Personal: Manuka Flower and Honey Bee

Personal Work. A slightly more botanical/scientific illustration of Manuka Flowers and a honey bee. 

Manuka flowers are native to New Zealand and Australia. Their honey, with its "Active UMF Factor", is considered to have antiviral and antibacterial properties. "Most people who buy Manuka honey simply put it on their toast or in their tea, but where it really comes into its own is in treating wounds. In New Zealand, it has long been used in this way and studied extensively. Now, the NHS is doing the same." 

The honey bee proved quite difficult at first as it took many sketches to get the right proportions...and then when it came to adding colour, I had to first experiment with quite a few different techniques 

in the hope of capturing all of his different textures!

Images are (C) Amy Holliday 2013. Do not use without permission.

Sketchbook: Mini Pegasus!

Just something a little different I thought I'd share. 

This doodle is only a few centimeters big but I was just dying to add a few licks of colour.
I used to doodle horses a lot when I was little (what animal-obsessed girl didn't!)
and I have only just started to draw them again......  

Updates of new work coming soon!

(C) Amy Holliday 2013 not to be used without permission.

Home Sweet Home Typography Framed Picture // Housewarming Gift

A friend of mine has just celebrated moving into her new home. As a little gift, I had an A3 (approximate size) print made of my "Home Sweet Home" typography and also had it framed. Back when I first finished the typography she had commented that it would look great in her then future new home...

Since then, others have told me how much they liked it and so I have had requests for more to be made :)

"Spring Racing Carnival" // Illustrations for The Design Depot Magazine, Melbourne Australia

In April I was approached by the lovely people at Design Depot Magazine (Victoria, Australia) who asked me to provide illustrations for an upcoming article on this year's Spring Racing Carnival. 

The Spring Racing Carnival is held at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne every year running from late September to mid-November and is a prestigious event for both sport and fashion!

Websites: The Design Depot | Spring Racing Carnival | Flemington Racecourse

The famous Flemington entrance gates...

Spring Carnival fashion...

Pretty Spring decor ideas...

Victoria, Australia's rainbow lorikeets...

Some of these subjects were a little different for me! The Flemington gates definitely took the longest amount of time to complete, but the most challenging aspect of these illustrations was finding the best way
to portray a glamorous lady dressed in her fashionable racing attire - I wanted to capture a very sophisticated look but also keep it fun and fresh, just like her vivid outfit.

Here are some of my other drawings that were decided not be used and so went unfinished: (Although I would like to paint them at some point!)

A pretty, flower-covered holiday chalet...

 The famously perfect Flemington Roses...

Here are my initial ideas/designs illustrating the glamorous ladies attendance showing 

off their fashionable racing outfits...

All images are (C) Amy Holliday 2013. Not to be used without permission.

Sketchbook: Royal (Blue) Bengal Tigers

These tigers are part of exploration for an Asian-influenced illustration for digital album cover artwork (think: digital cover images such as those on iTunes music).  

More info about this project and my sketchbook work for it including some Japanese dragon designs(!) 

can be seen at my Facebook page here. 

I find big cats quite daunting to draw, even though they used to be one of my very favourite things

to doodle when I was little.

The finished Eastern-palette-inspired Jade Royal Bengal:

Stay tuned for more updates on this project! I am very excited about the final cover artwork 

and can't wait to share it with you! 

Collaboration // Swanky Egg Design

I am thrilled that the lovely Ms Molly Miller of Swanky Egg Design is to create a one-off, hand-made sculpture inspired by my 2011 Sleeping Beauty illustration (below). 

I adore Molly's super-pretty, whimsical, fairy-tale inspired sculptures. They have a gorgeous style that looks to be such a good match to recreate my version of Sleeping Beauty. It will be so interesting to see a 3-Dimensional version of my own 2-D drawing...I can not wait to see the completed piece.

Molly's sculptures are one-of-a-kind pieces, making each one very special indeed. Here are just some of her pieces currently on sale in her "Swanky Egg Design" Etsy shop which you can find here.

Woodland Cottage Night Lumiere...

Hot Air Balloon with Elephant...

The Princess and the Pea...

The Owl and the Pussycat...

Images are (C) Molly Miller of Swanky Egg Design. 

A Michelin Star GARDEN // Typography & illustrations for Stylist Magazine

I was recently asked by the UK's Stylist Magazine to create illustrated typography using various edible herbs and flowering plants, as well as individual pieces illustrating each plant. The article discusses how we can grow our own gourmet-style foods at home! I was not aware some of these could be eaten! 

:: Romanesco ::

:: Courgette Flowers ::

:: Lemon Verbena ::

:: Myrtle ::

:: Nasturtiums ::

:: Sea Kale ::

:: Cardoon ::

:: Lovage ::

:: Pineapple Sage ::

Images are (C) Amy Holliday. Please do not use without seeking permission, thank you.