and then tidy up my desk and make that Ikea shelf that’s been in the corner for 6 months (yep, still active procrastination ‘goin on stroooong), this is what I intend to do will do today:

1. Create wording for my mug range for my awesome Licencee, Ashdene.
2. Get back to work on revising the manuscript for the new edition of my book, the Garden Guardians.

There is lots more to do, but those things are MAJOR and I need to get to work on them. I WANT too . I mean, amazing projects or what? Hello! It’s just they are so mammoth, behemoth, gargantuan…and its hard to start from a dead stop, ya know? And I want them to be PERFECT…so what better way to achieve that lofty goal than not to start? (yeah, right…like Ace Ventura pet Detective said, often: ” leeeeeew-se-heeeer”).

So how about this for a strategy? I don’t need to be attempting perfection. I just need to make onle little bitty step. Embrace the starting point. …’cos I know that once my tires  bite into the rubble, and I get a bit of traction, I’ll start rolling along, and then work my way up to a trundle , and then i’ll be chugging, steaming, whizzing, charging and then up up up and away!  I’ll be flying,  the human-wonder-dynamo-girl-woman and getting everything sorted.

I need a coffee. no no no! I need to start.

And my reward shall be I get to paint. Oh no! my easel just heard me type that (yes, it has VERY good hearing) and now its kind of bouncing up and down in excitement…or maybe it just needs to go to the loo?  Anyways. Enough! Work, now.

You go do some too, and then we’ll both meet back here and throw our hats up in the air and slap each others shoulders!

Choose silliness happiness,

x Jane

This journal page has nothing to do with what I am  banging on about above..am i wasting time again?  yep…feels like I could be getting other stuff done now…yep…definitely ned to stop typing and dawdling….

After three weeks away, the homing beacon is on! I’m desperate to get back to Byron Bay…
The Royal Show was a big success. The honour of attending a Reception at Government House with the Governor of NSW and chatting with Collectors of my artwork were twinkling highlights.

While all the excitement of the show was happening, 21 Secrets has been hopping along and I’ve managed to keep up with everything in my Draw Happy classroom…but no time to attend any other classes as yet… That’s about to change!

Part of my urge to get home, is wanting to get back to my ‘routine’, I need to dive back into my Journalling, and the 21 Secrets classrooms will provide plenty of inspiration! I feel like I’ve ignored my journals for the last few weeks, being both too busy and exhausted to give them much attention. And I’m missing the relaxation and reflection they bring me.

I have my amazing trip to Lisbon with Teesha and Tracey Moore coming up, and ….drum roll please… my participation in the Papercraft Expo in Brisbane, just before I leave, to provide further incentive. I am doing 2 presentations a day throughout the show on Art Journaling. It’s going to be fun sharing the marvels of Art Journalling with lots of people who have never even heard of it before!

But in between now and the excitement of June, I’m looking forward to rediscovering the beach and painting – a lot! I hope you have some fun and creativity bubbling up too!

X
Jane

Ps: I got to trial some new Ranger products this week…and they are very exciting… More info SOON!