February Sketchbook Challenge - what did I learn?

I have blogged weekly about the contents of my sketchbook for the Sketchbook challenge.  You can see the results here: week 1,  week 2,  week 3,  week 4

These are the pages I did on the last two days.

Day 28
A collage of painted papers, a photograph, a picture from a magazine, map paper and book paper.

Day 29
Two small collages with more of a textile feel.

So what have I learned from the 29 days?
1. That it's a good idea to work for a short time every day.   It gets the creative juices going.

2.  That I really enjoyed working with a muted and small colour range.   These are my favourite pages.

3. That I still haven't found my 'voice'.   I may have found the colours to work in but not the work that I want to do.

4. I started the monthly challenge wanting to do something with seedheads but soon found that the leaf stencil dominated.  I also found that I don't really want to work with seedheads.  There's some beautiful work out there from various artists and I was influenced by their work to a certain extent but I need to find my own style and subject.

On Tuesday night I went to a talk by Amanda Hislop and she does some amazing work.  She works with a very limited and muted colour palette on landscapes, seascapes and seedheads - particularly cow parsley.   She showed how she works from her initial idea through her sketchbook to the finished piece.  The sketchbooks were amazing (works of art in themselves) and that led me to my fifth learning point.

5. I've known this a long time but sometimes you need to see it to get it: you have to put effort into it!  Amanda's sketchbooks were full of drawings and experiments.  Sometimes a drawing was only minimally different from the previous drawing.  Her finished pieces were excellent due to the amount of preparation work she had done in her sketchbooks.

So where does that leave me?
I've no idea to be honest but I shall spend time thinking about it and continuing with what I do now until I can really get to grips with the things I've learned.

What have you learned recently about your creative way of working?

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice

February Sketchbook Challenge

I recently joined a group on Facebook called Sketchbooks and Experiments for Textiles and a challenge was set up to do something creative in a sketchbook every day through February.  I work much better with challenges and accountability so I jumped in.

Day 1

I chose seedheads and started by putting the handmade card I had been sent into the sketchbook and stamped and drew on the page next to it.

Day 2
I stuck this painted paper in that I made when I was doing the Make It Personal class with Hilary Beattie.  I used a string stamp I'd made to stamp in the space.

Day 3
I copied this design from a piece of work I found on Pinterest by textile artist Anne Brooke. Her piece is machine stitched. I drew my 'stitches' with a pen! I have done a class with Anne although not this one!

Day 4
Collaged squares using painted paper, dictionary paper and a map. Seedheads drawn over the top

Day 5
Gelli plate printing fun

I cleaned off my roller in the sketchbook and then stamped on top.

I stuck the gelli print I had made into my sketchbook and then spent most of Friday evening making stitch marks with a pen. Haven't decided whether to fill in the last bit or leave it as contrast.

I left one section blank.  I don't know whether to put 'stitches' in that or leave it as a contrast.  What do you think?

Day 6
Another gelli print stuck into my sketchbook and then some stamped prints on repair tissue glued on top.

Gelli prints, painted papers and dictionary paper collaged together

Most of these pages still need work and I will come back to them but in the meantime I am enjoying randomly adding bits to my sketchbook.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice

Textile Artists

During this 30 day blogging challenge I have shared with you about mixed media artists who have influenced me and blogs that I follow.  Today I thought I would tell you about some of the Textile Artists I follow online.   Interestingly when I compiled the list I realised that I have met all of them and done real-life workshops with them.

Hilary Beattie
I met Hilary at a two day workshop at The Festival of Quilts where she crammed in all that subsequently became 12 days spread over a year as Make It Personal.  This was the collaged piece that is still not stitched!

Steph Redfern
I started making this textile book at a Steph Redfern workshop at The Bramble Patch.  It took me a while to finish it but I'm pleased to say that I did.

Ineke Berlyn
This is a zigzag book I made as a result of a day's dyeing workshop at Ineke's studio.  I showed how it developed here.

Linda & Laura Kemshall
I have done two online Creative Sketchbook classes with Design Matters and a day's workshop at Laura's studio.   This was the book I made from the class.

Anne Brooke
I haven't done a textile class with Anne but I spent a day at her studio doing a Workbook in a Day class.  I showed my follow up work in this post.

Although most of these textile artists are quilters you can see the mixed media influence.

Next weekend I'm going to a retreat workshop taught by Cas Holmes.  I'm looking forward to seeing what I learn there.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice

Workbook or notebook or what?

In May 2014 I went to a worskshop called Workbook In A Day with Anne Brooke.  While I was there I started on the Workbook using my small Dylusions journal.

Anne showed us how to use this journal as a diary or a notebook or a sketchbook or a workbook - whatever you want it to be.

And these are the pages I started at the workshop.  By the way there are a lot of photos in this blog post!

 

And these are the ones I started when I was still full of enthusiasm back home.

And then as with most workshops I go to, the enthusiasm wears off and I leave it unfinished.

However recently Anne mentioned on Facebook that she had put a Start Your Workbook workbook on to her Folksy shop.   So I ordered one and it ignited my enthusiasm for my Workbook or whatever I shall decide to call it.

For Anne this style of working is a way of life and her workbooks are works of art in themselves.  I'm still trying to work out whether this is something that totally appeals to me and currently I'm really only copying Anne's ideas until I get creative myself.

Here are some of the pages I've done in the last week.  I don't really do doodling so have copied these from Anne.

I used a stencil and some distress ink for these.

And drew with a black pen using a stencil on this page.

 This one is almost just me!

I hope you have enjoyed all the photos.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice