A Special Stitch Cartoon for an Artist

This was such a fun assignment. I usually draw directly onto my canvas, but then I received the list of animals (and a parrot) to be included in this commissioned biographical stitch cartoon, plus the artist's favourite outfits and symbols and colours! I just had to make a few drawings first. The artist is Valencia van Zyl. Her amazing style is something that I cannot even imitate (some have tried, but it lacks her special quality). The outcome of this painting was that both she and I were happy with it in the end.

Here are a few more of my stitch cartoons:

The warm colours, the pets, the cosy dark sofas and curtains, all create a sense of welcome and homeliness. The scenes are "stitched" together, stitches  being a symbol of domesticity. The ladies are faceless to emphasize the body language. There is a feeling of patience and anticipation in the waiting figures.

There is a calendar available with 12 of the best stitch cartoons. 

Boat Planter

I am still captivated by the detail that makes up the brilliant white, postcard pretty Paternoster! So, what is in fact happening here is that another set of paintings is developing.

The town's historical role of fishing village is nowadays also echoed in the newer homes. Here we see an old boat painted, anchored with some rocks from the ocean and turned into an attractive planter. This is not a one-off idea! I love the fact that there are street upon street of these boats in front of the cottages. In my painting, the flowers are once again orange, the complimentary colour for the blue shutters.

p/s I am reading through this post many months later! Strange that this little painting remains in the Top Five most popular posts of all my work! It was sold in Pretoria during my exhibition.