Like a Butterfly

Lately I have been like a butterfly flitting from one project to another. As a result I don't have anything finished to share this week but here are the three projects I am working on at the moment.

The first is my canvas which has been featured in previous posts in varying stages. Those of you who have followed it's progress may notice the change in body shape She is no longer shaped like a skittle Lol!

The second is a little concertina book. Unusually, for me, I seem to have come over all nostalgic lately. I have been remembering how when I was a about eight years old I used to collect all my favourite greetings cards and pictures cut out of magazines in an exercise book. The type you use in school. I remember the way the pages went all crinkly with the glue. Then I also remembered those tiny little concertina book brooches that you used to bring home as a souvenir from your holidays. Oh how I would love to own one of them now. I remember them just lying in the back of a drawer until they just got thrown away. Some things you should just hang on to.

Anyway I wanted to reflect both those memories in this little book so I used some paper from my sons old school exercise book to make the concertina insert.

It is only small (2"x2.5") and I plan on using left over scraps from previous projects to create the images on each of the 'pages'

The third is a little sketch of another of my girls waiting to be painted.

Before I go, going back to the topic of nostalgia, I have also been thinking of those chunky pens I had as a child . The ones were you have all different colours in one pen. I went out and looked  n my local stationary shops but couldn't find one so I settled for this set of gel pens.

There are 4 classic,6 neon,5 metallic and 5 glitter. I have surprised myself at how excited these have made me. Especially the glitter ones. I must be having a funny turn Lol!

Sorry there is no paint on this Paint Party Friday but at least there was a promise of paint with my little sketch.

Thanks for visiting. x

WOYWW 264

There is not much on my work desk today.

I have however set out a few bits that I plan on using for an idea I've had to make a little book from a tag. I am still trying to decide on a theme and whether to make it a concertina book.

I still haven't finished my 6"x12" canvas. I have not been in the right frame of mind to finish her, what with all the technical challenges I've had over the past few days. Which you can read about in my last couple of posts if your interested.

Last night I sat down to watch something on catch up but it wouldn't play.  I went to bed tearing my hair out ....again!... But this morning I googled the problem, plucked up the courage to re-boot the router and 'touch wood' it is now working again.

Then I fired up my laptop and 'Hooray' my Reader List for the blogs I follow is working again. Having said all that, seeing as I don't have much to show you this week I thought I would share a little 'doodle girl' I did with charcoal pencil and a palette knife.

 The reason being because she 'LOOKS HOW I FEEL!!'

I am linking this post to WOYWW. If you want to explore other people desks from across the world click on the badge in the side-bar and go exploring.

Thanks for visiting.x

Bugs! I Hate Them

Yes technical bugs I mean.

First thing in the morning I sit down to my breakfast cereal and log in to my blog to peruse the list of my favourite blogs latest posts. But yesterday there was a change to what I saw. No List! just a one and only post of whoever has posted last. Underneath it says 'view more' but when I click on it, guess what
 happens ?....Nothing.

I went searching for the blogger forum and saw that others are having the same problem. Are any of you having this problem?  It is so annoying!! I have to individually search my favourite blogs to see if they have posted and I am afraid of missing anything Lol.

Anyway...... This weeks colours for Summer of Colour are Lavender, Grey and a touch of Plum. Here is my offering for this week.

acrylic & charcoal pencil on watercolour paper

I have been experimenting with a palette knife on my figures to try and achieve a more of a 'loose' look. Here I used it on her hair and her lips. Her face is left unpainted.

Thank you all, once again, for the lovely comments I have been receiving. They mean a lot.

Thanks for visiting. x

Paint Party Friday

Hi Everyone,

I have been caught on the hop this Friday. I am normally all prepared for Paint Party Friday but I have had a manic couple of days. If you are a regular visitor you may be a aware that I am not very technically minded and my hubby and I have been struggling installing a new router and catch up t.v. We still have to connect some more devices around the house like my wi-fi printer. What a headache!

As a result I have been unable to finish my canvas which I was hoping to complete for today's post but here is a sneak peak so far.

As mentioned in a previous post there has been a big change since I first posted a pic of this piece.I covered over the original girl as she was too small for the overall size and shape of the canvas which is 6"x12".

Hope you like her. x
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WOYWW 263

This is how my desk looks this week.

On the right you can see a little painting which I did for Summer of colour which you can see in my last post here.

On the left you can see my latest piece for Art Journal Journey and Mix It Monthly.

You can click on the badges in the side-bar to see other artwork from around the world on the themes of 'House' and 'Home'.

I am still working on a 6"x12" canvas which you can see here. I am hoping to have it finished for Friday and I hope you will pop by again to see it.

Thanks for visiting. x

SOC Week 2

This weeks colours for Summer of Colour are coral and teal with a touch of white. If you haven't already joined in the fun click on the SOC badge in the side-bar and see what it is all about.

This is my entry for this week.

Acrylic and charcoal pencil on watercolour paper.

Hope you like her.

See you tomorrow for WOYWW. x

Playing with Coloured Pencils

You may be surprised to know that in the past I have not been one who sketches ideas in a sketchbook. Everything I sit down to do, in my mind, has to end up being a finished piece. I have always felt that if I do a little sketch it is more if a doodle which is usually something that gets thrown away.

However, lately I have started feeling more comfortable at putting down and trying out ideas. I wonder if it is a sign of me growing as an artist, although I still feel uncomfortable calling myself that. I am not sure what it takes to be able to call yourself an artist.

That said, I have been having a little play with a set of coloured pencils that I forgot I had. I have a set  by Derwent and a set of Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils which I use for finishing touches in my mixed media paintings but this set I bought whilst I was away on holiday a few years ago when I fancied doing some drawing.

It is a large set with a great selection of colours  they are lovely to use and I think they look really  pretty altogether in their box.

Here is a little sketch that I completed using these pencils.

If you saw my last post you will have seen the beginnings of a canvas I am currently working on.

This canvas is 6"x12" which is an unusual shape and I had to give a little more thought as to the composition as when I looked at it again I realised that the girl was all wrong. As it was, the background was the dominant feature not the girl. So I covered her up with some more paint an collage.

I am much happier with the new girl and I will share her when she is completed.

Thanks for visiting. x

A Not so New Discovery

I have just started working on a 6"x12" box canvas.

This is how it started out after a layer of Brusho sprays and acrylic paint.

Then I decided to take some stamps and permanent ink and make some stamped tissue paper for collage.

 I already knew that when you apply it to your artwork the tissue disappears into the background leaving the background showing through behind your stamped image but I hadn't used it before and I wasn't ready for how excited it made me feel... lol.

This is how it looks up to now.

This year I plucked up the nerve to join in a few challenges and as a result have acquired some new followers and exchanged comments with lots of lovely like-minded people around the world and as as result my confidence in my artwork has grown. I have had some lovely comments over the past few weeks, months in fact, which have made me feel all warm and ' fuzzie' inside lol!! I do appreciate and welcome all your comments.

I am linking this post to Paint Party Friday. 

Thanks for visiting. x

Playing with Pastels

I have never used 'chalky' pastels before but I was sorting out my desk drawers and came across a box. So I just had a little play with them and this little face appeared so I thought I would share it.

After all that smudging and re-applying I am surprised it ended up looking anything like a face. I used charcoal pencil to define the eye lids, brows and nostrils.

See you tomorrow for Paint Party Friday. x

WOYWW 262

This is how my desk looks this week.

On the right you can see a painting I did for SOC, click in the badge in the side-bar and see what it is all about. It all went a bit wrong so I cropped the photo to cut out the bottom half of the painting.

This is how it looked.

On the left you can see a quick sketch I did with Charcoal pencil and watercolour pencils (without the water). There was something about her little sad face so I thought I would share her here.

Thanks for visiting. x

Summer of Colour Week One

Yes! I am joining in yet another challenge 'Summer of Colour'. Click on the SOC button in the side-bar and read all about it.

The colour prompt for this week is aqua blue, yellow and a pop of hot pink. This is my take on the theme.

I had to crop this image because the bottom half just didn't work out. I put houses in the background so I could keep in with the theme over at Mix it Monthly and Art Journal Journey but realised that it is to much like the previous painting. All in all this hasn't been a very satisfying project but I didn't feel it was bad enough to throw in the bin so I decided to share it anyway.

See you tomorrow with WOYWW. x

I Love that Dress

If you saw my last post you will have seen a WIP that I shared for Paint Party Friday. Here is the finished piece.

I think this style of dress  is a reoccurring theme in my paintings.

I am linking this post to Art Journal  Journey and Mix it Monthly where this months themes are 'House' and 'Home' respectively.

Thanks for visiting. x

It's a Cover Up

I am currently working on a 5x7" canvas board. I started by covering it withe book papers and other collage pieces.

I wish I could get used to randomly laying down collage but I still can't help pondering about what pieces to use. I don't know why because by the time I have finished I have obliterated them with paint.

I have watched many videos on line of artists using this technique and they keep laying down layers of collage, then paint, then more collage and more paint. I need to work on this technique a little more. I think I am too eager to get  finished.

It is still a work in progress but this is how it looks now.

I hope you will pop back and see her when she is finished. x

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

  

Happy Accidents - I Love Them.

Whilst I was creating some painty papers for future collage pieces I ripped off a piece of lilac tissue paper which I had painted and just stuck it on a random piece of paper on my desk that I had been doodling on.

Coincidentally I pasted it next to a face I had already doodled and I instantly saw the paper as a dress, I quickly penciled in a sleeve, an arm and legs and voila!

Her arm is dark because there was so much pencil already on the paper and I couldn't erase it because the matt meduim I used to adhere the tissue paper had sealed it. I cut her out and layed her on the book paper so she was easy to see.

An idea for a future mixed media piece I think !!

WOYWW 261

Hi there,
 Not much to show on my desk this Wednesday as you have caught me between projects.

What you can see here is the result of some mark making to create a piece of painted paper to cut up and use for future collage work.

I have also been framing a couple of my previous paintings.

If you would like to see other work desks from around the world click on the WOYWW badge in the side-bar and take a look.

I want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to all who have visited here and for all your lovely comments. They mean a lot. xx

Something a Bit Different.

Yesterday was a sunny Sunday and I just felt like having a play with some paint. I thought I would do something a bit different.

 For a long time I have enjoyed the child-like paintings of Mindy Lacefield 

 This is my interpretation.

 Going Home

I am linking this post to Art Journal Journey where the theme for this month is 'Houses'.

Before I go I want to tell you about another great challenge that I have just found. It is hosted by Kristin over at Twinkle Twinkle. It's called The Summer of Colour 2014 Smudge, Splash and Pop. It is running all through the summer and looks like great fun. So if you are interested in joining in click on the badge in the side-bar and read all about it.

Thanks for visiting x