All posts filed under: Creativity

A New Sketchbook for my Holiday.

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I am going on holiday soon and as usual I have to have a sketchbook ready and waiting, preferably one I have made specially. So I squirreled about in my old book stash and Enid Blyton’s ‘Five Run away Together’ popped out as bring just the size and thickness I needed.  I got this book from the library sale cart for nostalgia reasons although I never really liked the Famous Five, I thought the Secret Seven were way cooler! I removed the book block and kept a few illustrations for future art journaling use and added my own pages. These consist of watercolor paper and a few images from an old book of photographs. I used clear gesso on the photo pages so that I can add marks or paint when I am filling the book. Some pages are smaller, others fold out and I included a mini accordion page because I love to work on fold out pages of all varieties. I am hoping to find some book paper while on holiday so that …

100 Days of Creating with Blue, Days 41-50.

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Half way!  Still enjoying working with all blue.  It is very freeing to only use one colour, it means I don’t have to worry about a new palette each time, I can just concentrate on the content, which this time has been a mix of collage and ink in brush pens. If you are doing the 100 day project, I hope you are still going and enjoying it. Find all of my project as I complete it on Instagram at #100daysofcreatingwithblue. Happy Monday x

100 days of creating in blue 31-40

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Loving this 100 day project, it is so nice to have a fixed palette and a dedicated sketchbook, it is filling so fast I might have to add some more fold out pages to fit it all in!  Any new inspiration or technique I get to try out in blues and I am really enjoying it.  Almost half way and not struggling to get pages done at all, in fact I am often starting a few at a time and of course always searching old National Geographic for fabulous blue pictures.  Blue landscapes, blue cars, blue dresses, I want it all! If you are doing the 100 day project I hope it is going well and you are keeping up (I am already checking which number we are on almost every day!). Happy Thursday x

Three good books

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I have these books from the library and I am really enjoying them. Husbands that Cook is full of interesting, delicious but accessible vegetarian recipes. I have already made the one pot pasta which was a family hit, even with the teens!  I am looking forward to making more from the list of potential family dinners I have got from this great book. Zen Camera is one I first spotted at the library in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY.  Yes I am the person who visits the library wherever I go!  Once I got home I borrowed it from my library, it is full of ideas and tips which are doable and inspiring. Everyday Watercolor I have only flipped through, but I can already see lots of ideas and creative tips for using watercolor paints, I can’t wait to get my brushes out and have a go at some of the ideas in here. What books are you liking now?  I always like to see what people are reading, both fiction and non-fiction. Happy Thursday x

The 100 Day Project. 100 Days of Creating with Blue 11-30.

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Just to prove how much I am enjoying the 100 day project this year, I got all carried away and forgot to post my 11-20, so I had to leap right to 11-30! I really am loving the blue.  Any techniques or ideas I learn, I try them in blue and frankly I am filling more pages than I had planned in my blue maths book, that’s ok though, I can tape/glue or sew more in. Are you doing the project this year?  How is it going?  We are over a third of the way now, hurrah! Happy Monday x  

The 100 day project 2019. 100 days of creating with blue 1-10

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    Pages 1-10 of this year’s 100 project from my corner of the universe, one tenth of the way in! 100 days of creating with blue. So far I have painted flowers, collaged, cut paper and made a terrible selfie!  I am enjoying it and I am also allowing myself to work ahead, if the mood strikes I will make a page so that I can have some in my pocket as back up for days when I don’t make my blue page. If you want to follow on Instagram, my hashtag is 100daysofcreatingwithblue Are you doing the 100 day project?  What are you doing? Happy Wednesday x

I tried Suminagashi and it is brilliant!

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I have tried ink on water marbling and it was ok but nothing spectacular, quite pale colours and I didn’t get great results.  Of course I most likely used the wrong ink and almost certainly an inefficient technique, but in the back of my mind I wanted to have another go as I love the effects of marbled paper. I saw a suminagashi class on Skillshare and it looked doable as I had all of the ingredients so I gave it a go. Tomoe River paper Top Strathmore mixed media, bottom Stonehenge warm white. Strathmore mixed media (front) Strathmore mixed media paper (back). I like that this technique is fairly unpredictable but not totally. Having said that, the final photo is the back of one of the prints and I really like how the ink has swished onto the back of the paper and created a very unpredictable effect. I used Strathmore mixed media paper which was very white and smooth, Stonehenge warm white paper with a slight texture and Tomoe River paper which is …

The 100 day project, I changed my mind!

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‘The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’ to quote Mr Robert Burns. My plans for the 100 day project were not really that well laid if I am honest and they have not gone far awry, they have just moved a little bit and changed a little bit. I still plan to do the project and I am enthusiastic to begin on Tues April 2nd, I have merely changed my mind. I gathered some blue supplies for something else and I had a flashback to each time I think that a project all in blues would be a nice thing to do.  I have thought about this many times and done it no times, so I thought the 100 day project would be an ideal opportunity to make a lovely blue project. So, for the 100 day project 2019 I intend to be creative each day using blue.  Blue media, blue substrate, maybe even photographing or sketching a blue something. I haven’t decided on a hashtag yet (apparently decisions are not …

Mono Printing on a Homemade Gelatin Plate.

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Today I made a slab of gelatin (actually I made that yesterday) in a cookie pan and used it to make mono prints of bamboo leaves and crochet doilies! I was reading Courtney Cerruti’s book ‘Playing with Surface Design’ and she was talking about how a handmade gelatin plate behaves slightly differently to a commercial gelli plate.  I have been using and loving my gelli plate for a few years now, so I was keen to try! Making the ‘plate’ was super easy, I used 4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin according to the instructions on the packet (they suggested apple juice but I went for water!) and I left it in the fridge over night to set.  I forgot to remove any surface bubbles so I had immediate access to some extra texture (oops!). There are lots of videos and recipes for gelatin plates on the inter webs but I was happy with this one as it lasted for an afternoon of printing and I can make another one when I need it. This picture was …