Cloth, Paper, Scissors Readers Challenge

Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine's recent Reader Challenge was entitled 'Supportive Art'.  The challenge was to use a bra within your artwork and is in support of fighting breast cancer.  I meant to check the blog on Monday when the list went live and completely forgot!  Just checked now and it was sooooooooooo exciting to see my name there

I'm only giving hints of what I did, I'm not sure how much I can share pre-publication!

I also just received the preview of my article in July 2012's Art Journaling magazine.  All in all a very exciting day!

BiG doodles

Whilst blog hopping the other night I came across Catherine Scanlon's blog Art from the Heart and noted that she had a class just about to start that sounded right up my street!  I've been working for a while now on transferring my art journal work onto a larger canvas and any help and advice I can get is gratefully received!

The first class was on Friday and involved lots of large scale doodling.

I worked on A2 size paper with a very large, chunkie Sharpie.  At first my brain was getting in the way and trying too hard but then I realised that all I needed to do was play with lines, just like I play with paint and stamps and stencils in my journal.

So this was just a wandering line, with a few added circles before I then went back and added some more weight to one of the lines.  When I got this out to photograph I spotted a rabbit - can you see him too?

I used my whole arm to make these dramatic shapes, which look plant like to me, with a base of pebbles.

I wasn't keen on this doodle at first, but after I added the leaf like doodles it started to 'grow on me' (sorry, couldn't resist that pun!)#

I was enjoying making these connected circular shapes and this one brought to mind shells, seaweed and pebbles on the seashore.

After my doodling session, which lasted about 15 - 20mins, I got out a recent Amazon purchase entitled 'Expressive Drawing' by Steven Aimone.  The author discusses the fact that not all drawing needs to be an accurate copy of something but that it can be about "internal realities - feelings, imagination, fantasies, dreams, the spirit".  The first exercise in the book is all about the "simple pleasure of making marks on paper" and doodling on big sheets of paper!

So I've decided to do these activities alongside those set by Catherine.  I'll need to head down to the DIY shop though for paper, I couldn't believe the prices at HobbyCraft yesterday, and I need to practice BiG!!!

SDC 53: Stampotique ATC

I made this ATC last week but some muppet unplugged our cable (in the box at the top of the road) for the phone and tv on Friday and the engineer didn't get it sorted 'til Mon eve.  The Stampotique designers challenge caught my eye as 1) I've not made an ATC for aaaaaaaaaaages, and 2) this stamp has been waiting to be used for months.  I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to use it, it's such fun!

I stamped the moon and stars on a separate piece of painted paper and added them to my stamped image on the blue ATC.

And then I couldn't resist my sewing machine for a bit more texture!

mixed media mini stitched book

I think I'm going through a bit of a mini book phase - I finished this one in the week and another one (for a magazine challenge) yesterday!

The cover is made from an old wool blanket that I've added felt too with that wonderful 'dumphing' machine!  Then some free machining and snippets of lace.

Inside the page sizes vary.  I used pre painted papers that have been hanging around my studio forever, tags,  old book pages, envelopes...

I got to use two new toys in this project - Tim's washer border and Typeset Alphabet dies which I ordered from the lovely Wendy at The Stamp Attic.  I love the umbrella man die too but decided these had more uses, and they'll make great stencils!

I particularly LoVe the effect I got when I put three sets of papers through my Cuttlebug - the text paper got stuck into the coloured paper one underneath (the stitching's there to keep it altogether, I couldn't be bothered taking each tiny letter out to glue it back in lol)

a couple more journal pages

Thanks for the get well wishes!  After more sleep today my headache has finally gone - yay!  So it's back to work for me tomorrow :)

Most of my journal pages last week were quite minimalist but after a visit to Kate Crane's blog one day I dug out my spray inks and just went for it!  The white lines are courtesy of a tippex pen!  And there's collage and stitching hiding away in there too.

I cut this owl from scrap paper on my desk.  The page isn't finished yet, it needs 'something' more, I'm just not sure what it is yet!  Maybe a bit of doodling, or some stamped or letraset letters...we'll see!  I've missed this journal this weekend, it's been part of an exhibition of my work over in Oldham.  Looking forward to working in it again.

Sewing is a good distraction!

After spending most of yesterday and this morning sleeping, suffering with nausea and headache from my bloomin' sinuses, I managed a bit of sewing this afternoon.

I had a bit of wool blanket lying around that I'd needle felted a while back as part of another project I've been in the middle of for a long while.

At first I sketched out a doodle from my sketchbook using my sewing machine (the orange stitching) but I didn't like it so cut the fabric up into a tag shape then added a flower!

The ribbon at the top is from Ray-Stitch, a fabulous shop in Angel, Islington, London.  If you look closely there are some tiny beads around the centre of the flower.

WOYWW 149 - a work in progress

I had a wonderful, wonderful yesterday splodging paint around at The Cubby Hole, Crewe.  Armed with an old Amazon box, a pile of paper and a stack of paints I spent the day creating a new art journal.

The beauty of working in a shop is that new supplies are right to hand!  I just fell in love with the Graphic 45 door handle and plate and when the rest of the journal cost so little I had no problem justifying its purchase!

With all my journaling over the last week or so I've started missing my handmade journal with its different sized pages (it's at Stampington & Co awaiting publication hee hee) and when my eye caught this Amazon box I decided it would make a perfect cover.

Inside the pages have been created from scrapbook papers, old envelopes, watercolour paper and pre-painted papers.  The file folder is by Cavallini, which I found in my local Waterstones :)

I love the challenge that starting from different papers provides.  I am a little scared now by the size of this journal lol!

So now it waits on my workdesk to be stitched together!  Don't forget to take time to peruse lots of other desks via Julia's Stamping Ground.