52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 4

Week 4: Selfie

In the 70s, a "selfie" would have been performed with an Ericofon. Charcoal pencil on primed canvas.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 3

Week 3: Caravan

This is a ten-layer paper tole, using seven 8x10" sheets of photographic paper, created from the last photo I ever took of my Dad before he passed away. I call it "Grey Nomad", of course. My parents had just travelled across from Perth where they'd lived in retirement for 19 years.

Side view!

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 2

The theme for Week 2 is "Kids", but I drew a kid puppet. Double-ended waterproof black Sharpie. No pencil, no eraser! (Living dangerously!)

Week 2: Kids

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 1

Week 1: Eggs

Facebook Friend Tania McCartney has declared 2014 to be a 52-Week Illustration Challenge. This will keep me on the ball! Here's my first effort (above). A two-ended waterproof Sharpie - and no pencil lines or erasing! Of course, after I moved the egg to pose it with the drawing and photograph it, all the shadows changed!

I shall be adding the artworks to this Flickr slideshow each week. Enjoy!

I did the 365 Photos Challenge a few years ago and it definitely improved my photography. I would highly recommend it; start any time and add your pics to a daily blog or Flickr. Not long after I started that Challenge, Aussie TV celebrity Andrew G (aka Osher Günsberg) started a 365 Self-Portrait Challenge. He did some amazing work! I visited his exhibition that he held when it was all over, bought my favourite pics - and it was fun chatting to him photographer-to-photographer. It made me feel legitimate. I never felt like I understood photography, although I had a Polaroid as a teen, then a 3D Nimslo camera as a young adult. More recently, I did an online 30-Day Photo Challenge with a group of teacher colleagues. Similarly to this art challenge, a daily theme was suggested, but hardly any of the participants made to to the end of the month! So I'm looking forward to seeing who's still here, and how artistic we all feel, in a year's time!

Robbie Rules: My first day at school

This digital story is especially for author Meredith Costain, with many thanks for sending Penrith Public School the signed copy of her wonderful new picture book, My first day at school (Windy Hollow Books, 2013). The book's illustrations are by Michelle Macintosh.

Stage 3 students have recently been working as "buddies" for Kindergarten Orientation, and they enjoyed having Meredith's book read to them in a library session, and then reminiscing, brainstorming, storyboarding, photographing, and suggesting possible text for a joint construction to create a PhotoPeach presentation. We anticipate our incoming Kindergarten students, future buddies and staff and students at other schools to get some useful tips from it.

Special thanks to Ms Stockton, who allowed Robbie Rules - our oldest "student" at Penrith PS, who's never graduated from Stage 1 - to visit the library for the last few weeks of Term 4, 2013.

Robbie Rules: My first day at school

Happy New Year!

Sydney's NYE banners!

I wonder how many of these hopes and dreams from the people of West Concord, MA, USA, came true for them in 2013? I used to pass this sign every day I was staying there last January.

Happy New Year!