KatzElbows

a bright idea

2012-02-09T11:30:00.000Z

You know you have a cool job when it involves making things like this!

It was a huge challenge and I wasn't sure I could do it, but I've learnt loads of things to use for my own projects.

do I get a prize?

2012-02-08T13:11:00.000Z

I said I'd do more with my flower and I have! Do I get a prize? No? Ah well, never mind.

This is still not a final version, but I think I'm much closer to creating one. I can't believe I've never given myself the freedom to explore rough drafts in art. When I'm writing, rough drafts are fine and inevitable but, for some reason, I seem to expect to avoid that stage when I'm creating art.

I like the idea of the swirls, but they need to be better drawn and done with a paler colour. Perhaps it's time I started painting them?

Not sure if I'll pledge to have a new version on my blog for the same time next week, but you never know!

a random flower

2012-02-01T13:11:00.000Z

This flower may not look like much, but it symbolises something quite important, to me anyway. I've developed this flower from a rough pencil sketch to a pen sketch to this watercoloured version. The key word here is developed. In other words, I stuck at it and kept going, even when it wasn't going well!

I used a pale grey pen to sketch the flower and then regular watercolours to paint it. I like the way the green of the stem bled into the flower, and the way the green totally covered the grey.

I'm determined that by this time next week I'll be able to post the next stage. Oh yes, there's a next stage. Hopefully one that will make it look a little more intriguing!

back to stamping

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000Z

It was so nice to do some stamping! I still don't have easy access to all my stamps and I didn't realise how much I missed it until I did it!

This little mixed media piece is a gesso background, an image transfer and some simple stamping. I love that it's all very, very simple, but that the final piece looks quite intricate. The stamps are by Tim Holtz; I only used 2 of them, just stamped them at different heights to create something more complex-looking.

I was asked to create this card to give to someone because the concert tickets haven't arrived yet! The concert is by Lauren Pausini, so I found an image of her to use. I think it's worked quite well, and it was good to use an image where I actually know the person!

I hadn't anticipated a very creative weekend, but this has definitely got me in the mood.

invitation to brag monday

2012-01-16T20:21:00.000Z

The awe inspiring Graphics Fairy has a lovely thing called Brag Monday where we all get to brag about things we've made using something from her incredible bounty of images. Today I'm bragging about this invitation.

A colleague at work asked me to make it; it's to send to a client who she's having trouble getting a meeting with. The idea is that a handcrafted, unique invitation might just do the trick.

I was more than happy to craft at work, so said yes. I had no idea what to make, so spent some time perusing the Graphics Fairy blog. The moment I saw the Florist Frame I knew it was perfect. Feminine, but not so much that the card couldn't be sent to a man.

For the calligraphy I wrote the words on plain paper and scanned them into my computer. This allowed me to use my favourite calligraphy pen, even though it creates letters that are far too big for the frame. More importantly it freed me from the stress of trying to get it perfectly right in the frame!

After that came a little resizing, a little printing and a little inking. So far so good, but I knew I needed something for the paper ribbon. I immediately thought of dictionary paper but, oddly enough, I don't tend to take old dictionary pages with me to work. Then I googled the phrase dictionary page. To my delight one of the first images I found was on the Graphics Fairy blog! It was meant to be. More printing, tearing and inking followed. Some gluing followed and there was the card.

I like how versatile this card can be. Fine for a man or a woman; good for any occasion; easy to resize if necessary.

OK, enough bragging, I'm going to go and be inspired by some of the other braggers!

commissioned love

2012-01-13T17:11:00.005Z

A colleague asked me to make a card fire her to give her partner. I asked her fire some words that meant something to them and then created this.Despite having the weeks to make it, I left it to the last minute and made it the night before! That could have gone horribly, horribly wrong so I was very relieved when she liked it. It's a very simple card, just a drawing coloured with watercolour paint that is then layered into a card. But simple can be harder than complex, so I'm rather proud of this one.

back to the beginning

2012-01-09T14:32:00.001Z

Don't get me wrong, I love the piece I began to create last week. Love it and am keeping it. But just because I love something doesn't mean it's right.

So I've gone back to the beginning and this time I've cut my flowers our of thin watercolour paper instead cardboard. And while I may write on this one, I won't be outlining the flowers to make them stand out. This should work better for image transfers. I hope!

next steps

2012-01-02T20:49:00.001Z

The paint on this is a bit tricky to show as I used iridescent paint, but I'm very happy with it. I used a lot of layers and I think they've given it a lot of subtle texture.

I wrote all over the background; two poems that I think go nicely with what I think the piece will be. Of course by the time I've finished they could be completely inappropriate. I'm quite proud of my writing, not because it's particularly good but because I've actually done it. I've gained confidence in my drawings, but I still hate my handwriting.

All that remains is to add some image transfers and then stand back and see what else we need.

beginnings

2011-12-31T23:01:00.001Z

It's the time of year when we review the year past and look to the new one.

Not this year. This year I'm simply going to post the beginning of a new piece.

It's very simple, so far: die cut flowers (courtesy of Tim Holtz) stuck to a piece of chipboard. Not today sure where I'm going with this, but it will definitely involve gesso, paint and image transfers. No surprises there then!

Happy New Year.

if in doubt, make your own

2011-12-29T08:05:00.001Z

I've been looking for a watercolour notebook for ages, but I just couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Then, in a flash of inspiration, I thought to make my own. So I did.

Each book is simply a piece if watercolour paper, folded and stitched using a simple pamphlet stitch. The cover was a stroke of genius: file folders that I got for practically nothing. The design doesn't go the right way for a book, but that's a small price to pay for a cheap but perfectly sized watercolour sketchbook. Now if I can just remember to make my own in future, everything could have an equally happy ending!

an old bag

2011-12-28T22:39:00.001Z

No, not her, the bag itself! It's recycled. I gessoed over the logo, slapped on songs paint and then did an image transfer and some stencilling. Just one question remains: will people buy a bag where you can see an old logo on the inside of the bag?

unexpected

2011-12-22T21:37:00.001Z

I had to stop peeling the paper off
this piece to go go work. And thank God for that because now I can see whole new avenues of ideas unfolding. I could write on the paper or draw on it; stamp prue stencil it; use it as a building block for something amazing and use a technique I love in while new ways. I'm very excited.

Ongoing

2011-11-08T12:48:00.000Z

It's starting to come together. From some plain white pieces of paper to something with a bit of interest. Of course, I forgot to do something before I added the risers to the back of each piece, but I should be able to figure out how to get around that! And who knows, maybe it will lead to something even more wonderful. OK, probably not, but I'm entitled to live in hope!

Let's see, I need to trim it, add some colour to each layer, glue it and then create a frame for it. Oh, and add some bats, a moon and maybe a hooded figure! So should be done in a matter of minutes!

woyww - the wip edition

2011-11-02T10:50:00.001Z

I'm pretty sure I'm ill as my desk is still far tidier than normal! It's a relief to look at Julia's desk (our fearless What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday leader) and see what my desk normally looks like!

Today I'm working on a shadow box. It's a Work In Progress, the wip of the post title. I'm usually the queen on UFOs (unfinished objects) so it's nice to have a wip. This piece is Hallowe'en themed, because I love spooky and creepy and macabre. I'm going to paint the cut outs and then layer them so it's nice and dimensional. I haven't figured out how to do the bats yet, but I'll figure it out. I'm already thinking fishing wire.

Of course, I need to buckle down and make some cards as my one retailer needs some more (how cool is that?) but who wants to do serious work when they can play?

Speaking of play, does anyone know of a good place to have custom stamps made? I want to have my pear turned into a stamp. I know I could find someone online, but I'd love a recommendation so I can get a nice deeply etched stamp. I have a great company, but they're in America and I need one in Britain! Huge thanks to anyone who suggests a place.

Hope you have a great and creative day.

image transfers

2011-10-31T13:27:00.000Z

Image transfers are an amazing way to incorporate images into your art and they're very, very easy.

Materials & Tools
Surface*
Image - photocopy or laser print*
Acrylic gel medium, matte or gloss*
Brush
Water
Sponge (optional)
Towel (optional)

Step 1
Coat your image with a good layer of gel medium. Then lay the image on your background and rub it firmly to ensure that every bit of the image is in firm contact with the background.

Step 2
Wait for it to dry. No, put it down and let it ry! It will probably curl up as it dries, looking a lot like this when it's really dry. If in doubt, let it dry some more. I always find this the hardest part. Sometimes it's easier to go to bed and do step 3 in the morning!

Step 3
Use clean water to wet the image. Some people use a spray bottle, but I use a paint brush or a sponge to dump a large amount of water on it!

Let the water soak in until you can see the image through the paper.

Step 4
Use your finger to rub the wet paper away. Be patient and go slowly, trying not to rub too hard or you'll remove the image instead of just the paper. Sometimes I wrap a bit of my towel round my finger and then rub. It stops me getting friction burns if I'm working on a large piece, or a lot of pieces.

Step 5
When the paper is wet, it's going to be hard to see, so let your piece dry to see what bits of paper are left.

Then wet the piece and rub some more, remembering to be gentle and patient!

Step 6
At some point you may have to give in and just accept that you're going to have some bits of paper left.

Some people find a coat of gel medium can hide the bits. Others add a wash of paint or ink. I tend not to worry about it!

Notes
Your image should be nice and fresh; if it isn't, the image won't transfer as cleanly. I copied this image the day before I did the transfer. I wouldn't want it more than three or four days old, but the fresher the better.

Please don't try to use ink jet prints for this technique. I'll show you that technique another day!

Your surface can be anything that acrylic paints and mediums will stick to. I'd recommend starting simple, but once you've got the hang of it, why not go wild? Try wood, metal or even fabric.

What Next?
While this could be considered a finished piece, it doesn't have to be. You can use it in a collage; stamp or stencil it; draw on it; add more transfers... Basically anything goes with technique.

Questions? Leave them in the comments section and I'll answer you.

woyww - the not too tidy edition

2011-10-26T06:29:00.003+01:00

Good morning and happy WOYWW. I'm rather pleased to say that there's not much on my desk today. But it isn't too tidy, where I'd be upset to mess it up. Of course, on of the things that What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday teaches you is that no one has the same idea of tidiness. One person's chaos is another person's spic and span. For me, this is baby bear tidy: just right!

And on that philosophical, not to mention brief, note I'm off to Julia's blog to nosy round some other desks. Have fun!

Oh, meant to say, stay tuned because this weekend I'll be posting a new tutorial. This one is all about image transfers. Now have fun.

a pair of pears

2011-10-23T15:33:00.001+01:00

I finished my pear.

And then I drew another one, a bit lower on the page, and finished that one too.

Weirdly, I was so sure the first pear was too high, but when I look at them side by side, I'm not sure which is better. They look different, but I don't think different means one is better than the other; it just means different!

Either way, I'm really pleased with the results. I think I might put them up for sale in my shop.

woyww - the getting ready edition

2011-10-19T07:19:00.001+01:00

Good morning and happy What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. I hope you'll visit Julia's blog and check out desks from around the world.

My desk this week is all about getting ready. There's the cat painting I'm getting ready to give to a friend. The pear I'm getting ready to redo. It needs to be an inch lower!) The bottles I'm going to alter and the little glass dishes I'm thinking of making candles in.

About the only thing that's really happening here are the little houses from last week. I've cut some of them out of chipboard. However, it's taking ages, so even though I want the bit of depth that chipboard offers, I think I'm going to cut the rest out of paper! Lazy? Probably!

Well, hi, ho, it's off to work I go. I'm feeling sleepy and grumpy, so only 5 more dwarves to go!

a good night's sleep

2011-10-18T16:00:00.000+01:00

Last night I was all set to throw this out and start again. It's half an inch, maybe a whole inch, too near the top. And some of the letters are very badly formed. And...

And then I went to bed. And it's still to near the top. And some of the letters are very badly formed. But I'm not going to throw it out. I will watercolour it. And then see what I think. I can always trim it and put it on a card!

Maybe Copics would be good on this? Hmmm....

blue skies smiling at me

2011-10-15T16:02:00.000+01:00

A beautiful day today. No rain. The sky is actually blue and the clouds are just fluffy white ornaments.

The rain last week definitely got me down, but I did take this photo. Without all the raindrops it just wouldn't look as interesting. Which I'm sure is very deep and meaningful, although don't ask for details!

Just wanted to share this because I love it and I have no idea what to do with it, beyond sharing it!

woyww - the bright and early edition

2011-10-12T06:17:00.000+01:00

Normally I take my What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday photo last thing on a Tuesday. Because otherwise I won't be up early enough to do it! But today, I was up bright and early and have even done a little drawing, with added colour!

Other than the drawing, there isn't much going on here. I'm getting ready to turn some of my little houses into chipboard houses covered in Xmas paper. I have no idea what I'll do with them then, but I'm sure I'll think of something!

There's also my newest stamp: my logo cut out of fun foam. Haven't stamped it yet, but think it might involve some kissing.

I'll leave you to think about that while I go and snoop at other people's desks. Don't forget to join in the fun over at The Stamping Ground.

the cat's behind

2011-10-10T13:50:00.000+01:00

This is for my friend Jennie. She loves cats, and thought my sketch was hilarious, so I've immortalised it! I'm rather pleased with how it turned out. When I ink outlines, I tend to go as clean and solid as possible, but I think the sketched quality really adds to the piece. Two colours of pearlescent watercolour and a signature. And there we have it. A little gift that I wouldn't mind keeping for myself!

And no more cat's bums. For a while, anyway!

clean and simple heart

2011-10-09T09:24:00.000+01:00

This is my first entry for the Less is More challenge blog. LiM is totally my style, so I'm not sure why I've never done anything before. But here we are. A simple heart, hand drawn and coloured with a little pearlescent water colour. I cut a rectangle out of watercolour paper to use as a stencil for the embossing.

I'm a little sad, because I think I got the colour wrong - should have been paler - but otherwise, it's not a bad job. Maybe I'll do another heart card and see if I'm happier with it. Maybe; maybe not!

i'm a twit?

2011-10-08T14:04:00.000+01:00

I'm pretty sure that someone who tweets is a twit, but I think I'm the only to think so! Anyway, whatever I am, I'm tweeting. What am I tweeting? My daily drawings.

I missed the drawings, so I started them up again. But not in a diary this time. I'm just using a regular sketchbook, and also allowing drawings outside the book to count. Even doodles I do in meetings!

For me, it's a nice commitment to tweet them. Of course, whether anyone else agrees, is entirely up to them. I've included some of my drawings so far in this post. The cat's bum is actually going to be turned into a little piece of artwork for a friend who couldn't stop laughing when she saw it. I'm thinking watercolour!

It's great to have this artistic commitment in my life again. In fact, I have a feeling I'm going to be doing bad drawings (and some not so bad ones) for a very long time. What's not so great is the quality of the photographs. If anyone has any hints or tips on how to make them better, I'd love to hear from you. Cheers!

woyww - the tray edition

2011-10-05T06:27:00.000+01:00

This was my little work desk last night. I hope it's a suitable contribution to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Last night I sat with this tray on my lap and watched the finale of The Great British Bake Off. Lots of fun and such beautiful, artistic petit fours. As they toiled away I rested and made tiny black roses, with the aid of a quilling tool. In case you can't tell, the black blobs are actually folded roses. I tried to take a picture that showed them more clearly, but I'm just not that good a photographer!

I feel a bit bad about using the tray because it's an unfinished gift, but there we are. (I painted it using the gesso background technique. I'm going to do an image transfer on to it. Probably of a nude!)

That's it for me this week. I'm off to work but when I get back I intend to find my Copic markers. There's a picture that needs colouring! In the meantime, I hope you'll check out WOYWW over on Julia's blog. Have fun!

little houses

2011-10-03T20:11:00.001+01:00

Just when I've despaired of ever drawing a house I like, I manage to draw over 30!

It all began with a 3 for 2 offer, a money off coupon and a special gift. Three special offers that weren't exclusive of each other! I stocked up on moisturiser and eye cream. Now, my brand doesn't use much packaging but I thought it would be nice to do something with the cardboard other than recycle it.

I cut the boxes into panels, six per box. It gave me a number of different sizes to work with, but I wanted more, so I chopped some of the panels into smaller ones. As I cut the boxes up I knew I wanted to draw houses on them. Don't know why, I just did.

As to why the houses came out so much better than usual, I don't know that either! But I've gotten over that and am now more excited about what I can use these little beauties for. I've drawn round them all so I can keep a good record of them and my only problem is figuring out which one of the many ideas I have to start with:

Use as masks
Use them to cut stencils
Cover them with pretty paper
Use them in a cityscape collage
Paint them
Cover in glitter
Cover in foil
Fun Christmas cards
Stamp on them
Use them as designs to carve rubber stamps
Create some funky (or is that weird) jewellery

Let me know if you have any suggestions on what I could do with them.

wall collage

2011-10-01T18:27:00.000+01:00

I don't know about you, but I'm a big one for picking up leaflets and tearing things out of magazines if they have pictures that I like. But then they usually end up in a big pile. Until I dump them in recycling!

This is my answer to the problem. I've stuck up some panels that are basically big repositionable pads. You know, the kind of thing where you can keep pulling things off and sticking them back on again.

Now I can see the things I like. And if I want a closer look I can just grab them. Plus I get the fun of rearranging it when I add to it. Not to mention a rather cool looking piece of wall art: an ever changing collage.

How do you store your inspiration? And do you have any hints for what I can do with all the pictures I've saved on my computer?

gesso backgrounds

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000+01:00

I love making my own background papers and this is messy, fun and results in interesting papers. Gesso is used to create texture. Sponging paints on top of it gives real interest to a simple technique.

Materials & Tools
Paper
Gesso
Acrylic Paint
Brush
Sponge
Water container
Protected surface

Step 1
Tear your paper to the right size. (Watercolour paper is great for this, but any thick paper will do. Here I’m using wallpaper lining paper.) Tearing gives a more interesting edge; if the edge isn't important then you can cut the paper with a knife or scissors.

Step 2
Grab your brush and apply the gesso. Don’t be neat: slap it on and daub at it with your brush. The name of the game is texture, so go at it with the fearlessness of a five year old!

Let it dry. Having A good way to achieve this is to gesso a load of paper before you go to bed. That way they’ll be dry in the morning.

Step 3
Wet your sponge and wring it out so it’s barely damp. Squirt a bit of paint on your protective sheet. This should be your lightest colour.

Step 4
Use the sponge to apply your paint to the paper. If it doesn't flow easily, add a little water. If you don't cover the whole surface, that doesn't matter, but try to cover most of it. In this picture, I still have a little work to do!

Step 5
Apply more colours; no need to let the paint dry or even clean your sponge. If you rub hard, you’ll take the paint off. This isn’t a problem, simply dab on some more paint. The sponge makes it easy to blend the paints and to fade them out rather than having harsh lines.

Variations
Add a wash of metallic paint to give your paper a beautiful shimmer.

Or just use metallic paint.

One colour can look beautiful.

Contrasting colours look great, but don’t create mud.

Stamp into the gesso before it dries. Make sure to clean the gesso off the stamp before it has a chance to dry.

A plastic fork, or almost anything else, can create a wonderful texture.

Tearing the paper after it’s been painted will reveal the colour of the paper. You can use this to good effect.

altered leaf

2011-09-27T18:00:00.000+01:00

This is the first altered book that I have actually finished. I'm rather proud of it. I made it for Alter It Monthly. I've been following their blog for ages, but never did the challenges. This month, however, the challenge totally spoke to me. We were asked to use a leaf or twig or something similar. I hope you can tell that I used a leaf as the tree. I like using a part of a tree to represent the whole. It feels fun and yet deeply philosophical at the same time!

Now, a friend said that they like it, but there's too much text in the background. At first I thought, "well duh, of course there is, it's made from a book". But then I stopped being rude and started to think about what she'd said. I could have removed some of the text from the sky, or covered it up. Should I have done? I'd love to know what you think.

blast off!

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000+01:00

Blast off! Although it's not a rocket that's blasting off but my new look, with new content, blog. I used a countdown to push myself to stop procrastinating and get on with it all! It worked. Yay!

Before any of the new stuff, one thing to note is, I'm still putting back all the pictures that someone kindly deleted. Why anyone would want to hack my blog and mess with it, is beyond my understanding, but they did. Although, being a glass half full kind of a girl, I am enjoying revisiting my posts!

I've changed the look of my blog, including the cat logo. I drew her myself and I rather like her. I've cut her out of fun foam so I have a stamp of it. Looking forward to playing. The background and header images come from the amazing Jerry over at ShadowHouse Creations. I've said it before, and will no doubt say it again, his stuff is amazing and can be used just as much for collages as for any digital image stuff.

Content wise, the first big change is regular tutorials. At least once a month I'm going to post a really detailed tutorial on something that people have expressed interest in, or that I just love! Let me know if there's something on my blog you'd like to know more about. I'm launching the first tutorial tomorrow. It's all about creating easy backgrounds. I hope you'll like it.

Final big change: I'm committing to posting a piece of at least once a week. This is in addition to any art I create for the challenge blogs I like. This isn't just about my blog; it's also about kick starting my creativity offline.

Talking of offline, I've been busy. The Daily Drawing is back and is even more fun than it was last year. In fact, I think I might start tweeting them. Maybe not every day, but at least three or four a week. Alas, the Pack of Cards has fallen by the wayside. I just haven't been creating enough to manage to make them. This year. There's always next year!

I've also launched a range of cards called "Handmade by Rachel". Simple but elegant, they're cards for pretty much any occasion. I already have one retailer selling them and I'm looking for more customers. And they're also available in my brand new online shop. I'm also thinking about doing a craft fair in November, but we'll have to see about that!

That's enough rambling. On with the art!

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A little less arrgh!

2011-09-02T15:33:00.002+01:00

So, turns out that someone deleted my other profile and took with it all the pictures from the blog. Fortunately, I had both my profiles listed on the blog so it wasn't deleted as well.

Even better news, I'm obsessive/compulsive about many things, so most of the pictures are neatly filed on my laptop! It's just going to take a while to get them all back up. As I do I'm also labelling all my posts, not to mention reading them all again, so it's not all bad.

I'm also working on a redesign and relaunch, so stay tuned!

Argh!

2011-08-26T09:44:00.000+01:00

Due to unfortunate circumstances, this blog has lost all its pretty pictures. Please be patient while we try to resume normal service. Or normal prettiness, anyway.

Layers - not just for when the weather is changeable!

2011-04-16T18:01:00.000+01:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one busy wearing lots of layers so I can take things off and on when the weather changes yet again. But layers in art are a lot more fun.

I started this piece with wallpaper - nice, extra thick lining paper. Watercolour paper is my favourite thing to work on, but it's so expensive and the lining paper is just £5 a roll! Then I slapped gesso on both sides, because I was thinking I might make a journal out of it and want to paint both sides.

Next came some texture in the form of dictionary pages. The hardest thing was making sure that I didn't have the text reading the same way on all of them! Paint was slapped on, bright and vivid and a bit muddy in places! But the mud was easily handled: I slapped on some mesh paper and some iridescent white paint.

More paint, including metallics added, and then the magic that brought it all together. A wash of gesso. This is one of my favourite ways to pull things together, be it bright paint or different colours of paper.

I was sad that I'd made the piece look so bland, but more paint quickly came to the rescue, especially combined with a ruined brush that gave wonderful texture with minimal effort. (I only buy cheap brushes because I'm very hard on them, ruining them quite quickly. Now I know to keep hold of them to create brilliant effects!)

I think I might turn this over and do something different on the back. Then create an incredible journal. Or maybe scrapbook paper. Or... Well, I'll be as surprised as you when I figure it out!

WOYWW - the I SUCK edition

2011-04-13T09:42:00.001+01:00

This week I'm working on the floor. It's a great place to work as you get more room than most tables and it's really easy to get some distance from your work: just stand up!

This is either the beginnings of a journal or a major work of art. Or lots of bits to be incorporated into other projects! I'm working on a piece of extra thick lining paper, you know wallpaper! I gessoed it and stuck some dictionary paper and also some mesh on it before starting to wild with the acrylic paint. You can my brushes, towel, water pots and paints in this picture.

And here's the close up. I know there'll be some image transfers on here before I'm done, but that's the only thing I know!

So why is this the "I Suck" edition of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday? Because I suck. I didn't visit anyone last week. Not even the people who left such wonderful (and often funny comments). I suck.

Please don't think you're not appreciated. It's just that I suck. But I promise to do better this week. I really do.

Back to Back

2011-04-11T20:21:00.000+01:00

I've started to add text to my playing cards. Yay! Thanks to Shadowhouse Creations I have all these wonderful textures and background to play with. Throw in a funky font (which Shadowhouse also showed me) and I think I'm starting to create something interesting. And I like that just by changing the background I can get something with a huge amount of drama.

My next step is to print them out and then start to play with them in real life, rather than just the virtual life. I tried adding an image to the black and white back:

It's interesting, but I might have more fun using image transfer techniques to combine things. Now, should I image transfer the face or the text and background? Decisions, decisions. No one warns you about all the decisions you're going to have to make when you start creating art.

Still, whatever decision I go with, I think it'll make a great joker.

(By the way, if you're not into using a computer to create art, Shadowhouse Creations still has a lot to offer you. His wonderful textures will add something unique and amazing to your art if you print them out and play with them.)

WOYWW - the Business As Usual edition

2011-04-06T08:42:00.001+01:00

Let's face it, no one was expecting this thing to still be tidy. Least of all me. And at least it's messy with work, not just stuff dumped on it. And it should be easy to work on. Or am I taking optimism too far?

Why am I telling you all this? Because it's Wednesday which means people all over the world go to Julia's blog and share their desks with the world. Crazy? Oh yeah. But fun too!

Nothing all that different on my desk this week: books that are being cut or about to be cut. You can't really tell, but the one in the middle is a pear. Or will be. Hopefully! The one on the left is going to be the view out of a window. I think! All, as ever, subject to change.

The downside to the book altering is that my room is now covered with bits of paper. The upside is that I'm loving it! Although I may need to look at knife options.

And on that rather ominous note, I'm off to look at desks. Have fun! Oh, and if you're kind enough to leave a comment, please leave your Mr Linky number or a link so I can come and visit you. Cheers.

WIP crack away!

2011-04-04T20:45:00.001+01:00

So this is my current WIP (work in progress) as well as my current WOH (work on hold until I can figure out how to finish it).

I've been thinking about altered books a lot but, other than board books, haven't really done anything. I know I want to use books to make picture frames and a tray and shadow box type things, but I haven't ever had the impetus to start. Then I saw an article about altered books in last month's Craft Stamper. The thing that excited me was tearing the pages to make a niche rather than cutting them. I knew immediately that the rough and delicate edge would work really well with a twig.

So here we are. I gessoed and painted the cover, following that up with an image transfer of music. I painted my twig as well. Then I suddenly thought to add the woman. I'm still not sure if I like that, but I can always alter it later if I change my mind. I do like the bits of pink but i have no idea how to finish it. You can see here I tried flowers, but they're not right. Maybe a different kind of flower. Or a butterfly? I just don't know, which is why this has become a work on hold. I'm going to mull it over and see what I come up with.

In the meantime, I'm finally on a roll when it comes to altered books and I've started on another two. Now if only I could be as inspired by my playing cards. I'm a bit blocked there. Ah well, there's plenty of year left to finish my pack.

WOYWW - the Smug edition

2011-03-30T08:49:00.000+01:00

Hands up who didn't think my desk would be tidy this week? Yeah, me too! But it is! Not that that's the only reason I'm feeling smug. No, no. I'm feeling smug because not only is my desk tidy, but so is the rest of the room and I worked on a project after tidying it and still kept it tidy. Yay for me! (I know it's not spotless, but cut me some slack!)

It will probably all end in tears, but it feels so good right now!

This is the project. As ever, it's not what I had in mind when I started the project, so it will be interesting to see where I wind up!

Could I ask a huge favour? If you're kind enough to leave a message, could you include your Mister Linky number? That way I can come and visit you that much more quickly. And if you haven't got the faintest idea what I'm talking about, then go visit our fearless leader, Julia, and discover the fun and madness that is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!

WOYWW - the WTF edition

2011-03-23T08:43:00.000Z

WTF? Honestly, what else is there to say about my desk? Not even the Bagpuss effect can stop it looking horrendous! In my defense, it's like this because I was tidying and sorting and my desk has on it the last bits I need to go through. But even so, it does look a bit horrifying! Even to me! More horrifying yet: I felt the urge to tidy! I must have been very, very ill!

Now, given everyone was much taken with the idea of me scoffing a box After Eight mints last week, I feel I should point that not only was that the box from around Christmas, but the Pringle cans you can see were not emptied by me. A colleague enjoys them and then I get to enjoy filling them up again!

I think I need to promise to show you a tidy desk next week in order to guarantee I finish the tidying! So, tune in next week to see if I manage it! In the meantime, why not join in the What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday fun over at Julia's blog.

Ace of Clubs

2011-03-17T07:11:00.003Z

I'm not sure about this one. It's either too fancy or not fancy enough. And the colour scheme was cool in my head, but not so cool in reality. And using a shimmer cardstock does make it hard to photograph!

At least I love the back. I took three pieces of cardstock - white, red and purple (the closest in the range to blue!) - and taped them together. Then I taped my Union Flag stencil to them and started cutting. I did it this way to ensure that it would all fit together as neatly as possible. Keeping track of the pieces was a bit tricky, but I think it was worth it.

Of course, making the flag this way means you have all the pieces to make two more flags. But do the colours work? I haven't permanently fixed these two together; that way if I decide I don't like them I can add the scraps to my scrap box and use them in a paper mosaic. Or any number of other projects!

So what would you do? Save the spare flags, or split them up and do other things with them? I'd love to know.

WOYWW - the I Haven't Created So Why Is There A Mess edition

2011-03-16T09:01:00.000Z

How have I managed to make such a mess on my desk when I've done so little creating? I wish I knew!

Not that some of this stuff isn't cool, just that it's impossible to see! There's a deconstructed After Eight box, which I still haven't done anything with. Some of my new hand cut stencils, a journal, paint charts to be cut up and one of the many draft versions of the 2 of Hearts. You might even be able to see a glimpse of another Union Jack. How exciting!

I had wanted to do my first What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday in ages with a tidy desk, but then how would anyone have recognised my desk. If you want to see tidy, hop on over to Julia's blog and look at her desk. (Is it wrong to hate her a little for having a tidy desk?) And then see how many other people have a tidy desk. I shall try not to hate them!

Stencil Love

2011-03-14T09:22:00.000Z

It may not look like much, but this stencil represents hours of work - and it's not even totally finished! I love it, but it's so not what I was planning to make. But then, it seems that not much is these days.

I can't wait to use this and have random confetti shapes on things. It will be a lot of fun to compare it when used subtly and when used brashly. Not to mention using it with metal and embossing paper and... Well, you get the idea: it has a lot of potential.

This is my current fave, though: a simple harlequin stencil. Whereas the first stencil has been done very randomly, this one had a lot of planning behind it. I started by drawing a simple harlequin pattern. I sized the diamonds so they'd fit nicely onto a 5"x7" piece of paper, as that's the size of my playing cards. Of course, I couldn't just cut on the lines; if I did, I'd end up with a giant square! But how to make sure I got a nice shape round each diamond, without the border being too big?

For the longest time this stencil sat on my desk uncut because I couldn't figure out how to draw even, narrow borders. Then I realised that I didn't have to figure that out because I didn't have to cut even borders at all. Instead I needed to embrace my own style and just cut by hand. So that's what I did. It's lead to a stencil that is unique and totally me.

2 of Hearts

2011-03-11T09:43:00.001Z

The 2 of Hearts. A real labour of love! Fortunately I'm happy with how my labours turned out; just don't look at the back!

I was sketching and did a cool outline drawing of a vine with two hearts instead of flowers. So I traced it onto paper and started to colour it in with Copic Markers. It looked terrible so I did it again. And again. And even again. Then I did it again but with pencils, instead of markers.

Before I had a screaming fit, I decided to put it to one side and move on to something else. And that was exactly the moment I had a bright idea and decided to stitch it. After all, I loved the outline, so why not keep it as an outline?

I grabbed a piece of paper I'd already gessoed and painted and pricked out the design. Unfortunately, I put some of the holes too close together and they ripped into one massive hole when I started stitching, but a bit of tape on the back holds it all together! Using the gold thread was a huge mistake: it didn't provide enough contrast between the stitching and the background. So I outlined the stitching with a brown pen and it's really pulled everything together.

The back was a lot simpler to do! I covered a piece of chipboard with some Tim Holtz tissue tape and then used a sponge to apply Distress Inks through my Union Jack stencil. I'm not sure why I decided to do it monochromatic rather than red, white and blue, but I'm glad I did. It looks kind of cool and, as I hoped, the text gives it a lot more interest than the previous flag.

It's good to be back to creating. And I've got lots of ideas to keep me busy!

All Quiet on the Western Front

2011-03-08T20:24:00.001Z

So, I've been a little quiet recently. Not in real life where I talk like most people breath. But I have been quiet online. After a tiny operation on my hand (which did stop me creating in quite the same way) I came down with a cold that just won't go away. So, I haven't really had anything to say and I do think that if you don't have anything to say you shouldn't say anything!

But now I'm back! And with better internet access so I'm hoping to rejoin What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday next week. Yay!

This little drawing is from my sketchbook and I feel I might be getting the hang of hatching and cross-hatching. Sure, it would be good to have varied the hatching in the sky to give a hint of clouds, but I've used it in a drawing and it's worked!

The inspiration for this little sketch came from a mini workshop I went to on Sunday. It was print making, but not with stamps or letterpress; with an etched plate. It was so cool. Instead of using wax and acid on metal, we etched mirror card with a nail! The best thing of all is that I can do this at home with my BigShot. Or I can once I figure out the right sandwich.

Anyway, I've got loads of good posts coming, including more playing cards, more Union Jacks and my own handcut stencils. So I hope you'll forgive me my silence and give me the benefit of your thoughts. See you soon!

A Dust of Snow

2011-02-03T10:25:00.000Z

This is a poem by Robert Frost. I consider it a gift, to me! I was on the subway train one day, going to work. I was having one of those days; basically, if I could have stayed in bed all day, I would have done. Then I looked up and saw this poem. I had a change of mood!

As to the style, well I've been seeing other pieces that were done in this way for a while and wanted to try it myself. I think we'll be seeing this style again! Next time I want to do it on plain paper, outlining the letters in black and then adding colour to the thick bits. This time I just used a black biro in my journal. (My journal has painted pages, just acrylic paint applied with a sponge.)

I think I need to do an illustration for the poem. A tree, maybe.

6 of Hearts

2011-01-21T22:36:00.000Z

There are six hearts here, I promise you!

This is a very unexpected playing card. I started off just testing a type of paper to see if it would work for what I wanted it for. I roughly applied gesso, with a brush, to both sides of the paper. Somehow I found the patience to let the first side dry before I turned it over! Then I grabbed my trusty sponge and added acrylic paint. Finally I used a wash of silver paint over the top, rubbing most of it off with a towel.

Then I kept looking at the paper and kind of loving it. I suddenly realised that something in white would look very ethereal and other worldly. So I flipped through my sketch book to see if anything struck me as being good. The grass (or reeds, or whatever they are) struck me so I grabbed my white PrismaColor pencil and went for it. It was great to discover that I could easily erase the pencil from the paint and eventually I ended up with something I liked. Using the hearts to create the dragonfly wings came to me when I suddenly remembered a butterfly I created using a heart shaped stamp. Before I knew it I'd created the 6 of Hearts.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the paper will be good for what I want it for, but I'm hoping to find a slightly thicker version which will be perfect.

Five of Spades

2011-01-17T15:37:00.001Z

I'm bursting with pride. Which goeth before a fall, but it's worth it. I've had a piece like this in mind ever since I started making my cut cards. And now that I've made it I'm kind of impressed. It's simple enough: 3 cut pieces of paper- featuring a house, a tree and a fence - plus one uncut piece for the background. I used strips of balsa wood as spacers. It feels a lot like a shadow box.

I was going to do the whole thing in black, but I don't have thick enough black paper. If I used something flimsy, it would bow where it lacked support. Watercolour paper is much sturdier, so I used that.

Adding colour definitely occurred to me, but I couldn't decide what to do. Washes of colour on each piece of paper? A painted background? A combination of both? Or maybe painting everything black? Too many options, so I opted to leave it all au naturel. I like the clean and simple look of the all white, not to mention it being a little more subtle. But by far the best part is the way the white paper shows all the shadows so beautifully.

The back isn't nearly so cool as the front, but it is the start of an exploration. The Union Flag (technically it's only the Union Jack when it's flown at sea) is everywhere at the moment and I'm looking forward to playing with it. Different colours, different textures, different mediums.

In this case I started by cutting a stencil. It's the first one I've cut out of oiled stencil paper and I'm really pleased at how easy it was to cut. My previous stencils were cut out of watercolour paper, but the oiled paper should be more durable. So far, so good on that point. After cutting the stencil I wiped the paper with some Antique Linen Distress Ink and then sponged on some Worn Lipstick and some Tumbled Glass, choosing colours that felt a little washed out. If I had my stamps with me, I'd be tempted to use one of my text stamps on it, but I don't, so I can't!

Like I said, the back isn't that great, but I think I'll come up with some good versions of it after a while.

Now I'm off to conquer my fear of clubs. Hearts and diamonds are easy; and spades are just upside down hearts with a stem. Clubs, however, feel a little more challenging!

Beautiful Cards

2011-01-15T16:58:00.001Z

I'm not bragging about my cards, but about the first cards posted to the Playing Cards 2011 Flickr group. Mrs A and Bernie have created some gorgeous cards. I feel so proud of them, even though I didn't actually do anything!

I'm so excited that Bernie has chosen non-traditional suits. It's going to be so exciting to see how she interprets Earth, Water, Fire and Air. I have to say she's made me want to do the same thing!

As for Mrs A, I'm blown away by the lack of red on the Ace of Hearts. It's a really bold move that challenges our preconceptions so beautifully. I'm definitely going to be inspired by that. Thanks, Mrs A!

Anyway, here's my first card.

The front of the card is the finished heart that I showed you last week. I added a little stencilling. Almost wish I hadn't, but sometimes you know a little something is needed, just not what that something is! At least I've made a start in taking my digital collages and creating something with them. I've got a few more ideas for that.

I love the back. I painted the paper silver and then did an image transfer of a masterboard collage. A little ink around the edges and Bob's your uncle! The silver paint makes it look really vintage. Not sure why, but I'm glad it does!

I'm thinking the 5 of Spades or Clubs next. Why? Why not?!

WOYWW - the First Card edition

2011-01-05T07:45:00.001Z

One of the things I love about What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is the way it makes me really look at my desk and what's on it instead of just shoving things out of the way. Doing that often inspires me and lets me see new potential in materials and pieces.

Today I'm inspired by the After Eights box: the colour, the beautifully shaped flaps and the corrugated stuff inside that helps keep the mints all lined up. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but discovering what it's good for will be fun. And the blue, purple and red paper has given me a couple of good ideas for backs of my Playing Cards.

Front and centre on my desk is the front of my first Playing Card: the Ace of Hearts. You can see by the bits of paper next to it that I only finished revealing the transfer last night. I think this brings me to the first Eureka moment from my new challenge: using image transfer techniques on my digital collages. I've enjoyed making little digital creations, but never really known what to do with them. Just printing them out didn't seem to be what I'm about as an artist. But as soon as I revealed this transfer I knew it was something I could really sink my teeth into. Now it needs some ink and/or paint to really make it into something special. (If you'd like to make your own Playing Cards this year, check this out.)

Other stuff on my table includes quilling paper. Not that I intend to quill. I'm going to use it for a mosaic technique. There's also tissue paper - there because I haven't moved it anywhere else yet - one of my trusty sponges and some fabulous gel medium - the secret to my image transfers! (A number of people have asked how I do these and I will do a tutorial on this as soon as I can.)

It's hard to believe that I spent a number of hours tidying. Alas, I left the desk till last and haven't gotten round to it yet. But my stash is very tidy and I know where everything is. Unless it's on my desk!

Now I'm off to enjoy another thing I love about WOYWW: being nosy! If you want to be nosy, visit Julia's blog and start clicking.

(Last week insomnia and a broken boiler combined to have me up early with access to great internet. This in turn led me to having a great time visiting lots of blogs. I'm not so lucky this week! But I'll try to visit as many people as possible.)

Hope you're having a creative and happy new year.

Subject to change!

2011-01-03T10:31:00.000Z

Happy New Year! Have you made your first 2011 piece of art? I've already drawn, so it seems that my Daily Drawings, while not being Daily, will still live on. I haven't made my first playing card yet, but nearly. Very nearly!

A couple of people have asked about my plans for my playing cards. Pam over at Amber Inklings, made a brilliant suggestion as part of her question:

Thanks for the reminder about your playing card idea again - are you going to buy a deck and resurface them? I'm trying to think out the best approach.

Does anyone have the faintest idea why I'm not doing an altered deck? Cos it's a fab idea. Maybe next year. Because this year I'm making my cards 5"x7" (twice the size of a regular playing card. Well, twice the width and height, but the same proportions.) I did think of just making them ATC size, but decided I'd like a little more space to play. And it's not as if I'm making cards for other people to play with. Trust me, anyone trying to shuffle and deal my cards is going to be in big, big trouble.

The first one I'm making (the ace of hearts) is going to be on watercolour paper, but I'm not limiting myself to any particular material. I might use canvas or fabric; wood or other types of paper. I have a couple of metal ideas as well.

I can't decide whether the back of the card should relate to the front, or if I should just do whatever tickles my fancy. I guess the great thing of this project is that I can do both those things. And I'm as excited by the pip cards as the court cards. At the moment, diamonds are really inspiring me. I can do a Harlequin pattern, or a quilt pattern or one of those weird 3-D looking ones. Not to mention a wrought iron fence. Now that could be cool!

Bernie at One of a Kind inspired me with this comment:

I followed the Wiki link you gave - fascinating stuff. You must have noticed that in one iteration, the Queen of Diamonds is none other than.......Rachel! I do hope you'll make her you in your deck, whether through portraiture, what she is carrying/holding or some other personalisation.

So now, of course, I'll do something about Rachel for Queenie. (Which makes me think Blackadder! Dear old Queenie.)

Bernie also said :

How apt that you are starting with the anatomical beating heart - it's like giving life to the process.

Who knew I was such a genius? I certainly didn't!

Of course, all this is subject to change. I'm setting myself some guidelines, but not sticking drastically to them. After all, the point of this resolution is to challenge myself. If I'm suddenly inspired to make a giant card, or a teeny tiny one, then I'm not going to close myself off to it.

WOYWW - the End of the Year edition

2010-12-29T06:21:00.001Z

I can't believe that I don't have a desk again this week. Well, I still have a desk, but the boiler is broken so I'm staying elsewhere and am back to working on my lap again!

Fortunately, what's on my lap ties in well with an end of year theme. Everyone is reviewing the year and I thought I was immune to the trend. Then I realised I only have 3 drawing days left. Just 3 more daily drawings. I started looking back through my book and seeing all I'd done. I'm amazed that I've done so many drawings. I'm stunned that I actually like some of them. That I've actually used some of them in my art feels like a miracle. I gave myself an incredible gift when I decided to draw in 2010. It's changed my art; it's changed how I see the world; it's definitely changed how I feel about myself as an artist.

I'm still trying to draw birds. I can't seem to draw the birds in my head, but I am managing some quite fun ones. I'm still drawing for my cut cards as well. And I have in mind an idea for a cut shadow box. Hallowe'en themed of course!

Which brings me to looking to the future, the other trend at this time of year. Much to my delight I found some oiled stencil board at Hobbycraft, so I can create some durable stencils and, when they're not fit to use as stencils any more, include in my art. And I've already started obsessing about my 2011 artistic resolution: Playing Cards. No matter what kind of art you're into, I think you could find some inspiration in a pack of cards. I'd love you to join me in 2011.

I might fit in another post before the end of the year, but in case I don't, I hope you have a great new year. Now I'm off to see what everyone else's desks look like. Don't forget to hop on over to Julia's blog and start blog hopping.

Playing Cards

2010-12-27T14:51:00.001Z

I think I may be overly excited about my 2011 artistic resolution. I mean, it's just to make a pack of cards. But I have so many ideas buzzing through my head. This is the start of my ace of hearts. It's a a digital collage. I'm not sure if I'm going to use it for an image transfer or just a hybrid collage, but I can't wait to play.

I know I'll create at least one court card using a vintage nude and image transfer techniques, but all the other possibilities are sitting out there waiting to be discovered. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to just make two jokers, but maybe I won't even be inspired to make two. That's one of the great things about an endeavour like this: not really knowing where you're heading.

I'm going to explore pattern for the backs of cards. I'm definitely going to carve a pattern stamp. Or maybe more. Not to mention some doodling. And possibly something fabric-y. And something else done with faux mosaic. And... See, that's why I'm loving this challenge before I've even started: it's inspiring.

I hope you'll join me and make a pack of cards in 2011. Whether you're a painter, a drawer, a collager, a knitter or something else altogether, I hope you are inspired to create 52 (plus Jokers) amazing pieces of art. To join me, grab the Playing Cards button and post your pictures to the Flickr group I've created: http://www.flickr.com/groups/playingcards2011/

Even if you don't do those two things, I hope you'll play cards.

Under Pressure

2010-12-26T18:57:00.000Z

For Dan

On Wednesday I had no idea if I'd finish my brothers' Christmas presents. And if, by some miracle, I did manage to finish them, would they be better than complete crap?

Sometimes pressure is exactly what you need to get your arse in gear and get something made. It certainly worked for these pieces. Not only did I finish them, but I managed to make them look good too! And, most importantly, my brothers like them.

For Steve

I hope you had as wonderful a Christmas as I did. And here's to a fabulous Boxing Day.

WOYWW - the AARGGH edition

2010-12-22T08:55:00.001Z

Life has been one big AARGGH moment this week. First, I had internet woes and while I could be online for a quick post or a quick peek, leaving comments was impossible. And that meant I couldn't thank people for the wonderful comments they left me. Thank you all and apologies for not thanking you. I'm going over to Julia's site to see if I can do better this week.

Second, my Christmas presents are not coming along well. Look at those three canvas boards. They are not at all impressive. Still, maybe if I keep soldiering on I'll come up with something decent. If not, I'll just have to make everyone some notecards!

But no AARGGH moment when I play Christmas carols and think about Christmas nearly being here. I get all giddy and excited. Yay!

Anyway, Merry Whatever You're Celebrating and Happy Everything Else!

How did this happen?

2010-12-18T12:26:00.000Z

I wasn't planning to draw a reindeer. But suddenly there it was. So I added eyes, nose and a mouth and there we were. OK, it's not great, but it's a reindeer. I drew a reindeer!

WOYWW - the Festive Fun edition

2010-12-15T08:22:00.004Z

My desk might not look very festive, but I have definitely started. The gold coloured canvas boards you see are the start of some Christmas presents. And there is a card that I could send someone as a Christmas card if I so desired! (I cut the card and then used Twinkling H2Os to paint the paper that goes behind them. I'd like to try using a dark grey paper instead of black, but I am still in love with this technique!)

I finished the card I was making. This is it. I painted the background, then transferred two images on to it. A little edge distressing, and there it is! I love it. I even signed it! (I'm trying to remember to sign the things I make. It feels like an important statement about my pieces.)

I stopped making cards for quite a while. I think it was because I couldn't find a way to link where I was with my art with a card. But I've certainly stopped feeling that way! There are people who don't consider cards art, because they have a practical purpose. But I disagree. I think cards can be art and I like to think this one is!

That's it for today. I'm off to Julia's site to start WOYWW blog hopping. Have fun!

WOYWW - the Getting Messy edition

2010-12-08T07:39:00.001Z

I love my desk this week. It's full of work. I'm making glittery limes for the Christmas tree at work. Can you tell they're lime? I'm not convinced. I'm also making a birthday card. That's the blue piece of paper on the table. You can also see the vintage male nude that's going on the card. This is a commissioned piece, so it's rather exciting to work on. I do like commissions!

The silver handled paint brush is my new scratchy, dry brush. I used it to apply gesso to some paper and then let the gesso dry on the brush. From now on I'll always use this brush dry and never clean it. That comes very naturally to me!

If you want to know how I create my Bagpuss style pictures for WOYWW, I made a little tutorial. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions.

Finally, for today, I have decided what my 2011 art resolution is going to be. This year it was to draw every day and I've loved every minute of it. In 2011, I'm going to continue drawing, but I'm also going to make a deck of cards. It's not going to be a matching set of cards; they'll all be different styles and use different techniques. They're going to be a chance to play and experiment. What do you think? If enough people want to join me on this challenge I'll set up a Flickr group where we can all post our cards.

Now I'm off to check out desks from around the world. If you want to join What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, hop on over to Julia's blog and get clicking!

The Bagpuss Effect

2010-12-06T20:51:00.000Z

Not a long post, just a quickie... Quickie tutorial that is.

A number of people have asked about the photos I post for WOYWW. So I thought I'd show you how I make my little digital collages. I hope you like it.

I start with this fabulous background/texture from Shadowhouse Creations. This guy is a freakin' genius. Plus he's also incredibly generous and lets you use his textures and backgrounds for free. How cool is that? I insert the image into Pages (I'm a Mac girl; if you use Windows you could try Word or PowerPoint.)

Then I edit my photo. Now, I'm not one of those with PhotoShop (although if you'd like to give it to me for Christmas I wouldn't say no!) I use a program called Image Tricks. It's a cool little program for Macs. I can give you no suggestions as to what to use if you have Windows but no Photoshop. Sorry about that.

Anyway, I open up my picture in Image Tricks and click the mask button. From the lovely selection given to me I select the circle one. Now I have a beautiful oval with fuzzy edges. (The white that you're seeing is actually transparent.)

I copy it and paste it into Pages. I centre it on the background image, adjusting sizes if need be. Then I group the two pictures together and copy them one last time. I then open Preview and click New. This opens up my copied picture and allows me to save it in any number of formats, from pdf to jpeg. As I want to use it on my blog, I choose jpeg and a fairly low resolution.

After that, it's just a question of uploading it to my blog. Easy, peasy, lemon squeazy! Someone kindly said that the picture reminded them of Bagpuss, so I'm calling this The Bagpuss Effect. In this case, I've Bagpussed a couple of complete strangers in Central Park. I have no idea who they are, but now they look kinda cool!

If you have any questions, pop them in the comments section and I'll answer them as soon as I can. And go check out Shadowhouse Creations. His stuff is totally cool!

WOYWW - the Finally Some Art edition

2010-12-01T08:13:00.000Z

There's a little more happening on my desk week: paint! I grabbed some Twinkling H20s and got busy. OK, I only did one piece with them, but it's kind of a fun one.

I taped off a rectangle and slapped on some paint. Then I ruined it with too much water! I decided to draw some trees on it, just for the practice. After that I left it propped up and went to bed.

The next morning the magic elves had come and made it look better! I love it when they do that! Up close you can still see the spot where I put too much water, but from a distance it shows promise. I can't wait to try it again. I'm definitely getting happier with this drawing thing!

I also have a nice block to carve a stamp into. I'm thinking of going for something big, maybe a background. I'm also thinking of waiting till inspiration hits!

I'm also please to have had a little more internet access and visited a few more people last week. I hope to visit even more people this week: to feel inspired and, quite often, jealous. If you want to sneak a peek at work desks all over the world, visit Julia's blog and start clicking.

I've finally done it!

2010-11-28T17:24:00.000Z

What have I finally done? I've created a little piece of art with a drawing of my own. And it's only taken nearly 11 months to pluck up the courage and the confidence to do it!

It started with my decision to use the stencils I've made for my cut cards to do a variation of fine art stamping. I used Distress Inks to create the background and, after tracing round my stencil with a pencil, used a black brush pen to fill in the trees.

I wasn't too happy with trees: they're just too solidly black, so I tried again. This time I used pencil instead of pen. Much better! Of course now I'm not so sure it was wise to use a blue pencil with just a light top layer of black, but there we are. I definitely prefer it to the regularity of the first version.

I created a third background, intending to use my stencil again. But before I had time to think (and so not do it) I was busy drawing a tree on the background. Freehand! I realise that to some people there's really nothing special in this, but for me it was huge. I think this particular tree needs an owl sitting on it, but even without that it's kind of cool.

I'm not sure what's next, in terms of drawing outside my journal, but this has felt like a huge triumph. A year ago I would never have dreamt I'd be proud to show you something I drew! I love the way my Daily Drawing project has helped me grow as an artist. Thank you to everyone who has left comments on my blog encouraging me with this. You've helped me more than you can imagine.

WOYWW - the New Desk edition

2010-11-24T11:22:00.038Z

I'm so happy! I have a new desk and it's all clean and gorgeous and beautiful. Now I can concentrate on showing you what's on my desk instead of what I'm using as a desk this week!

(If you're wondering why on earth I want to show you my desk at all, hop on over to Julia's blog and read all about it. Not to mention snooping round desks from all around the world. It's great fun and usually very inspiring. Alas, I have sporadic internet access right now, so I haven't been able to visit people. I'm hoping to have that sorted out soon. Apologies if I haven't responded to your kind comment: it is very appreciated.)

So, what's on my desk? Well, the inevitable cut card supplies. Although now I have access to my inks I'm looking forward to doing a Fine Art Stamping variation using the stencils I've cut rather than stamps. And ink not paint! In other words, not Fine Art Stamping at all. (Maybe I should think these things through a little more!)

It's very exciting to be using drawings from my Daily Drawing journal. At the start of the year it would never have occurred to me that anything I drew could be anything more than just a doodle to be thrown away. I hope I can come up with an artistic challenge for myself in 2011 that is as rewarding and stimulating as this one has been. If you have any suggestions, please tell me because I'm totally stumped.

What else? Well, there's a perfect little leaf that I want to do something with, although what remains a mystery. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

The bag of small bottles is waiting for silly labels like Love and Hope and Sweet Dreams for my apothecary shop. (I'm determined to handwrite the labels, even though I hate my handwriting, to give them a nice old world feel.) Of course there's some Mold n Pour and some mini non stick craft sheets. Not to mention paint brushes. I've really missed painting and can't wait to get going again.

The newest thing on my desk is the black and white piece, ink spots or cow markings! It's the wrapper from a lint roller and I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but there's no way I could throw it away. The buttons are something I "had" to have, even though they're not my usual colours at all. I guess it's good to step out of your comfort zone sometimes, but they're a bit of a puzzle!

And that's about it. I'm hoping to have some cool stuff to show you next week, but who knows?

Have a good one!

WOYWW - the Last Minute edition

2010-11-17T20:01:00.000Z

I wasn't going to post today, but then I suddenly I had something to share. So here we are! I've been showing you a different work desk every week, but this week I had nothing to show. My floor (also known as my desk!) was clean and tidy. But at least I'd be able to visit people this week (unlike last week due to internet issues).

Then I got a one temp job; the instructions included "take a book with you". Being a crafter I took a little craft project with me as well! I'm still in love with the cut cards I've been making, but now I'm cutting templates/stencils for them out of nice, thick watercolour paper. And that's what I took to work with me.

Seeing all the stencils like this has given me a great idea for taking this further forward: a mosaic of cuts outs. Could be cool. Might not be, but worth trying.

I feel bad about showing you pretty much the same thing all the time, but I'm a woman obsessed! For more variety, check out all the other work desks at Julia's blog. A good time is guaranteed!

WOYWW - the Third Time Lucky edition

2010-11-10T08:13:00.000Z

Yet another work desk! This one should be with me a long time because I’ve moved into my new place and have a new work space: the floor! Fortunately I love working on the floor. The only downside is I do have to tidy up each night before I can pull my bed out.

Packing all my belongings gave me a wonderful chance to review all my art. Looking back at my first attempts and then at my first class samples was pretty cool. I got to see how I’ve grown as an artist, how my style has changed and, most amazingly, to remember things that I’d forgotten and have been inspired by! I can highly recommend revisiting early works; it's a lot of fun.

The jumble of art on my “desk” are samples that I’m putting into my portfolio. (I have a beautiful teal scrapbook that I’m using. I’m going to decorate it with some black flocked swirls.) You can also see a few finished “cut” cards. I rather like the delicate green behind the pear. It’s more subtle than I usually do, but I like it!

Anyway, I have to go check out some other desks. If you want to nosy round desks from all over the world, visit Julia’s blog. You're bound to have fun and be inspired.

WOYWW - the Bed edition

2010-11-03T07:14:00.000Z

I still don't have a proper crafting space so today my work desk is my bed. It's an air bed - hence the ridges - and very comfortable. Crafting in bed combines two of my favourite things: crafting and being in bed!

I took the photo last night after doing my daily drawing. And I am so glad I have my daily drawing journal. Being parted from most of my craft tools is tricky, but at least this makes sure I do something every day. And I've been drawing lots of potential cut cards which I hope to start making soon.

(I'm starting to think about what my artistic challenge to myself should be next year. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to know. Especially if you'd like to join me in the challenge!)

Thanks for taking the time to snoop. If you'd like to see some proper work desks this week, check out Julia's blog.

One of those bloody awful days

2010-10-31T18:15:00.000Z

The day began so well: I finished my first proper cut card and loved it. Yay! Then I opened it up and discovered that you can see the strip of card I used. It's not a difficult problem to solve (use a strip the size of the card or, as I'd originally intended) use a second card inside the cut one. But it just set the tone for the rest of the day. Nothing I touched came out like I wanted.

So I gave up on detailed work and turned to paint. But I miss my acrylic paints and gesso; watercolour is great, but simply didn't do it for me today. I decided to call it a day, an uncreative day! Sometimes I like to keep trying when I feel like this, hoping I'll push through the block, but today seemed like a good day to sit, relax and watch something on TV!

And to blog, of course. Because although I found a slight problem with my card, I do love it and couldn't wait to share it with you.

Thank you to everyone for their kind comments about my first cutting attempts. Dooone left a comment that really resonated for me:

You know I think negative spaces will be the next big 'new' craft thing taken from Fine Art - 'masks' are coming back big this season(by nature a negative space image) and paper cutting has, in my opinion, been neglected too long as an art form - altered books and journals really Neeeeed paper cuts in relief and the layers created are just so interesting....

Now I have to go find a second hand book to start cutting! (If you don't follow or subscribe to Doone's blog, I highly recommend it. I find it very inspiring.)

A lot of comments were about how skilled I must be with a knife and that the commenter could never do anything like this. Well, I didn't used to be good with a knife, not for free hand cutting, so here's how I got better. I hope these tips help:

Practice. Using a knife involves eye to hand coordination and practice will make it better.
Use a nice fresh blade. Paper dulls blades incredibly quickly, so make sure you have plenty of spare blades.
Start with thin paper that's easy to cut. That way you can go through it with just one pass. I've been using copy paper.
Go slowly. Just take your time. It's not a race or a competition.
Start by drawing simple wavy lines on the paper. Over time you will build up your confidence and be able to cut much more intricate things. (I'm still working my way up to some of the things I want to cut!)
Relax. Embrace imperfection! If the cut doesn't match the pencil line exactly, so what? Trust me, you do not want to see the other side of this card! And the "straight" lines are not perfectly straight. (I could have used a ruler, but I didn't.)

Well, thanks for listening to me blather on. I hope these tips help, but writing them has certainly made me feel more creative. In fact, there's something from my daily drawing journal that I think is going to look fabulous!

WOYWW - the Manchester edition

2010-10-27T00:01:00.000+01:00

Welcome to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. If you haven't a clue what this is about, then visit Julia Dunnit's fabulous blog and read all about it. In fact, go there anyway and take a look at desks from all around the world. It's a hoot.

Anyway, here I am in sunny (on occasion) Manchester. This is less about what's on my work desk and more about what my work desk is! At the moment I'm using a little stool with my sketchbook resting on top. It stands over one of legs and I can just work away. I could sit at the dining table, but I'm quite happy on the floor with the stool!

It's a little tricky to create anything major right now, what with most of my stuff still being in New York, but I got this idea and have started to run with it. I've started to take some of my daily drawings and creating cut out cards with them. I'm quite surprising myself with my knife abilities. The idea is to cut away the negative space, leaving the thing itself still attached to the card. A bit hard to explain, but I think you'll get the idea from the pictures.

Once I've cut the front of a card my plan is to put a different colour card inside to make the cuts show up nicely. Haven't done that yet, but I'm really enjoying the cutting part right now.

After I've played with the cutting for a while I intend to do a little sculpting. I used to make masks and I want to try sculpting mini one that I could use on cards and in shadow boxes. But first I have one or two desks to check out!

Have fun.

My Great Day Out

2010-10-22T19:53:00.001+01:00

Today I got to go to the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, here in Manchester. It was an incredible experience and I can't recommend it enough. I got to spend an afternoon seeing incredible skill and artistry and talking to the artists themselves. I didn't look at every stall, just the ones that drew me in. Here are some of my favourites:

Ingrid Wagner isn't a knitter but she loves creating large pieces of fabric in a hurry. Giant knitting needles and crochet hooks, combined with strips of fabric remnants from Britain and France allows her to do just that. This is knitting for those of us who really can't be bothered. Or for those who can't see to well: one row of knitting is over an inch tall! Her booth was such fun, full of curtains and rugs that can all be knitted in an incredibly short time, with recycled fabric from Britain and France. In fact, my friend loved it so much that she bought supplies to make a bag. I'll show you the bag when it's done!

These ceramics, by Linzi Ramsden, are so detailed and textured that I had to touch them to believe that they really are ceramic and not fabric. Linzi is a gardener and an embroider as well as a ceramicist, which definitely explains the beauty of her botanical pieces and the incredible detail she produces.

Helen Button's ceramics are delicate but practical. Here you can see a hand built face but she's really into throwing at the moment, so she has a lot of beautiful mugs and jugs. I loved that her mugs had images on both sides, so they're pretty whether you're right or left handed.

Helaina Sharpley creates whimisical works of art with wire. I love this cup of tea on a tea tray. The pieces are so delicate and the one where the four mugs can be lifted off the hangers is stunning. She starts by creating a sketch which made me hate her just a little! I want to be able to draw that well!

I was very excited to find some fabric pieces that spoke to me. Then, when I got closer I realised that Lara Aldridge's work is glass. Glass! Incredible stuff. Rich and vibrant. It made me think a little bit of Klimt, but that could just be because I already had Klimit on the brain! But I did wish it had been fabric!

There was a lot of stunning jewellery at the Fair, but the titanium pieces by Moxon and Simm where my favourites by far. The thing that totally blows my mind is that titanium cannot be soldered so everything is riveted. There were some pieces with twenty tiny, perfect rivets in them. Just stunning. And definitely on my wish list!

The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair continues tomorrow and Sunday, so if you're in the area, stop by and find the things you love.

On the move

2010-10-14T03:58:00.001+01:00

I felt in the mood for a little BritArt today. Why? Because on Sunday I'm moving back to Britain! (The flag and the Keep Calm poster are both from the wonderful Graphics Fairy. You can expect to see more images from her site as I work on virtual art for a while!)

My ten years in New York have been amazing, but now it's time to go back home. So, give me a few more days of not much action, and then we'll see how creative Britain makes me. Of course, most of my crafting stuff won't be home for quite some time, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to create some amazing stuff, especially virtually! And it's been interesting to discover what I think of as essential! (Essentials do not include clothes!)

Now, if I can just figure out where I put my camera, I'll be able to take some pictures of my new British art. (I have a sneaky feeling you won't be able to tell if I made something here or there, but you never know!)

It's not you, it's me!

2010-10-01T03:58:00.001+01:00

So I had to explain it to my Daily Drawing Journal* that we were on a break. I told it to be brave and that I would be back, but that we needed a little time apart. It wasn't pretty; there were tears and recriminations.

Why the break? Because my wonderful journey had reached dull, stale and blah. I started off not knowing where I was going and discovered that I enjoyed drawing and was having fun. Unfortunately I then took a side trip to drawing because I had to not because I wanted to.

I decided to take a couple of weeks off so that I could think about what I wanted to do with my daily drawings for the rest of the year.

My conclusion? Simply that I needed to draw with intent. Well, duh! How to draw with intent? I decided to either draw real things, or things I wanted to make. That's it, to draw real things or things I wanted to make real. So far it's been going pretty darn well. I'm still not sure where this journey is going to take me, but at least now I will travel with intent as well as enjoyment.

*For those of you who are new to my blog I made a New Year's resolution to draw every day. Until August 29th I only missed three or four days. Check out some of my drawings; they're not good, but I'm rather proud of myself anyway!

Curiosity killed somebody!

2010-09-20T02:47:00.001+01:00

I made this tombstone by pouring black UTEE into one of the many moulds on my desk. Actually, into two moulds, but I'll explain that later. I haven't done anything with the cast yet, beyond assembling it, but I wanted to show it off because it is the product of a rather large experiment. And because people were curious about the moulds.

The moulds were made with Mold n Pour from Ranger. It's a wonderful two part moulding putty; simply mix equal amounts of each part together and press over the item you're casting. Buttons, charms, jewellery, architectural details... Everything is mouldable with this fabulous stuff.

But the tombstones were a huge experiment. Wilton makes lots of candy moulds that I've always thought would be fun to play with. But I've also always thought that the moulds would melt if I poured hot UTEE into them. So, I bought the moulds and made some candy with them. Instead of eating the candy, though, I took moulds from them. Turns out that when I say everything is mouldable, I'm not kidding. I took a mould from chocolate!

I have no idea where I'm going with this particular tombstone (although a topper for a little box might be cute) but I'm very excited that my experiment worked. It opens up a whole new world for me. I hope it does for you too.

WOYWW - the Quickie edition

2010-09-15T13:45:00.002+01:00

I tidied my desk! Which means I can sit at my desk and draw (hence the sketch books) and create. I'm covering some chipboard houses with paper. Don't know what I'm going to do with them afterwards, but they'll be covered! I've also got a ton of new moulds on my desk. Can't wait to cast them!

And that's it. A veritable quickie. I'm off to browse other people's desk. I hope you'll join the insanity by visiting Julia over at the Stamping Ground and checking out desks from around the world.

Say Cheese!

2010-09-13T13:39:00.000+01:00

Amidst the hardwork that is The Wages of Sin (and tidying my desk, but you'll have to wait to see that on Wednesday) I made a couple of quick and easy cards.

Quite simply I stuck a piece of pearlescent black paper into the frame and then stuck the frame onto the card. I added two bloodshot eye stickers and Bob's your uncle! A fun little card.

Maybe I should add a pop-up Boo! inside it. Or maybe not.

When you're good...

2010-09-10T18:54:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, when you're very good, you get rewarded. So I must have been very, very good because the other day I got to play at work. In other words, I got to craft. And these are what I made. Some cute little ATCs and a flower. Next up I'll be making Christmas card samples, but for now, let's live in the moment.

You may have noticed that these are full of Tim Holtz's fabulous Ideology bits and bobs. That's because we just got them all in stock and I couldn't resist making samples with them.

I've used the book plates before, and the flowers, but everything else was brand new to me. And I loved it all. In fact, I think I may have bought it all! (Thank God for staff discounts!)

So, let's get down to some details.

Soar

Grab a paint dabber. Use it to paint an ATC, a charm (wiping the top so only the grooves are painted) and to edge the ticket.
When the paint is dry use a little black ink to take the shine off the charm. Also, cover the ATC with tissue tape.
Grab some Glossy Accents and attach Film Ribbon to the top and bottom of the ATC. Use some more Glossy Accents to attach the ticket and the charm.

Hopeful Heart

Drip Alcohol Ink directly from the bottle onto the charm. You can use an applicator to ink up the charms, but direct from the bottle gives you the most intense colour.
Cover an ATC with tissue tape. Apply alcohol ink to the atc, using an applicator. With what's left, colour the word stick as well. Add a little blending solution to your applicator and pounce over the atc again to blend the colours.
When everything is dry, grab some Glossy Accents and fix everything to the ATC.

Live

Emboss the foliage by pressing it firmly into an ink pad and pouring on EP. Melt the powder as usual, being careful not to touch it before it's cooled down. Don't forget to do the brads as well. I used PearlLustre powder. It has such a lovely finish to it. I think I'm getting addicted.
Trim the ticket so it fits into the book plate; fix it in with a little Glossy Accents.
Use your embossed brads to fix the flowers to the book plate and the book plate to your ATC.

The Flower

This is easy peasy. Die or hand cut your felt into flowers.
Sew one of Tim's buttons in the middle of the flowers, sewing the flowers together at the same time.
This makes a great broach or embellishment. So why not make more than one?

The felt came with patterns embossed on it. How cool is that? I can't wait to use it as a background for something.

Anyway, this is a very long post so I'll simply tell you that the three remaining ATCs are mostly just variations of the three I've told you about. If you want to know the details, email me and I'll send them to you directly.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to check out some more work desks. Have fun!

WOYWW - the So Close edition

2010-09-08T10:03:00.003+01:00

It's Wednesday, so it must be What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Welcome and don't forget to see what's on Julia's work desk. Julia is the fabulous originator of this brilliant chance to snoop and feel better about your mess.

Not much has changed on my desk this week, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse at the fabulous Ikea storage system I use. It's in the kid's department and lets me put things away nice and quickly: I just dump things in the appropriate box/drawer. Over my radiator I have a plastic chest of drawers that you usually find in hardware stores. It's great for storing all the little bits n bobs that I manage to accumulate. There's also some pens, a tiny Crock Pot full of beeswax and an apothecary jar that I inherited from my Great Aunt.

Here's a little update on The Wages of Sin. I'm so close to finishing this that I can taste it. It tastes like mashed potatoes! I used Lumiere paints on the frame, Stickles on the skulls and Glossy Accents to glue the skulls into their little cubbyholes.

I originally planned to make copper name plates, but I want this to look a little bit like a specimen box so I'm going to create hand written paper labels. Needless to say my hatred of my own handwriting is going to slow this down a little! The frame needs something else, but I have no idea what. If you know what, please let me know.

I'm also thinking about adding some cobwebs. Not real ones, but those fake ones you see around Hallowe'en. The ones that look really good if people pull them part, but most people don't so I go around randomly doing it for complete strangers! Is that weird?

Weird or not, that's my desk and my current project. What's On Your Workdesk? Don't forget to share it with the world!

I've given up!

2010-09-06T02:29:00.000+01:00

What have I given up? Trying to get a good photo of this necklace! Apparently it can't be done, so I'm posting it anyway.

This little baby is my new watch. I couldn't wear one on my wrist any more: it kept getting caught on things and covered in ink and paint. So I decided to make a necklace watch and this is the result.

Much to my surprise my new watch has been getting a lot of compliments. I guess I shouldn't be surprised given how much I like it, but when complete strangers say nice things about something you made, it's always a bit of a surprise!

It's not often I make something for myself, but I'm so glad I did. I love wearing it, I love knowing the time and I also love that the whole thing is held together with safety pins and garment pins. That's right, there isn't a single proper jewellery making technique in this necklace at all.

Now I think I have to go to the hardware store and make a few more of these! Although maybe ones that are a little lighter.

WOYWW - the I've Found Some Space edition

2010-09-01T14:26:00.000+01:00

Can you see all that space? Isn't it awesome? I'm so proud of myself. OK, so some pushing, but some putting away as well! Here's to WOYWW and the wonderful Julia for letting us proudly show off our work tables and projects.

Featured today, as well as the empty space, is the gorgeous pattern of leftover gold paint on my craft sheet. I like to use a small piece as my paint palette so I can move it out of the way easily. Also, my fabulous mug, a gift, featuring a delightful lady as the handle! I don't drink from mugs (water tastes wrong in anything other than glass or plastic) so using her as my water mug means I get to enjoy her all the time.

You can see the Wages of Sin box in the background. I had to pull the letters off the top and repaint it yesterday. The letters just weren't looking Gothic-y enough. But I can't wait for the weekend; I have two whole days off and, given there's probably going to be a storm here in NYC, I shall spend the days finishing off this little project.

Other than all that, there's a few dried flowers for some dainty little cards I want to make. And the gold mannequin. I stuck a torso onto a candlestick and painted them both with True Gold Lumiere paint. I adore Lumiere paints; this piece is practically glowing on my table. How cool is that?

Well, that's it for me. Don't forget to check out Julia's blog and see some other work tables. Enjoy!

Carved Cards

2010-08-30T02:44:00.002+01:00

I'm very pleased to announce that September's Third Sunday Class will be:

Carved Cards

Class with Rachel on Sunday September 19th - 11am-2pm - $40

at Portrait Bug (2466 Broadway, New York,

btwn 91st and 92nd St)

Handmade cards are a fun and easy way to make everything from a thank you note to a holiday card even more special. In this class we won't just make our own cards, we'll carve our own stamps too. A wide variety of techniques and colours will then combine to allow us to use one stamp to create cards for every holiday and event.

So, what do you need to bring? Absolutely nothing! Simply sign up and show up.

Sign up is easy: just send me an email!

A Wooden Tree!

2010-08-27T15:35:00.003+01:00

Wooden Tree

The moment I saw wooden paper at Michaels I knew it would be perfect for this stamp. Trees are made of wood, after all! Then Gingersnap Creations launched it's new colour challenge, red and black, and I was off on another sample for September's Third Sunday class.

I was going to do some fancy punching and layering, but a simple layout seemed to be all this piece needed. I think the texture and detail of the wood and embossing provides all the interest and anything else would simply detract from it.

Huge thanks to Gingersnap Creations for the perfect colour scheme! Now I'm going to grab my rainbow pad and some perfect pearls and make another tree card. Hope you're having a fun, creative time too.

Hot Pink, Mustard and Navy Blue

2010-08-27T03:47:00.001+01:00

This week's challenge from Play Date Cafe couldn't have come at a better time. I'm busy making samples for my September's Third Sunday Class and I was totally stumped as to what colours to use for my tartan card. These colours simply leapt out at me and demanded to be used. So I used them! Take a look:

Tartan Tree

Anyway, I carved the tree myself and then used Raspberry and Butterscotch alcohol inks to make the tartan background. (Doesn't that sound good? Raspberries with Butterscotch sauce. Yum!) The tree was embossed with Lapis Lazuli embossing powder; I hope it counts as navy blue.

This is not at all the card I was thinking of making; I was planning something vintage looking. But how wonderful it was to make something bright and bold and a little playful. Always expect the unexpected!

Now go see what everyone else has done with these wonderful colours over on the Play Date Cafe's blog.

EDIT: I was inspired by the other Play Date Cafe players and made a few changes to my card. What do you think? Which one do you prefer?

WOYWW - the More Sin edition

2010-08-25T10:39:00.000+01:00

Last week everyone was very encouraging about my Wages of Sin project. When you're working on a crazy project like this knowing that other people think it's fun really helps you go forward with confidence. Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by.

As you can see, this week my desk is still dominated by my shadow box. I added colour and texture. I was going to start adding some "age" and "dirt" - also known as black paint - when I decided to put the title of the piece on it. It would have been so much easier if I'd decided this when I was putting the texture on in the first place, but where would we all be if we knew where we were heading when we started? Other than not lost!

Behind the shadow box is my usual mess. You can see a few glimpses of things I'm using for my September class, but I'm not going to share them till they're all finished. So, what's on your Work Desk this Wednesday? Julia, our fair hostess, has a wonderful desk with lots of cool things on it (she's using Metallic StazOn; I really want to try that out). Go check out her desk and, while you're there, check out desks from around the world.

Now, I have to go to work before I'm late! Hope you have a wonderful day.

Sin on Hold

2010-08-20T23:27:00.000+01:00

Sin is currently on hold. I slapped some paint on my Wages of Sin piece, but then I figured out how to put "The Wages of Sin" on the piece and that requires buying some wooden letters, which means waiting till tomorrow, which means sin is on hold.

I've kept busy carving a stamp. This is for my September Third Sunday class. We're going to carve our own stamps and make holiday cards with them. (Which holiday is up to each student!) I stamped my newly carved stamp, just to see if it needed anymore carving; it looked good so I made a quick card with it. In class we'll make much nicer ones, but I do like my new stamp.

This design is my own, from my Daily Drawing journal. I have some other winter trees that I'm also going to carve. Speaking of which, I'm off to carve!

WOYWW - the Wages of Sin edition

2010-08-18T12:03:00.000+01:00

I have a little reminder of my own mortality on my work desk this Wednesday. How about you?

I should probably backtrack a little. First, let me say I'm glad to be back to WOYWW. I had to not partake for a while because I was finding it really hard to respond to everyone and leave comments on everyone's blogs. Now I'm going to give it another go; I have a late shift tomorrow and Friday completely off, so hopefully I'll be able to see all the other work desks.

Anyway, for this week's WOYWW I focussed on my current project. You can see a little hint of the mess around it, which should come as no surprise to anyone. (A friend checked out my blog recently and said that as he went backwards through it the tidy desk photos made him think I wasn't a crafter! The previous wrecks made him feel much more at home!)

My bag of bones shadow/specimen box has taken a rather macabre turn. So far I've just created the box, covered it with tissue paper and then added some Golden Coarse Pumice Gel. But, by the time I've finished, it will have little plaques for each skull listing a different sin in Latin. You know, gluttony, lust, etc, but in Latin: gula, cupiditas, et cetera! Then it will have some sort of plaque that says The Wages of Sin. And I might put a mirror in one of the cubby holes as well, rather than a skull! Creepy? I certainly hope so.

It's quite amazing to think how far you can go with something; I mean from a bag of skulls to The Wages of Sin is quite a journey! Now I have to journey to work and then through all the other fabulous WOYWW over on Julia's fabulous blog. I hope you'll check them out too.

Normal programming will resume shortly

2010-08-14T14:38:00.002+01:00

So, there I was, all set to go wild with my bag of skulls. I went so far as to chop the back of the skulls off so they'll lie flat in the box. (And yes, it felt as weird as it sounds!)

Then everything went weird. Some strange force took over. And I started tidying. And tidying. And tidying. I couldn't decide if I was ill or possessed! Anyway, when the tidying bug hits, you've got to go with it. So I went with it. And the place does look better.

Hopefully it's all over now and normal programming can resume! Because that bag of skulls is looking at me, wondering when it's going to become art.

Giddy as a school girl!

2010-08-12T02:59:00.002+01:00

Today I am giddy as a school girl because I bought a bag of skulls. Does that make me weird? Well, I'm already weird; so does it make me weirder? Or weird in a bad way?

It's just that I'm so excited about all the cool Hallowe'en related stuff out there right now. I love all the imagery and the colours and... Well, everything, really.

Tomorrow is my day off and I think I'm going to use it to create something awesome with my skulls. I'm thinking a cross between a shadow box and a specimen box. Something creepy and kooky; something mysterious and spooky; something altogether ooky! And something that may possibly sparkle too!

Wildflowers again.

2010-08-05T23:55:00.000+01:00

Wildflowers

So here's my first drawing in my new sketchbook. You may have noticed that it's totally inspired by Tim's flowers and also that it's not great. But at the start of this year I'd never have even thought to draw this, let alone actually done it, so I'm pretty proud of it!

Over the last few weeks I've come to understand the importance of repetition in drawing: the first tree sucks; the second tree is a bit better and by the time you get to number five you have a pretty good tree. So I'll be trying these flowers a lot more times, until they come a little closer to what's in my head.

Now I'm off to try creating some apothecary labels for my little apothecary shop. I may have finally figured out how to pull it off!

Butterflies & Wildflowers

2010-08-03T03:46:00.002+01:00

Butterfly & Wildflower Journal

Michaels has this great sketchbook: it has a white fabric cover that you can decorate exactly as you wish.

I couldn't resist it, especially as it was the perfect size and I had a 40% off coupon! Once I got it home I grabbed gesso and paint and treated it much as I do my painted papers:

Slap gesso on randomly and let dry.
Use a sponge to add paint in various coordinating colours; let dry.
Cover whole surface with a wash of metallic paint and let dry.

Of course here I went a little further and stamped on top of the paint. I used two stamps from Tim Holtz. You might recognise these stamps from Drifting Butterflies, the sample I made for my Fine Art Stamping class. I'm totally addicted to them, especially since I cut the butterfly stamp into two stamps, rather than one. I know some people shudder at the thought of cutting up stamps, but for me stamps are a tool and I'm determined to make them work for me. Plus, being cling mounted stamps I can easily recreate the original stamp by putting them on a block together!

To finish my journal I coated it with a layer of glossy gel medium. Now I have a beautiful journal to continue my forays into drawing and sketching. I just hope I can fill it with equally beautiful things!

Putting It Together

2010-07-31T14:13:00.003+01:00

Dophe

I'm very excited to be announcing August's class before it's actually August. OK, just by one day, but yay!

This is a class that pulls together some of the many technique classes I teach and shows you how to start combining them to create a piece of art. It includes lots of techniques and materials and is jam packed with ideas from start to finish. It's going to be a fast moving class but I'll still fit in some fun as well.

I really hope to see you there.

Can't attend classes on Sundays? Let me know because I would be more than happy to come and give you (and maybe a group of friends) a private class in your home. And you're not limited to what I'm teaching that month; let me know what you're interested in learning and I'll create a class just for you.

Putting It Together
Class with Rachel on Sunday August 15th - 11am-2pm - $50
at Portrait Bug (2466 Broadway, New York,
btwn 91st and 92nd St)
There are so many fun and interesting techniques out there, but how can you combine them to create something beautiful?

In Putting It Together, you’ll learn how to combine a wide variety of techniques and materials into a beautiful collage. From torn paper to paint; from gesso to UTEE; from wood to Grungeboard to glass; you’ll play with them all and end create something beautiful.

So, what do you need to bring? Absolutely nothing. Just sign up and then turn up!

Sign up is easy: just send Rachel an email!

And to think I thought I wasn't an idiot!

2010-07-22T01:24:00.002+01:00

Drifting Butterflies

On Sunday I taught Fine Art Stamping at Portrait Bug. I love this class. Teaching it is such a joy, watching my students create beautiful works of art and have fun at the same time. But this week was even more fun than usual because I was able to bring a new level to the class.

Having worked as a custom framer I learnt a lot about matting art and leaving space around the work to allow it to breath and also to make it look more important. Hence the piece above: a 4"x6" painting on a 12"x12" piece of paper. Not only does it have 3" margins around it, but the bottom is weighted as well. I like to think that I've created beautiful pieces before, but this one has a totally different feel. Being able to offer this outlook to my students was very exciting.

Inside the Box

And then things got even better as my students challenged me to step outside the box and stamp off the edge of the paint and onto the plain paper. This had never been possible before, with smaller borders, but I don't think I would have thought have doing it; sometimes we get so focussed on doing things a certain way that we limit ourselves. If we're really lucky, someone comes along to change that!

Outside the Box

Outside the Box is definitely more dynamic than Inside the Box, but I like them both. Despite being remarkably similar they have very different qualities.

A good time was had by all and now I'm busy planning a very different class for August.

None of which explains why I'm an idiot! I'm an idiot because after taking pictures of the beautiful pieces my students made I managed to delete them before I could post them for you all to admire. That's right, I'm an idiot! Although at least I remembered to take pictures for once. Baby steps!

Starting Small.

2010-07-09T02:24:00.003+01:00

I'd like you to meet Little Birdie. He's a primitive looking chap, but don't let that fool you: he is wise beyond his years.

He represents a little victory. I drew him on May 1st along with another bird, as my daily drawing. And today I drew him again, this time onto a block carved him into a stamp. Today I finally took something out of my journal and into the real world.

Yesterday's blog really helped me understand why I was struggling to do this. And huge thanks to Angie for her comment which helped give me confidence to do this. She said

What a wonderful journey through your journal ...but maybe it has become your comfort zone now and for further growth you need to create pictures out side it.

First of all it was an eye opener because she's right, I've reached a comfort zone for drawing. I'm actually comfortable, more than that, happy drawing. That certainly helped me get over myself! Then there was the air of challenge, that push to grow. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a challenge!

So, Angie, if you'd like this little bird, let me know and I'll pop him in the mail. Thanks again, and here's to some more drawings outside of the journal!

A huge milestone

2010-07-08T02:44:00.001+01:00

So. It's July and I find myself thinking "90 degrees? That'll be quite cool." Ah yes, summer in New York. If you're planning a trip here, don't come in the summer.

Heatwave aside, I'm feeling quite celebratory because I've reached what feels like a huge milestone. I've kept a New Year's resolution going for six months. That's right, I've been doing my daily drawing for half a year and have only missed three days. (One because I fell asleep, another because I was ill and a third just because!)

As with any anniversary or milestone, I find myself looking back and forward. How have I grown? What have I learnt? Where am I going? (Other than to bed because I have to be at work early tomorrow!)

Growth. Ah yes, lots of growth. Not only am I better at drawing than I was six months ago, but I actually have some confidence in what I'm doing. I'll never have a sketchbook like da Vinci or van Gogh, but I'll have a sketchbook like Rachel, and that's fine with me. I really enjoy drawing as well, something that I never experienced at school and that has brought a real joy to me. Some days I just can't wait to get my journal out and draw. Other days I'm tired and crotchety, but even then the drawing feels good.

How I've grown and what I've learnt are all mixed up. So I'll just add that looking at my drawings - my sometimes crappy drawings that I haven't spent enough time on - I see me. And for the first time I realise that it's time to stop dismissing my art as easy and something anyone can do. Sure, I can teach people the techniques and they can create something amazing, but only I can put a little bit of my soul into things.

As to where I'm going, I'm not quite sure. Obviously I have another six months of daily drawing. Maybe I'll pick some themes and explore them. Or maybe not! And I find myself already thinking about next year and what daily challenge I'll do. More drawing? Or something else?

The only thing I know for certain about where I'm going is that I need to go out of my journal! I've talked about doing things with these drawings - I even have someone interested in purchasing some of my dress form doodles - but so far it just hasn't happened. I think I'm a little scared. It feels very different to sketch something in a journal than to create a piece of art without the help of found images or rubber stamps. I guess I'm feeling vulnerable. So I need to suck it up and get over it. Or maybe get over myself! After all, as I tell my students, it's just paper. After all, if it all goes horribly wrong I don't have to show anyone! And maybe, just maybe, I'll create something I'm proud of.

Finally, a huge thanks to everyone who has given me words of support and praise. You've forced me to see my work through other eyes and that has really helped me see it's worth. Thank you.