Delightful Characters by Tara Lilly

Hi friends! Before I let you go let me introduce you to the delightful work of Tara Lilly an illustrator from Northern California. When she was a little girl she was surrounded by the redwood forest, open meadows and the sounds of birds singing which has been a great inspiration to her work.

Besides her love for nature, she is inspired by picture books, folk art, vintage textiles and mid century design. Her artwork is an explosion of colors, often featuring floral and adorable characters. She has worked for number of well-known clients including Anthropologie, Tag, Hallmark, Mudpuppy, Garnet Hill and UPPERCASE Magazine. She is presently being represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. 

You can view the work she did in the past here and stay tuned to her new work on Instagram.

Textile Artist Francesca Mosmea

Francesca Mosmea is an Italian textile artist (previously blogged). She creates realistic soft sculptures of animals using fabric, thread, paint and colors. Her online store if filled with one-of-kind pillows, brooches, sculptures and bookmarks. Every piece is hand-painted by the artist individually and embroidered on cotton fabric. Her detailed paintings makes these animals so real that anyone who sets eyes on them would think they are actually there. These are perfect for anyone who loves nature and animals. You can find more products by Francesca on her online store Mosmea.

The Dreamy Paintings by Catherine Hyde

Catherine Hyde is an artist and illustrator originally from South East of England, currently living in Cornwall. She trained in Fine Art Painting at the Central School of Art in London and in over last thirty years has exhibited her atmospheric and symbolic paintings in galleries all over the world. 

As a child she grew up in a house that was filled with story books and spent time playing outside, both ignited affection in her towards the nature and the changing seasons. Her work is inspired by her love for the animals that she observed in the English landscape. For the past ten years she has been illustrating dreamy and mystical picture books that has been gained much recognition. She has been nominated for The Kate Greenaway Award and she honored with the English Association Best Illustrated Book Award (Key Stage 2) for The Princess’ Blankets by Carol Ann Duffy. 

“I am constantly attempting to convey the landscape in a state of suspension in order to gain glimpses of its interconnectedness, its history and beauty. Within my images I use the archetypical hare, stag, owl and fish as emblems of wildness, fertility and permanence: their movements and journey through the paintings act as vehicles that bind the elements and the seasons together.” via 

She is currently being represented by The Lighthouse Gallery, Penzance in Cornwall and by Foss Fine Art, Battersea in London. 

Earth-Friendly Dolls to Cherish For Life

Marlene Parra is the designer and the maker of all the lovely dolls at Filomeluna. She started her own studio in Antwerp, Belgium which is now moved to Mexico City. Marlene is a great nature lover so she made sure the material used in the construction of the dolls are natural and Earth friendly. The dolls are made with wool, cotton, linen, wool felt, alpaca, wool and mohair yarns, and stuffed with 100% wool. She brings her dolls to life by hand-stitching hair and hand-stitched clothes.

"We hope that these huggable and one of a kind creatures make everyone to connect or reconnect with their internal kid and trigger their imagination. Everything is possible and we think that we deserve a better world where we revalorate the products that are made in a healthier relation with our beloved Planet. These collectible dolls are our way to contribute to that."

Visit her online store to view one-of-a-kind owls, cats, acorn babies, bunny girls and other characters. They are sold in no time so if you want one for yourself then keep an eye out for soon to be released dolls.

Realistic Pencil Colored Wildlife and Pet Portraits

Claire Milligan is a UK based self-taught freelance artist who specializes in highly detailed and realistic portraits. The recurring theme of her work is animals and birds that are created with colored pencils. She has a collection of over 300 different colors which enables her to create incredible detail that gives the surreal quality to her animal portraits. 

"I have been creating pet portraits since 2002 but it wasn't until 2015 that I made the move to make my dream a reality and I set up my business as a professional artist, and I haven't looked back since. I absolutely adore my job - I feel very lucky to be an artist for a living."  

She has created many pet portraits for her clients based in Canada, United States, Japan and Fuji. She has exhibited nationally and has won awards for her work. To view more of her work and to see her working behind the scenes visit her Instagram.