COTTON AND COLLAGE continued...

Having spent several days creating tiny flowers and butterflies (see post below) I needed to complete my heart for July's Heart project

July's theme is transparency... working within a construct of acetate sheets. I had an idea a long time back at uni that I never found time for and this was a perfect opportunity to revive the idea.

I cut 3 pieces of acetate to match my other hearts... but I wanted a semi-opaque background so dug out some of the paper-fabric I created a while back.

 I sprayed that with clear gloss till it was saturated and semi-transparent then weighted it while it dried to the back layer of acetate. The idea was to ensure that some areas would remain clear and glassy.

The rest was fairly straight forward, I love nigella so painted that up in pearly paint. Once dried they were glued to the base layers. I inked July in the centre with pigment inks.

I also coloured the centres of the flowers and butterflies with my Promarkers. I blended some of them using surgical spirits. These were attached to the middle layer with gel medium, then sequins added in the centres.

I inked Sweet Summer onto this layer too. Next time I will use a darker ink... I wanted subtlety, but in handling these have smudged and all but disappeared. I think I need better inks...

Here it is completed... I gelled the edges together, punched holes in all around and did several rows of crochet to echo the flowers. All in all I'm quite pleased with it, but will be working out the ink issue... If I could redo it I would, but after all that crochet I'm not cutting it open!!

Thankyou Thealie for you prompt- it gave me the chance to revive old ideas and play with new ones at the same time. I've enjoyed this months challenge.

Poetry and art...

I read this on Facebook;

She is a wild one
Who turns her face to the wind.
Her eyes glow in the night...golden..
As if the Sun lived within her.
The aroma of the earth as it receives the falling rain
is her perfume.
She laughs--Oh! How she laughs
in the presence of turmoil and bluster!
For deep in her soul...
There is a summers day. 

It was written by an arting friend Jerene B Dunn and since reading it I've had an image going round in my head... to the point where I had to sit and play quickly in Photoshop to get something down on virtual paper. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but the colours and layout are right... will work on a painted version sometime soon, then I will get the feeling right.

Here she is...

Digital compilation of a number of pieces of my artwork, played with in layers on CS5

Little Faces- part deux

Well, I decided to go ahead and make more faces, once I'd neatened up the rough patches a bit. They are not exactly what I wanted, but to get the project underway I really need to have the faces ready so these will do for this project. I will be making more feminine ones later!!

As my reusable moulding rubber is at my studio, and the weather's too yuccy for me to walk down there, I've decided to try the alginate compound instead- I've had it for so long, but never got round to using it- just like the resin plaster which will also be used up in this experiment. (Yet one more justification for my super- stash of materials and equipment that is labelled "hoarding" by my hubby!)

I'll be adding the process in the How to's- craft section. It's not too messy, given that it's plaster, but I would recommend doing it in the kitchen- it's hard to get out of carpet- oops!  

So here are the next stage of my army of faces.... at least these will be easier to refine than cooked fimo.

As I made up extra in the first batch I also plastered some MDF tiles which I had been meaning to do for a long while. These will be carved into, built up on, painted, sprayed and waxed, at some point! The hearts were also a little forethought- I have a small project in mind for them too....

Bead Journal Project 2012

Hooray! 

I've just got my link to this years Bead Journal Project .

I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I think it will be a felted zodiac/wiccan based hanging with beaded segments incorporated as they are completed. Just need to come up with a workable design now...then chill for xmas, and add it to my list of "must-do" art over 2012.

Fun and games!

xxx

Heart Scent Pouch...

It's coming up to Christmas, and I'm doing my best this year to not actually spend a penny on it!! (Directly, anyway, I may need certain supplies to complete my projects!) Over on Milliande's Palma has begun a swap for an International Goodies Box  What a great idea!!! There's a list of items to choose from to create, and I'm working my way through...the journal, purse/pocket and now scented sachet are all done...

Here's the scent sachet, or my interpretation!! Instructions are over in the how-to's textiles section I've made bags, cushions, wallets, and even my wedding ring pillow in a similar way, it's so versatile and fun, give it a go!! I always show the quick and easy way, minimum pinning, minimum fuss- my mum would go mad if she saw- she was a dressmaker/tailoring teacher, very by the book! Stood me in good stead though- I know the right way, so I know I can work out the shortcuts too!

 

 So here it is, a cute little woven ribbon scented pouch, plumped up with lavender heads from my garden. I do hope my box doesn't have to go to Australia with all their customs restrictions on seeds/wood and flowers, etc. I'd hate to have to empty it....

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Halloween Postcards

Well, while I was looking for some  marbled paper to make more butterflies, I found some previously stashed marbled mount card instead. Perfect for making into seasonal Mail Art RAAK's . I like to work in series so here's the latest...

Pumpkin Postcard

Cute ghost

Bat

Skull Postcard

The cards were marbled using warm water and thinned oil paints. Drying is quicker if they are really dilute, and they smell for less time- if you're not keen on the oil-paint smell. The doodles were overlaid with Sharpies and 0.3/0.4/0.7 graphic pens. The edges were "aged" with pigment stamping ink in burgundy and black. Now I need to decide who to send them to....


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Butterflies...

One of my swap buddies creates some beautiful origami cranes to send around the world, so I was inspired to try something to send as  "thankyou's"... 

There are several objects that I love, but I couldn't make a pegasus practical to make/send flat...so I tried bird of paradise, orchids, lilies and a cat....all very nice but not suitable for posting. Hearts are appropriate too, but oh so...common?

Eventually I came across a blog with a nice butterfly.  I don't have origami paper so I played with tissue paper until I remembered some marbled paper I'd made at uni....et voila!

So here are my "Thankyou" butterflies....

Now I need to make a good few more so they can fly off round the world.....


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Windows ATC's

Patty kindly hosted an ATC swap themed round windows, and as the idea was to try and make a window rather than just draw one I decided to try my embossing on perspex to fulfill the brief....

Windows ATC's

Sadly the photo  shows them while they were still foggy from the heat, but the layers are still discernable. Sequins, organza, skeleton leaves, sharpie and embossing powder were used in layers to build up the scene.

At the same time I used up some bits and bobs that I'd just used in another project and created these windows too;

Funky window ATCs

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ATC's - a new exploration, for me, at least!

Having joined the Art swaps group at Milliande's I found a whole new world of small artworks, highly intriguing having spent the last few years growing in confidence enough to make my paintings BIG!
This really appealed to my "have an idea, must do it now" streak, by being small enough to complete in a reasonable time-frame.
And so another addiction began....
Here is my first group of ATC's, specifically for a "layered" card swap

These are on canvas, stamped with pigment inks, gel transfers, embossed copper, and beads. They were great fun to make, and several of them went round the world to Australia for the swap.


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