Wednesday 29 February 2012

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!

Tuesday 28 February 2012

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



Monday 27 February 2012

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



Friday 24 February 2012

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?




Thursday 23 February 2012

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


Wednesday 22 February 2012

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




Tuesday 21 February 2012

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.


Monday 20 February 2012

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


Sunday 19 February 2012

'Other Side' Doodles


These patterns are made from the bleed thru from promarker pens on the other side of the page. I've added extra lines and dots. You can see the originals by clicking on the link -  original above and original.


Friday 17 February 2012

Shoes, Roses and Fluid [IF]

Brush pen drawings, my version of shoes from an historical costume book
I drew around a coaster for the shape below

The Illustration Friday challenge this week is 'fluid'.
Farrah the frog
Couldn't see the hole
Now she has found
She is stuck in the bowl




Thursday 16 February 2012

Sketchbook 15 - 10 pages


I think these are the last pages from sketchbook 15 which was all about boats, sea, fish, coast, sea birds etc
Above - collage of found images
Below -brush pen drawing [that strange creature is a kind of jellyfish]

below - watercolour painting

below -watercolour background, found images

below- collage of found images [you can see it better by clicking on the image]

Below - watercolour background, found images


Below - watercolours


Wednesday 15 February 2012

Tast 7, Outside the Frame, Alphabet

Take a Stitch Tuesday - this week's stitch is detached chain or lazy daisy stitch and this is my rather untidy sample. I've used patches of vintage fabrics, some transfer printed lace, a little painted fabric and a beaded fringe with large sequins on the end.
The Three Muses challenge is 'Outside the frame - Birds' and I was thinking outside the cage for some reason and started something with that in mind, eventually it dawned on me - frame not cage. I have used one of my collaged paintings and added the frame digitally [frame from Graphics Fairy, birds and rabbit are found images from magazines]

There was an 'alphabet' challenge on Inspiration Avenue a few weeks ago and I meant to post these but I never got around to it. The top one is all drawn with promarker pens and the bottom one is a collage.





Tuesday 14 February 2012

Transfer Prints and Valentine Potato


Does a potato have a heart?

Below are some of the transfer prints I did last week, some of the photos were so bad I decided not to add them, these were the best of the bunch. Most of them were done using the gel printing plate which is normally used for acrylics but I thought I would experiment. The transfer paint separates when put on the plate but I thought I obtained some interesting effects. I used poly cotton fabric, so the results are more muted and not as bright as when a totally man made fabric is used. 




For this sample I used a fabric with a little texture.

I used a plastic fork to make the marks in the paint here.

I used a stamp in the paint here.

More than one colour was used

A whisk was used here and a stamp 


I also used stamps and texture plates to print on the fabric directly which can be seen on some of the papers below. Tip - save the used papers and paint over them so they can be used for collages and other art work.