Freebird's flights of fancy

First, find a frog.....

2012-02-11T21:25:00.001Z

This is the result of a comment on Sue Roddis' blog,
and the ensuing email conversation.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Discworld books of Terry Pratchett,

Dried Frog Pills are a somewhat extreme medication devised to keep the Bursar of Unseen University sane.

Or at least to make him believe he is.

Tribute

2012-01-29T22:38:00.000Z

Before I start I have to say that this was way out of my comfort zone (I'm not a painter), but it had to be done, and I'm happy with the way it came out. (Still not sure about the teardrop though)

On Friday Jan 20th my wife passed away after 6 months of battling with cancer. Thankfully she passed quickly and peacefully with family at her side. Although we had separated, we were still married and still friends, just with different outlooks on life. Freesias were her favourite flowers due to their scent, so what else could I paint.

I have to praise my daughters who have been wonderful throughout, but especially my youngest who gave up work and became a round the clock carer, even though it left her physically and mentally drained at times, and who kept her mum alive when she collapsed until the medics arrived.

Thank you to those who have sent messages and kind words, it's much appreciated.

In Memoriam

2012-01-21T22:11:00.002Z

Helen Roberts

1956 - 2012

Peas & honey

2012-01-16T08:36:00.003Z

After yesterday's frivolity I decided it was time to get back to my usual serious self.......

The end of the world is nigh!

2012-01-15T15:23:00.000Z

Well, maybe. But then again it was supposed to have ended last year (twice), and in 2010, 2007, 2003 (twice again) and so on.

Anyway, on Tuesday the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" advised that the Doomsday clock has moved forward by one minute.

There's no need to start building your own nuclear bunker just yet though. The clock has been moving forward & back since 1947 and it's been a lot closer before now.

Have a nice day! ;)

Still here

2012-01-08T22:52:00.000Z

No, you're not imagining things; I am actually posting something on my blog.

It's been a while since I posted, and it's the first real creating that I've done since before Christmas. I had hoped to get creative once Christmas day was out of the way, but a combination of family matters and poor health obviously scared off my muse.

I have several ideas for projects, but not the motivation to start them at the moment. In the meantime I've managed to come up with 4 mini-canvases that will be sent off to various people in the next couple of days. They are also my first submission for CED2012 where this month's prompt is "New".

I'll come and visit your blog as soon as I can, but for now it's hot toddy and bed time.

Night all

Wondrous gifts...

2011-12-26T17:37:00.001Z

Now that the seasonal mayhem has died down a bit, it's time to show of some goodies that I've received recently.

The first set of offerings come from the talented Gwen at Foxglove Hill. We discovered each other's work during AEDM, which is part of Creative Every Day. We agreed to create something and swap items, and I think I got the better side of the deal. Apart from a fantastically textured canvas, there was also a Midwinter card, a small handmade bag of goodies, and even the original working ideas stitched together. It really was a fantastic package to receive, and the canvas is now adorning my wall. Thank you Gwen.

Next up is my Secret Santa swap from the Altered Gypsies group, and I received a fantastic package from the original Altered Gypsy - Kersten. Apart from a box full of ephemera and quirky rubber stamps, I also received this charm made from antler and home made beads.

All in all, a good start to Christmas :)

Return to plan D

2011-12-18T22:25:00.000Z

Remember this?

Well, it worked. However I decided that it wasn't right for the swap, so went on to Plan E (which was a revised Plan C). Plan E worked and is now ready to be wrapped and posted. You'll have to wait for the details of that one, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Anyway, back to Plan D. This started life as a copy of The Iliad. It's only small (7" x 4" and about ½" thick), and at some time in the past has been repaired by the local library and covered in clear plastic, so the first task was a coat or three of gesso.
After that it was covered with kitchen roll, applied with a diluted PVA glue/white acrylic mix and allowed to dry. Once dry it was painted with a layer of white acrylic and left to dry. Then another layer of kitchen roll, layer of acrylic, and so on. The kitchen roll crinkles and warps while it's wet and gives that lovely texture you can see. Also, the PVA/acrylic mix sets really well and should be quite robust. Once the final layer was dry I added the brass plaque and left it alone (managed not to overdo it for once).

The signatures were put together using various papers; registration pages, manuscript, tracing paper, etc. These were then bound together, and sewn onto a strip of fabric. The whole thing was then glued into place and the fabric edges covered with more kitchen roll/PVA mix.
I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but it's small enough to carry around and work in when the muse strikes.

The swap...

2011-12-15T13:38:00.000Z

Plan A

Plan B

~~Plan C~~ didn't make it past the idea stage

Plan D

Hopefully I'll manage to get something worthwhile made before I run out of letters!

In the bleak Midwinter

2011-12-12T22:47:00.000Z

This is a 7x5 canvas, acrylic background with the tree added in poster paint and stamped lettering.

The original design (without the lettering) was going to be a swap, but as it only took about 1 hour (mostly watching the paint dry) it felt a bit too easy. I like it but it felt like I should put a bit more effort in for the swap. I was sitting listening to Classic FM, and considering whether to add the lettering and enter it for the latest Cubby Hole challenge, (A Christmas carol) when "In the bleak midwinter" came on.

Ok, I can take a hint. This is going to the Cubby Hole and I'll make something else for the swap.

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff

2011-12-11T21:37:00.001Z

If you thought I'd wandered off, never to be seen again; unlucky! I've just been busy and not had much internet time.

There has been creativity during the week; some good, some bad and some ugly...

First off, I can now show a couple of the Christmas cards that I made during AEDM for the workshop that we held yesterday at the Cubby Hole. That Woman showed us ideas for gift boxes, Carol showed us a handmade tree decoration, and I had 3 cards. It's always intriguing to see the variations that people come up with (the steampunk versions were very different).

Next up are a couple of gifts for friends. They're known as care boxes, and can be made from anything that you can wrap in a sheet of paper (one was throat lozenges, the other antacids).

That's the good stuff sorted. The bad was a couple of ideas which I've had and are great in my head, but just can't get them onto paper or canvas. not even a basic sketch. They've been filed for later in the month (or next year).

Now for the ugly. This is was a canvas for somebody. It started out light brown and green with some botanical stamping. Then it turned green, pink, gesso, back to green and is now in the condition you see before you. Mixed up in all that chameleon whirl is tissue, mesh (tulle) and gauze. It's now gone into the 'I'll come back to that later' pile, and I've started a fresh canvas for the swap.

Leisure

2011-12-02T11:22:00.000Z

This is another Christmas present, this time for one of the ladies at the meditation/Reiki group (I haven't decided which one yet, I may leave them unlabelled and see who gets what).

The poem is Leisure by WH Davies.

There should be another 3 canvases on similar themes over the next few days, watch this space.

It's also another entry for CED

The fairy image is from Stampotique / Jo Capper-Sandon,

Retro

2011-12-01T07:53:00.000Z

This isn't a new piece. It was created a while back for the last Cubby Hole challenge, so I've been keeping it on hold until it had gone on the Cubby Hole Blog.

AEDM may be finished, but I've signed up to CED and I'm hoping to keep going with something most days. Last night was some basic prep work on canvas and tags, so nothing to show at the moment. Providing my current flare-up goes away I'll get something finished tonight.

AEDM D30 - The End

2011-11-30T08:45:00.000Z

Well, it’s the last day of AEDM, and it’s a weird feeling. It’s been a fantastic month of creativity, sometimes easy, sometimes frantic, but always fun. I’ve painted, sketched, recycled and even written.

Along the way I’ve been inspired by some amazing artwork, laughed at hilarious posts and even gone “awwwww” a couple of times.

I’ve had comments and compliments from people whose work is truly wonderful, and who’ve challenged me to match it, and my side bar is now packed with some wonderful blogs; if you thought you could escape, unlucky – I know where you blog!

It’s going to be strange not blogging every day, but I’ll be signing up for CED to keep me on my toes.

Finally, before I say farewell and wander off into the quiet little corner again, I have an offer to those who have inspired me, and kept me going. Anybody who would like a 4x4 mini canvas/canvas-board, can email me (Freebird at f2s.com) and I’ll send you one. The three I’ve posted here are available (first come first served) or let me have a theme/colour and I’ll see what I can do.

Look after yourselves, and I’ll see some of you at CED or in your comments box.

AEDM D29

2011-11-29T08:34:00.001Z

I bet you didn't expect it to turn out like this did you? Well, neither did I.

I was aiming for something bright & bold tied in to threads and history, and instead finished up with something industrial. Maybe I should have listened to Mozart, not Motorhead :)

It looked ok last night, but in the cold light of day I think it's heading for recycling and a layer of gesso.

One more day to go, and then I'll have to find something else to do each day - maybe I'll make a start on the Midwinter/Christmas stuff.

AEDM D28

2011-11-28T08:59:00.000Z

No idea where I'm going with this, probably something to do with history but who knows. It was a spur of the moment thing. Let's see what tonight brings to it.....

AEDM D27

2011-11-27T18:32:00.000Z

Following on from Day 19's clown piece and request for chicken quotes, we have another small canvas; this one for the lady who keeps chickens.

It's more colourful in reality, but it's too late to get a photo in natural light, and the flash washes it out a bit.

One more to go; "This little piggy" :)

AEDM D26

2011-11-26T14:46:00.000Z

Following on from yesterday's words, here's the journal page. I'll add the words later, handwriting is a slow process for me.

AEDM D25

2011-11-25T21:26:00.004Z

Late to the party again...

There has been creating, but nothing to post (workshop demo piece which is staying under wraps) and bits of prep. So instead I'm going to do the writing thing again (it seems that people actually like it!).

This may be a journal page by the end of tomorrow - watch this space.

Dawn

It was still dark outside, but some of the birds were already awake. I staggered downstairs to make a brew, and stood by the open door, listening to the dawn chorus.

No man made noise, nothing but the sound of the birds preparing to welcome the coming day.

I went and sat with the patio doors open; tea in hand and the dog by my side, listening to the change in the chorus as the sky brightened beyond the trees.

At first all I could hear were thrushes and blackbirds, each trying to outdo the others, but as the light increased so did the volume, as one by one other voices were added to the line up.

First the robin, punctuating the vocal duel with his call from the depths of the shrubs.

Then the doves and pigeons adding their bass line from the fence.

Still the thrushes could be heard from the tops of the birches, but now new voices were added, as the rooks and the crows roused from their slumbers in the old oaks.

Finally the first rays of the sun shone out, and with them came a crescendo of noise, as the less talented singers joined in, the sparrows chirping from the gutters, starlings bickering on the TV aerials and the magpies squawking on the lawn.

I sat at peace with the world, enjoying a symphony of celebration for the coming day, knowing that nothing man-made could ever match mother nature’s own sound and light show.

AEDM D24

2011-11-24T08:33:00.000Z

Why?
Why Now?
Why not later?
It's too early, too soon.

The light dims, then flares,
One moment flaring brightly, vibrant, strong,
The next subdued, cool, quiet.

For a moment there's years of life; remembered, to be lived,
The next; 10 minutes, looping, repeated.

The energy returns - sparks fly, struck from each other,
Then the frustration, the tears; the fear.
But all too soon it fades,
Leaving only the looping conversations.

And again I ask,
Why?
Why now?

AEDM D23

2011-11-23T18:34:00.002Z

Didn't think I was going to have time to do anything today, but managed a quick sketch before I head back out for meditation (it's not cancelled this week - yet).
I've even added colour!

AEDM D22

2011-11-22T22:06:00.000Z

Nothing has been created today, but something has been assembled.
I spent last night looking after somebody who is ill, so only had a couple of hours sleep. As a result, today has been tired (and covered in dog-hair) so creativity wasn't going to be much. However...
Earlier this year we had a workshop at the Cubby Hole with Sarah Anderson where we made a field journal from old book covers, cardboard, string, napkins and other scraps. It became another of my UFOs; so today I dug it out, finished off the cover and another page and tied it all together.

And now, I'm off to sleep, perchance to dream...

AEDM D21

2011-11-21T18:22:00.000Z

And now for something completely different.

There has been a little bit of art today but it's just prep stuff, inspired by one of my very infrequent poems which I was reminded of in a recent email conversation. It was written a while back, but will hopefully take on a visual form soon.

Storm Front

“There’s none so blind” the saying goes,
They’re too concerned with all their woes,
A storm is coming, the sky’s turning black,
“How will I get home, how will I get back?”
They’re too wrapped up, they cannot see,
The beauty that’s in front of me.

As I watch through the window,
From my desk way up high,
I see the clouds gather and darken the sky,
Away to the south, hidden from view,
Where skies are still clear, the Sun shines through,
Bathing the land in it’s clear golden light,
Opposing the clouds, as black as the night,
Glistening and glinting, off rain filled pools,
How can they not see it, these poor worried fools?

Away to the north, shimmering bright,
A large flock of gulls revel in flight,
Wheeling and turning, as though they were one,
Fading then shining, caught by the sun,
From behind the trees a vision emerges,
Down where the wandering stream converges,
Dazzling white against the black sky,
A beautiful swan starting to fly,
On powerful wings, with poise and with grace,
Why can’t they see what’s in front of their face?

And framing this vision, this visual feast,
A glorious arc from the west to the east,
From red through to violet, the colours so clear,
Cast onto the clouds as they slowly draw near,
This beautiful vision, a sight to behold,
One to remember, even when I grow old.

I grab someone’s arm, “Tell me, what do you see?”
A cursory glance, “looks like rain” says he,
Then back to his work, his screen and his phone,
In this room full of people, am I alone?
I look at the faces, don’t they care, don’t they see?
The beauty of nature, is it just me?

The vision is gone now, washed away by the rain,
But here in my mind it will always remain.

AEDM D20

2011-11-20T18:52:00.000Z

There has been crafting today, including making Christmas cards whilst listening to Christmas songs. (Those who think the world is about end can relax - it was a one-off to raise somebody's spirits, normal humbug level has been restored).

Aside from that, the outside of the book has been finished (I think). The cover now includes an image of Skaði, some winter ivy, and more ice. I'm not 100% sure about the focal piece - I may try and break up the straight edges a little.

The inside is still blank, as I'm still looking for the right idea, but it will hopefully be done before the end of AEDM.

The image of Skaði is courtesy of Google. I had a better image, but it was copyright and I couldn't contact the original artist. This one appears to be PD as it crops up left, right and centre when Googling and there's no clue who first created it. It's a shame there's no originator info, as it's a fantastic image.

AEDM D19

2011-11-19T22:25:00.000Z

Late to the party again....

But at least it's a finished piece for a change.

This is for a friend at work. We're only a small team, and at Christmas there is a tendency for hand-made goodies. Last year was personalised recipe books, this year it's small art works.

The lady this is going to loves clowns, so this was a chance to illustrate one of my favourite opera pieces - "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci.

Next I need to come up with something for the lady who keeps chickens. Anybody know any chicken quotes/sayings? Preferably light hearted.

AEDM D18

2011-11-18T19:59:00.000Z

Another small offering today as time is limited.

There was some work on the book last night, but it didn't work out (don't worry, the book is unharmed).

This was another quick pencil sketch, but with the added bonus of added colour. I've called it "Northern Skies" as it was inspired by the track below - another section of my musical education, courtesy of the little one. In return she was subjected to Hazel O'Connor "Will you?"

AEDM D17

2011-11-17T08:52:00.000Z

Unfortunately last night's meditation was cancelled as everybody else couldn't make it. Good job I didn't rush then ;)

So instead there was more creativity, and extra work on the book.

The tissue at the top was given several coats of clear UTEE to build up a nice thick layer, and then the heat gun turned up full blast so that it melted and ran.
Top Tip: keep your fingers out of the way, because when it drips it's not only hot, it sticks! A bit like cheese does when it's toasted.

Once the top was finished, the bottom received a few layers of embossing - Winter Wonderland and Kaleidoscope, and then a dusting of Kaleidoscope to give some sparkle to the rest of the cover.

Now that I've done all that, I'll cut a hole in it. Hmmmm.... Planning?

AEDM D16

2011-11-16T09:41:00.000Z

Today is going to be a wee bit busy. Customer meetings all day, and then rushing off to the Wednesday meditation evening, and it's my turn to be the taxi.

So I've started the day with a quick 10 minute art break.

The fairy image is from Stampotique / Jo Capper-Sandon, with a quick bit of sketching thrown in.

Depending how the meetings go I may add more to it, or just leave it nice and simple.

AEDM D15

2011-11-15T22:27:00.003Z

The book continues.

For those who can see a face, sorry to disappoint you but it's just a trick of the light (even if I can see it too).

Today I've added some extra 'texture' to it at top & bottom. It's a favourite medium of mine - tissue or kitchen roll, dipped in diluted PVA and slapped on the page. You can mix paint into it of you want, but I haven't bothered as it will be painted over, embossed, and more. It's messy, but fun :)

Busy day tomorrow, so it's got plenty of time to dry.

I expect tomorrow will be a ten minute art break.

AEDM D14

2011-11-14T20:37:00.002Z

Well, it's nothing much to see, and not exactly a brilliant photo either, but the book is coming on. I've added another couple of paint layers, and started to bring in some texture.

I'm hoping to have this finished in a few days, so it will probably be New Year in reality ;)

AEDM D13

2011-11-13T20:51:00.006Z

Nearly at the halfway stage and still going strong, although Blogger is trying its best to make it awkward.

3 things to show for AEDM today.

First up is a project for a friend. The lady in the photo is her grandmother, and she wanted the picture mounting in a frame. She didn't mention that the frame was round!
Fortunately BoBunny have a couple of round 12x12 sheets, including the clock-face featured here. there's also a little bit of burgundy paper & ink to lift it slightly.

Next up is the canvas from Day 7, now with some detail on the figure. I'm quite happy with the way it has come out, apart from the face (what a surprise). One more step and it will hopefully be complete.

The last item is the painting from from Day 6 & 8. I've given it another green wash around the stones to try and tone down the blue, but I think I should have diluted the ink more, it's gone too dark, and a lot of the detail has been lost. I'll probably have a play and see what I can do with it, but I have a feeling it may end up being recycled into another piece of art. Oh well, live and learn :)

AEDM D12

2011-11-12T20:52:00.003Z

Hmmmm.....

I had hoped to get plenty of art done today, but it wasn't to be. We had a Play Day at the Cubby Hole, but for me it was more of a Play afternoon, and a fairly short one at that.

On the plus side, I have managed to make a birthday card for my youngest's girlfriend who, like me is a Coheed & Cambria fan. Whilst mooching around the shop I found the dragonfly stamp* and the pewter charm, both of which fit in with C&C's imagery.

I've also covered an old book with a layer of paint, and start hacking my way through the inside to make a niche.

Hope you're all having a good weekend.

*Stampendous CRP119

We will remember them

2011-11-10T22:48:00.002Z

AEDM D10

2011-11-10T22:39:00.002Z

Another flying visit to post another quick sketch. There is another piece that I created today, but that will be posted in the morning (for reasons that will become apparent then).

Last night was a wonderful evening, spent with two special friends, full of laughter, but tinged with sadness. In a few days time one of them will be moving to the south coast, and she will be missed by many. For the last two years she has hosted our mediation evenings, and guided us on our exploration of the healing art of Reiki.
This piece is in response to last night, and the last two years.

AEDM D9

2011-11-09T17:23:00.002Z

Another 10 minute art break.

Inspired by a magpie this morning.

I'm now off home to get changed before heading out for a meditation session.

I'll stop by later and see what else is being created - if I haven't fallen asleep ;)

AEDM D8

2011-11-08T22:22:00.002Z

Another day of running around like a loon. Dinner was at 8.30 - a bag of chips!

The good news is, I still managed to get something arty done.

The Calanais stone has had it's first ink wash, followed by a whitewash for the sky.

Still a way to go before I'm really happy with it, and maybe next time the pics will be in focus!

AEDM D7

2011-11-07T22:37:00.002Z

Phew, managed to scrape in before today becomes tomorrow.

Another hectic day today, and not much sleep last night, so the intended artwork didn't happen - that can wait until I have a day where I can concentrate.

Instead I went back to one of the canvases from day 5. I've added the background of the focus of the idea and the red has been toned down, and the edges darkened even more.

Right. I'm off to see what wonderful works are out there.

AEDM D6

2011-11-06T19:09:00.003Z

Well, today has been more productive :)

I've been making Midwinter/Christmas cards ready for a workshop at the Cubby Hole. unfortunately as they are demo pieces, and some of those attending have been known to read my blog I can't show them yet.

So, rather than have a blank post, I'll add yet another 'Work in Progress'.
This is a tone painting based on now of my photo's from a trip to Calanais stone circle in the Hebrides. It's a technique I learnt at the Cubby Hole, and it's a great way for non painters like me to get the bare-bones of a picture laid down. It's produced with 3 acrylics (yellow, blue & umber) with one or two spots of white highlights.
The next stage will be an ink wash, but as I only have black left it will need to wait until I restock.

AEDM D5

2011-11-05T22:31:00.003Z

The Plan

Nip in to town for a quick bit of shopping, call at Cubby Hole to see if there are any web updates required (and check for new goodies), then return home and have a crafty day.

The Reality

Leave at 10am, return at 5.30pm.

There has been some creativity, but it's mostly ideas for workshops/events at the Cubby Hole.
Also prepared 2 canvases (which I do have plans for). I used to struggle with picking colours for backgrounds, so now I dump the tubes in a pile, close my eyes and pick 2 or 3 at random. It's worked so far :)

AEDM D4

2011-11-03T23:23:00.006Z

And here we are, another day, another AEDM post - only 26 more to go!

These are works in progress - in other words something thrown together quickly for day 4 :)

4x4 canvas boards with a layer of acrylic, and then stamped tissue paper applied on top.

I have no idea where I'm going with these (yet).

Watch this space!

AEDM D3

2011-11-03T17:25:00.002Z

It's a frantic day today, but have managed to find 10 minutes for a quick pencil sketch in my mini-journal :)

Hope you're all enjoying AEDM.

AEDM D2

2011-11-01T22:29:00.006Z

This is the other side of the page featured in yesterday's post.

As I don't draw or paint a great deal I'm reasonably happy with how it worked out, although it's fair to say that I'm as bad at drawing faces as I am at turnips!

AEDM D1

2011-11-01T14:10:00.007Z

or Art Every Day Month - Day 1

I saw a link to this over on Sarah Anderson's page, and in a moment of madness decided to join in. I have plenty of ideas, just not sure how many will materialise.

This is the Hallowe'en page for a "Wheel of the Year" CJ with the Altered Gypsies. The Samhain page should be done by tomorrow.

ETA: Images are Octopode Factory

Cubby Hole DT pieces

2011-11-01T11:44:00.001Z

3 pieces that I couldn't post until now.

Just follow the link to here

Blessed Samhain / Happy Hallowe'en

2011-10-31T10:21:00.002Z

In case you hadn't noticed - I'm not very good at swedes/neeps/turnips/rutabaga*

*Delete as applicable.

It's a Steampunk-Hallow'en-Christmas-sort-of-thingie

2011-10-29T22:00:00.004+01:00

The results of today's workshop at the Cubby Hole, with the talented Christine Costello.

The workshop title was 'A Steampunk Christmas Canvas', but somewhere along the way the airships and hot air balloons seem to have transformed into crows and ravens.

That's one of the joys of Cubby Hole workshops, everybody puts their own stamp onto things, so instead of half-a-dozen identical pieces there's a wide range of results, from delicate mermaids, through shabby-chic, to downright grungy!

Happy Hallowe'en!

How childish!

2011-10-28T12:03:00.003+01:00

Yes, I'm still around - just not getting much time to create, and the pieces I have done can't be blogged yet as they are DT pieces for the Cubby Hole.

I came across this verse on t'internet and decided it would make a good journal page. It speaks to me of somebody remembering their childhood, so after laying down the background colours, I grabbed my brush and let my inner child out (not difficult, people keep telling me to grow up!)

I hope you are all well, and I'll hopefully be around soon to see what you've been doing on your blogs.

Jerusalem

2011-10-09T22:51:00.001+01:00

My entry for the last Cubby Hole challenge which was "Green & Pleasant Land" - a reference to Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time". It is more commonly known as "Jerusalem", which is the version that was put to music by Parry.

Although officially "God save the Queen" is the anthem of the UK and it's constituent countries; Jerusalem is considered by many to be the unofficial national anthem of England. When sporting events feature the seperate countries, Wales has "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", Scotland has "Flower of Scotland", but we still get stuck with "God save the Queen", which is hardly inspiring. Oh well, maybe one day.

This was done with multi-layered image transfers onto canvas. The words and background colour are a copy of the preface to "Milton", a work by Blake where the words first appear, and were applied using gesso transfer. The Dark Satanic Mill was then applied over the top using PVA transfer.

Autumn splendour

2011-10-04T22:26:00.008+01:00

Two weeks ago we had an altered book workshop at The Cubby Hole with the talented Christine Costello, her first ever workshop. The workshop was excellent, and full of the usual characters - although we were on our best behaviour as it was her first workshop. The resulting creations were a wonderful mix, and this is my take on the theme. It's taken two weeks to make it onto here as I kept adding bits to it. (There's several pics as I couldn't decide on a favourite).

The book is (was) "Eighteenth Century Europe", a somewhat dog-eared text book from an era gone by. The first step was to cut out a niche and then glue the pages together. There is also a slot for a drawer, but I decided to abandon that idea. Once all the cutting was complete the pages were glued together and a hole cut in the front cover.
Next a piece of 12x12 was covered in Dreamweaver embossing paste, various embossing powders and inks. Once dry, this was torn up and used to cover the outside, before adding more texture and layers. Remaining pieces were cuttlebugged to make leaves.

The inside was coloured with distress inks and metallics, and the edges painted with gold lustre. Since getting it home I've added the front cover image (Oak, Ash & Thorn from Third Coast RS) and clear embossed it, adding fibre and more texture as well; and also filled the niche with straw and autumn goodies. The Poem is "To Autumn" by Keats.

Why not?

2011-10-01T17:21:00.002+01:00

My mojo seems to be making a slow comeback, although I seem to be short of crafty time and 'net access at the moment. To those who I owe comments, emails, etc. I'll answer sooner or later :)

This is a quick page that took about 3 days to complete, doing a little at a time.

Inspired by a couple of people I know who are glass-half-empty types. When the boss announces that we're going to the pub for lunch, they ask "Why?" instead of grabbing their coats and heading for the door.

Excalibur?

2011-09-18T22:02:00.003+01:00

I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail recently (again) and this is one of several lines that I thought might make a journal page.

I'm not sure that I'm entirely happy with it, but as a piece of silliness to pass a little time it's not come out to badly.

For those who don't know the film, here's the clip referred to...

The mouse's tail

2011-09-11T20:25:00.002+01:00

My entry for the latest Altered Alice challenge where the theme is text as background. It would have been my entry for the TOFF 'stripes' challenge, but I couldn't get it posted in time.

The inspiration is from The Mouse's Tale in Alice in Wonderland. The background text is nonsensical Latin from a Lorem Ipsum generator, but threaded through it is the mouse's tale.

Tomato inequality

2011-09-04T12:27:00.002+01:00

Whilst it may be written in to the US constitution that "All men are created equal", it seems that the humble tomato doesn't have the same privilege!

This idea started back in June, when I was at Sarah's Altered box workshop. I was covering my box with scraps of paper from an old Italian road map, and pages from a 'Make your own pizza' book, when I spotted the quote "all canned tomatoes are not created equal".

Now, you just have to keep hold of a quote like that, so it's been on my pinboard ever since, and was joined by a page from "The bowler hatted cowboy" that somebody dug up at another workshop, which also features several references to tomatoes.

You may never look at tomatoes in the same way again ;)

Mojo Rising

2011-08-31T22:53:00.004+01:00

Nothing to do with the words from Jim Morrison's 'L.A. Woman', but simply the fact that I've managed to make something - two somethings in fact.
Before you know it I'll be in full flow and posting every day (don't hold your breath waiting).

First up is an RSVP card. I was asked to make this by a friend at work who has been invited to a wedding. She wanted something 'pink & flouncy' so I hope this fits the bill. If not it may be appearing as a Valentine card in a few months time, and I'll try and come up with something else.

The second one is a journal page. There's currently a round robin going on at the Altered Gypsies, with the theme of 'The Wheel of the Year'. Instead of posting whole books across the pond, we're just sending the pages and then assembling the book when we reach the end. This is my first Lammas page (which should have been done for August 1st). I need to finish the other Lammas page and then they can go in the post, probably at the same time as the Equinox pages at the rate things are going.

ooops.....

2011-08-30T13:25:00.002+01:00

I've just had a cull of my blog list, and taken out all the ones which haven't been updated for months.

Rather than picking them out one by one, I decided to do a mass delete and then add things back in. Which was a brilliant strategy in theory....

Unfortunately, it means I've lost all those who use Wordpress and some of the Blogger ones, so now have less than intended. I've added some back in manually, but if your blog has disappeared off the side bar, it's nothing personal - just throw something at me to get my attention and I'll add you back in.

.... and one for Joanna

2011-08-26T23:08:00.008+01:00

Before I get into the main post, apologies to those whose blogs I've neglected, and who I owe an email or post, Life™ has been a bit hectic. I've been away at another camp which was a real bonus, very chilled and recharged as a result, plus there's been lots of family stuff going on. Hopefully life™ will shortly return to normal and I'll get back to some regular crafting/blogging (famous last words).

Anyway, back to the real reason for this post.

Following my last post, I received a comment from Joanna/Asia asking if she could have a page as well, so in a moment of madness I asked her what she'd like and the reply was:

"long legged birds and moths"

Nothing difficult then!

After racking my brains, I was looking at the long legged birds from the Octopode Factory, and thought "they look a bit moth eaten". Ta-da - I have an idea, so I present to you "Moth Eaten" - especially for Joanna.

Now, anybody else got any weird ideas, or can I get back to my normal* crafting?

Also, when I was creating this page, I had a visit from this wonderful creature, and yes it really was 5cm across (2" in old money).

*Normal is a relative term :)

One for Tracy...

2011-08-11T21:51:00.002+01:00

.....because apparently she likes to see what random quotes I come up with.

This was made last weekend and this is the first real chance to post it up.

Now to go and finish some birthday cards for the weekend.

I'm back

2011-08-07T14:05:00.007+01:00

For those who were wondering if I'd finally disappeared into the land of blog limbo, I have bad news - you don't get rid of me that easily!
For those who I owe an email or goodies, I haven't forgotten and they'll turn up eventually.

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, but I have been able to create - I just couldn't blog anything as you'll see further on. There's still some hospital trips, shopping and so on, but things are settling down now.

Last weekend I was away to Exmoor for a gathering, and it was good to chill out with friends, and recharge my batteries ready for this week's mayhem and late nights getting ready for Friday night, which saw the preview of the Great Cubby Hole Exhibition entitled "Celebrating the Diversity", featuring works from some very talented people who are part of the community at the Cubby Hole.

The exhibits were fantastic, and covered a huge range of styles including painting, assemblage, rugwork, stitching and much more.

I entered 6 pieces, 3 of which were new and 3 which I've blogged previously. The centre piece of the exhibition was a collaborative work entitled Summer, which we somehow managed to arrange in a cohesive manner that looked brilliant. I also produced a set of 4x4 canvases for sale, with proceeds going to MacMillan.

The preview went well, with many people coming to view works, and many of the exhibitors turning up in fancy dress (scroll down to the bottom if you want a laugh). Some pieces were sold on the night including two of mine (Bird on a wire and 4 seasons). Four of the mini-canvases went too, and the others are still available.

I've not included anybody else's work, as it will be appearing on the Cubby Hole Blog soon, but you may want to keep an eye on the blogs of Sue Roddis, Suzi B, Papillon and That Woman for more about the night.

Pics are (from top to bottom):

4 seasons in 1 day

Bird on a wire, Head & Heart

Flying High, Tango

Scavengers of the council tip

Mini canvases

Collaborative centre-piece

Yours truly and Cubby Hole Carol

I wanna tell you story...

2011-07-15T22:08:00.002+01:00

Don't worry, I've not been taken over by Max Bygraves, it's the latest theme over at the Toff Challenge, run by the talented Lily Chilvers of Octopode Factory fame.

This was inspired by a comment from a friend on my Twitter feed, that she was watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers".

Things are slowly getting back to normal here, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to blog hopping shortly and responding to your emails & comments.

In other news, I've have been creating over the last couple of weeks, but I can't show you anything yet as it's my exhibits for the Great Cubby Hole Exhibition at the start of August.

Have a good weekend :)

Odds and sods

2011-07-03T18:18:00.005+01:00

First off, an apology to everybody who's blog I haven't visited, and who I owe an email to. I will get round to you sooner or later, but things aren't too great at the moment.
I went on holiday last Sunday, and on Monday put my back out, so I'm hobbling about like an old man (don't even think about saying it!). Since then we have a family issue that involves hospital visits and so on, but life goes on.

Next up - we have a winner. Remember this post? Well, the winner is Cuddly Bunny, who gets the mystery contents of the box (and they're staying secret until they've been delivered). Now, as I'm a generous all-round good egg, I've decided that I'll send a mini goodie bag to all those who commented, so if you're name is on the list drop me a quick email with your address.

I've been doing a little bit of creative stuff, but it's either not quite finished, or it's for the upcoming exhibition at the Cubby Hole in August. However, yesterday was a playday at the CH and there was a mini workshop on image transfer run by yours truly. Unfortunately I forgot to take photo's of people's work, but I do have a pic of my demo piece that was created on the day.

I think that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have more to post soon, and keep an eye on the CCTV blog for details of the Cubby Hole exhibition.

Read 'em and weep

2011-06-25T23:41:00.003+01:00

There's a little bit of history to this one.

I was married for over 20 years, but sadly once we'd left army life, and the kids had left home, we grew apart. Eventually, in 2006 we called it a day and went our separate ways.

This song seemed to be forever on the radio, or TV, or jukebox. It's been covered by several people, but none of them are a patch on the original.

It's a giveaway :)

2011-06-20T21:52:00.007+01:00

This is post number 200, so there's goodies on offer :)

Three weeks ago we had a workshop at the Cubby Hole with Sarah Anderson, where we produced a goodie box from an old, cheap and tatty cardboard box. According to Sarah mine is "so Pirates of the Caribbean / Dead Man's Chest", personally I think it's more "Scavengers of the council tip".

Anyway, the good news for you lovely people is that it now has various goodies in it, and one of you will be receiving them.
You can't have the box though because
a) I like it, and
b) Customs are liable to confiscate it as a hazardous item!

Just leave me a comment and I'll add your name to the list (if you're a follower you get listed twice).

I'll draw the winning name on July 1st, when I get back from leave.

Good luck

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!

2011-06-18T21:15:00.005+01:00

One of the current trends over here and on the net is a WW2 poster that has recently come to light and been used for everything from aprons to mouse-mats.

The posters message is very simple "Keep calm and carry on". Details of the original are to be found here.

Inspired by Glenda the Good Witch from the Octopode Factory, I've created my own variation on it.

For those who aren't over here, the title comes from Dad's Army, an old comedy series about the Home Guard.

Twinkle Twinkle Bat

2011-06-11T23:28:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was Mad Hatter Day here in UK, and the Mad Hatter's tea party is the theme for the latest challenge over at Altered Alice.

This is my entry and it's the Mad Hatter reciting his favourite poem;

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

Up above the world you fly,

Like a tea tray in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

Unfortunately we never learn the rest of the words as he is interrupted by the dormouse.

The sky has a starry look, created by using salt (one of the techniques on offer at Marit's Summer camp). Unfortunately it doesn't show too well in the pic.

The DT over at Alice have all brought goodies for the party, but let's face it - it can't really be a tea party without.....

Tea Loaf!

Help yourself to nice thick slice, liberally spread with butter :)

Karen's Fairy Friday Charity Auction

2011-06-10T08:32:00.001+01:00

Please go and take a look here, then here.

Thank you

Conspiracy theory?

2011-06-05T21:21:00.003+01:00

Just a little bit of (digital) silliness using some images from Marit's Summer Camp.

I do have something else to show, but I'm saving that for a special post coming shortly....

So, keep watching this space.

White Space?

2011-06-04T20:29:00.002+01:00

Last month's challenge at the Cubby Hole was "Homage to White Space" and after a little bit of thought (very little really) this was my take on it. I think it took about 15 minutes, and most of that was trying to find where I'd put the frame!

Most of the others haven't been blogged yet, but I would recommend that you take a wander over to Papillon for a fantastic take on the theme.

Taking part

2011-06-02T22:44:00.004+01:00

This is an A5 size page for a Circle Journal (one of three). In order to get myself crafting more, and spending less time faffing about I've committed myself to a couple of projects.

The first is to take part in a Circle Journal based on the "Wheel of the Year" with some friends in the US. Rather than posting big bulky books around, we'll make 3 pages for each of the festivals and send those to each other instead. We'll be starting with the upcoming Solstice, and this is the first page. There's another to follow. The photo was taken on the Solstice last year at Llanuwchlynn. The words are my own, and are below (easier to read).

The second step towards more creativity is to join in an online workshop - Marit's Creative Summer Camp. We started yesterday and this is my first piece inspired by one of the prompts.

Dawn Chorus
No man made noise, just the sound of the birds preparing to welcome the coming day.
I watched the Eastern sky grow in colour, while listening to the change in the chorus as the sky brightened. At first all I could hear were thrushes and blackbirds, each trying to outdo the others, but as the light increased so did the volume, as one by one other voices were added to the line up. First the robin, punctuating the vocal duel with his call from the depths of the shrubs. Then the doves and pigeons adding their bass line from the fence. Still the thrushes could be heard from the tops of the birches, but now new voices were added, as the rooks and the crows roused from their slumbers in the old oaks.
Finally the first rays of the sun shone out, and with them came a crescendo of noise, as the less talented singers joined in; the sparrows chirping, starlings bickering and the magpies squawking.
I sat at peace with the world, enjoying a symphony of celebration at the dawn of the longest day, knowing that nothing man-made could ever match Mother Nature’s own sound and light show.

Let the dance begin

2011-05-31T21:49:00.005+01:00

The next challenge has been announced at the Cubby Hole. The theme for June is "Let the dance begin", and I have given the honour of creating the inspiration piece.

This has been inspired by Yo-Yo Ma's version of "Libertango", and the fact that I find the Tango probably the most amazing dance form to watch. Libertango has been one of the ideas floating around in my inspiration book for quite a while, just looking for an idea to take shape.

The canvas is 8x8 and was layered with gesso and then a couple of layers of deep red acrylic.
The main image has been applied using gesso transfer (see below). Many thanks to Sue Allan for instructions.
Once the process was complete, the background was shaded with distress inks, poster image applied, and lettering added using stained grungepaper.

The challenge is open to all, not just Cubby Hole regulars and the creations will be displayed on the Cubby Hole blog at the start of July.

*Gesso transfer.
This is an easy technique, but needs a bit of trial and error.
Find an image from a magazine, or print out using laser printer (ink jet print isn't waterproof). The image will be reversed when applied.
Apply a layer of gesso to canvas, card or fabric. Experiment to find how thick you need the gesso.
Apply the image face-down in the gesso and ensure it is in contact all over, removing air-pockets. Allow to dry completely.
When dry, rub the paper with fingertips soaked in water. Remove some of the paper without rubbing through the image, or getting the work too wet. Allow to dry.
When dry again, work over the surface with a reasonably stiff paintbrush to remove more of the paper. Allow to dry. Repeat until satisfied with results.

Tempus Fugit

2011-05-21T22:10:00.002+01:00

The theme at this month's Altered Alice challenge is Time.

I spent ages trying to find a suitable quote about time, or come up with an idea, when I remembered a quote from a while back:

"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana"

So here it in full, glorious technicolour :)

Oh, and for those who, like the Cubby Hole crew today, think I made it up, you might want to take a look here.

Testing..1..2..3..

2011-05-19T20:54:00.002+01:00

Bought a new stamp at the weekend, so just giving it a trial run.

Nothing much to see here folks, move along please.

Images are Crafty Individuals - CI287

Mann E. Quin

2011-05-14T21:33:00.007+01:00

Today saw the unveiling of the creations for the last Cubby Hole challenge - 'Mannequin'

There are some truly amazing creations which will be coming to the Cubby Hole blog in the next few days, keep an eye out for the iron, complete with '3 pin plug'.

This is my entry, and as usual it's come from somewhere totally unexpected. The quote is fairly well known and is usually attributed to Mark Twain, but I have no idea what brought it together with Chairman Mao's 'Little red book'.

My mind is a scary place at times!

The next Cubby Hole challenge has been issued, and is 'Homage to White Space'. If you want to join in, details are here.

Standing still

2011-05-08T21:49:00.004+01:00

or should that be still standing?

I'm back (did you even notice I'd gone?)

Well, since my last post I've been to Scotland and Scarborough, and done some reorganising of crafty stuff (I'm sure it multiplies when you're not looking) with the aid of a new shelf unit. I've also done a little bit of creating (not much); a couple of basic cards, played with a canvas and then gessoed over it, and then there's this, which is my homework that's due tomorrow.

Once a month at the Cubby Hole there is an art class. We're mostly all self-taught, so it's handy to pick up some of the basics we've missed. Everybody is working at their own speed, and aiming at individual goals. We started with an ideas sheet on landscape, and then narrowed it down to a specific idea. Mine is standing stones (now there's a surprise).

The last couple of sessions have dealt with texture, and my task was to produce a textured stone. The background is acrylic on canvas and is there purely to carry the focal stone.
The focal stone is gesso on paper. The gesso has been layered to build up the texture. The circular texture at the top is produced by stippling the gesso to produce air bubbles which then collapse. The dark brown slash was produced by building up a line of gesso, several times over. The granular effect below the line is salt sprinkled into the drying gesso. Once dry it has been coloured with basic watercolours, and then smudged with a charcoaled finger to highlight the texture.

Once it's been shown off tomorrow it will be on the way to a friend as a house-warming gift.

Hopefully I'll get round to visiting everybody's blogs soon.

Scarborough Fayre

2011-04-25T18:44:00.003+01:00

I've had this stuck in my head for a few days now, so I decided it was time to get it onto paper, and what better than my new journal that I picked up at a bargain price while I was in Edinburgh. Ok, it was a friend who's stall I bought it from so there may have been some favouritism, but who's complaining?

The pages in it are wonderful paper, although slightly thin for painting, so I added a sheet of music first, before layering with gesso and juniper acrylic. The herbs are drawn in pencil, and lettering with fineliner.

Scarborough Fayre is a traditional song that appears to have been sung as far back as the 17th century. Most people know the Simon & Garfunkel version, but I prefer this one by the Mediæval Bæbes.

Abandon hope

2011-04-23T21:49:00.004+01:00

or at least get ready to say "see you later".

Playday today at the Cubby Hole, but only a few of us there as there was a second hand book/card/ephemera sale. I picked up a couple of old school books which are falling apart, small pocket sized books from 1850 & 1875 on correct English and arithmetic. Also 1960 working instructions for electrified railway lines. Last but not least, a 1957 vocal score for Handel's "Messiah". One page of that has already been put to good use.

The first bit of art was my entry for the current Cubby Hole challenge - "Mannequin". It's a secret for now, but inspiration came from Mark Twain and chairman Mao :) If you want to join in the challenge please feel free.

There was a bit of faffing about with a couple of journal pages, including one in my new journal, and I finally finished these pages shown here.

I won't say it's taken a while, but I started this on the first Art Journal workshop with Sarah in March 2010. Yes, 2010 - it's taken a year!

Tearing a page in half and colouring it was done on the workshop. As time has passed I've slowly added bits and pieces; webs, skulls, wording etc.

Last week, Carol had some new goodies in the shop, brass charms including these wonderful skull & crossbones which were just what I needed to get it finished. The doors are made from wood veneer which is normally found adorning the interior of a Bentley :)

Ok, you can go and find hope again now, but remember; Don't speak ill of the dead!

PS - Thank you - Updated

2011-04-18T20:53:00.006+01:00

The PS in this instance being Patty Szymkowicz - the talented lady who produces the Magpie's Nest blog, full of wonderful art, amazing photography and inspiring words.

Following an email exchange about canvases, we decided to swap art. I sent her a 4x4 canvas and received this beautiful 4x5 canvas in exchange. The colours and imagery are beautiful, it has wonderful texture and there's an amazingly solid feel to it, as if it is wood. It's stunning.

Aside from the canvas there was a bag of goodies, - papers, stickers, stamps and various other ephemera, including a large paperclip with a blackbird on the top. I love blackbirds :)

In a wonderful piece of synchronicity we both received them today, and her thank you emailed arrived just as I was starting to write this!

Thank you Patty :)

Update: - the goodies I sent to Patty are here

Wonderfully talented people :)

2011-04-13T08:58:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post.

You will have heard me mention the Cubby Hole from time to time, and now you can have a look and see what just what a talented (and lovely) bunch of people they are.

This is the response to the Secret Garden challenge.

Please go and take a look at the blog and leave them some feedback :)

A whisper of moths

2011-04-10T21:21:00.005+01:00

I've been busy this weekend, but can't post what I created as they are for swaps, or DT pieces. This evening I picked up my little notebook where I jot down ideas; lyrics, quotes, etc, and decided to go with "moths aren't boring".

The entry was inspired by a conversation about rubber stamps a little while back. I commented that there's hundreds of butterfly stamps, but very few moth ones. The response was that moths are all boring and brown, and they're 'icky'. This is a quick bit of pencil art. The moths are based on a few minutes Googleing to find inspiration.

The two small photos were taken when a couple of moths decided to take a rest while I grabbed the camera.

There seems to be some debate over the correct collective noun for moths, but I like Whisper.

Beware the Jubjub bird

2011-04-07T22:59:00.004+01:00

and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!

Wise words indeed, from Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" which appeared in "Through the looking glass, and what Alice found there".

This is also my entry for the latest Altered Alice challenge, where the theme is Yellow & Blue. Blue was easy - Alice, but what to do for yellow? I had originally thought of sunflowers (no idea why) but decided to go for a bird instead. Unfortunately that limited things slightly; dodo, duck, eaglet and lory. Then somebody reminded me of the Jubjub bird and that was it :)

Backing papers by Crafty Individuals
Bird by Stampotique
Diamond flowers by Magenta

Do try this at home

2011-03-31T23:02:00.003+01:00

This post title courtesy of Joanna K - Thank you :)

This is a 4x4 canvas for another of the Altered Gypsies. These ones are now winging there way to the US, and tomorrow this one will be in the post to France. There are two left to complete, one of which will be heading to Italy, and the other will be heading all the way across town.

I'm also using this as my entry for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge.

Stamp is Moongirl by Stampotique.

Do you see a weed?

2011-03-29T22:43:00.004+01:00

or do you see a flower?

To me, Yellow is the true colour of spring. Brilliant splashes as Forsythia bushes explode into bloom, Daffodils bursting through the earth to toss their golden heads in the sun, and now these little beauties :)

As I drive home from work I have to negotiate a fairly large roundabout, and it's usually a start-stop affair, which gives me time to stop and admire the daffs, or watch the birds foraging in the grass. Today, in amongst the daffs I spotted my first dandelions of the year, and when I got home it was a case of grabbing a pencil and watercolours and sketching this. It must have taken all of ten minutes.

Spontaneous art, whatever next?

It ain't what you do...

2011-03-26T23:12:00.006Z

it's the way that you do it, and that's what gets results

OK now that you've got another cheesy 80's pop song stuck in your head, I'll move on :)

This is going to be a how to post (yes, I do them occasionally)

Some of you may remember that last year I joined in with a circle journal/round robin with a raven theme. Although some of the journals are still on the go, I'm one of the fortunate ones who's journal is already complete and returned. As a thank you I decided to create an altered canvas for each of the ladies who contributed to my journal (and not a raven in sight). The five canvases featured here are for those in the states, there's a couple more to be made, but they don't have as far to travel.

You will need:
Mounted canvas or canvas board (these are 7x5)
Tissue paper, clear and coloured
PVA glue
Acrylic paint
Distress inks
Waterproof ink pad
Large (feature) stamp

Take 2 acrylic paints (chosen randomly) and apply to canvas. Allow to dry
Add book pages, or background stamp (if required). Stamp feature image onto coloured tissue paper. Apply tissue paper to canvas using diluted PVA glue. Work in well with brush to pick up canvas texture.
When dry, age the canvas using Distress inks. Apply with enough pressure to rub through the tissue and expose the canvas and background images.
Stamp feature image onto white tissue, and when dry place over previously stamped image. Using diluted PVA work into the canvas. Again, distress the tissue to allow the lower layers to show through.
Using Distress inks age the canvases again. When dry, stamp main image onto thin tissue (single ply works best) and carefully fix on top of previous images. Warning - single ply is very delicate and will easily disintegrate.
When dry (again) age with distress inks and alcohol inks. Distress with emery board/sandpaper.
Add embellishments

Living next door to Alice

2011-03-24T21:49:00.002Z

This is my first entry for the Altered Alice blog. I wasn't expecting to have time to join in, but due to a change of plans I've had a little bit of unexpected crafty time so I've managed to quickly create something. If you've not visited Altered Alice you need to; there is some seriously amazing creativity on display - don't worry, I'm about to go and lower the tone :)

This was inspired by a song with the same title by Smokie (from the seventies) that was on the radio earlier in the week.

The images are digistamps from the Octopode Factory.

Nearing the end...

2011-03-21T20:04:00.007Z

...of the birthday bubble.

In the last 4 weeks I've made a dozen cards for various people's birthdays. These two were made on Saturday at the Cubby Hole, before I headed out into sunny (ha!) Wales for a couple of nights in the van. If you want the full story of the weekend, and some rambling thoughts, take a look here.

Last but not least, thanks to Diane at Collagitation for some tips on dealing with blood spatter. I've used chalks and copper spray, and the butterfly card should now be safe from CSI ;)

Recycled card:
Numbers and recycled art stamps - Paperartsy
Birthday stamp - Crafty Individuals
Diamond stalks - Magenta

Inchies card
Live, love, laugh, learn - Image Tree
Discover, hope, dream - Inkadinkadoo

There's always one!

2011-03-18T10:58:00.004Z

.....and it's usually me ( before somebody else says it).

This is another entry for the Play Date Cafe, inspired this time by the digistamps of Lily Chilvers aka the Octopode Factory. This isn't the original plan, but I may do that later.

I have a long weekend so there may be a quite a bit of art being blogged, unless I decide to go and sit in a field and enjoy some peace & quiet. Time will tell.

Too gory?

2011-03-13T22:07:00.007Z

This started as a birthday card.

I had a piece of sprayed scrap paper from a workshop and it looked good, so I decided I'd repeat the process.
I created the butterfly (image by Tattered Angels), and then sprayed the card to give a nice pink & purple firework effect. Unfortunately once the inks had dried it looked more like blood spatter than fireworks, so I'll be making a replacement.

I still like it though :)

The small pics are a sneak preview of something I'm working on. The canvases are 8"x5", and the detail is from the first completed one.

Whatever's written in your heart

2011-03-12T21:39:00.005Z

At the beginning of the year I was saddened to hear of the passing of Gerry Rafferty, a man who was vastly under-rated in the music world. Most people will remember him for the hugely popular 'Baker Street' - even if you don't know the name you'll recognise the song as soon as the sax kicks in. Baker street was played everywhere as a tribute, but the song that hit home to me was "Whatever's written in your heart".

Today was a workshop with Sarah at the Cubby Hole - Journal lettering. At one point Sarah suggested adding words inside something; a flower, a leaf, a heart, and it was another of those moments where everything suddenly slots into place - words, song & heart. This is the result.

Wrigglies everywhere!

2011-03-10T22:59:00.003Z

This is my entry for this week's Play Date challenge.

It's inspired by a comment I made on this post by Sue Roddis, and an email I received from her about liking worms lol.

Perceived wisdom is that "opening a can of worms" comes from anglers. Once they had opened a can of bait (worms) it wasn't easy to get it closed again :)

Community work

2011-03-09T08:32:00.002Z

No, I haven't done anything naughty.

If you take a look HERE, you'll find 2 pages I created for a community journal being organised by the talented Phoenix.

Go on, take a look; you know you want to, and there's still time to join in if you're quick :)

PDCC 71

2011-03-05T21:41:00.004Z

Two (yes two) entries for the latest Play date challenge. Both are birthday cards, part of the bumper crop of cards that I have to make each year around this time.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to sit and create something just for the sake of creating :)

The Art of Blogging

2011-03-01T22:38:00.000Z

or should that be the blogging of art?

This was inspired by a couple of things. A conversation with Carol, Sue B and Suzanne at the Cubby Hole, and an email exchange with Sue Allan about why people create and why they blog.

I sometimes have to check that it is me making things. I was useless at art at school (or maybe just the wrong encouragement) and most of my life has been fairly structured; maths & science, engineering, everything fairly black & white. Now I find I look at things differently, it’s in colour and there’s ideas everywhere (too many at times). I think I’ve gone outside the box lol. I can still do the other stuff like drawing two straight lines by eye, that form a perfect right angle, but now I’m liable to add a cobweb, or shade in the corner :D I guess I’ve grown up and gone back to being young at heart at the same time.

I’m lucky to have the Cubby Hole and the regulars that attend. It’s becoming quite a little arty community, which is good because Crewe isn’t known for its culture. Between Sarah’s workshops (and Sue’s before her) and the playdays and exhibitions, it’s a gold mine of inspiration and support. We’ve grown together and gradually moved on from fairly straight-forward card making, to experimenting with all sorts of mixed media. It never ceases to amaze me how much variety there is in our work, and yet we can still pick out each other’s pieces, maybe because we can see the personality in it.

Somewhere along the way I finished up with a blog, and I'm still not sure how that happened. I also finished up with a list of other people's blogs down one side of it. Over time it grows and every so often I go through and cull it; weeding out the one's that seem to have fallen by the wayside, or which no longer grab my eye. The ones which survive are the ones which speak to me.

I looked at a blog a few days ago, and the profile basically said "I'll tell you what I've done and how, but not why, and I'll tell you nothing of myself because I don't know who you are". Yet, if you go to the effort of creating art and blogging it, why wouldn't you want to tell us what inspired you, or to give a little of yourself? Surely that's the main thing? What moved you to put ink to paper, or needle to fabric? I'm not asking for your bank details, or where you leave the house keys; I want interesting things like the fact that your cat's name is Kropek, or you worry about spoiling a page by writing on it, or you can't remember the words to Singing in the Rain. In other words, the things that make you, you.

I think I'll stop now as I'm starting to ramble. I guess the Dried Frog Pills must be wearing off ;)

The Soul Bird & the Swan

2011-02-27T12:59:00.004Z

This is the main outcome of yesterday's creative efforts - the birthday card was just a quick diversion. It is a page in one of my art journals, but I'm hoping it will eventually make it on to a canvas.

The inspiration for this came from a forum post over on UKPagan by a friend and it intrigued me enough to investigate and find out more.

Soul birds, or sielulintu originate from the Karelia region of Finland. They are believed to bring the soul to a new born baby, and to take it away again when the person dies. Birds were considered holy, and the holiest was the swan. With it's long neck the swan could look at all levels of the world, including Tuonela - the land of the dead. The Finnish composer Sibelius produced many works based on Finnish Mythology, including the Karelia suite, and the Swan of Tuonela - the swan which glides eternally upon the river Tuoni.

That was a couple of months ago, and these ideas have been simmering away at the back of my mind since then, waiting for the idea to form, but mostly waiting for the soul bird to take shape. Finally it all came together, and yesterday it took form on a blank journal page. Unfortunately it was too late to get a decent picture yesterday, and it's still gloomy out today, so the picture still isn't that great.

Background is Black Soot DI over gesso. Soul bird is Stewart Gill White Mist over acrylic. Swan is white acrylic base, with watercolour to give shading. Hills are black marker!

PDCC 70

2011-02-26T22:18:00.003Z

A quick birthday card, and my entry for this week's Play Date Cafe

Stencil by The Crafters Workshop

Stamp by Inkadinkado

And some fly by day

2011-02-18T23:00:00.002Z

This is my entry for the latest Play Date Cafe challenge, and as they've joined forces this week it's also my first entry for a Case study challenge.
This week's colours are black, red & green. Unfortunately when I saw red & green, my brain automatically said "Holly", so I had to give myself a stern talking to - we don't start those sort of cards until at least the 1st of December.
The next combination is red & black and it quickly brought to mind something from my childhood - Cinnabar moths & their hairy tiger striped caterpillars.
Sadly it's a long time since I've seen one of these stunningly coloured moths, or their equally striking caterpillars, mainly because the council in it's 'wisdom' decided that the scrub areas we played on as kids would be much better if they landscaped them and built a nice safe playground for us. I'd better stop now before I get the soap box out, or I'll be needing the dried frog pills again.

Moths are painted in acrylic over a watercolour wash. Grasses are by Artemio.

Inspired by satnav

2011-02-10T23:25:00.003Z

Well not really inspired by, it's more a case of serendipity. I was wondering what to call this post when an advert for Satnav came on the radio and that was that.

This is another piece that came about from me playing and experimenting. It's also my entry for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge.

The arrows are just basic cardboard shapes that I had lying around. To get the lovely marbled effect apply a fairly liberal coat of gesso and then stipple it quite vigourously until it goes bubbly (like the inside of an Aero). Leave it to dry naturally, don't heat it. As it dries some of the gesso soaks in, but the bubbles collapse to leave the the white marbling. Once it's dry apply colour. I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists (Sunflower & Copper). They were then given a coat of UTEE.
The letters are grunge board with a coat of acrylic. Apply 2 coats, but while the second is still drying add UTEE and heat. The result looks almost like plastic as the paint mixes with the UTEE, rather than having a clear layer over it. Be careful, there seems to be a fine line between the UTEE melting and the paint bubbling (here speaks the voice of experience).

Art from the heart

2011-02-05T22:01:00.002Z

or should that be the other way around?

This is my entry for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge, and the inspiration comes from two talented ladies.

The first is Sarah Anderson who led a luuurve collage workshop today at the Cubby Hole and got us very messy with inks and paints, especially the spray inks. I think my T-shirt could now be classed as altered art!. We even managed to get some of it onto the cardboard.

The second is this post from Jaine Drake, which gave me the idea to build up the cardboard layers and create a niche for the heart.

Also I'd like to say thank you to those who've left comments about my blog entries. Apparently they lead some of you to fits of giggles & laughter. I'm not sure if that's good or bad ;)

Birds of a feather

2011-02-03T23:42:00.003Z

This is just me playing and experimenting, something I don't seem to do much of recently.

It's a postcard sized canvas board which I decided to try and stamp onto using tissue transfer. The process goes something like this:

Prep canvas with gesso, paint blue, add torn page from bird book and wording printed from PC, stamp image on tissue and apply with diluted PVA.

Allow to dry, decide it's not right, apply a liberal coat of gesso. Paint blue, add a bit more bird book page and a couple of bird postage stamps, apply tissue image again.

Allow to dry, decide it's still not right, so apply another coat of gesso and paint it blue again. (Does this sound familiar?). Stamp image onto thinner tissue and apply with dilute PVA. With a damp scourer scrub away layers of gesso/paint in the corners. Apply wording with fine brush, photograph, then stash away quickly before the urge to reach for the gesso strikes.

Paints are Stewart Gill. Image is unknown as it was bought second hand.

Sometimes it works

2011-01-30T23:00:00.007Z

This is a get well card for a friend, and also my entry for this weeks Play Date Cafe which is Black & White with a splash of lilac (although mine is more a case of Lilac with a splash of B&W - oops).

Stamp is by Crafty Individuals. Background paper is handmade.

John Barleycorn must die

2011-01-23T20:59:00.006Z

Talk about "from the sublime to the ridiculous" - I think I've gone the other way!

After the somewhat "odd" previous post, here's something a little more restrained :)

This was another serendipity moment. I created these backgrounds sometime last year at one of the journal workshops with either Sarah or Sue, and they've been sitting in my art journal ever since. I was flicking through looking for inspiration, when this song* came on and I realised that the stencil reminded me of a wheat/barley stalk.

The backgrounds came about by accident. We'd been using wet-wipes to move paint around on a gesso'd page. I'd put my book down on top of a couple of them and when I picked it up I liked the effect, so grabbed all the ink stained wet wipes (that weren't a muddy grey/brown) and inked the page.

There's another double page spread made with the same effect, but it's so good that I'll probably never ever do anything with it (and it might upset some of the ladies at the Cubby Hole if I did).

*Bother! I'm not allowed to embed the song, so you'll need to follow the link to Youtube.

One for the Geeks

2011-01-21T22:59:00.003Z

The cake is a lie....

My entry for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge.

Origin