I’m not sure why fairies keep appearing in my work but they do. I have decided to embrace them. They may not be deeply and importantly meaningful but they are joyful, mischievous and eternally optimistic, useful qualities at any time. I also have kind of an affinity leftover from childhood for fairies, pixies, elves and gnomes. I like to draw from my imagination so I guess the magical creatures stem from there.
When I start any drawing I never have any idea really about what I’m going to draw. For this image I began with the intention of creating a positive and optimistic message that everything is working out for us all, all of the time, and then I started to draw. As I was finishing the drawing I found the quote – something magical is about to happen. The quote and image seem made for each other.
I’ve also been messing around with the filters on my phone and I quite like the results of the darker cartoon filter on the right hand image.
I started this drawing last year and left it half done as life got busy and I couldn’t resolve some of the colour issues I was having. This drawing was a bit of a difficult child. I revisited it this weekend and while it might not be one of my favourites it is a reminder that it’s worth persevering and problem solving a piece of work. I like the darker filter on it as it looks like she is sitting in a night garden.
Drawings take anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks to complete depending on various factors. I generally work on them in the evenings when I have time to sit without feeling too pressured by other responsibilities and distractions. That’s when I have time to run away in my imagination and play with the fairies.
Smokey Gnome Creative 