The Eighty Second Doodle - Ladies & Beasts

 The Ladies & The Beasts Series

The Lady & The Raven

I've had a few questions and comments about my newest series of paintings 'The Ladies & The Beasts', so I thought I'd write up here in my blog to answer a few of those questions! Also, it's a nice way of putting down in words why I paint what I paint.

My work is constantly inspired by strong women, 'cause lets face it - we're super badass. We have marvellous shapes and features and hair, all the things I love to paint. So when I first began painting these ladies with different types of animals and birds, even I wondered where exactly in my head they'd come from.

The women I paint are, firstly, not 'perfect' airbrushed model types. They have bumps. They have lumps. They have tummies. They often have fierce, not typically beautiful features. But that is perfect- because it's what we all are in reality. And we're awesome. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I reckon, and everyone is beautiful to somebody else out there. And that is totally awesome too.

The Lady & The Fox

So I suppose you could say that my ladies are Renaissance ladies - ever looked at those paintings from the 15th or 16th century by the likes of Botticelli or Titian? They are curvy, they have real shape, there is often an aspect of nature in the composition. I've simply added a few extra modern things- a slice of ruggedness, a streak of alternative attitude, a dose of colourdy hair (colourdy aint no word, but meh!) to make these ladies true, 21st century badass goddesses. They are Amazonians, they are natures' warrior ladies. They are feminine and lovely but they are tough.

The Lady & The Wolf

In regard to the other aspects of my paintings, I've had a few people ask me if the animals are meant to be 'clothing' or 'accessories'; the simple answer to that is no. The animals are in fact a part of the women- their positions are often intwining, protective. Of course, I like to leave people to decide for themselves what they see in my work, but for me the animal or bird represents the soul, the personality of the woman. Sometimes they act as guardians, such as in The Lady & The Owl (see below- I'd bloody love having a wise old owl looking out for me), sometimes they are more shielding as with The Lady & The Fox.

But when it comes down to it, you can see what you like. My paintings can mean whatever you'd like them to in your own little head- they can represent something, or they can just be an image of a lady with an animal. Simple as that. You can relate to the women I paint, you can see an attitude you recognise, you can like the colours.

At the end of the day, I hope people enjoy looking at my work and perhaps see a little thing that means something just to them. So, enjoy.

The Amazonian

The Native American 

The Lady & The Owl

The Lady & The Arctic Wolf

The Lady & The Swan

The Eighty First Doodle

Sometimes you just need to have a good ol' painting sesh. With some recent work I've been creating I've been taking photos all the way through of the various stages, which is actually really interesting. It's quite nice to look back at how you built up a painting; all the various layers and shading techniques that you use, perhaps without even noticing!

 

Here's the finished painting of my Native American inspired lady, done using watercolours and inks :) 

The Eightieth Doodle

 

 I am not a fashionable person. I know right, you are shocked. 'But you are so super trendy Ruth,' I hear you cry, well you can stop that weeping right now. I'm not. I just wear stuff I like, often stuff that 'aint cool.

That doesn't mean I don't like fashion though; I am fascinated by clothing design, structure and influence. Fashion illustration is a large portion of what I do, whether it be quite simple images of mainstream styles or slightly more off the wall alternative get ups. I love it all. Drawing the folds and drapes of fabric, how the light plays over it, how the form underneath affects it - HEAVEN.

I created the image above for Amelia's Magazine, a site all about fashion, art, music, design and basically anything rad. You can see it featured on the site here along with a write up about the Raw Talent University of the Arts Graduate Fashion Show - a good read for anyone interested in up and coming talent!

The Seventy Ninth Doodle

Ummm, I don't know if you've realised, but like, Caitlin Moran is one fuckin' badass lady. Ohhh yeah. 

When I came out of hospital (yawn) I was so bored and, lets be honest, miserable. I had bought myself her new book Moranthology and as soon as I was able (basically, when I was not totally addled from painkillers) I curled up in a ball and read it. And it was the first thing that made me smile and laugh and snort and forget about being ill. Anything that can do that is bloody wonderful in my eyes.

Her writing is so sharp, funny and chuckle-inducingly witty. LOVE. 

So I did this wee pen and ink doodle of the ineffable 'CaitMo'. All hail and tha'.

Now I must drink some tea.

The Seventy Eighth Doodle

Well well, I obviously haven't been drawing much after coming out of tut hospital *sigh*. Being in pain, dull as it is, is terribly time-consuming and irksome. And exhausting. Bother.

Yet here's a longboarder doodle I've been able to do, standing in the kitchen or lying on the sofa (how rock 'n' roll) -

Normally an illustration like this would be done within a couple of hours (including tea breaks) but this took a week. LOL. Oh dear. But it's a start! Plus I bloody love a rad, badass longboarding lass, especially with pink and purple hair! 

A Doodle Interlude

A Doodle Interlude, or 'The mad fashion ramblings of a girl who had an(other) operation on her back last week'.

Ok, so I am appealing to all you other lads and lasses out there who may have on-going illnesses or injuries that mean you are in and out of hospitals/doctors/pharmacies more often than MRSA. Seriously, it's a drag isn't it. And I don't even think I have anything too bad, just irritatingly non-getting better-er (phrase? MEH).

So today, a week since my back operation (of which this is the fifth) I went out for a little walk with me ma. It took an hour to go on a 15minute walk, and I slept for 2 hours afterwards. HARDCORE. But before I left I looked in the mirror and totally LOLED at myself; here's me, still LOLING-

 

Really, I look like a demented retro 70's throwback. BUT, ummm, I still am clearly awesome so it's fine. Plus, as you other regular hospital attendees may agree, it's all about mixing comfort with feeling good. Yep, I could throw on some skinny jeans and a crop top but I would:

a) cry with agony as my injury is at the base of my back

and 

b) look and feel disgusting

 HA.

So here's my post-operation outfit breakdown peeps, 'cause I am super trendy.

1) Hilarious granny print 'pants' (you cannot call those trousers) from Peacocks - I implore you to get these, they are not only the most comfortable things in the world, they also make you roar with laughter everytime you see your reflection. What's not to love? FYI, I tried some similar Dorothy Perkins ones on - horrid. Sometimes cheaper is better.

2) 'Mehzen Own the Night vest - support the little guys guys, 'cause then you aren't wearing what every other sod on the planet has. This loose fit vest is also good for post-op, as apparenty being trapped lying in bed for weeks means you put weight on- CHEERS! Just what we need right?!! Humpf.

3) Yellow low rise Converse. No explaination needed, they're just amazeballs.

4) Super pretty TWO Face London flat peak hat - umm, yeah so the sun has come out?! Ahh! Well, as lovely as that is, when you're on the ridiculous cocktail of drugs I am on currently, you have a hallucinatingly permanent headache. Need to protect that wee head from the rays and look fab at the same time- totally nailed it.

5) Yellow Camden sunnies - because I love yellow, and see number 4 re: the sun.

6) Jewels from the boyf - like, not actual jewels, but me cute necklace (Chelsea Girl) and watch (ASOS) that have become my sort of 'lucky charms'. Plus they remind me of him - BARF, I know, soz. They aint doing so well with the whole keeping me out of hospital yet but lets see if they up their game ey.

7) General awesomeness and blue tipped ginger hair - self explanatory yeah? 

So, I shant lie, when you come out of hospital and you need help getting out of bed and you nearly faint trying to have a shower, you feel pretty low. Your self esteem (what self esteem?) has disappeared (cheeky bastard, talk about bad timing), you often put on weight as you can't move much (as mentioned, but I bring it up again to remind you how IRRITATING it is) and the drugs you're on make me feel sick/be sick/fuck up your head/stomach/general life. You're stuck at home exposed to the annoyance of Facebook, where you watch how everyone else is having normal amazing fun without you going out and getting plastered (seriously, are they having more fun on purpose just to razz you off?) while you watch the tenth episode of Poirot with your mum and a cup of tea. And fall alseep, because you fall asleep about every half hour.

So, to put it mildly, you don't feel your best.

But then this is the time you have to remind yourself that you are in fact awesome and cool, and proper hardcore 'cause you've been through stuff man, you've seen some thiiiings (said in a cowboy drawl). And you deserve to be spoilt rotten by your family and friends, and to get better too. Hopefully.

The Seventy Seventh Doodle

 

Well blow me down, I do love a good ol' big bad wolf!

The fantabulous Alternative Press Spring Fair is coming up this Saturday in London, an event bringing together all sorts of artists, designers & zine creators selling their wonderful wares. I created the wolfish design above as a flyer for the fair, along with several other very groovy illustrators. You can see my poster on the AP website here.

An' heres my design along with another, 2 flyers the ladies at the LCC Library took in to display-

Check out the main AP site here with all the details of the fair!

RAWWWWWWWWWWR!