Tulip Collage

I used a photo copy of some text, Caran Dache watercolour crayons, Aquamarkers, Brusho and liner pen.

This is the last page of sketchbook 20, it is a 'pink pig' book and I like the size of it - 16.5"x 8". The aquamarkers seem to work better in this book than the other smaller one I have on the go. That one is not a pink pig book, it was cheaper but perhaps it is better to pay a bit extra for one with better quality paper.

Ballet Collage

Collage - aquamarkers/water. Their outfits were made from an image in a magazine, an advert I think.

Skeleton Leaf Web

Another one from my tall sketchbook.

I started this page by applying skeleton leaves that I found in the garden. I drew on the pen lines and coloured in with aquamarkers and water.

I think it could make a nice fabric if I can work out how to make it into a pleasing repeat pattern.

Flower Collage

Another collage from my sketchbook.

Aquamarkers, Posca pens, torn up text, flower drawn with liner pen.

Various WIP

WIP - an acrylic painted abstract, collaged

WIP - a collage. I painted the middle of the paper with gesso, then stuck on some paper from a book cut in the shape of leaves. I then painted it green. This was a mistake as I should have painted it before sticking as it puckered. But it doesn't look bad now that it is stitched.

WIP - page in a sketchbook. Drawn lines with real skeleton leaves stuck to it. I can't make my mind up whether to leave this as is or add more to it.

Aardvark

Dye solution, biro, oil pastel,charcoal, book page scrap

Embroidery/Mixed Media/New Camera

Trying out a couple of close ups with my new camera on an embroidered picture on the wall.

And a page from my sketchbook - I collaged scraps from a gardening book, used brusho inks to paint over, drew the tree with neocolour crayons and a posca pen for the red details

China and Dolls

Two pages from my tall sketchbook.

Above, collage -a torn page from a book about China, and a found image. I used brusho inks, metallic and other pastels.

Below, another drawing from the 'culture' project. I used 2 card cut outs of 'Russian dolls' and used them both for each figure, one inside the other. Pen liner and aquamarkers.

Into the Woods

The Sketchbook Challenge - Into the woods.

above - collaged page from book, collaged leaves - these are real leaves but painted, I used them for leaf printing with last year. The white lacy areas were made with a roll of decorative tape - I stuck it down, painted over it with brusho inks then removed the tape.

I used more of the decorative tape to act as a resist for this picture too. The tape was from the £ shop - 3 for a £1, it leaves the paper very sticky after removing it but I find that sprinkling a little talc over it eliminates the problem. The tree was made from book pages, overlapped and stuck together. I painted over the tree before sticking down to background.

This was the picture after sticking the tree to the background. I then applied various crayons - wax, metallic. I painted over the whole page with black brusho.

Trees - Mixed Media

Inspired by the challenge set by the sketchbook challenge - Into the woods.

I used recycled envelopes for the tree branches and bits of ripped up envelope and wrapping paper confined under the window of an envelope. To colour I used Brusho inks and wax crayons.

Another photo of this page and the window area looks blank.

I collaged a page from a vintage book into the sketchbook [this is a long sketchbook- 16" x 7.5"].

I drew the trees with wax crayons and then over painted with Brusho inks.

Click on the images to see a closer view of the texture

I went to Washington Old Hall [UK] last week with my friends, I liked the view of the hall behind these plants [I'm not sure what the plants are]

Bears and Bag Ladies

Two more pictures developed from the Russian doll [culture] theme.

I have been using a card template for the doll shapes on many of the pages in this sketchbook including the bears above. After drawing round the shape I drew on leg shapes and ears.

The same shape was used for all the dolls on the drawing below.

Bluebells and Changedoll

These are from a long sketchbook [16" x 8"] I started a while ago for the culture project but I didn't do much in it. I painted bluebells yesterday, there are a lot of them around at the moment. The drawing below I did sometime ago [I usually put the date on a book when I start it but I didn't on this one]. But I started with the first Russian doll-like figure then altered something on the next, then altered something else on the next and so on. Like morphing but not on a computer. Click on the image to enlarge.

Fashion Dolls

More dolls from my culture sketchbook [sketchbook 20]

The top one is fashion from 1820 and the bottom one is from 1921.

The top doll folds over to reveal the one below.

Gifts to Arty Friends

The gifts to my arty friends were all based on a kind of Russian doll, I'll explain more further down.

My gift to Gill was three cards of art buttons. 

I altered Graphics Fairy images for the backing cards.

For Helen I made some earrings, on one side the man and the woman on the other. I printed my artwork on t-shirt transfer paper.

 I gave Marian a hand painted brooch. After painting I stitched around the lines and edges on the sewing machine.

Vicky was given a hanging doll of herself, one one side I drew her features and on the other the original photo. I used t-shirt transfer paper again. This particular type came out quite plasticky but it may have been because I didn't read the instructions fully[doh!], but it worked out OK for the gifts, it may not feel good on a t-shirt though. I have done something else since and it was not quite as plastic like but not quite so shiny.

I also designed some wrapping paper and gift tags which I printed on my inkjet. I also made little boxes for the jewellery and covered them in the paper. Click on the images for a closer look.

The project was/is to do with culture and I chose to concentrate on historical fashion presented on a Russian like doll. These are some pages from my sketchbook, the start of the project and I used some of these pictures for the above gifts and paper.