Colourful Celtic cats artwork by Lotti Brown...

Our favourite household pet, that cute kitty has a more mysterious side too!

And I think that’s actually why we love cats so much – a link between our everyday, hum-drum world and a world of grace, mystery and independence… can cats communicate something of their mysterious world to us?
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Do cats really need us? Where do they go when they’re not at home? Why are they really with us in the world? What’s their story?

​I'm proud to have contributed a 5-Day Start Drawing Challenge to the new Make it in Design FREE 'Gift of Creativity' online classroom.

The 'Gift of Creativity' is a special online resource filled with creative inspiration, challenges, tutorials, colouring sheets and projects to keep you and your family occupied during these difficult weeks - great for adults or kids, home-schooling projects, beginners or the more experienced - there's a ton of resources there already and there'll be more added each week, so if you're at all interested, bookmark it and check it out.

My contribution is the '5-Day Start Drawing Challenge' which you can find in the 'Drawing' section of the classroom.
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All the details are here...

Looking to send a gift to someone you can't be with this Easter?

After a difficult Mothers Day here in the UK when so many of us couldn't be with our mothers due to coronavirus, I've been thinking about Easter.

When I saw Easter eggs in the shops, I didn't want to think about celebrating Easter at this time of fear and loss - but I delivered a food box to my elderly parents who are self-isolating on Saturday. I dropped it off outside the door and backed off to a goodly distance so that my mum could retrieve it and we could share a few emotional words across those vital two metres of safe space.

I'd popped in my mum's gift that we'd planned to give her at our family meal, plus some treats like her favourite chocolates and a little hyacinth plant...

And later, on the phone, my mum's gratitude was expansive and heartfelt that we'd thought to add those little non-essential extras that meant we'd thought and cared about them and how they'd be feeling while we're all struggling through these days and weeks and that we'd wanted to still bring a little sunshine and joy.

That's why I think it's important, if we can, that we try to bring a little happiness and meaning to those we care about while they're apart from us, perhaps feeling fearful for themselves - and if they're a mum, they're probably still worried about you too, even as you're worrying about them!

This year, we very likely won't be exchanging Easter eggs and Easter gifts in person, but we can still send a little love and happiness to those we love best...

​I work with print-on-demand companies to put my artwork onto all sorts of lovely products, including clothing, accessories and products for home (or the home office!). 

• You can order online and send a gift straight to someone special.
• You can order from (and to) anywhere in the world.
• Your order will be sent from your closest manufacturing site - Redbubble has sites in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada & Australia. Contrado manufactures in London. Spoonflower prints in USA & Germany.
• If you're worried about customs duties, buy from my Redbubble store as Redbubble will refund any customs duties you're inadvertently charged.
• Experts currently believe that the risk of catching coronavirus from a package is low - but you should of course wash your hands and practice careful hygiene in the home after taking in your package from your local carrier or postie.

​Here are some thoughtful Easter gift ideas you could send, themed around this springtime season...
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Say it with flowers...

​All the colour and joy of spring in one delectable springtime bouquet that lasts well beyond the week!

I wanted to share with you some of my new and recent Celtic knotwork learning for my own art practice…

This year, I’ve decided to spend more time concentrating on drawing Celtic knotwork and including it in my artwork – as well as learning Calligraphy.

 
​These are both art forms that I explored in my childhood and loved!

My mum trained as an art teacher in the 1960s and did her dissertation on Celtic art in Ireland – specifically the Book of Kells. So I was lucky enough to be allowed to play with her dissertation, and she gave me the postcards she’d collected of the Book of Kells to play with and to inspire me.

My mum also taught me how to draw simple Celtic spirals – so that’s what I doodled as a child…

The absolute basics! My recommended top drawing materials supplies to get you started drawing with no unnecessary fuss or massive expenditure…

This post is all about choosing the right drawing tools for you!

It’s something that’s very personal, so there’s no right or wrong thing to choose.

There’s only the thing that’s right or wrong for you – and it’s absolutely okay for that to change, either gradually over time or all of a sudden.

It’s important that you’re happy and comfortable with how you do your art…

And that it feels like an extension of who you are and what you’re about so that you get the most enjoyment out of it.

I’m also not about fancy equipment or expensive equipment…

I’ve been broke… and art paper, pens, and pencils were an expensive luxury!

But guess what? For drawing your own way you don’t need them!

Let me repeat that…

You don’t need anything fancy to get the benefits of creative and expressive drawing.

All you need is something to draw with and something to draw on. Got that? Then you’re sorted.
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Having said that, your experience of drawing is always going to be far more pleasurable if you actually enjoy using your tools. So this lesson is about helping you choose what to start drawing with and what to start drawing on...
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Celtic-inspired swans artwork by Lotti Brown.

My Celtic swans artwork was inspired by this graceful symbol of inner beauty and true love.

Swans are a frequent theme in Celtic legend and folklore – we currently have around 200 whooper swans wintering in the wetlands of the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve, close to my home, and often see and hear the swans flying over. In years gone by, up to 300 Bewick’s swans would over-winter in the area – in Celtic times, the numbers of swans both here and in the Celtic strongholds of Wales and Ireland must have been even greater – a real feature in Celtic life and not surprising they feature in so many tales.

We all know the story of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake – a story drawn from Russian and European folktales of a princess enchanted to be a swan...
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And European folklore is filled with princesses and maidens who are turned into swans – often as punishment!

Beautiful Celtic-inspired barn owl art print...

My barn owl artwork is inspired by the beautiful and ethereal snowy-white barn owls that we often see in the fields near home.

​In late winter, we sometimes see them around dawn and dusk – but sometimes, even in full daylight, quartering the fields and hunting for mice to feed their chicks, recently hatched.

Even in sunlight the barn owl seems to have an otherworldly and somewhat ghostly presence – a pallor that’s outside of our everyday world.

In folklore, the owl is often associated with the Otherworld and darkness – but also with being clear-sighted, all-knowing, and wise.

The owl is associated with the goddess of wisdom – Athena in the Greek tradition, Sulis in the Celtic tradition, and Minerva for the Romans. Sulis was the Celtic goddess of justice, echoing the perception of the owl’s knowing wisdom.
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In the Celtic legend the ‘Quest for Olwen’, the owl is encountered as one of the five oldest beasts on Earth, symbolising the owl’s ancient knowledge and enduring wisdom.

Enjoy a cool 35% off wall art in my Society6 store this week, including:

• art prints
• framed art prints
• wall hangings
• posters
• canvas prints
• mini framed art prints
• mini art prints
• metal prints
• wood wall art

Art makes an ideal gift for someone special!

Why I Sell Print on Demand Art and Open-Edition Art Prints...

Have you been wondering why I’ve got such a huge range of online stockists with my artwork on an ever-increasing range of products?

I sell my artwork in a slightly different way to many artists – and here’s why!

I don’t sell limited edition prints but I create open-edition prints instead – and I don’t keep a stock of prints that you can buy directly from me…

Instead, I use companies that offer a print-on-demand service that means that my art is printed onto a product only when a customer orders it.

I believe that this is a much better system for you, as the potential customer, myself as the artist, and actually for the planet too!

Make mum smile this year with great Mother's Day gift ideas to bring delight and happiness to this special family day...

Mother's Day is in March in the UK and Ireland, while in USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand it falls in June.

I've got some lovely gift ideas to please mum, whether you're making a special trip to see her, enjoying family time together, or simply posting a thoughtful gift with your love...
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These beautiful silky scarves are lovely and large with gorgeously soft, lightweight fabric that drapes and flows like real silk - incredibly stylish and beautiful!

The colours are vivid with a slightly transparent effect so that the colours are visible both sides of the scarf.