Long over-due update

It's been months. Months and months. I have been intending some sort of update for a long time but so much has been happening it's hard to make a start. Let's just bullet-point this.

• I moved. You maybe knew this was about to happen. I am back in Dunedin - where i grew up. I have been fighting thinking this was a step backwards - it is not. It is good. Hard, but good.
• I started working as an apprentice tattooist. Dream job achieved. Also very hard but also very good. I'm tattooing the public now and it's a lot of hard work but.. good. yes.
• I got a puppy. My childhood dream! His name is Rigby and he is tiny and ridiculous and very very cute.

• I bought a house. This is nuts and I still don't know how i managed to do this. Working two jobs in Wellington helped me save a lot, and real estate in Dunedin is much cheaper than most other places. It does mean i'm now pretty broke all the time, but it's worth it to have my own little space.
  

• My partner and I seperated. This was a big one.. I won't go into details. I think it was the right thing for both of us, but it's still been pretty shattering. 7 years with someone is a long time, especially when that was your entire 20's. I haven't figured out how to socially interact in a romantic way with people yet, so i've been spending a lot of quiet time alone listening to records and reading comics. It's probably good for me even if it's hard.

Anyway... new life. Everything is new, change is scary but I know it'll work out soon. More updates to follow, including some photos of the tattoos i've been doing.

Homeward Bound

Hey guys I am moving cities in just over a month, so need to close my etsy shop so i can get prepared and pack and organise my life.

It’ll be open for one more week and until then you can get 15% off your order with the coupon code: HOMEWARD.

This doesn’t include patches, but does include everything else! Even originals.

I’m not sure how long it will take me to get up and running once i’m in my new town, so it could be a little while before you can buy prints and things off me. I will probably leave up little things like postcards and patches, because i can pack them and post them without taking up too much room.

And in case you were wondering, I am moving because I’ve been offered a tattoo apprenticeship in another city! so will be running off to live my dreams and draw every day. This is super amazing exciting.

New Postcards & New happenings

Things have been a bit manic the last month, I took two weeks off to visit my family, which involved minimal internet use (my own decision) and then since I've been back I've been catching up on work at my day job. Somehow many little jobs were ignored while i was away so it's been work + sleep the last few weeks. I've been doing some serious re-thinking of my career moves and things are moving in a positive direction. I may have some very exciting news in the next few weeks but i don't want to jinx it by jumping the gun and making any announcements just yet..

In the mean time I've just had some lovely new postcards delivered, and they are now up in my etsy store.

I've listed them all individually rather then sets as i normally do, so you can pick and choose a bit more. Did you notice my gorgeous new fountain pen making an appearance? It was a birthday gift from my partner, I'm really enjoying doing more writing and having a lovely pen makes it much more special.

Sketchbook.. Friday?

I don't care what day it is, here's some drawings.

I've started work on some larger pencil drawings and have been really enjoying it.. i forget sometimes that things don't have to be painted in order to be finished. My scanner is still out of action (or rather my computer) so still no scanned finished works..

New Zine

I actually finished this some months ago, in time for Wellington zinefest. But here it is finally photographed and for sale.

You can buy it here https://www.etsy.com/listing/124239667/imaginary-lovers-issue-three

Time-lapse

I made this little time-lapse of me drawing because I really like watching other people drawing. It was longer but I just made it on my little phone which decided to go to sleep and cut off the end.

My big computer, which is attached to my scanner, is suffering through death-throes right now which means i can't scan anything. Yes, i could plug my scanner into my laptop but i can never edit paintings properly on here so I don't think it's worth bothering. But i promise i have been painting and someday soon things will be scanned.

Sketchbook Sunday (at last!)

My excuse for not blogging is that it's been the Holidays. Actually i only got a few days off but, you know, laziness is in the air. I got to spend Christmas with my family in Dunedin but I was straight back to work for New Years. Luckily i'm not much of a party animal so it wasn't a huge loss.

I have been drawing a lot, despite this bout of laziness, so i have plenty to show from my sketchbook. Very little finished work, but that's not what sketchbooks are about anyway.

 I've been making some paste-ups with my super cool friend Pinky Fang, it's really fun working with acrylics after so long.

Sketchbook Sunday

It's been a pretty good drawing week, probably because i'm so busy and have actual work i should be doing. I'm off to Dunedin to visit my parents next week, which i am so happy about. Feeling very over-worked and wrung out lately.

Everybody still likes owls, right?

 

 

This is the preliminary sketchbook scribble plan for the painting I've started drawing up below. I've started painting it now but sadly i think i liked it better as a black and white drawing..

 

Sketchbook Sunday (even though it isn't Sunday)

It isn't Sunday but i haven't posted any drawings for ages so here are some things I've been drawing in my new sketchbook. It is bigger than my usual ones and has nicer paper plus I made a dustcover for it because that's how i roll.

 

 

 This is a tattoo design I'm working on for a really nice woman. 

Time away

I just got back from a nice visit to Auckland. I've come back a bit more clear headed so I've actually been managing to draw again. My lovely friend Evie let me stay with her and her nice boyfriend and their nice pets (two pups! and Eddie the cat). I kind of went up for a market but it was a bit of a flop so i was really just there to drink milkshakes and eat dumplings and do fun silly crafts with a group of nice ladies.

 Cute but terrible coffee. I didn't have a single good cup of coffee in Auckland, always over extracted and yuck. Lucky the company was so good. 

 I wore one of my own temporary tattoos to the market to show how good they come out. Had a few people ask if it was real so i guess that's a pretty good sign.

  When i arrived Bronwyn handed me a Halloween bag of presents. Which had this amazing little deer lamp inside. Plus one of her fantastic neon bows. I don't know what i did to deserve this but I'm not complaining. 

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Fox And Poppies

Fox and Poppies.
Gouache on paper

A big, different painting. This is all thick, dry brushed gouache rather than the usual washes of watercolour i do. It takes much longer to paint but i think i like the end result better. I am thinking of printing this as a big silk scarf rather than my usual giclee print. What do you think?

 Things have been a little difficult lately. It is hard to put into words, and probably i am terrible at talking about anything serious. I just sent out a pile of portfolios and i'm really hoping this leads somewhere. Moving away, a new home, a new job. I haven't drawn for a few days because i am too stressed out.

Happy samhain!

It's actually not Samhain here, since i'm in the southern hemisphere. But whatevs. Happy Halloween at least.

'Kittens & Oak' is now for sale in my etsy store, and all orders made today will get a free set of postcards. 

Foxes

So for a while i've been working on this fox pattern for something extra special. It won't be long until i can divulge exactly what is happening, so i thought i'd go ahead and show off some of the work i've been doing.

Kittens & Oak

Kittens & Oak

Watercolour and pencil on paper.

Very much in the halloween spirit this year. This lady will be released as a special limited edition giclee print on halloween day. All orders made on halloween will also get a free postcard set, just because.



She Can't Hear You

My brain is stuck in Halloween mode. All i've been drawing lately is witches and ghosts and black cats and general spookiness. My sketchbook has been neglected this week due to having several big projects to finish and work being a bit nuts. If you didn't know, i work at an art gallery and our new season opened on Friday. This meant a big party for some people and a lot of work for others. For once there's an exhibition I'm enthusiastic about. Lovely spooky atmospheric photography from Ben Cauchi. It's pretty dreamy and i pretty much always love any art that takes a lot of time and effort to produce. My pal Campbell Kneale also has a great immersive installation work up (or i should really say my friend's partner. I don't actually know Campbell all that well but it made me sound cooler to say he was my friend)

Wocolate, one of my favourite online shops, just launched their super cool new blog, and did the nicest interview with me. You can read it here. They came up with the best questions. I got to talk about science fiction and tell dumb childhood stories so it was actually enjoyable to answer.

Another nice thing is my new website is finally up. It is still devonsmith.co.nz but now it is clean and simple and easy for me to update so i won't just ignore it for months.

Sketchbook Sunday

A little drawing in my sketchbook that I've started painting - It's october so this is getting a little halloweeny.

This little bird is a design for a tattoo i'm getting this month. A friend from Dunedin is travelling up to do a guest spot at a local tattoo studio so i'm getting her to add this little guy onto my already bird-covered arm. Getting tattooed by friends is always more fun, we just spend the whole time chatting and it never gets too harrowing. It's going very near my elbow and I'm sure i'll turn into a total wuss closer to the day but right now i'm feeling very brave.

Sketchbook Sunday

This isn't so much 'sketchbook' Sunday as it is 'here are some drawings' Sunday.

Top to bottom:

• Little sad lady. With a pillow.
• Drawing at a cafe with a very heavily carved table. The boy who brought me my coffee said "Cool illustration, man" I like compliments but i don't get called 'man'very often and it is a little strange.
• A little painting I'm working on. Rope knots are fun.
• Some sort of still life with grapes. I'm not sure where this is going.

Maybe you have noticed that all these pictures look like they have been through Instagram. That is because they have. I post lots of working photos there because it is instantaneous and I am kind of lazy about scanning. My name is devonannasmith if you would like to follow me.

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