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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 13
#adrawingaday #artelements
Paul Gauguin was a visionary for his time ♥ I think the only thing he loved more than painting was women. He adored painting women.
Like so many of the late great painters in history, Gauguin’s work was not fully appreciated until after he died. I think it took the world some time to catch up to the extreme beauty he was able to capture and share. As a French post-Impressionist artist, Gauguin was experimental with his use of colour which only became more prominent and obvious when he moved to French Polynesia. His electric landscapes and nude women leap off the canvas. He was liberated living in the tropics… abandoning his family and taking young lovers (some as young as 13). He eventually succumbed to symptoms of cardiac syphilis and apparently he accidentally overdosed on laudanum, dying in the Marquesas Islands in 1903. After his death, many of his letters and drawings were burnt as they were considered pornographic… this has lead to a gap in the knowledge of his later years. We are left to imagine the hedonistic life he must have had in paradise.
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 12
#adrawingaday #artelements
Joan MirĂł was a proud Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist. He was born in Barcelona where a museum is dedicated to his brilliant work – I was lucky enough to visit this in the late 90’s. He hated conventional painting and did his best to rock the apple cart. His work is considered Surrealistic but to me, it’s more abstract. I particularly love his white backgrounds with strong bold lines and colours… I wonder if that has influenced my work as I hate painting backgrounds and I do love a bold line and strong colour?!? His work has a childlike quality that is instantly recognisable and appealing. It’s hard to know if it’s a homage to cave paintings or to the innocence of children. He endeavoured to assassinate traditional painting and while I don’t know that he achieved that, he did create a beautiful volume of work that is still vibrant and modern by today’s standards ♥
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 11
#adrawingaday #artelements
Vincent Van Gogh… what more needs to be said! A truly amazing and for his time, a revolutinary artist.
Very few artists have had such a profound effect on generations of people and I say people in stead of art lovers as Vincent is an artist that appeals to all of us. I adore his work and I often find myself travelling interstate to see his exhibitions. There is an energy and a presence you can feel when you look at his work in real life. I’ve had profound experiences standing in front of a Vincent painting… that is a story for another day. His sunflowers are so joyful… these paintings are a good opportunity to see Vincent’s brushstrokes. They are deliverate and each one is unique. Thousands of bold brush storkes come together to tell us a story of colour + life + beauty ♥
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 10
#adrawingaday #artelements
Wassily Kandinsky was a revolutionary Russian painter. He painted one of the first purely abstract paintings and he didn’t start painting until he was 30 years old. Eventually, Kandinsky settled in the Bavarian village of Murnau and he had a very productive period, using bright colours with dark outlines signalling the emergence of Expressionism. Painting was a poetic and spiritual experience for Kandinsky and I think it shows. His work is so varied and beautiful… he wasn’t chained to the one style or subject matter. I love his work, it’s still so refreshing ♥
PS this is the image I used a detail of in my feature image for this months #adrawingaday project đ
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 9
#adrawingaday #artelements
John Olsen would have to be one of my all-time favourite Australian artists. His work is incredibly energetic and this high level of energy does not seem to diminish as he gets older. At 90 years old, Olsen is not making as many public appearances but I got to meet him a few years ago at the opening of the Olsen Hotel and he was a delight. He was so kind and generous with his advice, he encouraged me to keep creating and he tried to stay in a quiet corner talking with me about art for as long as he could… until his publicity machine made him do the rounds. His work is childlike and free. His colours are at times bright and clean and at other times earthy and distinctly Australian. Any international art lovers out there who are not familiar with John Olsen, do yourself a favour.
Five Bells is one of my top 5 paintings that I would like to live with. Just in case you couldn’t figure it out for yourself, it is of Sydney harbor. It is on permanent display at the Art Gallery of NSW so check it out in person ♥ 
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 8
#adrawingaday #artelements
Bharti Kher is an English born Indian artist. Her work is contemporary, popular and includes painting, sculpture and installations. She is best known for her novel use of the Indian bindi in her work, layering different colours and sized bindis on canvases or sculptures. Her work is very varied and she is unafraid of taking chances. I adore her apparent confidence and abandon. Most of her works are large, she feels they need to envelop the viewer. I hope to see her work in real life ♥ 
If you would like to purchase a drawing or commission a portrait, please get in touch.
a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 7
#adrawingaday #artelements
Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser is an amazing artist who hated straight lines. He had such a unique style that is instantly recognisable. He believed humans should live in harmony with their environment and that they should be able to make everything they need to survive. He made his own clothing, shoes and even a boat. His building designs are truly unique. He designed apartment buildings with grass and trees on top (something that was not common practice at the time) and he even designed a beautiful heating plant, a stunning church and a Ronald Mcdonald House. His paintings are equally unique and his love of the environment is evident in his so-called “lolly pop trees”… instantly recognisable as Hundertwasser’s amazing way of seeing the world. If you are not familiar with Hundertwasser, please google him NOW ♥
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 6
#adrawingaday #artelements
Georgia Totto O’Keeffe is the mother of American Modernism. She is known for her stunning, almost sexual paintings of flowers, uber-modern New York cityscapes and bare minimalist New Mexico Landscapes. Experimenting with abstracts, Georgia did a series of watercolour paintings called Light Coming on the Plains. She was trying to let go of detail and focus purely on developing a modernist landscape style of painting. It was years ahead of its time. I chose to reference painting I in this series of three… I love how simply she has broken down the sky and the horizon… maybe one day when I grow up I’ll be able to create such eloquent and elegant work ♥
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 5
#adrawingaday #artelements
Margaret Preston is one of my all-time favourite Australian artists, she was a masterful painter and printmaker. She was the first non-Indigenous Australian artists to use Aboriginal motifs in her artwork, she did this in the quest to find a national painting style and it was done out of admiration and with great sensitivity. Women artists of this era focused on domestic subject matters but when Margaret did this, it was somehow cleaner and more modern. Implement Blue is one of her most modern and striking still lifes. It is one of my all-time favourite paintings from any era. I often take a photograph of my own coffee with long shadows and reference my artistic idol, Margaret Preston. If you are not Australian and are unfamiliar with her work… do yourself a favour and google this glorious woman. 
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 4
#adrawingaday #artelements
When a photo of Picaso’s painting The Ladies of Avignon (originally called The Brothel of Avignon) was originally shown, it was deemed immoral. The paitning is large, over 2m square and is painted in oil paint… at that size it must be really imposing and effecting in real life. Picasso painted the prostitutes from his favourite brotherl and chose to break them down into sharp cubist figures, some with harsh and confronting features. I have chosen the pretiest of the girls to draw but I do wonder if this womans pointy cubist boob went on to influence fashion in later years đ 
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 3
#adrawingaday #artelements
Surrealism is not my favourite style of painting but some images are so iconic they transcend genre. Salvador Dali’s melting clocks are such a strong image and the painting I am referencing, The Persistence of Memory, is his most popular work. Dali described his paintings as hand-painted photographs of his dreams… I’ve never had a dream like this so it makes me wonder what he was smoking đ Surrealism raises a lot of questions and while we may never really know exactly what Dali was trying to say in this painting, it has certainly captured the imaginations of millions of people in the last 87 years.
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a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 2
#adrawingaday #artelements
Grace Cossington Smith is one of my all time favourite Australian painters and her masterpiece The Lacquer Room, 1936 with its iconic red chairs is a stunning reminder of the beauty available to us in everyday life. She painted the David Jones cafe of the time and it’s such a colourful and welcoming place with is happy and well-dressed diners and art deco features. I want a red chair so that I can live with a reminder of this kind of beauty. This painting is on display at the Art Gallery of NSW… make a point to check it out the next time you’re there.
If you would like to purchase a drawing or commission a portrait, please get in touch.
a drawing a day ::: april 2018 ::: day 1
#adrawingaday #artelements
I adore Henri Matisse, perhaps because my mother loves his work and she infected me with a love of all things Matisse. I love his exploration of form and his foray into Fauvism (colour over representation). This element is taken from the Matisse work Dance I that he considered a preparatory sketch for a large commission for a Russian industrialist. As an artist, I hate the idea of someone showing your rough sketches, but as a lover of Matisse, I’m so happy to have access to such genius. I want to move as freely and elegantly as Matisse’s dancers… spin, whirl, jump! 
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Happy Hoppy Easter
#happyeaster
Hope you’re having a wonderful Easter Sunday ♥ Try not to get diabetes đ
Hoppy the Easter Bunny is waiting for you to colour him in đ
Download + Print + Share
Make sure you share your good work on Instagram. Tag @cectimmartist and you could win a prize ♥ I’ll be choosing my favourite entry and will send out a prize to one lucky winner. Grab your pencils or textas and start your engines.
[email-download download_id=â5892â contact_form_id=â3579â]
a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 31
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Jacks, also known as Knucklebones, Tali or Fivestones has been around since Ancient Greece or earlier. Originally made from sheep’s bones, 5 or 10 bones were thrown up in the air and caught different manners (catch one or two etc). The ones I used to play with were not bone, they were plastic and exactly like the ones in the drawing Its great fun and fantastic for developing fine motor skills and good hand-eye coordination. I think I need to get myself a set and start playing again.
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 30
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Who hasn’t had a Barbie doll? People born before 1959 perhaps đ Barbie was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler and released by the toy company Matell Inc. Barbie was based on a German doll called Bild Lilli and the likeness is striking. Regardless of her origins, Barbie went on to be a global powerhouse and as recently as a couple of weeks ago the company launched its Role Models Collection ♥ These new Barbie dolls feature inspiring women like Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart and Katherine Johnson. Barbie is now diverse and inspiring and it’s about bloody time.
Below is a vintage Bild Lilli, it’s not lost on me that her best accessory is a poodle ♥
Here are three of the awesome new Barbie Role Models… Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, and Katherine Johnson… there are many more.
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 29
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Vintage tin toys are a particular favourite of mine. They have so much character. Their shiny surfaces and chipped paint make them so cheerful and characterful ♥ According to the now expired Etsy listing for this little chirping bird, it no longer winds up but you can imagine the joy it would have brought to small children as it hopped along their bedroom floor. What a divine thought!
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 28
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
“Felix the Cat
The Wondeful Wonderful Cat
Whenever he gets in a fix
he reaches into his bag of trix
Felix the the cat
The wonderful wonderful cat
You’ll laugh so much your sides will ache
your heart will go pitter pat
Watching Felix, the wonderful cat.”
What a gorgeous tin wind up toy ♥ it’s marked copyright 1924 and made in Germany.
Here is the theme song for Felix the cat.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/h2YJduDyFA4″ width=”1600″]
If you would like to purchase a drawing or commission a portrait, please get in touch.
a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 27
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Jack-in-the-box is a wonderful toy of surprise and delight. Winding the crank plays music and builds the anticipation of an impending “pop goes the weasel”. SURPRISE! Small kids love a good Jack-in-the-box ♥ who wouldn’t. Originally designed in 14th century Britain, it was believed the devil was put into a box and this somehow became a popular kids game. Go figure đ I didn’t have this exact one but I do like this sweet Fisher Price version.
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 26
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Roly-poly dolls can be equally cute and creepy. It all depends very much on their facial expression. Designed with small children in mind, it helps them develop coordination while they are refining their fine motor skills as the hollow toy with a weight in it rocks back and forth.
I printed out a picture of a Roll-poly doll to draw and decided not to as they do seem a bit weird to me, but on Saturday I was in a shop in Cronulla with a friend and they had a large replica of a vintage Roly-poly doll and it seemed like a sign that I had to draw this LOL ♥
If you would like to purchase a drawing or commission a portrait, please get in touch.
Easter Colouring In:: Happy Hoppy Easter 2018
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[email-download download_id=â5892â contact_form_id=â3579â]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1522050597719{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]Hoppy the Easter Bunny is waiting for you to colour him in đ
Download + Print + Share
Make sure you share your good work on Instagram. Tag @cectimmartist and you could win a prize ♥ I’ll be choosing my favourite entry and will send out a prize to one lucky winner. Grab your pencils or textas and start your engines.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”5908″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 25
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Trains are a staple of kids imaginations all over the world. Some become obsessed and never let go of their love of choo choo’s ♥ The old-timey wooden trains are best as every bump is a memory, not a disaster. Plastic just doesn’t cut it… toot toooooot ALL ABOARD!
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 24
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Spinning tops have been around for millennia… originally made out of wood, sometimes with an iron tip, they were set into motion with a coiled rope or string that spun the top when pulled. When I was a kid they were made of tin and had a pump action handle – like the one in the drawing – I loved these so much and remember trying to see how long I could get it to spin for ♥ Nowadays they’re made out of plastic đ
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 23
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Skittles is a super old game… a game of lawns originating from Europe, but different versions of it are played all around the world. Similar to bowling, the aim of the game is to knock over specific or all pins but with a much smaller ball  ♥ The rules vary greatly from region to region so check the rules before you place any bets đ
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 22
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Toy soldiers have been a toy staple for hundreds of years… kids big and small are obsessed with these symbols of humanities strength. Little kids love to play with them and big kids love to collect them. Nowadays, toy soldiers are much more military and much less cartoonish, but I prefer these old style ones best ♥
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 21
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Who doesn’t like a symbol bashing monkey! Monkeys have been entertaining humans for the longest time, in many different ways ♥ This toy is a plastic replica of an old fashioned wind-up tin toy and I’m sure it brings joy to kids lucky enough to have one.
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 20
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
This is a truly old and battered elephant pull toy. This is what I find beautiful about vintage toys, they don’t lose their charm… instead every dent and scrape adds to the history and character of a truly vintage wooden toy. They certainly weren’t throw away pieces ♥
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 19
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
I loved the ball and cup came… called boliche in Spain, balero in most of Latin America and bilboquet in France. In Chile, it’s called emboke and my mother loved it as a child and she infected me with her enthusiasm in my youth. This game has been around since the 14th century and has had many different iterations since then ♥ Great for hand-eye coordination and if you’re in my family it can become very competitive đ
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 18
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
I don’t really remember playing with stack toys… I guess I was too young. These toys are a staple in any child’s toy box whether they are made from the more traditional and much nicer wood or plastic, they have an important role in developing logic and fine motor skills ♥
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 17
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Dinosaurs capture the imagine of children of all ages. The idea that these massive, clumsy gorgeous creatures roamed the earth and subsequently dropped dead is endlessly fascinating to most curiously minded people. I know many kids who are beyond obsessed with dinosaurs and it’s a great lead in to the study of other living things ♥ it’s a great gateway drug to science đ
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 16
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
This wonderful boy on a tricycle is made in the Czech Republic and is a replica of a vintage German tin toy from the 1960’s. These remakes of vintage classics bring the timeless beauty and elegance of vintage toys to a new generation of kids who can enjoy for themselves the sweet simplicity of old world toy charm ♥
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 15
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
Yo-Yo’s rock! The Yo-yo has been around since 440BC or even earlier… WOW. This has to be the most vintage of all the vintage toys that are still in use today. I loved Yo-yo’s and had moderate skills a kid but I admire the crap out of those Yo-yo superstars that somehow manage to do all of those super fancy tricks without losing an eye (I would need protective gear just to practice)Â ♥
Check out the truly ancient terracotta Yo-yo (source Wikipedia)
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a drawing a day ::: march 2018 ::: day 14
#adrawingaday #vintagetoys
For some reason I never had a Mr Potato Head  but I always wanted one. Itâs such a silly idea, yet itâs so great. Giving a child the choice to build and create the character of their imagination… what a great way to engage a childâs endlessly creative mind  ♥ The Mr Potato Head of today is not that different from the original design first sold in 1952.
If you would like to purchase a drawing or commission a portrait, please get in touch.