Three book releases!

I hope you've all had a lovely summer! I spent most of it with my children, fitting in artwork where I could! The joy of being an artist is that you can create paintings in your head, ready for when you get back into the studio. I was still armed however, with my camera and sketchbook at all times!

In September I published my first book. A 'how to' book of how to create my Fractured style of art. It contains various step by step projects and ideas of doing your own painting. It has been selling nice and steadily, often getting most sales when I do my demonstrations at Art societies.
It is called 'Look at it Differently and create a Fractured painting' It is available from Amazon with free delivery, for £16.00

Look at it Differently and Create a Fractured Painting.

I also began to notice the increase in adult colouring books. My mum, last year, said I should do a colouring book in my Fractured style, and so began the idea in my head. I have now produced a book, 'The Fractured Art of Tiffany Budd'. The book has 20 outlines, based on my Fractured paintings, ready for you to fill in, in your own colour way! It has one page of the full colour paintings as inspiration, but don't feel like you have to copy them.

This is available also from Amazon, for £12.99.


 This week is also a big week, as I have released my third book, a children's colouring book! Alphabet Animals. 26 pages of letter and animals which children and young at heart will love to colour in!

Animal Alphabet 

Colouring books by Tiffany Budd

Here is the link to Amazon, where these three books are all for sale! With Christmas coming up, why not treat yourself, your family and friends!

The Creatives- Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Surrey

To get myself properly, 'back in the saddle' I have organised a week's exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking. I have exhibited there twice before as a solo show, but this time invited other fantastic artists and craftspeople to show their work too.
It began on Monday, and I will be there until Sunday.

We have artists showing glass design, lino prints, landscape paintings and wood. It's all fabulous, and I really think there is something for everyone.

I will be there Thursday 16th, Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th, when we take everything down.

Here's a little peek at what it looks like!

I hope to see some of you there!

A mum again and another art show!

I'm back!
After a fairly troublesome pregnancy, I'm pleased to say I gave birth to William in June. He was fine and dandy at a healthy 6lb 7oz, but I was a little bit poorly and had to have a blood transfusion after the c-section. It's taken me a while to get back to normal, but I'm pleased to say I'm almost there!
My artwork has been a therapy for me, and I snatch half an hour here and there in between nappy changes and organising a 5 year old's social life, which is more exciting than mine ever was...or is!
The first big thing I'm doing is a workshop in Reigate, Surrey on the 14th September- called 'Exciting Abstracts'. I'll be teaching how to do my Fractured paintings in a more abstract way.
http://www.art-events.co.uk/programme.php
This is the link to it if you fancy coming along.

My next project is a month long exhibition showing numerous works in Coloured Pencil. Which is a quite underrated medium. It is so brilliantly versatile and you can get real control of your marks. This lends itself to doing really detailed work both abstract and realistic.

I have been entering competitions also while grabbing my moments! Caran D'Ache are hosting a competition using just 6 of their gorgeous Aquarelle waterbased coloured pencils. I have entered two pieces in my Fractured style. These are they!

A Tuscan Sunset

The Colour Fields

Even if I'm not successful, I thoroughly enjoyed using them. Water based pencils are not normally my first choice of pencils, so I was pleasantly surprised!

Another venture I am having is having 6 Fractured paintings on display at Atishoo Gallery in Cornwall. Liz, the owner is an old University friend, so it's great to join forces with her and show my work there!

That's all for now! I'll be back!

As far as you can get!

As is with every year, there are particular months in which deadlines and results of art competitions come in. The last few weeks have been the results! I submitted work for various competitions and Open Art exhibitions, of which I have had some (but not all) success.
Of the ones which were successful, they are as follows:-
UKCPS (UK Coloured Pencil Society) Annual Exhibition at Nuneaton in October with 'Cressbrook Dale'.

AppArt Open Exhibition at Milford, Guildford in October with  my contemporary floral's 'Nymphae Ishwata' and 'Solo White'.

The one I am particularly excited about is the International Cricket Art Prize. 'The organisers invite artists to submit a painting or composition that depicts life in and around the game and sport of cricket, in settings of backyard, park, beach, street, village green or social-cricket.' 
I absolutely love watching and, when I can, playing cricket, so this was a great subject for me to have a go at. I actually submitted last year, but was not successful. But this year I managed to get into the shortlist. It is now winging it's way to Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia, hopefully in time for the exhibition at the beginning of October. There is a substantial cash prize for the winner, so keep everything crossed for me!
The title is :- 'Going for a Catch' and is done in my Fractured style. I tried to evoke a feeling of movement and speed. The judges obviously got it too!

I have also just finished being part of the organisation committee for a new Arts Festival, which happened on Saturday. I was the main exhibitor as the Rector initially invited me to exhibit, and it sort of grew from that! We had a potter, glass designer, watercolourist, oil painter and a jewellery maker. It was a great success and raised £900 for the church! Here are a few photos from the day and the displays.

My next project is to begin a collection of miniature paintings. Whilst on my holiday in Dorset I popped into a beautiful gallery, and after purchasing some items, I ended up having a great chat with the owner and suggested I try some miniatures, which she may, or may not take for the gallery. In any event, I'm doing a little collection. Watch this space!

Results are in!

It's that time of year now, where results from the competitions I have entered start to dribble in!
I was unsuccessful in the deckchair competition and the Battle Contemporary art fair this time, however I was pleased to find out that 2 of my coloured pencil drawings were accepted into this years UKCPS exhibition which is being held in Westminster. The Millennium Wheel and The Gherkin (topical, yes) were chosen. I painted these in Derwent Coloursoft Pencils on Fabriano Artistico paper. That paper I find to be very resilient to layers of pencil, and it's also very smooth, which is what I am after.

Millennium Wheel

The Gherkin

These will be hung and I will also be able to sell some greeting cards. I will be attending the show (dates to be confirmed) where I will be demoing this style of work. It'll be great to see everything hung altogether!

I am still waiting for results of the Hahnemule Calender watercolour competition, but there were ALOT of entries, so I don't think I'll be in the running. This is the painting I submitted.

I tried to make it stand out and as bright and colourful as I could!!

Now, I am a bit of a cricket nut. I used to play until I fell pregnant. (not a good idea to run around chasing after a very hard ball if you are) but I was bitten by the bug and watch all the England games I can.
This is my homage to Jonathon Trott, one of our finest batsman at present. I tried to evoke the movement of the bat and swing which I think works quite well with my Fractured technique. I hope you like it! I completed it in Derwent chalk pastels on black pastel paper.

Jonathon Trott playing in a one day International.

One last thing. I have a wonderful client who keeps coming back for more paintings for her lovely house. She is a fan of my floral collage paintings and she commissioned me to paint a pink tulip to co ordinate with her armchairs. This is the painting in situ, and it looks great!! It was completed in acrylic with tissue paper collage in the background, and is 80cm square on a chunky canvas.

I am now undertaking a very big commission, which I cannot say too much about until next week! It's certainly keeping me busy.

Spring at last!

Ahhhhhhhhh! It's so nice to finally see Spring poking it's little head out of the soil. The sun has some heat in it now, and the days are getting longer. I love this time of year. The promise of warm days and summer evenings.
Work is still busy, but with my parents away on a cruise (lucky them!) I am 1 work day down for the next 2 weeks. (they normally have Annabel on Tuesdays) This has set me back a bit...my list of artwork to do is getting a touch long. But with 1 and a half days, I can still get a fair amount done.
I have done a little Spring watercolour tribute for my agent and tile publisher, it made me smile throughout painting it. It's only 18cm square and was taken from my own vase of tulips. This was commissioned by Fiesta Collectables while I was visiting the Spring Fair.

This will be reproduced as ceramic tiles. I can't wait to see it! There are another 4 designs coming along too with a gardening theme.
I have now purchased a Bamboo Fun Graphics tablet to add to my art materials pile! I was considering getting an i Pad, but the Graphics tablet was ALOT less expensive, with more programmes to work with. A graphics tablet has a pen, which you can use as a pencil, brush or pastel depending of what you are trying to achieve. It's great for doodling an idea or doing a complete work of art. This is one doodle....

Inspired by David Hockney's digital drawings he produces every day, using his i Pad. I am completely hooked on my Bamboo Tablet!

Another project I've been working on is a graphic drawing for the NACC. National Association for Crohns and Colitis. I am a member and wanted to give something to them as a thank you for being a supportive group. They asked for an interpretation of having IBD in the workplace. The idea of isolation and secretiveness. Irritable Bowel Disease is a tricky subject to talk about to people who don't know about it. It affects your whole being, but no-one can see the effects on the outside. This is my interpretation shown in their mock up leaflet, which will be distributed at various conferences.

Isolation. Graphite.

Contemporary Iris 30cm x 60cm Collage and Acrylic.

I have also still been doing my demonstrations at art societies. The last few have requested my floral paintings. These paintings need to be completed in two hours! Thank goodness I brought my hairdryer to dry the background! Otherwise, tissue and PVA glue does take a while to dry.....

Red Tulip on collage background. 50cm x 50cm Acrylic