March Meet the Maker

Hi Guys!

Is anyone else doing March Meet the Maker? It is meant to be a series of prompts where people post about various aspects of their creative lives onto instagram. I must admit I have not followed the prompts and just did this one about me. Hope it gives you an insight into my zany mind!! I am over at www.instagram.com/studiokaufmann if you fancy following moi. I promise to follow you back.

Happy Creating peeps

Linking up to Paint Party Friday and Brilliant Blog Posts.

Cute book about the rainforest is published

It is fun to see the book I illustrated titled 'An Unexpected Encounter' published by Crees. Crees is a non-profit organization that runs important conservation and sustainable community development initiatives in the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Their aim is to create a sustainable future for the Amazon rainforest through conservation research and community education.

The book follows the character of ABUN as she discovers many wonderful creatures in the rainforest and even encounters a new species of frog!

Here's a video of one of the illustrations in progress:

A post shared by Pet portrait artist (@studiokaufmann) on Aug 21, 2017 at 5:58am PDT

You can find more info about the book over at the Crees facebook page. Some of the book's proceeds will go to conservation of the rainforest.

Here are more illustrations from the book. Get in touch if you would like to commission illustrations for your book.

Linking up to Paint Party Friday and Brilliant Blog Posts.

Do you believe in unicorns?

I have been splashing about with my watercolors. I do so love unicorns so I created this magical rainbow creature with plenty of drips and sploshes and yes of course I go it all over my clothes! I believe unicorns exist....and hope to meet one one day!

Unicorn Splash prints can be bought in my Etsy shop.

I also created this Father's Day card available here....I wonder if there are any little girls who actually love daddy more than unicorns? If so this is the card for them.

Whatever you do....keep believing in unicorns, they are the symbol of joy and have a magical ability we all have to transform our lives!

Linking up to Paint Party Friday, Sunday Sketches and Brilliant Blog Posts.

Does Coffee Improve Memory?

Hello Peeps!

I have been busy painting this adorable little bunny which will be available printed on some products over at Bohemian Coffee Club in a few weeks.

A post shared by Pet portraits from your photos (@studiokaufmann) on Apr 18, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT

I met a woman at the gym today who I have known on and off for sixteen years. That was at 9.30. We talked a bit about how she was determined to lose 15 lb pounds and I wished her the best of luck. Then I went swimming. I went up and down for an hour and tried to remember what this woman was called.

It was on the tip of my tongue. I knew her name started with N or maybe M. Then there was a bit of drama I think a woman fainted or twisted her leg and was lying at the side of the pool. Then I trod water while I watched the paramedics come and take this woman to hospital in the ambulance.

Then I swam a bit more and tried to remember my friend's name. Nada. Nothing.

Then I went home and ate some friend mushrooms.

It is now 1.20 and I have just remembered this woman's name! It does start with N. Nicola. I think it was the grease in the friend mushrooms that kick started the old grey matter. I am 46. Honestly I didn't think my brain was going to pack up this early in the game. I am wondering what will exercise my brain?

I have heard coffee improves your memory. Is that true? I must say I do love the stuff and my memory is shot to pieces so who knows? I also did a coffee art piece called COFFEE SPLASH which describes my feelings about the invigorating power of Java.

You can buy prints of COFFEE SPLASH over at CURIOOS.

Linking up to Paint Party Friday, Sunday Sketches and Brilliant Blog Posts.

Zing into Spring

We have gone from freezing cold to full on boiling hot spring-a-ding-a-ling. Get the cocktails on ice, throw a shrimp on the barbie.....ooh it does feel rather electrifying to be walking around in shorts and once more having to care about whether or not one's legs resemble a forest before baring all.

The longer I live in America the brighter my colors become. I wonder if I would ever have been able to paint anything as cheery and bright as 'Chipmunk and Friend' in rainy old England? Do you find your style of painting changes if you are living in a damp/depressing or hot/tropical climate?
 

Chipmunk and Friends

The only downside to spring is the sun highlights the huge tribes of dust bunnies that have accumulated under the bed and shines a rather unwelcome light onto the smeary, dirty surfaces that I quite happily ignore in winter. But there is something about spring that makes even a borderline slob like me reach for the bleach bucket and roll up their sleeves..... and having a good old scrub before lying down satisfied with a big mug of tea and a stack of chocolate digestives.

Are you feeling the zing of spring yet?

That reminds me...when I come back in my next life I want to be a sloth. What wonderful creatures. I painted one the other day. I will chant this to myself every Monday:

Prints, cushions, mugs of this design are available at Society6 and Etsy. Linking up with Brilliant Blog Posts and Paint Party Friday
 

Chaneling King Kong

I'm not sure why this image popped into my head.....I suppose I thought of the beginning of a story... In a Post-Apocaylyptic World all the animals have escaped from the zoo......finish the story!!

King Kong had asked for a double cappuccino no foam and was still waiting

Or maybe I am channeling King Kong, who while fabulous seemed to be a bit angry about something. Maybe he hadn't had his coffee that morning. I know not having my coffee makes me feel like I could rip out a building!!(that cartoon is NOT by me)

Still from Pixels the movie

I was also influenced by the amazing movie Pixels which has some fab neon glowing colors in it. A very cool movie, it is about extraterrestrials intercepting an ’80s-era NASA time capsule containing footage of old single-player classic video games like Pacman, and mistaking them for a declaration of war. Now they return the challenge by scheduling a series of skirmishes with Earth, each one taking on the interface of a different videogame; if we lose, it’s game over for the whole planet.

Anyway if you grew up in the eighties you will love it!!

Linking up to Paint Party Friday, Sunday Sketches and All About You.

Zoo in the City prints, cushions, duvet covers etc. available at Redbubble.