Seascape collage zigzag

After Tuesday's post about Amanda Hislop's workshop I thought I would use some of the leftover papers to do collages in a zigzag sketchbook.

I started by randomly placing bits of paper.  I had also found some previously painted bondaweb backing paper which looks like water.

It occurred to me that I didn't want to do a full sketchbook so I cut it in half.

The sketchbook comes in a box

I cut the box up to make the end covers for each half of the sketchbook. I attached the covers with doublesided tape.

Then I started glueing down papers using matt gel medium.

The three photos edited together.

When I've done more pages I shall go back and make marks into the collages.  They look a bit flat at the moment.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Seascape Collage

Last week I spent a gentle couple of days at Littleheath Barn Studio on a workshop taught by Amanda Hislop, author of Stitched Textiles: Seascapes.

As you know I love to cut up or tear up my work.  So I was in my element - the first thing to do was tear up teabag paper, lens tissue and fabric to about A6 size.  Then we printed on them with acrylic paint and Amanda's handmade printing blocks.

And then!  When the paint was dry we tore up those pieces to be much smaller pieces.  Oh joy!

We used a gluestick to put these small pieces onto a backing.

We started 'tacking' the pieces down with small stitches that weren't going to be removed.

On day two we started on the main stitching using a mix of stitches like running stitch, herringbone stitch, fly stitch and feather stitch.

I didn't like the stitching I did in the middle of the photo above, so when I got home I unpicked it. (see below)

Some close-ups of my stitching.

I decided the piece was too long and removed nearly a third of it. 

I peeled off the large piece on the left and continued to stitch what was left.

And here it is in close-up.

I've got lots of ideas for what I could do next especially in a zizag sketchbook and maybe on fabric too.

Watch this space!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Workshops 2020

Some of my friends feel I should join Workshops Anonymous!  If there isn't such an organisation perhaps I should start one.

I spent many months this year saying I wasn't going to book any workshops in 2020.  But then signed up for 3 in January & February.  Then I said I wouldn't book any past March.  Yeah right!

So what have I signed up for?

January: Unlocking the Mystery of Creative Play with Lesley Morgan.
‘How do I make better work?’ We will look at simple language and principles of design found in the physical world. Working from a personal starting point, discover tools to create contrast and harmony using colour, value, size, shape, and texture. Bring your curiosity to discover what you like and how to achieve the elements you need to work with your theme and create effective compositions.

February: Abstract Calligraphy with Simon Sonsino
In this workshop we will explore abstract calligraphy with expressive form. We will work through exercises creating abstract letter form with different mark making tools.

February: Poetry of Stitch with Christine Chester
There will be a concentration on using the sewing machine, but also looking at hand stitch as the heavier and more ‘spotty’ marks that is tricky to do on the machine (though not impossible). We will explore your machine’s potential through use of tension, straight and swing stitches, and the occasional use of an accessory or two.  There will be an emphasis on trying lots of small sample pieces rather than working towards a larger piece, but these can be combined to form a book towards the end of the course.

April: Colour Studies with Lesley Morgan
We will learn how to use procion Mx dyes to develop an extensive palette. Build harmonious colour and value schemes to create contrasts that will enrich, energies and pop!  Use mark-making to create a visual reference of colour relationships and establish a method to explore any colour and value scheme of your choice.

May: Improvisational Curved Piecing with Leslie Morgan
Improvisation is the act of coming up with something on the spot. Improvisational Piecing is drawing with a rotary cutter. The act of improvising is to act or to start a piece without planning ahead, spontaneously making decisions as you go. Improvisational piecing promotes muscle memory, intuition, innovation, creative mistakes, repeatable mistakes, freedom ...

July: Land - Marks Summer School with Cas Holmes
A mixed media workshop exploring the qualities of cloth and paper for creating a mark and as a surface for print. Spend the first two days printing onto layered cloth using a variety of techniques, and the last day using some of the pieces to create a stitch - collage.

November: Layers in Land & Sea with Amanda Hislop
A 2-day workshop to explore land or seascape imagery through a process of layering; working on a fine background to build layers of recycled and specialist papers, natural fragments and threads. Experiment with ways of changing the surface of papers which will then be incorporated into landscape compositions developed from your own personal material. Acrylic paints are then applied using techniques to enhance and give depth to the colour within the piece.

And that ought to be enough!

However Liske keeps adding temptation at Littleheath Barn Studio.  It's 25 minutes away and I can live at home.   Sooo tempting!

But looking on the bright side!  I've only signed up for one online course: Wanderlust.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

40 days of mark making

After the Amanda Hislop workshop Becca, Julie & I decided to take up a 40 day mark making challenge.  Two other ladies have joined us and we share our results in our little group.  Becca & I also put them on Instagram.

I started with an A6 Pink Pig sketchbook and a black pen.   Day1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

DAy 6

Day 7  I tried a Stabilo All pencil and a wet brush.

Day 8

Day 9 

Day 10  Wax with black watercolour paint

Day 11   Back to the pen

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15  Using a needle point bottle of acrylic ink

Day 16  Acrylic ink and black India ink and scraped with a pattern making tool

Day 17

Day 18  Asemic writing and then blowing ink with a straw

Day 19 Blowing ink blots with a straw

Day 20   And back to the spirals and squarels and blowing the ink.

Half way through!  Here's to the next 20 days.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Paper Transformations

Last week I went to Art Van Go for two days to do a workshop with Amanda Hislop called: Paper Transformations - Taking Paper Books Further.  I went with my friend Sandie.

The first activity was to choose a size of page you wanted your finsihed book to be and then to make some pages to that size using different kinds of papers.  I chose to make an 8 inch square book.  While we were waiting for the glue to dry we started the next activity.

Amanda introduced us to mark making using various tools and inks.  We also added water with a brush.

We moved on to making marks on the pages we had assembled.

We used a wax candle as a resist

Lots of my pages were more than 8 inches square so that I could have folded bits.

On the second day more mark making activity went on.  Then I started assembling various bits and pieces.

This is a brown envelope with added painted papers made into a mini zigzag book.

This is a piece of Khadi paper folded and pieces of one of the painted papers cut up and stuck on.  It needs stitching or some more marks with pen.

This is the start of a collage.

Remember the decison to make an 8 inch square book!  Well this is it!!!!  8 inches by 4 inches

I folded the pages so that they were 8 inches square and then folded them in half to make signatures.

The large sheets of mark making were cut and folded to make zigzag books

And lastly I cut up the square I had done just with ink and water and stuck it on to Khadi paper.

Lots of lovely starting points for future work.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice