Creative Café #26 ★

hello there folks, firstly a big ol' sorry from me for not having posted in a while! all sorts of crazy things have been going on but i'm here now so lets get on with todays blog post shall we!

it's time for another Creative Café post and i should warn you, today's is a little different to what's usually on display for a CC post, however it is very VERY awesome and i'm sure you'll love it all regardless!

you know the drill (and if you don't, here it is - the Creative Café drill)

today it's all about the very fabulous Amy Williams

Amy is an artist and apprentice tattooist for 'Tenacious Tattoo' based in Sheffield in the UK + she uses a dip pen, India ink and watercolour to create her highly detailed original designs

i personally have a HUGE phobia of needles but tattoo art has always fascinated me and i find Amy's beautiful vintage and retro inspired designs particularly intriguing and refreshing

her work has this perfect mix of sweet delicacy mixed with darker often macabre undertones, lots of pretty flowers overlaying more sinister themes and messages, it's a wonderful mixture and a balance that i think she gets just right in her designs

as somebody who has only recently been asked to design a few tattoos for local clients, i find her work incredibly inspirational and just incredible to look at! 

everything from the colours she uses to the way she drafts and shades her designs is enthralling

on paper or skin her designs are sublime, bursting with intricate details, enchanting characters all drafted with her signature flourishes of line and style 

i think i've rambled on for long enough now so i'll leave you to look through some more of her work in your own sweet time, enjoy...

isn't it all just glorious!

right time for some links now

to see even more of Amy's work, you can 'Like' her Facebook page here - Amy Williams Tattoo

you can also see the progress of some of her tattoos via - Tenacious Tattoo

she also has an Etsy shop selling prints of her designs - Amybird

and of course if you'd like to commission Amy to design a tattoo for yourself then you can contact her via facebook - Amy Williams

all that's left now is for me to say a massive THANKS to Amy for saying yes about the feature! 

i'm not sure if I'll ever be able to pluck up the courage to get a tattoo done but if i ever do, i'm pretty sure i want Amy to design/tattoo it! thanks again :) x

All images featured in this post belong to Amy Williams © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace ANY of her work without her express written consent. All Rights Reserved.

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in other news, i've been busy with commission + college work lately and it's been a bit of a muddled weekend due to some family stuff but i shan't bore you all with that on here!

anyway, i have some fun new stuff to share with you this week + a v exciting Mini Giveaway that's coming up soon via Twitter!

so stay tuned for all of that

until next time, that's all folks... 

◕‿◕ ★ xX

Christmas Cards ★

so it appears to have been over a week since i last did a blog post... i probably should have announced my mini hiatus but i forgot to so, sorry for that! i haven't posted for a couple of reasons...

1. i've not been very well over the past fortnight, i went to college for the first time yesterday in over a week so THAT is why i haven't posted anything

2. i've been finishing off some commissions, trying to get stuff done before Xmas

3. i've been working on new character designs for college

4. i forgot... ok well i didn't forget about the blog i just kept forgetting to get off my bum and write a blog post! but i'm here now so that's all that matters right?!

i'll stop rambling and try to get on with the post!

first up, you may have noticed the Festive new banner at the top of the blog

well, there's also a stack of Xmas Cards to match it! 

the cards are appropriately festive with their little poinsettia patterned plates full of Xmas biscuits

each one comes with a red envelope + has 'Merry Christmas' printed inside

now available in my Etsy Shop

+ if you fancy getting one to send to someone, now's the time since i'm still offering 15% off ALL orders in my shop when you use discount code FESTIVEFUN

but it's only valid until the 15th of December so don't leave it too late!!!

(international customers only really have until the 8th or 9th to get their orders in for delivery in time for Xmas)

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as well as the Xmas cards, some more stuff arrived today including some funky new candy coloured business cards!

i may have mentioned before... several times, that i am a bit of a business cards addict! but then again they ALWAYS come in handy and i'm always running out of them so it's ok for me to get more, that's how i always justify it to myself anyway!

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so i've been working on some new commissions stuff lately as well as stuff for college! 

i had a new Vintage Home Show flyer to whip up for Keeley 

then Jared over at Design Juices asked me to have a go at a festive e-card design for the blog, this was the result...

it was great fun to draw! i especially liked doing the xmas lights!!! i also designed a Facebook banner + Twitter icon/background to match!

oh and remember the Irish pin-up girl tattoo?!

well this is how she's looking so far as Emma's actual tattoo! (+ loving the tattoo artists tweaks to the shamrock + the tiny triskelion/3 legs of Mann on the pinup's  thigh! the perfect mash up of Manx and Irish)

i'll keep you posted on it's progress!

also, if you're local and stuck for something to do this weekend, head to Groudle Glen Railway on Sunday for the first day of their fab annual Santa Trains! 

(i wish i could go but i'll be in Birmingham instead!) 

oh and you can book your discounted tickets online now via the railway's official website - GGR

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that's it for today

over the next few days i'm hoping to make it over to Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester to visit family, drop xmas presents off + do some shopping! 

however, the weather here is so dire at the moment all of the boats keep getting cancelled! fingers crossed i don't get completely trapped here...

i'll also be posting some of the new character designs i'm working on so keep an eye out for those!

until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

cupcakes and postcards ★

so i've been busy, busy, busy again today working away on commissions stuff! (which i'll tell you more about in a moment) but first i want to share a recent logo design with you all...

it's for a very groooovy Cupcake Business in Coventry... run by my lovely big sister Simone!

i did various logo, banner and blog designs for her before i popped over to Coventry the other week

she really does make truly scrumptious cakes and treats! 

anyway, while i was there i ran up a design for some business cards! she sent me a few in the post so i can put some in my logbook for college

don't they look fab! i'm very proud of her for doing all this and she's soooo good at baking delicious cakes and sweets that i've always said she should be selling/making them professionally!

you can see more of her cakes on the Facebook Page - Foxy's Fancies

+ be sure to check out the blog too - Foxy's Blog

there's also a Twitter page - @foxysfancies

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something else arrived in the post as well, some brand new promotional postcards for me to hand out at craft fairs and the like

these aren't to sell though obviously, the idea is that if anyone buys anything from my etsy shop, they get a nice sugar skull sticker + one of these with their order, so that's the ONLY way to get hold of one! :)

anyway back to commissions, last week i was asked to design an Irish Pin-up girl tattoo for a lovely local client

it was great to get back to drawing a Pin-up and was especially awesome since she had to be Irish themed!

this is the finished (coloured) design for the tattoo artist to work from. i can't wait to see what it looks like tattooed properly!

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a separate commission has had me drawing all manner or vintage type things recently as well, here are some caps of how the flyer is currently progressing...

shame i STILL can't seem to draw guys! but oh well!

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i can't think of anything else to tell you all, i'm back at college tomorrow morning then i have a business meeting in the afternoon so lots to be getting on with i guess!

so until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX