Color Me Fearless - The Opening and a Review

Usually when I create a video, I over analyse it, starting over a few times... but today, I didn't plan a thing - I simply opened it while recording, meaning I hadn't gone any further than the groovy lime green inner cover beforehand.

This video is of an over-excited Jenny opening the newest book by Angela Porter and Lacy Mucklow - Color Me Fearless! Its beautifully drawn, well written and gorgeous from cover to cover :D Even has a dragon!

Love it alot I do! I think it rivals Color Me Happy... its amazing. You will love it too! Enjoy my video :)

You too can have a copy of this beautiful book - Click here or go to https://www.shop.artbyjenny.com.au/collections/featured/products/color-me-fearless - only $28.50 including postage Australia wide. I've also updated my overseas postage prices too, to include a fee for a non-tracking service (not that I like sending overseas without tracking but some don't mind).

Of course, you may also find it soon at your local bookstores so as long as you get a copy somewhere, it will be fine by me :) Just enjoy every single moment!

Happy Creative Day!
:)
Jenny

Wildscapes ... A Journey Through Australia's Natural World

Wildscapes is an amazing book illustrated by Stephanie Holm, an actual botanical illustrator who not only loves drawing but adores our Australian wildlife and plants.

The cover of Wildscapes by Stephanie Holm

This book is not just a colouring book or art therapy, its a book of discovery and wonder! Wildscapes includes everything in this book - well, nearly everything. Sadly, there isn't a wombat or galah but hopefully this means Stephanie is working on another book :)

With so much to choose from, it can be hard to decide where to start. I started with the Tassie devil and then coloured in the page of honey possums before going back to the Tassie devil's page to colour the owl and scenery.

There are frogs (yay! I love frogs!), birds, a thorny devil, Boyd's forest dragon, platypus, feathertail glider, a Tasmanian devil and so much more - plus a wide variation of beautiful Aussie flowers and trees including yakka, gum trees and fungi.

Colouring WIP by me :) I do love this frog!

I've coloured using regular pencils but you can use watercolours in this book without worrying about the water wrinkling the page. Its nice sturdy smooth paper.  The wrinkles will smooth out on their own, but if you need them flattened more, leave it somewhere under a phone book. The weight of the book will soon smooth out the page again.

Adorable honey possums eating gumnut flowers

Tasmanian Devil and his friend the green owl :)

I've nearly finished the frog's page - it has a pink tree trunk, blue-green leaves, green lizard, red toadstools and so far, a white background. I'm thinking a mix of orange and yellow for that but I'll see what happens when I get back to it, probably will end up being pale blue-grey - coloured using the "scribble on a scrap of paper and smooth over the page" technique.

Hope you're all enjoying colouring and creating art as often as you can. The more you do, the better your heart and mind feel :)

Happy Creative Day!

:)

Jenny

PS... The following are linked back to my shop. Until midnight 22nd Feb 2016, there is a 25% discount for orders of $50 or more - storewide! You'll need a code, so visit www.shop.artbyjenny.com.au/collections/amazing-specials for details.

   

   

Colouring with Polychromos ... Tassie Devil in Wildscapes

So many things to colour, paint and create... not enough time! I think most of us feel this way. There's always been amazing books to colour over the years... Pixar, The Muppets, Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan and flowers, fairies, wildlife and mermaids! But now there are even more! This time promoted towards the adults that look after our inner child... more mermaids and fairies but also mandalas, zentangles, doodles, animals, flowers, gardens, forests and geometric anythings! 

The list of newly published books is almost endless... so I've limited my shop to just thise I truly love and think we'll gain the most therapeutic colouring time. Our time is precious, so its all about quality colouring time, not quantity. 

One of the newest books is "Wildscapes" by Stephanie Holm. Australian unique and diverse animals, plants and insects themed by habitat - from desert to rainforest to heathland. Its simply gorgeous. I love every page!

The paper lends itself to pencils, paints, crayons, gel pens or markers... anything at all :) but bear in mind if you use too much ink, they may bleed through the page. 

But there is good news for colouring with textas (markers, Chameleon Pens, Copics, etc)... if you spray a light coating of fixative on the page first, it helps stop the bleed through. 

I've yet to test it, but in theory it makes perfect sense. My can of fixative is solvent based so only suitable for waterbased pens. An acrylic fixative or sealer should be used for solvent based markers.

Tbis adorable Tassie Devil was coloured this morning using Faber Castell Polychromos coloured pencils. Its a small tin of 12 so its  was good to stick to the basics and mix my own colours. 

I even did a video :) http://youtu.be/nqYnOBnWJ9I

I've the rest of the pic to do now, but it will need to wait for another time. Thanks for reading my blog :)

Have a happy creative day!

:)

Jenny

Color Me Calm, Color Me Happy - Colouring Fun for Everyone

Two incredible books have taken off here in Australia, actually, they've taken off all over the world. Its amazing that something so simple has gotten the media's attention - colouring in for adults.

It's new and exciting for those who haven't coloured in since they were a child - just as it is for the rest of us who have never stopped (like myself)... because its always exciting to find new treasures!

Color Me Happy and Color Me Calm are two books from the "A Zen Colouring Book" series. Third in the series, Color Me Stress-Free will be published in September 2015.

Written by Art Therapist Lacy Mucklow and illustrated by Angela Porter, these books are a must have for every home. Do you already have one?

Check out Lacy's Facebook group for colourists and join in the fun - www.facebook.com/groups/338320733043463

The paper is gorgeous and suits all mediums including pencils, paints and markers. The covers feel fantastic, are so beautifully designed and finished with a strong but soft cover that protects the artwork inside.

There are over 100 pages in each book divided into chapters, filled cover to cover with beautiful drawings as well as useful information on using colouring for therapy, tips on colour and how to get the most out of each book.

Each chapter has a theme including landscapes and scenes, music, animals, flowers, whimsical illustrations and intricate mandalas.

Cactus Sunrise... I coloured this using Chameleon Pens.

A tangled garden... also coloured with Chameleon Pens.

No need to have hundreds of markers to created hundreds of colours

- simply colour and blend and use multiple layers.

The design of the book is thoughtful, with templates to colour only on one side of each page and a pretty monotone design on the back. Great for markers! Unless you want to colour both sides, then solvent based markers aren't the best choice as they tend to go through the paper.

I think everyone should have at least one of these two books (but I highly recommend both), not because I sell them, but because they're so good for you - each book and chapter taps into different parts of the heart and mind.

I love these two books, they are just gorgeous through and through. I've posted links below in case you need to buy the books and or colouring supplies. Just click the picture :)

Happy Creative Day!
:)
Jenny

 

Shine ... Its Like Glitter For Your Soul

There are days when it all just seems too hard. Life just gets messy and all you want to do is curl up in bed and block out the world. 

SHINE was written by 38 inspiring women who have all had the darkest of days but drawn on their inner strength to create the brightest of lives. I am one of the priviledged women who have been a part of this book from the beginning, when it was a little sparkle in Kathie's mind. 

I've also had the pleasure of being involved with the design process, helping Kathie with the cover design and internal pages.

We've all answered a series of questions from Kathie and she's collated them into a beautiful and inspiring story that will make you smile, warm your hearts and possibly bring tears to your eyes. 

I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible and strong women. Read about their journeys through love, loss and life, while getting to know all of the amazing authors. 

The stories aren't just inspiring and uplifting, its a great read as well. They give hope to any who seem lost as well as to those who aren't. The women in this book prove that there really is bright, sparkling sunshine after a dark gloomy storm.

Get your eBook here
and
Get your Paperback Version here

What chatting about totally fantastic books... another book everyone should read (or check out the movie starring Will Smith) is "The Pursuit of Happyness" by Chris Gardner. Such an incredible and inspiring man. What a story!

Happy reading!
:)
Jenny

Sam Gets Two Homes ... a Book for Children

Hi everybody,

Its been a while since I wrote because I've been flat out drawing and colouring 32 pages of illustrations for a children's therapeutic storybook written by Donna Mahoney.

I really enjoyed illustrating this story and can't wait to do more! I designed the cover and book layout as well and now that its finished, I am looking for more books (or anything else for that matter!) to illustrate and design (hint hint!!! hee hee).

Here's a small preview of the book...

"Sam Gets Two Homes" is a story about two children who arrive home from school one day to discover that their father has moved out. The story takes the reader through the rollercoaster of emotions that are felt when families break apart.

Without spilling the beans, it has a happy ending with a few questions at the end to encourage the children and their parents or carers to chat about their feelings.

Although aimed at a younger audience, this book is perfect for adults as well - reading about other families who go through similar circumstances is comforting for everyone.

"Sam Gets Two Homes" is out now as both a printed book and eBook at the Lulu Bookstore. Ask to borrow it at your local library (give them the ISBN (9781291740356) and they can add order it and to their catalogue) or buy it direct from Donna Mahoney's online shop at Lulu.

I'm back to posting more regularly now and have nearly finished an Adobe Photoshop tutorial about how to draw vector shapes, so watch out for that in the next few days.

Happy Creative Day!!!
:)
Jenny

My Mum - Author, Artist, Publisher

A post simply to brag about my Mum ... June Eliza James!

Not only is June talented at writing, painting, sewing and fashion design but we've discovered that she has a talent for publishing.

June is one of those clever people who is fabulous at everything she tries! Such an amazing person and a great friend... its wonderful to have a Mum who is also a friend :) I'm very lucky!

With a few tips, short lessons and help along the way from both myself and the amazing Lulu community, June has learnt to create book layouts for both printed books and ebooks.

Lulu Author Spotlight of June 'Eliza' James
www.lulu.com/spotlight/EJsbooks

A talented artist, June also illustrates the stories and poetry, and creates the covers inspired by beautiful leather-bound, vintage books that are over 100 years old.

So far, she has published 12 books (including her own), written by friends and fellow poets... Thelma Driver, Terry Piggott, Meryl Giumelli, Beth Scott, BV Kent and William Williams.

So new to publishing, yet has created the book that won the "Australian Poet Laureate Award, Best Published Book for 2013". This book by Terry Piggott is "Around the Campfire", a book of bush poetry from the Outback of Australia.

Congratulations June and Terry... its a fantastic book!

To buy this book click this link or visit June's store at Lulu ... www.lulu.com/spotlight/EJsbooks.

Happy Creative Day!
:)
Jenny

Something on Saturday ... Books

I love books. 

Especially ones with decent paper, good layout and design, nice smell and a great story! You could say I'm an addict but I'm not really... just extremely enthusiastic!

My favourite authors are Walter Moers, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Terry Pratchett, AA Milne and Marian Keyes. And so many more! I don't have just one favourite...!

Be faster to just take a pic of my bookcase... but you'd not be able read the authors' names because they'd be too tiny, so have taken a photo of my reading list instead.

The following photo is just a few books waiting to be read. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton has been here for some time, but it'll get read eventually!

I've started Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and refuse to watch the movie until its finished. 

Jasper Fforde is an author my brother recommended... the back is hilarious, can't wait to read more.

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers is just one of his amazing adventures. I love his books!

He also wrote Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear, A Wild Ride Through the Night and The Alchemeister's Apprentice. 

His books are always a wonderful journey through the world of Zamonia and beyond, and the drawings are totally brilliant.

All the illustrations scattered throughout all the books are black and white ink drawings as shown above (from The City of Dreaming Books). I love them!!!

In A Wild Ride Through the Night, Walter used beautiful, detailed woodcuts by Gustave Dore, a very talented artist from the 1800's. 

Thankfully, all Walter's adventures are translated into English from either German or Zamonian (depending on the book) by John Brownjohn... otherwise learning 2 new languages would be on my list of things to do!

Of course, useful books are good to have too, like Women's Stuff by Kaz Cooke. This book isn't on my list, it just lives there. Its got fantastic design and typography too... from cover to cover. 

So that's my thoughts this Saturday morning... I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've got to get organised for this afternoon's art class. 

Wishing you all a fabulous day!!!

:)

Jenny