Pages from Sketchbooks

This house was created using found shapes.

On the page below I used the colours that had seeped thru from the previous page, then drew on the flowers and thin blue lines.

This doodle also seeped thru to the next page as shown below. It is the promarker pens that seep thru, I think they make some nice effects

I sketched the sea creatures below by copying a photo in a magazine

TAST 10

Take a Stitch Tuesday - week 10 is the simple running stitch.

The background fabric is hand painted, the dark blue rectangle is hand painted and stamped paper, the image is  from a magazine. If you look closely you will see a fancy button too. Click on image to enlarge.

My daughter came up this last weekend and she brought some flower chocolates for me. It was a shame to eat such pretty things but these two were the only ones left to photograph. There were some roses and daffodils originally too. [I didn't eat them all myself!]

Owl Couple [TM] and Flowers [SC]

 The Three Muses challenge this week is couples/pairs or partners. I found the image of the owl couple but gave them accessories and put them on a hand painted page [watercolours]

The Sketchbook Challenge this month is flowers - I often draw/paint flowers and here is a selection of the latest

Cats and Dogs

This is Molly, my son's puppy - cute eh?

Circle Doodles

Doodles using shapes - a small round disc on both and a coaster on the top one too

Intention [IF] and Red Collage

Illustration Friday - Intention

It was my intention to make a strange creature and so I have.

Watercolours and collage [the bird head and hog body were found images]

Below - collage of painted papers, found papers, printed and painted papers, then freehand machine stitched

TAST 9

Take a Stitch Tuesday

Another page for my fabric journal. The stitch this week is couching and I have couched threads down with ribbon yarn and couched ribbon yarn darn with threads. I have used the regular style of couching around the rectangular piece of painted paper and the green ribbon. I have also couched ribbon yarn down with herringbone stitch and feather stitch. To hold the upcycled metal ring in place I have used detached chain stitch and buttonhole stitch. The background fabric was painted.

Teddy Bears Picnic, Cakes, Wolf and a Poem

Three paintings from sketchbook 12

Can you spot the frog in the picture above and below?

There is no frog with the wolf, maybe he gobbled one up [do they eat frogs?]

I was sent this poem by email, thought it was cute, about a grandma and computer

 The computer swallowed grandma. 

 Yes, honestly it’s true!  

 she pressed 'control' and 'enter'  

 And disappeared from view. 

 It devoured her completely, 

 The thought just makes me squirm.

She must have caught a virus 

 Or been eaten by a worm.  

 I've searched through the recycle bin  

 And files of every kind;  

 I've even used the Internet,  

 But nothing did I find.  

 In desperation, I asked Jeeves     

 My searches to refine.  

 The reply from him was negative,  

 Not a thing was found 'online.'     

 So, if inside your 'Inbox,'  

 My Grandma you should see,  

 Please 'Copy, Scan' and  'Paste' her

 And send her back to me.  

  

   

 This is a tribute to all  the Grandmas and Grandpas who have been fearless and learned to use the computer.........   

 They are the  greatest!!!         

      

 We do not stop playing because we grow old; 

 We grow old because we stop playing  ...  

   

 NEVER Be The First To Get Old!

Bird - Shape Challenge

The first page in sketchbook 13

Below is a bird made from a shape, once for the head and once the other way round for the body

Mail [TAW] and Frog Paintings

Take a Word - Mail

The map of France & the Victorian Beauty [in a circle] from the Graphics Fairy

The letters - public domain images, cannot remember where from.

More frog paintings from the 'shelter' project.

Click on images to enlarge

Capable [IF] and Shape Challenges

For the Illustration Friday challenge - capable

Birds and animals seem very capable at finding food

Collage -watercolour backgrounds, found images 

I accidentally dropped some water in the middle of this picture, hence the blob

Another shape challenge, these are the shapes

and this is what I created with them

and another set of shapes [the green part is bleed thru from the other side]

weird flowers?

Embroidery - Thirsty Frogs

Embroidery using backstitch on white fabric

Below is the original painting I used for the embroidery but I decide to just use outlines for it

Another drinking frog

Art in the Round [3M]

I found three pictures in my sketchbook I thought would be suitable for the Three Muses challenge - Art in the round.

The collage above has a watercolour background and found images of a bird and frog.

Below are doodles done with promarker pens

TAST 8 and Vintage Threads

Take a Stitch Tuesday - this week we are doing chain stitch. It is a simple stitch so this time I have kept the page for my fabric journal fairly simple. There is a piece of vintage fabric, some painted paper, dyed lace and a needle felted flower. This page was attached to another page with blanket stitch.

Below are some vintage threads that I bought at an Embroiderers Guild meeting, I love the cards that the thread is wrapped around.

Torso Tags and Turquoise [TAW]

Take a Word - the challenge this week is the colour turquoise.

I upcycled this image of a kingfisher from an old calendar and placed it on a painted background.

A week or so ago the challenge on Three Muses was for torso tags, a bit late I know, but it is the first time I've made any of these. The torso shape is a 1905 vintage ladies corset and drawers and was part of a page of white wear. Most of the images I used on them were from the Graphics Fairy. 

click on the image to enlarge