Well well well, my old nemesis Inktober is here again! Each year I decide to take part, I announce my inky intentions, then give up less than a week in. In true tradition, here I am, telling you that I will be taking part in Inktober 2022. Feel free to disregard the rest of this post in the knowledge that I may last a few days, or you never know, I may make it right up to Halloween! Inktober has been going since 2009 and has an account on Instagram which is super inspiring – @inktober. The ‘guidelines’ are basically draw with ink every day through October and post them with #inktober2022. Easy Peasy! So here I go, I plan to keep it simple for myself by using ink on loose sheets of paper (a variety from sketch paper to tracing paper with whatever I find in between). At the end I will make a book out of the papers I have made. The aim is to end up with a partly filled and partly …

When I watched Kasia Avery at Everything Art UK using Stabilo Woody crayon/pencils in her art journal pages I thought ‘Hang on, I have seen those before and I am pretty sure I still have some’.  I scurried off to see where mine were and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had quite a nice collection of colours. I used them last when I was at Trent Polytechnic, soon to be Nottingham Trent University (yes I am that old!) way back in 1989-91.  The course was BA (hons) Fashion design and the illustrations were always on paper and lugged about in a giant black art folder which clunked my ankles on a regular basis! They were a joy to use then and they are still as lovely now, I am super pleased I kept them and I will use them until I can’t sharpen them any more. Happy Sunday x

I do like a full estate sale and this one was full, full of dolls and beanie babies! Thankfully it was also full of old paper and books! It was pretty local and my husband had been the day before and picked me up this box of photos and the scrapbook full of film make up research from 1941. When he suggested going again on Saturday, I ditched my yoga class for some bargains. I found a modern paper cutter for $2 which was a good start but a bit boring. I seemed to wade through dolls, beanies and Garfield paraphernalia for the next few rooms and was beginning to feel deflated. The basement was full of Christmas decorations and some books so I had a browse through the books. I picked up a couple from the 1960’s which I can use images from and maybe use the covers for a sketchbook. I am not sure I have any plans for the 1966 calendar but it has some beautiful paintings in it. One last look …

Autumn leaves, pressed. Feels like winter. Happy Saturday x

I should be calling this my ‘opposite project’! I rarely work in layers and I hardly ever use stencils and I almost always add some collage. For these cards I have used multiple layers, added no collage and I love it! I took the cards off the cutting mat and mixed them up and stuck them back to make a gelli print using white gesso and a leafy plant. I must confess that this was a stage where I could have hated it once I peeled off the gel plate, but I didn’t. Once the paint was dry, I grabbed an Inktense pencil and loosely traced the botanical shape then gave it a spray of water. At last it was time to separate the cards and see them individually to decide what was next. I grabbed my waterproof black ink and a vintage nib pen and added some simple plant shapes, gave the whole lot a splatter of gold and called them done. I am pleased I gave layering a try and I am even …

‘Start where you are’ is my motto for the beginning of this new season over at Get Messy Art. I am on vacation with limited supplies and no book making stuff. So I made a quick trip to the local and historic hardware store and picked up a roll of kraft paper and a three inch wide paintbrush. How cool is this place! I unrolled a nice long piece of paper and cut it to size with some mini scissors (that took a minute and I have very ‘organic’ edges) which I then concertina folded and glued between two cut down paper bags. While I squashed this one flat under some heavy books, I carried on to make more books! I then persuaded some more of the tightly rolled paper to lay flat with a couple of books from the cottage we are staying in. I had three sheets ready to paint on, so I made some marks and brush strokes to get my pages moving in the direction of a mini art journal or …

I am very late to this party, in fact I think I may have arrived in time to sweep the floor, but I am pleased I came because it is so good! People have been recommending this to me literally since it was published and each time I read the synopsis, I have not been moved to read it. However, now I am a captive audience on holiday with the local library to entertain me, so I grabbed a copy and it is captivating. Each page is crying out to be made into a Wes Anderson movie! I am only part way in and it is looking like I may finish it before we go home. The large print was the copy I grabbed but I don’t mind because I am a secret member of the ‘I love large print’ club! Happy Thursday x

Wellfleet flea market is a staple whenever we visit Cape Cod and this year is no exception. Last Sunday was a $1 entry day which usually means there are not many stalls, but the showing was small but mighty. Lots of vintage sold from tables in front of vans and cars by characters full of stories and information. I bought the Birds of America book with the intention of chopping it up but I see copies in my future as it is such a lovely book. I snagged the whole box of vintage photos plus a couple of postcards for $12. The mini awl and scissors may not make it back through the airport, but I will cross my fingers. How cool will those lace gloves be if I print them using the gelli plate? I have tested the nib pen and it still writes well even though it must have been a school pen (it has ‘public schools’ embossed on it). It is neglected and the nib is well used but I will enjoy …