Friday 19 January 2018

An adventure for AJJ and 2nd travelers notebook

I'm starting to get fed up with the cold grey (and often very windy) days here in the UK as they are making me feel less motivated to do much. I'm not sure I achieved so much this week and the woman in the piece I made for AJJ looks like she might be about to doze off too - maybe she needs to go somewhere sunny and warm on some adventure to change that.

Linking up to AJJ New Year, New Adventures  theme where the lovely Erika from BioArtGal is hosting ths month.
I used a white Neocolour 1 wax crayon as a resist on background then added water soluble Neocolours 2 and watercolours - added drawing and words  then finished with some some digital additions from my own made (previously )digital kits.


Below is the original piece before digital alterations.

 
This year I am hoping to finish half started things from previous years
like this male portrait.

Although I've done a few soft pastel pieces in the last couple of years, I'm fairly new to using pastels and still trying to grasp how to do things.. i.e when using soft pastels, when to use the pastel pencils or 'hard pastels' and understanding paper types and how many layers of pastels they might take and if I need a fixative, how to store them so they don't smudge etc  argghhhh!!  hopefully by the end year I might have a little more idea on how to do this!

And I'd like to do some bookbinding/making this year. This is the second attempt at a 'Travelers notebook' and bigger one than the previous one.. the pages inside are about 7" x 5".


The cover is a sandwich of 2 layers of green felt with a sheet of craft foam in the middle. I hand sewed around the edges and across the middle and should have used my machine instead as the sewing is awful - don't look too closely!

I'll probably decorate the outside some more later but for now I just want to see how I get on using it.
I added threes sections of pages inside - some plain paper and some lined.
I hope a third attempt on one of these style books (as soon as I can find some nice material and/or vinyl) will be better.

Have a great weekend
and thanks for stopping by
Gill x


Monday 8 January 2018

New Year adventures week one

Hello.... A week gone from 2018 already - and I know it's early days but I did quite well doing some of the things that  I hope to achieve this year.  My digital page is a list of what I think would be achievable  and as the theme over at    AJJ  this month is 'New Year, New Adventures'  (hosted by Erika from BioArtGal ) I am linking to there.


The photography course book I have started to read is for 20 weeks
 but as long as I have completed it by the end of the year I will be happy.

I hope I learn some skills to improve the quality of taking photos indoors as I had 
awful trouble trying to photograph my white Steampunk tree and its coloured lights.

I was sad to take down all the Christmas trees and other bits as the lights
 were lovely and cheerful and made me forget the grey wintry days outside.




I have been playing my keyboards again - but not this one,
this is the one I started decorating last year which needed more doing to it.


I used a mix of alcohol inks, black and white Posca paint pens and alcohol pens.


I always say I have a bit more confidence sewing after a little drink
 but I'm not sure it works with painting ha ha.

First go painting people using that Hazel Soan book I had for Christmas.

And as for learning to sew (its on my list too)...I altered a waistband on my PJs - taking out elastic and machined it up with a cord instead. And for more sewing next, I hope to make one of those 'Travelers style journals' with a fabric cover, which may also come under learning a 'new craft'... My first attempt yesterday with a mini one of those was using craft foam and laminated paper but I don't think its very sturdy.



And finally..because the weather in the UK has been cold and grey and what with the dreadful flu virus going around, it makes me feel that I just want to stay inside and hibernate. 
So for exercise - with the aid of some on line videos I have been learning to .. no laughing please!..... 'line dance' .... yes really!  ... something called 'the electric slide'. 

Hope your new year and any new adventures are going well..
thanks for stopping by
Gill x

Tuesday 2 January 2018

New Year - New Adventures

Hello

I hope your New Year has started well... 
at  AJJ the theme is New Year, New Adventures   and this month the lovely Erika from BioArtGal is hosting. 
Every new year I seem to say I'm going to do such and such and then never remember what I said at the end of the year. This year I'm giving it more thought for achievable things I can keep up which I will tell of in another post... but some adventures have already begun!

So my page for AJJ this time was made with Portfolio water soluble crayons, watercolour paints, white candle as a resist and then lastly I digitally added the word art.

and also linking to Moo Mania where the theme is
WELCOME Somebody / Something / The New Year

thanks for stopping by
Gill x