Hello? Is there anyone still there?

Hello, to anyone who hasn't given up on my blog!! I am still here, I have just been INCREDIBLEY busy!! I have had a couple of commissions from various family members, and have finally finished them.
The first one was a painting for my Aunt, she wanted a portrait of my cousin with her cat as a graduation present.

 
The most recent painting I have done is this for my uncle. It is his house and family, magically transported to a snowy mountainous country, but still with all their local Kentish birds. It was quite a fun project to work on, but took a very long time, and drove me slightly mad paiting each flower individually, but I think it was worth it, and everyone seemed very impressed.

I always find it hard to finish a painting like this, there is always just something else that could be added, so I was quite pleased to hear that if new members of the family appear, I will be called on to add them in :)
Hopefully it won't be quite so long til my next post, I have lots of things planned, so keep watching!!

Ink

 No, I haven't got a tattoo... yet!! But I have discovered the magicalness that is pen and ink drawing!!! I started off having a go at a botanical illustration class, and had a bit of trouble getting it to flow nicely, but after a bit of perseverance and the discovery of bristol board, I LOVE it!!! This was my first attempt, of a really crinkley, scrunchy leaf, and I am really quite pleased with it!! (Apart from all the smudges and blotches that got themselves all over the edges!!!

Then I tried this, as a monthly challenge done on deviantart. The idea was to recreate Little Red Riding Hood, I decided to go for a sequel, in which the wolf decides he is so good at catching children and Grannies, he decides to make some money out of it!! There is a recession going on after all!! (Please click on it to see all the detail.)

I have also reopened my facebook page, so please 'like' me!!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Thompson-Art/186050654748981

Finished!!!

 Does anyone else find it really difficult to finish a piece of art? I have been working on and off on this commission since about October, and when it actually came to the deadline, I found I just wanted to add more and more detail. Luckily I have had to stop to give it time to dry before I hand it over, otherwise it might have driven me mad... more mad anyway!!! I have spent quite a few nights recently dreaming about white fluffy clouds in a rather panicky way!! But now I can get back to drawing tiny little creatures!! Woohoo!!

I have also been doing some botanical illustration classes, which my parents got me for Christmas, so far we've just been doing pencil drawings, using lines and shading, but I'm going to do some experimenting with pen and ink soon.