A Cat Family Portrait.. 11/03/2011
 This is a quick little drawing of an image that has been percolating in my mind for quite some time. I have been wanting to create this scene of a cat family posed portrait with puppets but haven't quite figured out how yet. So why not draw it? The original idea was to have a mother and two daughters, but for this one we have the classic mother, father, older sister and younger brother, who is definitely not happy to be there. The girl is though. She's a darling angel. Her parents must be proud. Why does only the mother have whiskers? I don't know. Maybe the children are too young and the father shaved his off.  colour close up of sulky baby brother. 2 Comments A Couple of Modern Rabbits 11/02/2011
 Generally, when drawing an illustration, I keep the line work controlled and neat, because I like the way it looks when I draw that way; also, I can control the addition of colour more easily. However, I also really like the way some of my sketches turn out and not wanting to finesse them into a tidy drawing, leave them as is. This in turn means that if I colour it digitally I am leaving quite a bit of it up to chance, and whether I closed in an area or not. Fun! Random Sketch Page #1 10/17/2011
 I have been keeping sketchbooks since art school, and have accumulated quite a few of them of all different types and papers. Sometimes I see the beginnings of finished pieces when looking back through them; other times I see images and cryptic notes I have written to myself and wonder what exactly I was thinking. It's good to get your ideas sketched or written out, even if they seem silly or unworkable at the time; you never know when you might be inspired by something you jotted down. And sometimes, the sketch turns out better than the finished piece... Holy Cow! Time to get something up already! 01/06/2011
My partner and I are particularly fond of driving out to the country on occasion, and while on these little trips we are always keeping a lookout for abandoned houses. There are a good number of them northwest of Toronto, and the best ones are old brick farmhouses with a barn or two. Ideally there are no other houses around, so that when you go sneaking around the property no one gets suspicious. They are fascinating to explore, and to imagine how it would have been living in the house, and what it might have looked like when it was well kept and cared for. Kitchens are large, bedrooms are small, and bathrooms are especially wee. I don't go in the basements, but from my apprehensive vantage point at the top of the stairs looking down, they look uniformly dark, cold, clammy and mighty creepy. Besides the curiosity-feeding thrill of it all, one of the main reasons we venture into these houses is to take reference photos. Old houses are a wealth of interesting and unusual compositions, colours and textures. Degraded paint and wallpaper, rusted metal and aged wood, broken windows, warped floors and walls are all irresistible. It is also worthwhile to visit the same house again if possible, at a different time of day or in a different season. Below are a few of the images that I am really fond of; they would be beautiful paintings all on their own. The last one is an especial favourite.     | Kelly is:An illustrator and a puppetmaker. Her work therefore speaks to her. Literally. Kirkham Puppets Blog
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