Pages from Sketchbook 30

I used Promarker pens and a liner pen in a Moleskine sketchbook

and probably some brush pens in these circles

From Scribble to Wrap

This was created on my Galaxy Note 10.1, I used photoshop touch and the pen which comes with the Note.

Under the layers of lines is a layer of music and a layer of blobs on top.

I used pixlr-o-matic to add some more effects such as lighting and the edges.

I uploaded it to my computer to add a flower - it was an image of a stitched paper I did some years ago and I altered the colour too. Text was added and the design was arranged it into a repeating pattern. It was for a contest on Spoonflower for a birthday wrapping paper design. Spoonflower now sell wrap as well as fabric and wallpaper although this design is not for sale yet as it has not yet been proofed. My other designs can be seen here.

Pages from Sketchbook 26

Mixed media - the scissors - a fun foam handmade stamp, I also used a liner pen and brusho inks.

I was inspired by wrapping paper for the painting above. 

I cut some of the jars from the wrapping paper for the collage below and stacked them on shelves.

Below - messing with a shape.

Below - collage on pen and paint background.

These were originally zentangle graphs which I cut up and rearranged.

Bye bye ...

A Day Out in Northumberland

It was a Bank holiday here in the UK today so we went to check out Northumberlandia. It is a park with a human landform sculpture of a reclining lady. It is fairly new and is due to change over time.

After visiting there we went on to Druridge Bay with the intention of giving Molly a good run along the wide beaches....unfortunately the tide was in and it was very busy.

She did get a good run on the grass though and was tired out went she went home.

And we also had our first barbecue of the year. Last year we had one early in the year and that was it for the rest of the year as the weather was just not good enough.

Lace and Flower Embroidery

Painted lace on a fabric background also painted and stamped. Embroidered flower.

TAST 63 and 64

Take a stitch Tuesday. Week 63 was scroll stitch. Those two untidy embroidered lines are scroll stitch. The other lines on the right are zig zag or wave chain stitch. I've also used running stitch and French knots. The background fabric is an old sample of devore I created and painted. Devore - this is where part of the fabric has been destroyed or burnt away with a paste, which leaves transparent areas. Underneath is another hand painted fabric.

I don't like the scroll stitch on the sample above but I think it looks better on the sample below, I used it for the flower centres on this hand stamped fabric. [see yesterday's post for how I created the fabric]. I do like Queenie's sample of scroll stitch seen here, she has used it for handwriting.

Take a stitch Tuesday. Week 64 was top knotted buttonhole stitch. My first attempt at this stitch was by following one picture in a book as I wasn't able to use the net at that time but I kept doing it wrong and gave up in the end. After I looked at Sharon's instructions on Pintangle I could see where I was going wrong and stitched two rows and then I went over the two lines with a wide chain stitch. I've also used running stitch and feather stitch. The fabric is the devore on one side and a vintage print on the other.

Hover on the top left corner of the images to pin.

Handmade Texture Plates

I was sorting through a craft drawer the other day and came across a packet of dry spaghetti. You may wonder why a packet of spaghetti was in a craft drawer? I had put it there a couple of years ago as it was out of date [2008 - my husband doesn't like pasta so it never got eaten] as I thought it may have potencial craft wise. I made a stamp or texture plate with it, could be used either from above or below. [The purple square in the photo above] I glued it to a piece of wood with evo-stik impact [from the pound shop]. I thought  had better use a strong glue as spaghetti is quite delicate. The samples are fabric but it could be used with paper.

Also from the pound shop was a packet of foam flower and butterfly shapes. I have made stamps and rolling stamps from foam shapes before but this time I thought I would make a texture plate. I just used card for these, I sometimes find bendy texture plates quite useful. The shapes didn't have a sticky side so I covered the card with double sided sticky tape [also pound shop] and stuck them to that. This of course left sticky areas between the shapes so on the first plate I painted over the whole lot with acrylic paints and let it dry. I don't know if I didn't leave it long enough to set but I found that some of the first paint came off when I used the plate. The plate is on the left and fabric samples on the right.

On the next plate I shook on a little talcum powder on the sticky areas and that seemed to work just fine.

The plate is on the left and quick paper samples on the right.

Pamphlet Book Revisited [Pages 39 -46] and E-Petition

The final pages from the pamphlet book - recycled envelopes, artwork, altered prints etc

Stop Legalised Theft of Copyrighted Works

In the UK there has been talk about the changes to copyright law and I came across an e-petition to sign on a blog I follow at - Cally Jane Studio

There are more details about it on the petition.

Penshaw and Pamphlet Book Revisited [pages 27-38]

It was a lovely sunny warm day today so we went for a walk/climb up to Penshaw monument. You can see for miles all around on a clear day. The photo below shows the view over Herrington Park.

More pages from the pamphlet book.

Flower people.

Inside the pocket is a postcard. 

I decorated the plain side by pulling a layer of the card off in places and scoring it with a knife, then I painted with watercolours.

Below - the left side was a test print on the inkjet, I've painted it and collaged with a found picture of daffodils and some plastic

 A textured postcard

I used recycled wrapping paper for the postcard above and the other side below

The bowl of fruit is a found image

Call for entries - these were cut from a magazine

I used a kids stencil book for the shapes on the card below.