A bit of mixed media and photography!

 This is a bit of an experiment in mixed media, which started off as a black and white photocopy of a watercolour painting I did a couple of years ago. I folded the copy in half, and used the top half during a day spent with some friends from the KAIROS group I belong to. I didn't have a particular idea of what I was going to do, but just played around with odd bits of paper that I scrunched up, smoothed out, tore into rough leaf shapes and stitched onto the photocopy. I continued like this, also adding bits of sheer fabric, stitching or sticking the pieces down, and then drawing into some of them with a black pen and some crayons. Later, when I was at home, I decided to cover the whole sheet with some watery white paint. This gave the effect of a foggy day, and the leaf shapes took on the look of trees in the foreground. I cut up yet more bits of paper, this time in tall straight shapes to look a bit like buildings on the horizon.  I also added some scraps of lace which reminded me of clouds, and sketched a bit more with my black pen. It certainly isn't a great piece of art, but I enjoyed the spontaneous aspect of the process, and it was fun!

Finally, here are two photographs that I've taken with my phone! Just a point and shoot effort, but I'm very pleased with the results.

A few more creepy crawlies!

A few more additions to my small book of Fantasy Beetles! I don't know what is giving me more fun, the sketching and stitching of these weird creepy crawlies, or making up their names!

Above and below are two samples that I have altered with acrylic and fabric paint. The bottom one started out as a photograph I took of a lobster pot on the beach at Ferring, then manipulated in photoshop, printed onto some cotton fabric, then added the paint. The piece above was taken from a length of fabric that I had breakdown printed in a teal colour, and have also overpainted in acrylic/fabric paint. Not sure what I'm going to do next, but I'll post more pics when I've finished with them.

More Moths!

 I seem to have a bit of an insect theme going on at the moment, but I have to admit that I do find them really interesting, especially visually with their gorgeously subtle colours and markings. I've been looking at moths wings again, and the patterning on their wings is just so wonderful, I think I may be heading for a 'moth series'!!

This piece above is also partly inspired by some cloth that I snow dyed last winter. Well, we did have rather a lot of the stuff, so I thought I'd have a go. I have just used the one piece on this occasion, and I've relied on some lines sketched in with a water soluble crayon, the edges softened with a wet paintbrush, and then mainly free motion machine stitching with some hand stitch, (seeding) to finish.

Below are some closeups of different areas.

This and That!

A sneaky preview of a small portion of my entry for the EQA 'Circle of Friends' quilt that has been selected for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham this August. I can't show it all, not until after the exhibition, but I was so thrilled to hear on Friday that my entry had been successful. Each country has 12 quilts selected, and each country has a different colour combination. The UK entries have to be in black and white, with up to 30% in any shade of blue. They also have to be a circular measuring between 8" and 12"(inches). The small area of black and blue fabric that you can see here I dyed myself, and the spiders are all free motion machine stitched.

These are drawings and paintings I've made of some fantasy beetles. I made up a small booklet from an  unwanted leaflet that I first painted with white gesso, and then folded into a concertina. I folded it once again, and stitched through all the layers to hold the book together, The photo above is the cover, (unfortunaely upside down),  but hopefully you can see what I mean. The remaining photos are of the pages that I've done so far, but I hope to complete them all very soon. Just a bit of fun really, but I do enjoy doodling, especially insects, and it's something to do when I'm waiting for the potatoes to cook, or when I have a few minutes to spare and don't want to twiddle my thumbs!

My Journal Quilt for July has been inspired partly by the 'Out of Australia' exhibition at The British Museum. I made some sketches while I was there of some of the wonderful baskets on display, and printed two of them onto some fabric. They are on the right. I also really enjoyed seeing the Aboriginal art, and felt that some of them could be the starting point for some handstitched textile art. I had a simple sketch in my book that I made in April on Ferring beach, and decided to translate it into a simple handstitched sample which is on the top left. The print from my sketch is underneath. I just love the way that the artists use such simple lines and marks to convey land/seascapes, and their surroundings.

Well, that's it for now folks, enjoy whatever it is that you like to do, and see you next time. Thanks for reading.