The Sketchbook Project [76,77]

Below the surface  ..... of the ocean.

Gesso base, metallic, gel, felt tip and brush pens.

Christmas Shadows

I thought the shadows from the Christmas ornaments and cards looked interesting......

TAST [43,44], Snowmen Card

These are the very last two weeks of Take a Stitch Tuesday samples. They are both feather stitches, Week 43 is Crossed Feather Stitch

and week 44 is Plaited Feather Stitch. I've added a running stitch over the last three feathers [below, in pink]

I've enjoyed taking part in these challenges, if you want to take part click here

 I will need a new challenge for next year.

I would also like to take the opportunity of thanking all my web friends for visiting and another 'thank you' to all that left a comment. Happy holidays to everyone! :) 

This card was developed from a photograph of the stuffed snowmen, I didn't make the cute snowmen, just the card.

Knitted Snowman & Angel Card

I made the knitted snowman and angel  many years ago when my children were small, I've still got them, they usually sit on the tree.

The Sketchbook Project [74,75]

Below the surface  .... of the ground (prairie dogs)

Gesso base, sharpie pen, watercolours.

I've almost finished my sketchbook! I've a few to scan into the computer & I will post them soon. [ish]

Vintage Christmas Card

 The original is below. I was messing about using 'Gimp', I was trying to make the picture into a bauble. I don't know much about the program and I'm feeling too tired now so that's it folks.

Spotty Bird ready for Christmas

Spotty bird is ready for Christmas in his new hat & scarf. I made the hat & scarf but the bird was made by a fellow student when I was at college.

Bird's new accessories & Illustration Friday & Sketchbook Project [56-59]

I saw a cute bird in a shop with a Christmas hat & scarf, but I didn't buy it. I made the hat and scarf for the birds I have already got. They are made from sparkly felt & fur fabric. My plan was simple - just glue together, but it just would not stay together so I ended up stitching it. I didn't have any fur balls so I just cut circles, one on each side of the felt.

Below is my picture for Illustration Friday, the theme this week is mail. I had already started this picture for The Sketchbook Project, "Below the surface" .. of the mail bag. One page is a collage of found images and the other is a drawing/painting with added found text. The flap on the bag lifts up to reveal a collection of mini envelopes, drawn, cut out and collaged. Picture below.

TAST [41, 42]

Two weeks Take a Stitch Tuesday today. Week 41 is chequered or magic chain stitch and you use two different coloured threads threaded through the one needle. I have seen this stitch before in a book and for some reason I thought you used two needles. It sounds complicated just using the one needle but it is very easy to do.

Week 42's stitch is woven cross stitch which is what it sounds like - a cross stitch that is woven - another easy one to try. If you want to take the challenge visit here, be quick, there are only 2 more weeks left!

The Sketchbook Project [72,73]

Below the surface   ....  of the lake.

Gesso base, sharpie, watercolours, brush pens

Collaged Sketch Book

I recently did this book of collaged papers to use as a sketch book. The papers are old art work, painted papers patterns, paper bags, black & white print [my design], prints of letters, music etc

I did have a picture of the outside, which was covered with vintage wallpaper but I accidentally deleted it and some of the inside shots are a bit blurred, but I cannot take fresh pictures of it as I have given the book away.

Tree Decorations - Houses

More tree decorations, this time houses, but once again I have used 'found' bits and pieces.

The patterned fabric [vintage fabrics with a layer of printed ? on top] was originally going to be part of an art piece for the 'Layers' exhibition but it didn't go quite to plan. [click here to see the art piece that I did finish] I did keep the other unused fabric because there were things I did like about it. The roofs and doors etc were also from another project but I can't remember which one. The houses are double sided and stitched.

The Sketchbook Project [68,69 - Badger]

"Below the Surface"

Fine liner, brush pens, felt tips, gel pens, metallic pens.

The Sketchbook Project [66,67]

Below the Surface   ......  of the ground, worms.

Which reminds me of a song my elder sister taught me when I was a child.

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me

I think I'll eat some wor-r-rms

Big fat juicy ones

Long thin slimy ones

Itsy, bitzy teeny weeny wor-r-rms

First you bite their heads off

Then you suck the guts out

How they squiggle and sqi-r-rm

Big fat juicy ones

Long thin slimy ones

Itsy, bitzy teeny weeny wor-r-rms.

I believe there are more verses but that is all I learned

Printers Drawers / Button Drawers

I love drawers, little drawers and I got these a few weeks ago. They are not the best wood but I varnished them and I think they have come up a treat. I love the insides, they are printers drawers, it's what they keep their alphabet letters in. I've been collecting buttons for donkey's years and that is what I am keeping in them now, sorted into colours. Most of the buttons are from old clothes or spares that you get with new clothes. I probably won't use the buttons that often, but I like looking at them. Some of the photos are a bit bleary, I seem to move the camera as I press the button and I probably delete as many as I keep!

The White Village has a Facelift.

I altered one of my 'housey' pictures a few weeks ago. It hadn't been sold at the exhibitions it went to and I didn't put it up for sale on my website because the frame had got slightly damaged & it also had glass [nervous about sending large pictures with glass through the post - I smashed one with glass just putting the picture in it!].

Anyway I took it out of the frame and wrapped it around a canvas frame and then painted over the whole thing with acrylic paints. I then applied metallic oil pastels and went over the stitching with black. The picture looks different colours from different angles. I prefer it to the original, which is shown below the collage.

The Sketchbook Project [62,63]

"Below the Surface"  ----- swimming race

This page was done with a liner pen, brush pens, felt tips, watercolours and metallic paints [Pearlesce liquid acrylic]

Save a bird this Christmas

I designed the 'Turkey March' card with vegetarians in mind a couple of years ago, and then altered it last year because I didn't think the turkey's were clear enough.... I'm still not sure, can you tell they are turkey's?

The Sketchbook Project [64,65 & 78,79] & Illustration Friday

Below the surface ..... of the egg shell

and

below the surface ...... of the sea, which is also my picture for the Illustration Friday challenge - "Prehistoric"

The Sketchbook Project [70,71] & bigger icicles

More & thicker icicles on the shrub

and

ice all around the rose stem below

The Sketchbook Project - 'Below the surface' of the forest canopy

TAST 39,40 & Icicles

I thought these icicles on a shrub in my garden looked really pretty.

The Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge for weeks 39 & 40 are the same stitch done in a different way. It is called Buttonhole Picot Stitch, normally done on an edge. I was having a few problems to start with but I think it was the fabric I was using,it was very creased & layered. I didn't like this stitch a great deal to start with, it looked a bit like I had gone wrong & ended up with a knot in the thread, it has grown on me a little. After my initial problems I thought I would use aida fabric to keep the buttonhole stitch even ... doh...I still veered off onto a different row. The sample on aida below is the stitch worked with bullion stitch bobble [39] and the one underneath is worked using chain stitches [40]. I accidentally deleted my full page view of week 39. On the chain stitch version I followed the flowers on the fabric, that is why the buttonhole stitching is uneven on that one.