Creative Tuesday

I blogged briefly about these pictures when I did them on my Diploma course, almost exactly two years ago. At the time I had intended doing more using the same techniques, but of course I didn't.

I have periodically taken photos of old buildings in my travels, still with that intention. Yesterday in Ballarat I took some more. And, thinking about it, it is still a good idea, to do more of these. So maybe I will.

They are very easy, even for someone who is as completely a duffer at drawing as I am. Take a photo (if you are going to sell them, onviously a copyright free photo!). Copy it in black and white, or greyscale, or whatever, aiming for enough contrast to be able to see major features through tracing paper. Trace said major features. Scribble all over the back, heavily, with a soft graphite pencil. Transfer to watercolour paper using a pencil or whatever you wish, but try not to press too hard as it is best not to have the scored lines on the page. When the bones of the picture are transferred, use the photocopy as a guide to go over the transferred lines, and add as many extra details as you wish, with a WATERPROOF fine line pen.

When you are happy with the sketch, and it has all the details you want in it, choose two colours of watercolour paint - complementary, analagous, warm, cold, whatever takes your fancy. We used a slightly different technique in each of the above pictures. In either case, wet the paper with clean water. (See why you need to use a waterproof fine liner!) Then either apply gentle blobs of colour and let them spread as they wish; or do the same and hold it vertically while they drip and dribble.

OF course you could use more than two colours. Or find other ways of colour washing the pictures. Whatever. I like these pictures. And of course you don't have to use old buildings, you could use the same technique with anything at all.

Creative Tuesday

This was a piece made for my Diploma of Studio Stitch Textiles in First Year. The labels are pretty self-explanatory. The sketch was vaguely based around a photo of a Gaudi building, with the idea of abstracting it. It was fun to do the little collage. The knitted wire was meant to look like roof tiles, I think!

Creative Tuesday

I did this during my Studio Stitches course in 2007. We were being given a very quick introduction to printing. This involved coating leaves with paint and using them for a monoprint onto fabric, then using some simple stitching and applying to paper and doing a bit more monoprinting on top. The fabric is something synthetic, I can't remember precisely but it was a remnant of something medium to heavy weight, possibly furnishing fabric, sewn onto thick handmade paper (not handmade by me!). Being me of course I could not resist embellishing it with a tiny number of sequins! Although I have never really pursued this style of work I am currently wondering if I might give it another go, it was easy and required very little in the way of materials (in this case, other than the fabric/paper/thread/sequins, all of which I already had, I used acrylic paints, which I also already had, and a rubber brayer. At the time I think I used the studio brayer but have subsequently bought a couple for myself. Oh, and leaves).

I'm not sure whether it matters that it is not square. I cannot decide if that makes it more organic or simply sloppy. I think I will say 'organic' rather than 'sloppy'!

Creative Tuesday

A pair of seed bead (Japanese and Czech) and freshwater pearl earrings made for a commission in 2008. They are a fairly simple coralling stitch attached to sterling silver earring findings. I have made these in many different colours; they are fun to make and look quite spectacular though they are too long for anyone with a short neck - I can still make effective coralling earrings that are shorter, it just so happens that these ones are long. When I properly open my online shops again I will have a selection of them for sale.

Creative Tuesday

Ah, scrumbling, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Thy wondrous colours and textures, thy randomness (or not), thy portability (until the whole sewing it together bit), thy ability to look great in photos .. what's not to love?

A cape I made several years ago when I discovered the frabjous Prudence Mapstone and got all excited about stuff. It is far too hot and heavy to wear in a place like Melbourne, except once or twice a year, but I still love it. I haven't scrumbled in a while but I always keep coming back to it.

Creative Tuesday

This is a selection of works I made for the first semester of my first year of studying for the Diploma of Studio Stitch Textiles in 2006. Each week we had a different task. It was very challenging, especially for someone like me who could not draw (it was not listed as a prerequisite but this particular tutor assumed that everyone there could draw. I eventually picked up some skills but I was really floundering at this point).

From top left clockwise: Sweet potatoes. Organza, hand stitching, and paint applied around and on top of the fabric after stitching.

Self Portrait. Hand stitching on black felt with perle cottons based (loosely) on the (really bad) self portrait we were (cruelly!) forced to draw.

Abstract. WE spent an hour sketching still lives of objects using a variety of methods, then chose a small section of a sketch to turn into an abstract colour sketch with oil pastels, then an embroidery. Again, hand stitching, this time heavily massed together.

Apples. Similar techniques to the sweet potatoes using organza/chiffon, hand stitching and paint.

Out of these pieces I enjoyed the techniques of the abstract best although I was pleased with all of them. The stitching onto black felt with bright colours was great fun. I love hand stitching - I did have a decent go at free machine embroidery but never really took to in a big way, though may post some pictures of my efforts in the future. My sewing machine doesn't seem to like free machine embroidery - I had my biggest success with a borrowed machine that ended up being donated to a Black Saturday victim whose machine was lost in last year's fires.

Creative Tuesday

This scrumbled hat dates from the days when I was trying to create and sell patterns as PDF files. It failed largely because most of the people who bought the patterns off Etsy.com seemed to be completely ignorant about the nature of PDF files and tended to berate and abuse me for notposting them a paper pattern. (Yes, I did make it crystal clear what they were to expect). I did however sell some hard copies at the now defunct Yarn Fest that used to be held at The Highway Gallery in Mt Waverley (now, apparently, also defunct).

Being scrumbled, this one did not have a 'pattern' as such, more a recipe with lots of pictures. It was great fun to make. I also consider the beautiful model to be one of my favorite creations, though she is a lot older and taller and more grown up now than five years ago!

Creative Tuesday - Socks, Ponchos and Shrugs

A selection of socks, ponchos and shrugs that I have knitted over the past few years. The ponchos and shrugs are to my own designs. The socks were adapted from a long-ago toe-up pattern found somewhere on the internet, now memorised in two versions of my own, one for George and one for me and Baby Bear (the only difference being size). The socks are all knitted in a variety of brightly coloured sock wools, and near the top there are a couple of pairs knitted from scraps. The red poncho is knitted from Noro silk garden, the pink one from Heirloom Harmony, I think it is called, not sure if that still exists. The pale pink shrug is knitted from a Colinette ribbon yarn, the blue one from something that Lincraft put out several years ago.

Creative Tuesday

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Glass Japanese and Czech seed beads, nylon beading thread, polymer clay faces, Lacey’s Stiff Stuff, ultrasuede, metal findings
A box framed beaded picture inspired by the 1920s German film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Created 2008

This was one of the pieces I made for my Graduate exhibition in November 2008 when I finished my Diploma of Textile Art. I have always loved the early German film that this was inspired by, and I had ordered these faces off Etsy or Ebay at some point not knowing exactly what I was going to do with them. The two ideas came together wonderfully. The shapes in the background beading are all based on the look of the film, which is very angular in places and also has some amazing windy paths in other places.

The actual materials are given above. I did the beading onto Lacey's Stiff Stuff (which is tediously difficult to get in Australia, so you have to plan ahead - I need to restock), with the outline drawn onto the A4 size sheet. Then I glued the faces on and drew the rough shapes of the areas I wanted to bead. Then just went for it! Originally this was going to be a necklace. I finished it then glued it onto a sheet of Ultrasuede (for supplies of that in Oz, see comment on LSS!) with the intention of cutting the two out and beading the edges and attaching findings. But it looked rather wonderful just on the Ultrasuede and I thought it looked like an ancient artefact sitting in a museum case. So I got it framed in the box frame so that it looked something like that.

It didn't sell at the exhibition, hardly surprising given that I was shoved in a poorly lit corner that no-one could even get into properly. (Not impressed with Box Hill TAFE's exhibition space that year, that we were allowed no opinion on). It hangs on my wall and I love it dearly though I would also love it dearly if I could sell things like this and make some sort of living out of them!

I haven't done any big pieces like this since then but I must do some more, they are what I like doing best in the whole world. Trouble is, they are expensive in terms of both materials and time and if I cannot sell something along the way it is hard to justify them. Yes, they are beautiful, they are art, but I have to earn some money somewhere! And issues with Wombat make it very hard for me to earn money outside the home. Enough grumpiness, I am starting to plan my next extravagant bead embroidery piece.

Creative Tuesday

A collage of sundry beaded brooches I have made over the past three years or so. Some have been sold, some have been given away as presents, some are still urking around somewhere. This one of my favorite things to do, ever. I haven't done any for ages because I have been trying to find other things which sell, so far not with a huge degree of success. But I do love doing these and will do more.