Injecting life into Veronica...

So happy - I got my new Wacom drawing tablet on Monday afternoon and it's amazing! The feel of the pen and the drawing surface is sooo much more pleasurable and realistic than my previous model (graphire4). The increased accuracy and additional sensitivity are definitely noticeable and I am really looking forward to working more with this tool!

In my excitement I decided to play around with my drawing of Veronica and I found that I could actually make her look much closer to the Veronica in my memory by using my tablet and alot of dodging, burning, cloning etc... in photoshop.

I am so pleased with Veronica that I've decided to add digital work as a permanent part of my creative process from now on! There is only one negative - all my artwork will now take twice as long, but I really think it's worth it - I have put both versions of Veronica below so you can see the difference - let me know what you think :)

Pencil and Photoshop

Pencil only

Also, in a previous post I mentioned that I would be adding Veronica to my Etsy store on the 1st of March to celebrate the arrival of Autumn - but I actually ended up deciding to hold off until I had the new version instead, so I'll be adding her tomorrow - sorry about that - hope she's worth the wait!

Manda :)

Would you pay over $1000 for one tablet?

I was so devastated when my son Jet decided to do a little teething on my Wacom tablet pen which I use instead of a mouse. So, for the last week I have actually been back to a normal mouse which for some horrible reason always makes my hand cramp up like some kind of rigamortis attack...

Yesterday I finally decided not to get a replacement pen but to get a whole new tablet instead! See below!

I am so excited as my current tablet was designed for home photo editing, it's not really a professional model or anything and was a little clumsy - but my new one - well that's a different story! I am getting the Wacom Intuos4 Large which has all the specs I need, I mean the pen registers pressure from 1 gram and with 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity apparently it's a dream to draw with - the pen even comes with 10 changeable nibs!

I briefly considered the tablets with inbuilt LCD screens, they are incredible - just imagine drawing straight onto your artwork with a pen whilst having the screen in your lap or on a desk, but these were way out of my budget... still - I can dream right?

So, back to the real world - I researched the Intuos4 thoroughly on the internet and the cheapest store by far was gizmomart.com.au, I got the tablet for $499 from them and postage was $15, whereas most other stores were in excess of $600, some even over $1000. I found it surprising that one of the most expensive sites was the Wacom Australia wholesale store where you have to pay over $700 plus postage - weird hey? Anyhow - Gizmomart says that this offer is only till 1st of March 2010 so if you are in the market for a tablet I'd get in quick.

So now I begin my tortuous wait for the mail man - the site didn't say how long it would be but I am hoping I'll get it on Friday, (wishful thinking I know) I really can't wait to put this tablet to the test - I'll post my findings asap!

Fresh from the sketchbook

On my most recent trip to Wonderlandia I was fortunate enough to meet up again with the faeries of brandysnap forest, they really are the most generous and hospitable of all the faeries but despite this, I still found myself shocked when they chose to make me privy to one of thier most important secrets...

No, Gwendolen isn't the secret, but unfortunately she is burdened with keeping it; which means she hasn't been able to leave the forest in more than 10 years, thankfully she has the faeries to tend to her needs and provide company but it's just not the same as the loving arms of the family and friends she had to leave behind all those years ago.

Meeting Gwendolen was a unique experience, and not just for the obvious reasons - this softly spoken creature has the thoughtful composure an ancient philosopher, but despite all her manners and refinement, nothing can hide the overwhelming melancholy and longing that seems to lie just beneath her surface.

I'll fill you guys in on Gwen's full story when I post the completed pic, hope you like my sketch so far!

Up and coming market dates!

Why not break out your most adorable tote and come check out our Wonderlandia store live and in person!
Oh and if you don't have the adorable tote (or you want another for your collection) - SashaSews has you covered with her adorable Metro Chic tote pictured above - you can check out her etsy store here.

Wonderlandia's February/March market dates are as follows:

• Saturday 13th February 2010
  Allies Attic Baby and Kids Market Mosman Art Gallery & Community Centre Cnr Art Gallery Way & Myahgah Rd Mosman visit www.alliesattic.com.au for more information
  
• Sunday 21st February 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
  
• Saturday 28th February 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
• Saturday 7th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
• Saturday 14th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types
  
• Saturday 20th March 2010 Allies Attic Baby and Kids Market Sharkies - Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club 461 Captain Cook Drive Cronulla - Parking on site visit www.alliesattic.com.au for more information
• Sunday 21st March 2010
  Narrabeen Villiage Market Outdoor market directly opposite the Narrabeen Shopping Centre on Pittwater Road, Narrabeen Selling a variety of items including handmade items and plenty of food
  
• Sunday 28th March 2010
  Coffs Harbour Beachfront Market Outdoor market located at Coffs Harbour Jetty opposite the Yacht Club Selling handmade goods of all types

If you do happen to come along - be sure to stop in and say hi!
Manda :)

Look who the wind blew in...

Does anyone still remember this post?

http://tales-from-wonderlandia.blogspot.com/2009/08/still-waiting.html

Yes I know it's a little overdue but I am pleased to finally present Veronica – in all her Polychromo splendour!

Now she certainly did take a long time to come to life but I think she was well worth the wait. I am so pleased to have captured almost every detail as it is in my memory – except of course it was very hard to show all the dust and debris that had been whipped up into the air, making me wonder if I shouldn’t be wearing some sort of mask to avoid ingesting foreign objects...

Veronica will be available at Wonderlandia’s Etsy store from 1^st March to celebrate the arrival of Autumn, or at least commiserate the departure of Summer... (for me it’s the latter).

Let me know what you think!

Manda :)

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

So I thought it was about time I dedicated a blog post to one of my all time favourite movies (and books) and a seemingly never ending source of inspiration to me – Alice in Wonderland of course!

When I first joined Etsy I couldn’t believe the number of people who were also inspired by Alice’s adventures and I spent ages trawling through hundreds of works just mesmerised by different peoples interpretations of the characters. One of these days I really want to organise a wall in my house to dedicate to my collection of Alice themed artworks and other trinkets...

Below are just a few of my favourites currently on Etsy... ENJOY!

Tweedledee and Tweeledum - ODDandWhimsy

Drink Me Art Print - melissaloves

The Queen of Hearts - The Nebulous Kingdom

And she grew ACEO - Matchstickgirl

Finding Wonderland - The Dreamy Giraffe

If you'd like a closer look at any of the above click the link below to visit the artists shop on Etsy!

Manda :)

Pinafores to die for!!!

I am so infatuated with our new Autumn/Winter clothing that I couldn't help but put our Pinafores up on Etsy early!

Are they adorable or what?

Each dress is 100% handmade to order, has a hardwearing denim outer (perfect for play) and is fully lined in brightly printed 100% cotton. I just fell in love with these bright patterned prints and I know you will too!

Oh and I haven't even gotten to my favourite part yet - the animal applique! These are individually hand drawn, cut out and appliqued on with fusible webbing and satin stitching - so they'll be on there firmly for the lifetime of the dress, and with a diagonal pocket sporting cute ric-rac along the top, how could they get any cuter???



You can wear these dresses alone, with a tshirt or a long sleeved tee depending on the weather oh and team them with some white or bright leggings and you've got a showstopper of an outfit!



So far the range includes elephants, sheep, whales, giraffes and owls with a few more to come yet and Mum (who is obviously off her rocker - lol) is selling them made to order for only $40 each - head into our Etsy store to check them out www.wonderlandia.etsy.com