WOYWW

On my desk today I have the leftover packaging from some new pillowcases.

And some painted papers.

The packaging is ideal for a book cover so I am just mulling over some ideas for the cover  and the binding. I am also undecided about what paper to put in the book. Watercolour paper, sketchbook paper or painted papers. I take an age to decide on these things.

Thanks for visiting. x

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She is Now Complete

For those of you who saw my last post here and left a comment expressing how sad my latest 'girl' looked after being parted from her background. Even though I saw her as my first 'art doll' I felt guilty.

So here she is with a new background made especially for her.

The background is made up of gesso, a script stamp, book papers, painted papers and black gouache paint which I used for a matt finish. I would have liked to have used black gesso but alas that is on my ever growing shopping list of wanted materials.

I used a piece of card from some leftover packaging.  You can see where the paint has caught on the corrugated card under the top layer and in the top corner (detailed below) you can see some old book paper which was already stained with black ink which I absolutely love.

 Strange, isn't it, how you can get excited about a little piece of scrap paper when it is just right for what you want.

Going back to the leftover packaging. I bought a set of bed linen and the card I used for the above piece was 11 x 5 inches. There was a smaller piece 5 x 5 1/2 inches which was off a pack of pillow cases.

It is just crying out to be made into a book cover. Don't you think?...............

As always , I love hearing  your comments, and they are very much appreciated.

Thanks for visiting. x

Paint Party Friday.

In my last post I gave a sneak peek of what I have been working on over the past few days but unfortunately it didn't go to plan.

In most cases I have found that if you keep working at it you can pull things around again but not this time. The more I worked on the background the more I hated it. So in the bin it went. Well........the background went in the bin after I cut out a the bit I did like.

She reminds me of those paper dolls you used to get back in my childhood days. But for want of a better word I am going to call her my first 'Art Doll' !!!

I am linking this post to Paint Party Friday. Click on the badge in the side-bar and join in the party.

Thanks for visiting. x

WOYWW

I thought I would spare you another pic of my desk and just share what is actually on it.
Here is a couple of sneak peeks at what I am working on at the moment.

I have been working with acrylics, modeling paste, handmade papers and Portfolio oil pastels.

Since I got my Portfolio pastels I haven't been able to put them down. I love working with them.

 Before I only had a really cheap set of oil pastels which were not very easy to work with. I dreamed of owning some Sennelier oil pastels which are great quality and therefor a little expensive and I toyed with the idea of treating myself to a set at Christmas but I plumped for the Portfolios instead, which have the added advantage of being water soluble. I have enjoyed using them so much that it has re-enforced my desire to invest in the Sennelier Pastels at some stage in the future.

By the way before I go. If you only visit here for WOYWW  and you are interested in seeing my previous post about a painting I started towards the end of last year. You can see the finished painting here.

I am linking this post to WOYWW . In the unlikely event that you still don't know what it is all about  why not click on the badge in the side-bar and take a look or even join in.

Thanks for visiting. x

Another WIP Completed

Towards the end of last year I posted a WIP. Since then it has been lying there waiting to be completed. I thought I only had the dress to complete and was undecided as to how to proceed with it. Now, with the dress and some more work on the background, I feel that it is finished.

 Just Waiting

acrylic on card

I struggle,sometimes to come up with a title but as soon as she appeared sitting there I knew she was waiting for something

There is none of my usual collaged background in this piece as I wanted it to have more of a 'painterly'style . 

Thanks for visiting x 

Paint Party Friday

Hello to all fellow 'paint party goers'

Those of  you who are regular visitors may remember this WIP

The background was made up of layers of painted papers, citra solv papers and stamped tissue paper. I liked the back ground but I was unsure that the figure was going to fit in so I put it aside and worked on some other projects.

However, I am happy with the final result.

 I am still trying to come up with a title, though.

The light wasn't very good so the colour's are not as good as in real life. Her face is paler than the original.

Just looking at these pics,though, I think I need to add something to the waistline. It's funny how you see things differently when they are photographed. That is something I do all the way through the process of my work. It really helps me with the composition.

Thanks for visiting. x

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WOYWW

Hi there,

It's time again to share with you what is on my desk this week.

Here is some progress shots.

It started with one of my mono prints.

I added some collage and some more acrylic paint and used my Portfolio oil pastels and a Stabilo all pencil for her face.

I wanted her dress to be black and white.So I used a stencil to make a stamp from my moldable foam block to make some patterned paper in black permanent ink.

I chose a piece where the pattern was only partially stamped because I liked the contrast of the white.

Last but not least came her hair.......

I had a bit of a problem with the hair.

 First I used oil pastel. it was a dark brown colour and when I darkened the background the hair seemed to just blend into the background. So I decided to wipe it out with a baby wipe. However because it was thick it took some wiping and I just manged to remove it before the paper started to lift. I then decided to use acrylic.
 I laid down a layer of gesso,where the hair was to go, to give it a key as the head was in oil pastel then painted her hair in acrylic. I then used a stabilo All pencil to define the hair and it started to lift the paint off. At this stage I started to think that I was going to make a right 'hash' of it but a black oil pastel saved the day.

 I would just like to point out a little tip that Stabilo All pencils are known to write over almost anything and I have found that if you smear the Portfolio pastels with your finger or add water (as they are water soluble) you can write over them with the Stabilo All pencil quite successfully.

I know this post has been a bit of a long one but if you are still with us I just want to finish off with a couple more mono prints.

I am still trying to get to grips with mono printing. I was a bit disappointing in my last lot of prints but it is only my second attempt so hopefully my technique will improve with practice.

I want to thank all who have visited and been kind enough to leave a comment on what you see. I love to hear your thoughts on what I do. It means a lot. x

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