Wednesday 24 July 2013

Module 3 - the rest of Chapter 2

I wasn't happy with the monoprints in my last post but one, so I have had another go, and I am really delighted with this lot!

I made them using the 10" x 8" gelli plate - it was the first time I had used it, and I really enjoyed it. I used Liquitex acrylic paint in 6 colours - green gold, vivid lime green, brilliant yellow green, medium magenta, light portrait pink, and iridescent rich copper. I also used iridescent antique gold once, but didn't like it, so didn't use it again.

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This last print is made using about 7 or 8 ghost prints overlaid.

Finally in this chapter, are some computer generated images. First, I scanned in two of my images from earlier in the chapter, opened them using Paint Shop Pro X, and then used Effects - Distortion Effects - Twirl.   With the second image I used it repeatedly.

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And finally, some drawings generated using Scribbler - how much fun is that! I produced lots of drawings very quickly, but have selected the "stitchy" ones.

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Tuesday 23 July 2013

Module 3 Chapter 2 - some reworking

I wasn't very happy with some of the work in my last post but one. It was OK as far as it went, but I was being far too literal, a problem which I tend to suffer from.

Sian gave me lots of ideas for pushing things further and freeing things up a bit, and this first batch of drawings were made before Summer School. They are all on A2 cartridge paper, and 2 colours of ink. The first few were made with a 1" brush. I had in mind the scrappy little drawing of steam billowing out of a chimney which was in my last but one post. The added lines are oil pastel and felt tip pen.

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It struck me that if I used a bigger brush then I would have spiral staircases. I found a tatty old 5" brush in the garage, and it made lovely marks. I added the linear marks using the edge of a piece of card.

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Sian saw these at Summer School and encouraged me to continue, so I have.

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One of the things that Sian suggested was to draw some lines on the back of one of my black and white drawings from the last but one post. The idea is to cut on the lines and mount the cut shapes on to black paper to introduce thin black lines into the design. She put some work with bicycle wheels she had been doing using this technique on to her blog for me to see.

For this first one, I simple drew some  simple radiating lines on the back of the drawing, cut it up and laid it onto black paper. This is the actual A2 drawing.

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For the next sheet, I printed out the original drawing onto A4 paper and tried various different cuts. The results are stuck  onto an A1 sheet of black paper.

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I then isolated and cropped them.

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I think these are interesting, but I don't particularly like them. 

Then I had great fun making a series of patterns using spirals torn from some of my painted papers. None of these are stuck down, so it was very quick to make a series of patterns. Looking at these, the spirals are quite "rectangular" rather than "round".

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Tuesday 16 July 2013

Summer School at Farncombe

Summer School again - how quickly it seems to come round! And how lovely to meet up with old friends and make new. Good to put faces to blogs!

Farncombe Manor is half way up Fish Hill in the Cotswolds, overlooking Broadway and the Vale of Evesham - a new venue for Summer School. Excellent food, superb accomodation, including a wonderful studio, absolutely spectacular views. This is sunset over the Vale of Evesham - there had been several hot air balloons floating gently across, but by the time the sun got to this point, they were gone.


I was in the group working with Sue Dove - an inspiring and generous tutor. Day 1 - making collages in sketchbooks, Day 2 - monoprinting and continuing with sketchbook work, Day 3 - we actually did some stitching!