On the Move...

...In more ways than one, Rich and I are about to move house. Its all terribly exciting, the new house will enable us to set up a proper studio, so in the spirit of new beginnings I have decided to move my little art blog to my website www.katwhelan.com. 

So if you would like to keep reading my nonsense then please wander over there for a little look, hope you like it!! A big thank you to all who have followed me so far!

xx

My First Book

Oh my god, how long have I been waiting for this!! Well about 27 years actually, but in real terms only about 8 months.

Yep that degree in 'Illustration for Children's Publishing', 3 years of my life and the small mountains of debt was totally worth it!

Fingers crossed someone actually buys it now!

Popular Crafts Magazine

I'm in another magazine this month...

Oooh exciting, must remember to buy a copy!

Atelier

In the next couple of weeks my little paper creations will be appearing in a new gallery in Barnstable Devon, so the last month or so has see an awful lot if this...

Good luck little circuses, I hope you look good in Tracey's new gallery!

New Creations

Yes I finally have a few new bits for the shops...

A new circus and two new flat packs, also I'm hoping to have a brand new item up for for sale in the next week, still working the kinks out of the design though!

©Kat Whelan

Swaps!

A few weeks ago I was approached on Etsy by another buyer offering to do a trade for one of my Theatres, naturally I'm always up for swaps, I just love getting nice stuff in the post (rather than large scary bills!) So I was over the moon when these showed up...

And when I opened mine (the biggest one naturally!)...

How cute, my very own Wol!

Come Wol, you shall sit on my Mac and watch me work (or waste time...depends what sort of day it is!) If you would like your own Owl or anything else then check out the very talented Abby's shop or her very cool blog!

Cheers Abby, I really love him!

Cake Cards

Apologise for the lack of posts, life is yet again running away from me, various project and ideas all crowding for head space!

Anyway a few of my recent cards designs....

Mmmmmcake!

©Kat Whelan

Victoriana Nursery

Another busy month slips by, I really don't know where the time goes some days?!

Anyway most of it has been spent doing various illustration jobs, a few new logos and a seed packet of all things. I regularly do bits and pieces of work for Victoriana Nursery's (See my other blog for more about this excellent company!) we agreed when they first approached me about designing them a logo that they would pay me in plants rather than cash, now I love our garden and am very into growing our own food this all works out rather well, plus I always really liked the barter aspect of our arrangement!

So over the last year or so Ive done quite a few buttons, logos and other things...

and most recentaly I was asked to re-design their seed packet artwork, I'm really chuffed, first time I've ever done a seed packet! I can't wait to order my flower seeds!

©Kat Whelan 2010

This Weekend..

So what are you guys up to this weekend?
Me? Oh not much....just going to London to see this...



Oh my god...how excited am I, I have been wanting to see this since it came out. Amazingly my Mum managed to get some last minuet tickets from someone she works with who can't go! Which is great as the box office is sold out till 2011.



The puppets used just look so amazing, apparently you totally forget that their not real!



Everyone who's seen it says it makes you cry, so I will probably sob through out the entire thing as I tend to burst into tears at anything right now!



Must dash, have to pack my bag and sort my train tickets out...oooh I cant wait!!

Look What I Spotted...

....Oooooh, am so excited! I was just reading Mandy's very lovely blog Belle and Boo (check it out, she does the most beautiful illustrations) when I spotted this photo of a magazine interview she had done...



...and whats that right in the middle of the page...yes, one of my Circuses!!

I must instantly rush out and buy hundreds of copy's to sent to everyone I've ever met! (or in reality 2 copy's for me and Mum...which Mum will end up buying.....thanks Mum, love you!)

Love In a Jar

Just thought I'd quickly show you a little present I made for my Mum recentaly, poor Mum her house is stuffed to the gills with this kind of thing from me and my sister over the years!






But then again who wouldn't want a jar full or butterflies!

First Pigs Now Lions

I think one of the first few posts I did back in 2008 on this blog was about the King Bladuds Pigs public art project here in Bath, it was a great success at the time, so following on from this the same team are now doing another one, so this year we can expect out streets to be colonized by Lions!



I for one cant wait, the Pigs where wonderful and it was so lovely seeing them around the place, bring on the lions!

New for 2010

Yet again another unscheduled blog break, although I do have better reasons this time, so all in all 2009 was a funny old year and in some ways I'm pleased to be getting on with 2010.

So new for this year are my latest products for my little shops, I have finally after about 6 months of meaning to do so, made my Circuses up into flat packs, mean that people can buy one of my design and make them up themselves.









The packs come with 3 sheets with all the parts of the Circus printed out on and the little wooden pole to make the characters in the center turn, all you need to supply is glue, sharp scissors or a craft knife and a cork!

I already sold a batch to an little company in Australia, you can find their shop here, so I'll have to wait and see how popular they are, so far I've only done a few of my designs as flat packs as it takes quite a while to set them up (and try to write comprehensive instructions !!)

Guilt

Guilt, that is what I have right now, guilt that I haven't up-dated the blogs as much as I should, guilt that I don't get as much work done in a day as I should, guilt that I need to do such mundane things as eating and sleeping when I should be working, guilt, guilt guilt!!

This is I find the one major draw back of working from home, the inability to switch off from work. I find myself of an evening gravitating back towards my Mac to just finish this little job off...oh and maybe answer the odd email...oh and I'll just print those Etsy orders off.....and suddenly is midnight arrrrrrr!

One advantage of my recent work obsession is that I finally, after a year of meaning to do it, have built a website for myself! hooray! Ok its not spectacular but at least its somewhere to refer people who are interested in my work too....introducing katwhelan.com



I have ditched my third blog katwhelanillustrations.blogspot and am now using the website, I may eventually (and when I figure out how) move this blog over to there as well but quite frankly just building the site made my brain ache so that will have to wait till another time.

I have been doing many other exciting things, greeting cards, new flat pack Circuses for my Etsy and Folksy shops, a children's book and making some very nice Christmas present for my nearest and dearest all of which I unfortunately can't show you yet, but I will soon!

and finally, did I get to go the the amazing, never to be repeated Banksy exhibition.....No....I was getting married instead.....guilt!

Banksy

Is their anyone on the plant that has not hear of Banksy right now? I think not so I wont bother to explain who he is (what else is google for?), I worked in Bristol for 2 years and was used to seeing his work around he city (usually sprayed 3 storeys up on the side of buildings) so I was really excited to hear he was doing a free exhibition at the Bristol Museum.



They shut the whole place for a couple of months so he could run around setting his artwork up (what an amazing job that must have been!!) at the moment it takes about 2 hours to cue to get in and is probably the most popular exhibition the Museum has ever had running, people for all over the world have been coming to see it!
Which makes me a bit ashamed that Rich and I, who only live 20 minuets away haven't been yet! Well we've got till the end of August, and by God I will go and see it even if I have to stand in rain for 2 hours! Here's what I've been missing...







At this rate we'll be the only people in the south west who haven't seen it, must go to Bristol next week!!!!

Time Slips Away

Ok it is well established by now that I am a bad blogger, but I'm getting married in 6 weeks! that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

I'm also lucky enough to have two children's books I'm working on for an American publisher which is very exciting! that will keep me quite till next March, but in between I'm still trying to producing one or two other bits and bobs as well as trying to keep my shops running smoothly.

Here's two little images I managed to squeeze in:






I'd love to do more things like this, fingers crossed!


©Kat Whelan

Art Show

Managed to get hold of the pics mum took at the weekend, here is the finished stand with my work on it...



Can you believe Rich built this all by himself out of 2 old doors we got of freecycle and a load of old pallet wood!



Rich had to make it in stages so the first time it was all screwed together and stand up on its own was at the show, we meant to test run it at home but it kept raining so we never got chance, good job he's so cleaver and it all fitted together fine!



I got some lovely comments about how well the stand complimented my work, it was Rich's idea to paint the shelves white then sand the edges off a little to give them a slightly worn look, I think it was works really well together.



and lastly here I am looking chuffed with my stand, lets hope it survives in our garage to do this again next year!



Hopefully I will be putting pics from the whole event up on the art show website (when I get 5 mins that is!)



©Kat Whelan

Where Have I Been!

I have just looked at my last entry and realized it has been a month since i posted, how very lazy I am! Well not that lazy actually, I've been working my little paper cut fingers off getting ready for the art show which was the weekend just gone. It went well despite a last minuet change of venue (meaning that all the printed fliers where wrong, but never mind!) I didn't sell anything but all my business cards have gone and I have had a few follow up enquires vie the shops so that's great! there will be pics of the show and the totally fabulous stand Rich built for me, but they are on Mums camera so I am waiting on an email for her (hint hint mum!)

Anyway right now I'm busy filling orders...



designing my wedding invitations...



Doing a little more logo design...



and when I get 5 mins where I'm not doing any of those things I'm making miles of bunting for the wedding...



No wonder my hands are aching!

Also a quick thank you to Francesca for choosing Under The Stair Studios as one of her Folksy Feature Sellers, its always nice to be recognized! Francesca writes a lovely blog totally worth a look here!

x

New in My Shops

What a lovely little break that's was, so many things done in such a sort space of time! The wedding plans are coming along brilliantly (we are amazingly managing to stick to our minuscule budget but that's another post altogether!)

So I have rushed home to add my latest creations to my 2 shops, here's a little taster...















I'm really please to get the little card designs up in the shops, all these new items will be featuring in the art shop in May, fingers crossed people like them!



© Kat Whelan 2009