So, this week's 'Make Art That Sells' assignment was to illustrate a children's book cover or page for Hans Christian Anderson's The Snail and the Rose Tree. In very short summary, it's the tale of a pompous little snail who lives beneath a rose tree and stays in one spot, doesn't do much with his life, whilst moaning about how rubbish the rose tree is. 

The rose tree, on the other hand,  has a happy little soul and is content just to give his roses to the world and spread some joy. I guess it's a glass half empty, glass half full sort of a story. 

It was an intense week, I drew ALOT of snails, went to bed thinking of snails, woke up thinking of snails, even rescued 2 snails off the road when I was cycling home with the kids one day. My son thought I was a hero! 

I went through ALOT of ideas, came up with all sorts of different things...

We have to submit a final piece to the Flickr group at the end of the week. There's a lot of debating that goes on and it's amazing to see everyone's different takes on the brief. I finally decided on this one.....

but it could have been this one...

and now, I sort of wish I'd done something more with this one....

but I didn't, the week's up and my family are fed up with snails, and my eyes are sore from

too much computer time. I really must go and get those glasses I need!

At the end of the day, this is what that self-inflated little snail needed to do but he didn't! 

The daily snail!

So week two of Lilla's course is over. I'm completely loving it....if you haven't signed up for the next one already, do it, it's amazing! This week we had to design plates including plants, pods, leaves and all sorts of other flora. My ideas started off like this...

and then turned into this on screen...

and then completely changed over the days to become these little fellas...

and then I went back to my originals as I felt I couldn't leave them...

And my lovely friend Dawn over on Pop-i-cok told me how to put one on a plate too.

Roll on next week!

Loving the pyrex patterns for inspiration! x

Re: my last post.... Pyrex dishes on the brain.... this is almost what I did face painting at the weekend! 

So the first week of Lilla Roger's course is done and dusted, just finished my second design and what a week it's been! It's sent me right back to getting a brief at university... the excitement, the panic, the freak out day and then the calm when it all comes together. I'm learning a lot on this course already... I'm pushing myself but mostly I'm looking at myself and how I do things... how I have that complete day of panic, how I got totally thrown looking at everyone else's amazing work but also how I don't give up and I keep going until I get something I like. No more pyrex for me for a while I tell you.... I was face painting yesterday at the school fete and I was honestly even putting little pyrex style flowers on the kids faces. Sadly no one asked me for a mushroom design or to be a casserole dish, I'd have been well away!

So, we're halfway through of week one of 'Make Art that sells' Lilla Roger's course to

becoming more brilliant at your art and I'm loving it. There's been a lot of mushroom sketching (I can draw a mushroom blindfold now!) and looking at vintage pyrex ( I really want some, it's lovely!) and so much good honest advice from Lilla herself and her artists. It can only keep getting better and better. x