Butterflies, Mermaids and Cats

Here are three more leaves for the collection.

The butterfly was actually the first leaf painting I completed for the kids at the school. The Butterfly was a request from Amy. She wasn't particular about what type or colour. She just wanted a butterfly.

The cat was painted for one of the Sophie's. I took her a couple of sketches and she liked the kitten in the teacup more than the one in a basket wearing a straw hat.

The other Sophie's brief was, a brown haired mermaid with a blue tail swimming under water. She needed to have a starfish in her hair and a shell bikini top.

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All three girls were delighted with their leaves.

Preliminary sketches.

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I only have one more leaf to do now from the original group of students who brought me leaves and asked for paintings. That is a surfboard with a tiki on it and a palm tree for Roan, the only boy in the group.

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I think there is a bit of a theme going on here. Butterflies, kittens, fairies, and mermaids for the girls and a surfboard for the boy. I might have to extend the project and ask a few more of the male students to request a painting. Just to see how the trend of what boys like compared to what girls like, progresses.

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What could be better than pudding? A Magic Pudding

I can't tell you how many times I have driven past the turn off to the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum in Faulconbridge and vowed to stop and take a look one day. I met Norman's adopted daughter, Margaret some years ago and had the chance to look at some of her father's original painting she had at her house.

On Thursday, my wife and I stopped in at the gallery on our way to Sydney.

The first thing you see, as you walk up the path to the gallery is the Magic Pudding himself standing on the verandah. Lindsay's 1918 children's book creation, The Magic Pudding, is one of Australia's most loved children's stories despite the fact it is a rather violent and politically incorrect tale.

Promotional statues made for the animated film of The Magic Pudding, and watercolour illustration.

Norman Lindsay (1879-1969), was an artist, cartoonist, and writer. He was prolific in pen and ink drawing, etching, woodcuts, paintings and sculpture. Lindsay left home when he was sixteen to live with his brother in Melbourne. In 1901 he moved north to make his permanent home in the Blue Mountains, working for the Bulletin in an association that lasted almost to his death. His work was often deemed blasphemous but his works are still widely admired and collected.

The gallery itself is full of examples of Lindsay's artwork, from his quirky cat drawings to huge oil paintings, model boats to ethereal watercolours and the multitude of etchings and sketches he created for the Bulletin.

One of the most interesting aspects of the gallery is the garden and grounds of the property and the amazing concrete sculptures he created.

I was left with one overwhelming impression after my visit to the gallery. Norman Lindsay, if he were a child today, would certainly be classified as hyperactive. He would have to have been to complete such a wide and extensive collection of creative works.

The sculpture above stands outside of Lindsay's painting studio.

So, if you find yourself in the Blue Mountain's, take the time to drop in and experience the world of Norman Lindsay.

Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum
14 Norman Lindsay Crescent
Faulconbridge New South Wales 2776
Australia

Email: info@normanlindsay.com.au
Tel: (+61 2) 4751 1067

http://www.normanlindsay.com.au/index.php

2nd Leaf - Fairies

I have just finished the second of the five leaves for the Year 5 students. I won’t repeat the full brief for this painting here; it is listed in the last blog post. Basically, Alanna wanted three fairies in a garden on her leaf.

The only part of the brief I couldn’t manage was the baskets full of picked flowers they were supposed to be carrying. The baskets would have ended up about 1mm tall. She did however approve the preliminary sketches.

Preliminary fairy sketches

Design sketch on leaf shape.

So, this is the final product and I'm fairly certain she is going to like the result.

Time now to start on the Mermaid and the Cat. Actually, for a project that started as an accident - me not paying attention to the kids speaking to me - this is turning out to be quite a lot of fun. Plus it has opened an oportunity for me to design an art for kids workshop and may even turn into a book proposal if I can find the right spin on the idea. There is not quite enough there yet but my brain is working overtime looking for that unique bit of magic.

Leaf Art

Turning fallen leaves into works of art.

Some of the Year 5 children at my local primary school were looking through my artwork portfolio and become incredibly excited about three paintings I did while on holidays a few years ago. I had run out of watercolour paper so the paintings were done in acrylic directly onto dead leaves picked out of the resort's garden. There were two simple little seascapes and a silhouette of a Whistling Kite on a sunset background.

One of the girls asked, "If I find a leaf, can you paint a pictur for me?"

I was a little distracted at that moment and without really thinking about it said, "Yeah, I probably could."

A few minutes later five of the kids had returned with leaves for me to paint.

Now, I have orders for a butterfly, a mermaid, a cat, a surfboard with a tikki on it, and a fairy - actually three pretty fairies in a garden, one with blond hair and a purple dress, one with brown hair and a pink dress and one with black hair and a blue dress, all holding wands in one hand and a basket of cut picked flowers in the other. (It's nice to know exactly what you want) Mind you this is all to be painted onto a gum leaf less than 20cm long so the fairies will end up being about 15mm tall.

I had to call a halt to it there or half the school would have turned up with leaves for me to paint. As it was, there were quite a few disappointed kids. One commented that she wished she could do leaf paintings herself.

Not a bad idea.

The technique is simple enough for children to pick up and you don't need a wealth of artistic tallent to do them. Some very simple designs can be very effective. I started to put together a step-by-step tutorial on leaf art, gearing up to run a workshop for the children interested in learning how to do the paintings themselves.

I soon discovered, it wouldn't take too much more effort to expand the tutorial into a fully fledged how-to ebook. Along with the basic techniques, I'm going to document the process of painting the leaves for my Year 5 kids - from brief, to design, to finished painting - as part of the book.

I have completed the first commissioned leaf, the butterfly and its new owner was ecstatic with the result. Her mum is getting it framed for her so it won't get damaged.

I will post a link to the tutorial, one it is complete.






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Lucky Socks and Author Snoopy

When I was playing rugby league in the under 12's, I scored my first try. That was the day I wore my new socks. Obviously the socks were lucky. I wore them every time we played. The luck worked, not all the time but often enough to make me keep those socks until they were two sizes too small with holes that let my big toes poke through.

Socks - not those socks exactly - were lucky for me again when my first ever piece of writing was published in a very obscure and small print run anthology called 'Infinite Anythings and Lost Left Socks' There was no payment involved and I am sure very few people ever read the piece - that in itself is lucky because the writing was awful.


About the same time, McDonalds had a toy offer running with little Snoopy's engaged in different professions. When Author Snoopy came out, I brought one and he has sat beside my computer ever since. I don't know if he is lucky for me or not but when I start writing and he is there, I at least know not to start my stories with 'It was a dark and stormy night...' or other clichéd beginnings.

I have decided the luck comes more with hard work and constantly trying to improve my writing skills than from Snoopy.

Imagine the blisters I would have avoided if I realised this when I was still playing rugby league.

The Bizarreness of Teen Minds

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My middle son (18) asked me to take him into town today to buy a gift for a school friend - Something to cheer her up a little after her father died. I thought, 'What a nice sentiment.’

I dropped him in town on my way to the library for the meeting of my writers’ group. He was going to meet me there after he found a gift.

This is what he brought.


He was completely at a loss to my horror in his choice.

‘But Nightmare Before Christmas is her favourite show,’ he said. ‘What’s wrong with buying her this?’

What answer should I choose? There were so many. I finally decided on. ‘Her father just died and you are giving her a solar powered bobble headed skeleton to cheer her up! Nice.’

I know he means well, but the bizarreness of how the teenage mind works completely eludes me at times. This is not a good sign for someone trying to write YA fiction.

Kids and Young Adult Literature Festival

Decisions, decisions!

The 2009 Kids and Young Adult Literature Festival is on at the NSW Writers' Centre over two days in July. Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th. Unfortunately I can only make it to one day. I'm already in Sydney on Saturday night (taking my son to the wrestling) so it looks like it's going to be Saturday. That's not a problem but the Sunday sessions look a little more personal and, I'd love to hear Libby Gleeson's 'Create Your Picture Book' presentation.

Perhaps, another time.

Now the only problem is picking which Saturday sessions to attend.

Session 1:

Publishers and their authors

How do you get published?


Two of Australia’s most successful authors, James Roy and Deborah Abela, and their award-winning publishers discuss the nitty-gritty of publishing.


Deborah Abela & Zoe Walton, James Roy & Leonie Tyle

Chair: Susan Hayes

or


Publishers reveal the inside story

Publishers from Penguin, New Frontier and Margaret Hamilton Books discuss what they are looking for and the real process towards publication.


Margaret Hamilton, Sophia Whitfield, Laura Harris

Chair: Laurine Croasdale


Session 2


Taking stories into scripts, film and web

Plays, scripts, blogs, novels, animation: open the doors to the power of writing in today’s forms.


Caleb Lewis, William Kostakis, W “Chewie” Chan, Melina Marchetta
Chair: Susanne Gervay

or


How writers can write for awards,
entertainment, education and sales


Three leading crime, romance and history authors reveal their markets, strategies and successes.
Laurine Croasdale, Gabrielle Lord, Chris Cheng Chair: Maire Sheehan




Session 3

X-factor rules for children's writing


Discover the X-factors that get books loved and published – from new idea to inspiring a publisher.

Cathie Tasker, Ursula Dubosarsky, Leonie Tyle, Deborah Abela
Chair: Val Noake

or


Fantasy: creating new worlds to explore our own


Australian fantasy authors expose how they create their stories and capture the imagination of the world.
Garth Nix, Kate Forsyth, Richard Harland, Jenny Hale Chair: Angie Schiavone




Session 4


Stars of picture books reveal their secrets

The inside story to writing and understanding picture books by some of the world’s best.

Tohby Riddle, Ursula Dubosarsky, Libby Gleeson
Chair: Margaret Hamilton


or


Stars of youth literature reveal their secrets

You’re invited to hear the inside story of how some of the world’s best authors create kids and YA literature.

Garth Nix, Gabrielle Lord, James Roy
Chair: Mylee Joseph


(session details obtained from NSW Writer' Centre web site)
http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?id=643&nav_cat_id=335&nav_top_id=57

So far I'm leaning toward

• Publishers reveal the inside story
• Taking stories into scripts, film and web
• X-factor rules for children's writing
• Stars of picture books reveal their secrets

Those choices may all change on the day. Either way, it should be a great day.