Paper, paint, fabric and stitch

The painted background for this card was cut from a splattered and daubed sheet of paper used to protect my worktop during another painting project, and the purple strips are scraps of painted tissue left over from the wedding card - see previous post.  Rule 1: never throw anything away!

Scraps of organza fabric in two colours - pink and gold - were overlaid and then hand stitched details worked in lazy daisy stitch and french knots using dyed cotton threads. The lace and short lengths of a silk thread to create the flower stems were glued and then rubbed over with a small amount of Treasure Gold to blend and add glimmer. Once completed, the decorated paper was fixed to a plain, watercolour paper card using double sided tape.  I then used a medium thickness, space dyed cotton thread in complementary colours to add a running stitch detail to frame the image.  I stitched right through to the inside of the card, so used a crewel needle with a sharp point and large eye to accept the ticker thread.

Altered images

These lovely photographs were both taken locally.  I experimented with altering them using Photoshop to create the very different 'abstracted' versions on the right of each.  I'm still very much a novice but it's interesting to see what effects can be achieved, and the possibilities for creating unusual transfers for use in textile work.

To achieve these effects I first used the polar co-ordinates function to distort the structure of the photo (Filter - Distort - Polar Co-ordinates) and then inverted the colours (Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Invert).  I think I may also have used another function to drag parts of the image around, but can't recall what it was. Will update this post if I remember.

A Winter Wedding

Wedding  Card

Materials used
Acid free white tissue paper
Watercolour paint
Baking parchment
Various weight threads
Skeleton leaves
Thick card die cut
Treasure gold
Watercolour paper card - deckle edge
Red paint pen
Silver roller-ball pen

Technique
I painted a single sheet of tissue with a mixture of watercolour washes using a foam brush (to avoid tearing), dried with a hair dryer and then crumpled, straightened and crumpled the tissue a few times.  The tissue paper was then ironed (steam off) between two sheets of baking parchment.  This flattens the 'paper fabric' and sets the creases, creating a nice textured effect.  Having decided how much of the card I'd like to cover, I used a ruler as a firm edge to tear against and tore the tissue into sections, laying them on top of one another - there were three layers of tissue in total, which created a soft, quilt effect.

I then hand stitched the skeleton leaves onto the tissue stack using a continuous line of back stitch through each pair, and then couched the heavier weight threads onto the tissue paper using a random cross-stitch. The decorated tissue was then fixed across the card (running from front to back) using double sided photo tape.

The next step was to stick the die cut bird cage inside the card using PVA glue, and once dried I coloured the hearts using a red paint pen.  Finally, Treasure Gold on a soft cloth was swept across the die cut to soften and add an aged effect and words were added using silver roller-ball pen.

And finally........a photograph showing the back of the bride's beautiful dress!

28th December 2013

Iconic Christmas Card

Materials
Red paper/old envelope
Gold acrylic paint
Treasure Gold
Die cut
A3 good quality/weight paper
Watercolour paints
Salt
Soft cloth
Embellishment

Technique
Inspired by religious icon paintings, this card was made using an old red envelope to which acrylic gold paint was roughly applied, so that some of the red still showed through - as the red size beneath the gold would do on an aged, gilded icon.  I used Winsor & Newton Pale Gold acrylic.  The frame of the religious scene was a black card die cut.  The 'sky' background was cut from a large sheet of good quality paper randomly washed with various watercolour paints, wet on wet, onto which salt crystals had been randomly scattered and allowed to dry to create the effect of stars - more easily seen in this example used on another card........

I then attached the die cut to the painted paper with PVA glue, taking care to clean up any that oozed out of the sides, and once dry, applied a coat of gloss Mod Podge water based sealer over the entire scene, including the black die cut.  The completed scene was then mounted onto the gold painted paper and attached securely using a glue stick.  

The next step was to sweep lightly across the scene with some Treasure Gold (Renaissance) on a soft cloth to age and highlight the black frame.  I also rubbed Treasure Gold lightly but evenly across the acrylic gold paint surrounding the scene to age and warm the gold colour.  The paper (with scene attached) was then stuck to the front of a plain card using double sided photo tape and trimmed to size.  The finishing touch was a flat back faceted embellishment glued to the centre of the star.

Further idea:  Try mixing acrylic crackle medium with the gold paint to create a more aged effect.

Apple and cheese

At another art class with Jackie Binns, Steyning, West Sussex we practiced the use of watercolour pencils in various ways - and spent a lot of time drawing apples.  Back at home I did some more work to consolidate what I had learned.  This drawing of a pottery cheese bell and (of course) an apple, was completed using dry watercolour pencils direct onto dry paper with no prior graphite pencil sketch.  I gradually built up layers of lightly applied colour and when I was happy with the drawing, used a moist brush to blend the colours, occasionally drawing into the wet colour with a dry pencil to define finer details. Once everything was dry, I lifted colour from a white pencil with a wet brush and then painted it on to add reflected areas of light. Finally, I repeatedly 'flicked' a wet brush across the tip of both a light and a dark watercolour pencil to create the splatter effect across the drawing, which I feel adds a painterly quality.

Comment: I used Derwent watercolour pencils and chose Imperial Purple to prepare an outline sketch and to lightly block in a base for the darker areas of this drawing.  I like using purple as a base for creating darker colours, shade and and shadows as I feel it adds warmth and depth.  The sunlight falling on the area was quite strong so colour was reflected onto the objects from the magazine beneath, and I tried to represent this. Even though it was on the darker side, away from direct light, the pinky-red colour on the left was strongly reflected onto the cheese bell, as was the bright blue onto the apple.

Reflections on sketching

This is a five minute sketch of one of our cats using a soft oil drawing pencil. I produce much better sketches when I work fast but seem to have to go through the process of doing a slow, careful drawing first - usually not of the same subject.  Once I've got past my 'inner detail barrier', I usually find that the next drawing I do is much freer and more responsive. This sketch, which I was pleased with, immediately followed a much more careful study of our other cat's head, which took nearly an hour and I still wasn't very happy with it.  At the moment, this seems to be how I warm up.  I have been told many times (but still fail miserably) to draw something, anything, every day and improvement will follow..........must try harder!

Abstract cat.....trial and error

An overworked oil pencil drawing I wasn't happy with so cut it up to make an abstract.  The main trial in this exercise was to create a textured background.  For this I crumpled up some matte brown packaging paper and then rubbed iridescent oil pastels across the surface so that colour was captured on the raised creases.  I also applied pastel to the edge of some of the cut pieces to soften and blend them into the background paper a little better.  The plain strips and triangles of drawing paper were also covered with different shades of oil pastel; on these pieces I also scraped into the colour to create texture and a point of difference.  I was pleased with the effect achieved on the background paper.

On reflection: tearing the drawing into pieces (rather than cutting) would have helped blend the composition; torn paper edges are softer and absorb colour better; softer edges would also have complemented the background paper. For a more natural contrast, rather than using cut paper triangles and strips, this detail could have been block printed.  I also think the design could have worked simply as a tonal collage without the background paper but with the addition of block printed detail.  Perhaps there is more potential to be explored.

Another oil pastel experiment

This time I applied watercolour washes, lines and dabs to the paper first and allowed the paint to dry.  Then I applied oil pastel in spiral shapes and finally a partial layer of white oil pastel across the whole area.  I then scraped into the surface with a derwent Artbar metal scraper.  I like the depth of colour created by the various layers and the texture and mystery added by the layers of oil pastel; the effect is rather like looking through occluded glass to something beyond.

On reflection: this design could translate into layered textile work.

Henry Moore

I attended a sketchbook art class run by the lovely Jackie Binns in Steyning, West Sussex.  One of the sketches we considered during the class was Henry Moore's 'Pink & Green Sleepers' (shown above) drawn during WW2 as he observed people sheltering in underground stations during an air raid.  His sketches were made using wax and then coloured; the wax lines acting as a resist to help create form. To try this style, we used a wax candle to sketch, which was difficult to control, before applying a watercolour wash - so our various attempts had mixed results.  However, I was captivated by Moore's sketch and the method he'd used, so back at home I tried the technique again.

Out for a late winter afternoon walk with our dog, I was inspired by a tree caught in the rich coloured light of the setting sun.  This is my effort to capture what I saw, this time using iridescent oil pastels.   I drew a section of the tree and some branches, applying the oil pastels in quite thick layers.  I then scored into the pastel with a wooden skewer to create the rounded form of the branches and to add texture and form to the tree trunk.  Finally I applied washes of watercolour paint across the whole sketch to capture the sunset, allowing the different colour washes to blend on the page.  The oil pastels acted as a resist allowing watercolour to seep into gaps and create the effect of coloured light on the tree.  I was quite pleased with the final effect and really enjoyed the process.

Birthday Card

Birthday Card - July 2013

Materials:
Plain NOT watercolour paper card
Acrylic paint
White gouache
Rubber stamp
Decorative tissue paper and napkins
Old music sheet
Treasure Gold (Renaissance)
Strip of hand dyed silk

Technique:
Working on the front of the card first, I applied an initial rough wash of acrylic paint and allowed it to dry. I then applied layers of cut outs from tissue paper, napkins and torn pieces from an old music sheet as decoupage using the same acrylic wash but slightly thinner.  Once everything was dry I added a some distress detail using a tiny amount of Treasure Gold here and there, applied with my finger. I then printed onto the card using white gouache applied to a rubber stamp, and wrote the message using a white roller-ball pen.  The same techniques were used to decorate inside the card.  Overnight the card was left under heavy books to flatten.  Finally, I used a ruler and sharp blade to cut down the spine and tidy the edges, punched two holes through both sheets, threaded through a piece of complementary silk and tied in a bow.

Lessons learned:
Use a heavier weight paper to avoid bending when wet - perhaps something like 300gsm
Consider using an acrylic medium gel (matte) to apply decoupage so more paint colours can be used
Could seal final image with acrylic wax for a different finish and protective surface
Metal eyelets could be used to finish off fastening.