Samples of my 'Forest Wonders' fabric collection for K&K Fabrics

I received an exciting package in the mail! Kennard & Kennard Fabrics sent me some samples of my “Forest Wonders” fabric line for K&K Fabrics. It feels great to have the actual fabrics in my hands!! The Echidnas and Ants designs were inspired by the echidnas I spotted chasing ants on a trip to Tasmania a few years ago, and an echidna I saw on a bush walk last year near Patonga, NSW. The Rose Robin designs were inspired by the rose robins I spotted flitting around the trees on rainforest walks in Tasmania several years ago. The Galah birds we have in abundance around my home in Sydney. For this fabric range I was inspired by an Australian colour palette, including the earthy tones of red Pindan dust in the Australian outback. ‘Pindan’ is a name given to the red-soil country of the south-western Kimberley region of Western Australia. I also chose the deep forest greens of the Australian rainforest. I can’t wait to see the collection in my local fabric shops!! Kennard and Kennard’s quilting cotton is 100% Cotton and fabric width is 110cm. The fabrics are available from KK Fabrics. I can’t wait to see what you make with them, and I’m looking forward to sewing up a few things myself. Maybe a light summer top or two!

K&K fabrics - new samples of ‘Forest Wonders’ fabric range - by Anna Lloyd

K&K fabrics Echidna ‘Forest Wonders’ - fabric design by Anna Lloyd

K&K fabrics Ants on terracotta ‘Forest Wonders’ (also available on white) - fabric design by Anna Lloyd

K&K fabrics Kookaburra with Blossoms ‘Forest Wonders’ - fabric design by Anna Lloyd

K&K fabrics Rose Robin White ‘Forest Wonders’ - fabric design by Anna Lloyd

K&K fabrics Galahs with branches ‘Forest Wonders’ - fabric design by Anna Lloyd

How to stay creative, calm and connected during lockdown

Stick to a routine - it’s easy to get in a rut while stuck at home, so make sure you keep to a routine to stay healthy while in lockdown. 

Get lots of Vitamin D. Eat lunch outside if you can and go for a walk around the block. Seeing the same surroundings over and over can be monotonous, so mix up your route, notice what’s around you and take photos of things that interest you. 

Photo of colourful gum leaves

Practice self-care. Eat healthy meals, wear sunscreen, moisturise, get dressed and remember to make your bed!

Experiment in the kitchen. Cook different meals to keep things interesting, find recipes you would like to try online or go through that recipe book on your bookshelf that you haven’t picked up in a while.

Connect with loved ones. Send friends and family a text message, note, card or care package, or give them a phone call to let them know you are thinking of them. 

Draw every day. If you like drawing you could try the #100dayproject - draw something every day for 100 days. You can stick to a theme like drawing people’s faces, or you can draw a different item every day. You can set a time limit like 5-15 mins, but it doesn’t matter if you go over time.

Complete a project. Do something at home you’ve been meaning to do for a while but haven’t got around to. It could be as simple as sorting out your sock drawer, or something a bit more involved like painting the living room. Dust off that tin of paint you bought six months ago.

Snuggle up and read. If you enjoy reading you could set up a little cosy reading nook in a corner of your bedroom or living room.

Photo of Anna’s Logbooks

Keep a Logbook. An idea from the book ‘Steal like an Artist - 10 things nobody told you about being Creative’ written by US Poet Austin Kleon is to write a logbook of what you did today. Not necessarily like a journal or a diary, just a few notes to jog your memory about that day; like what you ate, what you did and how you felt about it. I started mine in May, so I’ve written for a few months now.

My Banksia flowers design

My Banksia flowers hand painted design is now on Red Bubble products. It’s a fun modern design in pinks, oranges and bluey greens.

Banksia patterned scarf available on Red Bubble

Banksia patterned pouch available on Red Bubble

Banksia patterned apron available on Red Bubble

Banksia patterned top available on Red Bubble

My Flannel flowers design on red bubble products

My new flannel flower design is available on Red Bubble products. My favourites are the phone case, coasters, cotton tote bag, cushions and bath mat.

Flannel flower phone case design by Anna available at Red Bubble

Flannel flower tote bag design by Anna available at Red Bubble

Flannel flower cushion design by Anna available at Red Bubble

Rambling rose hand painted fabric design

My pretty Rambling Rose hand painted fabric design on some products you can purchase at Red Bubble.

Illustrators Australia 9"x5" group exhibition - "Grow"

Illustrators Australia is having another 5x9 artwork on wood group exhibition for members of Illustrators Australia. If you’re in Melbourne go check it out!! It’s their 30th Anniversary.

OPENING NIGHT 6th December 6pm - 9pm

Opening hours 6-16th December

10am - 4pm Weekdays

1pm - 4pm Weekends

Address: The Victorian Artists Society
430 Albert St,
East Melbourne
VIC 3002

Artwork in the Lindfield Art Show this week

This week I have two original mixed media artworks in the Lindfield Artshow. They are both for sale this weekend from the 15th - 17th March at the Lindfield Holy Family Artshow and Fair.

Rockstar Galah framed

Proud Magpie framed

Painting feather details

Painting the background

My new murals at the Northern Beaches Hospital

Something I have been working really hard on this year were these mural illustrations. It was super lovely to go visit my murals at Northern Beaches Paediatrics clinic before it opened at the new Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney. The theme for my brief was Australian native foliage and flowers made large along with Australian native animals and insects. I sketched and painted a lot of wattle, banksia flowers and leaves, native fan palms, bottle brush flowers, macadamia leaves, gum leaves and blossoms, Blue Ulysses butterfly, dragonfly, ladybugs, birds - Rainbow lorikeets, Kookaburras, Major Mitchell Cockatoos, a Yellow Robin, green tree frogs, mushrooms, echidna and Australian native marsupials. If you want to see some of my process for the mural you can take a look at my instagram images, you will see some of my sketches and watercolour paintings on there. The artworks were scanned, cleaned up, drawn over digitally, put together in their layouts and printed onto vinyl, which was then applied to the walls of the clinic. I incorporated some of the Blue Pantone colours from their logo design into the mural as well, most notably in the wattle leaves, banksia leaves and the kookaburra feathers. I hope the families who visit the clinic love it as much as I loved painting it!

Echidna, wattle, banksia flower, blue ulysses butterfly and lorikeet in the waiting area.

Koalas and wattle flowers in one of the consultation rooms.

Banksia flowers and Yellow Robin in one of the consultation rooms.

Banksia Flowers, robin and Rainbow lorikeets

Rainbow lorikeet bird, dragonfly, callistemon flowers

Major Mitchell Cockatoo in the hallway

Close-up of ladybug on wattle.

Entrance to the New Northern Beaches Hospital

Callistemon and Cockatoo tote bags restocked

My Callistemon and Cockatoo tote bags have been restocked in my website shop!

Pencil illustration of a Pineapple

For the 52 week illustration challenge the topic was Pencil so I decided to use coloured pencils to draw the pineapple I had harvested. One of my pineapple plants in the garden had just produced a fruit over winter. They are pretty tasty I must say and we need to get in quick before the possums get to them.