Hand held windmills and the salty seaside breeze

I've been busy preparing for my show this week and sorting out the last few finishing details. I needed a sign for my little rock promo giveaways and I thought making a windmill would be a far more fun alternative. I made one with my donkey design on it and took it down to the beach to photograph. I was really surprised that it worked in the breeze... the only problem was waiting for the wind to ease while I took a quick photo!

As a child I loved watching these little windmills spin wildly in the salty seaside breeze and I still love them now. For me they bring to mind carefree, happy childhood days at the beach.

Oh, I do like to stroll upon the prom!

This is a stitched collage piece that was inspired by the seafront here at Southsea. I've always had a fascination with the coloured lights that adorn our British coastal resorts. No matter what the weather, here on the British coastline, you'll always find people strolling along the prom, prom prom...

Designing postcards

I have been busy designing postcards from my original stitched images...

I've also designed some packaging for the postcards...

 Set of 6 postcards with brown card envelope

Packaging for my postcards

Designing an alternative style of packaging for my postcards

Designing postcard envelopes

String tie envelopes for my postcards

I have been experimenting with designing envelopes for some postcards based on my project designs. 

The backs of the tie string envelopes

Another boxed design

Seaside themed cushions

My cushion designs

I've been making cushions with prints of my seaside images.

The back of the cushions

I finished the cushions with some colourful buttons and pom pom trim. Then I made some labels using my buckets and spades design.

My deckchair design

There are so many deckchair designs available now and seaside ones are traditionally stripy.

I couldn't do a project on the British seaside without including a deckchair - so here is my design- I hope you like it.

The Lido

Lido bather

The Lido was an invention of the 1930s. With fountains, slides, cafe's sunbathing decks and spectator terraces, the Lido's were all about the fun of the seaside and were as much about entertainment as they were about swimming. Seaside towns built these modernist facilities to attract tourists as swimming was seen as health-giving and restoring and sunbathing was good for you.

This illustration was inspired by a group of early morning swimmers who I interviewed as part of my research. They group swim in the water whatever the weather -with no wet suits -just a costume and hat!

Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy

According to my research the earliest recorded evidence of Punch in England is from the 17th century. In the Victorian and Edwardian periods Punch and Judy shows could be seen in all major cities across Britain.

After the introduction of bank holidays in 1871, day trips to the seaside became popular for the masses and Punch and Judy at the seaside became a lucrative business. In more recent years the decline of the traditional seaside holiday has seen a dramatic fall in the number of Punch and Judy shows at the seaside.

The shows are topical and a living social history which has been passed along by generations of performers and represent our culture and history, and for this reason I decided that they had to be included in my project.

Once again the illustration is machine stitched collage because... 'That's the way to do it!"

The classic 99 ice cream

The classic 99

The British love to eat ice-cream at the seaside and the classic 99 has gone by that name since 1930 when Cadbury's launched a shorter version of its Flake bar and called it a 99 for the ice cream trade.

I decided to illustrate this classic treat by machine stitching the cone, flake and ice-cream. I finished the image by adding colourful beads to represent hundreds and thousands.

This cold sweet treat is perfect for a hot sunny day at the beach. There just one decision that has to be made -  to have it with strawberry sauce, sprinkles or both?!

Fish and chips at the seaside.

Seagull with fish and chips

As part of my research into the British seaside I looked at what foods we eat when we are at the coast. Apart from the obvious sweet treats of seaside rock and the traditional cockles and mussels, we also love to eat fish and chips!

I came across an article where a professor at Oxford University stated that the flavour of fish and chips was improved by the 'ambient sound' of waves crashing - but we already knew that anyway.

There's just something special about seaside fish and chips. You expect the fish to be fresh off a boat and together with the open air and eating from our greasy fingers, there's just nothing quite like it.

There's just one more thing...the seagulls...and for that reason, they also appear in my illustration.

Salt and vinegar anyone?

Wanna donkey ride?

Dixie the donkey

My work has focused on seaside nostalgia and the traditions of the British seaside. I can remember as a child being fascinated by the donkeys on Blackpool beach. The donkeys are still there today and have been a seaside tradition since around 1890. It is believed that Margate was the first place to offer Donkey rides on the beach to tourists. When I was researching them I discovered that the donkeys at Blackpool are allowed to work a total of 48 hours a week but are not permitted to work on Fridays.

All the donkeys have their own names which are usually displayed on their nose bands and have become a bit of tradition over the years. My favourite donkey name is Dixie...so here is my stitched collage of Dixie...I hope you like her.

The Helter Skelter

 Helter Skelter

Funfairs became popular in the Victorian era and helter skelters were the star attraction of the fairground. They were made from beech wood because it didn't splinter and they took around four hours to put up. Victorian architecture was all about appearance and the helter skelter was the crowning glory of the fair. For these reasons I had to include it in one of my series of stitched final pieces for "The Great British Seaside."

I stitched it on the sewing machine using collaged pieces of material and beads for the lights. They are such impressive structures you look at. I hope you like my interpretation of it. 

Anyone for ice cream?

Well the project is well underway now and it's time to be thinking about making some work for my degree show. I have decided to make a zine which will encompass some of many things that we see and do at the British seaside.

As we love to eat ice cream at the coast I couldn't resist including the traditional '99' in my images. Below are some examples of my drawings and experiments in photoshop so far. 

I will also be working with textiles and the final images will include text. The only thing I need to decide is what to add....sprinkles or strawberry sauce?!

An interview with Shoal Seaside Living

Seaside themed products on display in the shop

Early on in my project I decided that it would be really useful to do some research about seaside products and product design. I approached the owners of a relatively new shop to Albert Road in Southsea called Shoal Seaside Living. 

Anna and Michelle Martin opened the shop earlier last year and kindly agreed to help me with my project. Their shop is a welcome and quirky addition to an eclectic mix of shops established along Albert Road. 

As you enter the shop you feel embraced in little treasure trove of all things relating to seaside living which are quintessentially British. The products are well thought out and beautifully displayed on unique items of furniture that have been painted by Michelle.

I talked to Anna about the inspiration for the shop and she explained that it all started when she bought a couple of mugs made by The English Seaside Company from a lovely little shop in Anglesey. Michelle and Anna decided that together they wanted to create their own shop using totally British made products that were all about the coast.

The shop offers a range of products from home-wares to jewellery, personalised art, cards and children's products. Many of the items are in a very affordable price range and it's obvious that quality is a high on their list of priorities when selecting products to sell. 

Anna explained how important it was them both that they supported British design. She explained how it's often more difficult to find British made products and how it's much easier to get seaside products from big companies where the goods are often made abroad. They are both really proud of their 'British made' ethos and also support and sell the work of many local artists in the area including Colin Baxter Alan Smith and Peter Levy. Other products are made by artists such as Poppy Treffry, Caroline Tucker and The English Seaside Company.

The product research was really helpful to my 'Great British Seaside' project and gave me an insight into successful illustrative coastal designs. I would like to thank both Anna and Michelle for their help with my project so far. The only problem is, it's hard to go into their shop and not be tempted to buy something!

If you would like to find out more about the products they sell, then you can contact them at:

http://shoalseasideliving.com/

  

New Year's Day at Southsea Beach

Happy New Year!

The weather on New Years Day 2013 was gloriously sunny here at Southsea and it seemed that everybody flocked to the beach to enjoy the sunshine.

It was one of those rare winter days when the seafront was crowded with people. Everyone had wrapped up in warm clothes to enjoy a walk along the beach with family and friends. 

Crowds of people walking towards the South Parade Pier

Cars were parked bumper to bumper along the seafront and children rode their shiny new bicycles along the cycle paths as the sun shone brightly.

It was a very special start to the new year, and as you can see from the pictures below, the  afternoon sun setting over the beach looked truly stunning.

So here's to the year ahead and many more happy days at the beach.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2013!

The beautiful afternoon sun at South Parade Pier

Families played along the shoreline until late into the afternoon