What a surprise!

I have been following along with Hilary Beattie and her Saturday Sketchbooks classes.  I desperately want to call it Sketchbook Saturday!  But either way on two Saturdays each month Hilary generously shares copious amounts of information about working in sketchbooks.

In January she suggested we recycled our Christmas cards into a concertina sketchbook.  I put gesso over the cards and some acrylic paint.  I also stamped on the background with wooden blocks.

Hilary decided to make an imaginary village but I decided to make a version of Venice.  Surprise! Surprise!  

I cut out the shapes of buildings and bridges.  I also made some trees.

There are a surprising number of trees and green spaces in Venice.  Did you watch the opening episode of Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens?

I used my gelli plate to print the buildings and trees.  I had made the shapes from textured wallpaper which made fabulous designs on the prints.

I glued the various prints using both the cut out buildings and trees and the pieces of paper they were cut from.

I gessoed and painted the reverse of the zigzag book. I used different stamps

I used the left over prints and the wallpaper masks to make a different version of Venice.

Here are some closeups.

The second side definitely still needs work.  And the above end piece needs some additional pieces.

But for now I'm happy with what I have.  Colouring in windows and trees can be a pleasant activity in between other larger bits of work.

Of course, a zigzag book like this doesn't have to be about buildings and trees.  It could be jugs, vases, dancers etc.

What theme would you choose?

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Online and In-person 2022

If you are a regular reader you will know that I frequently write about how many courses and workshops I've signed up to.  Most of which I don't complete.

So, what am I up to in 2022?

I currently have two online courses that started in 2021.

Notice What you Notice with Christine Chester started in September 2021 and ends in August this year.

There's also Saturday Sketchbooks with Hilary Beattie.  This started in October last year. There are livestreams once a month and pre-recorded videos once a month. Apart from starting to make a book pf patterns and making a few collages I haven't really done much with this yet.

The in person workshop that started last September is Textile Explorations, where I'm making small fabric collages.

You may be wondering by now what I have lined up for 2022.

Not as much as usual really!

At the beginning of 2020 I had a discussion with Leslie Morgan about my continually booking workshops.  I came to the conclusion that I should book less workshops.  And then I had to go cold turkey!  Covid-19 brought about the cancellation of most workshops through 2020 and I made better choices from those that were available in 2021.

So back to the question of what is lined up for this year.

Three days with Christine Chester doing Paper Lamination and four days with Liske Johnson doing Art Cloth: Maps and More.  Both of these are in July at Littleheath Barn Studio.

Plus an online course with Hilary Beattie called Inspired by.  The first class being Inspired by Tulips.  

I was clearing out a cupboard over the weekend and found this tulip stencil I made in 1996!!!!!

Strange the things you hold on to.   Mind you I also found some work from my college finals in 1970.

What creative things are you planning this year?

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Sketchbook Saturdays

I signed up for a new workshop with Hilary Beattie called Sketchbook Saturdays.  This group is now full but it's worth keeping an eye on Hilary's shop page in case she puts on another group.

Hilary is always generous in sharing her passion, excitement and knowledge.  But for me, the added extra is that you can do your own thing within what she says.  Or totally ignore her!  Yes I'm one of THOSE students!

The first session was about making collages using magazine pages.  Here are the first four I've made in half an A5 Seawhite Concertina sketchbook.  I had previously cut the sketchbook in half and made a new cover for each half from the box it came in.

Collages are quite addictive so there will be more!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

September - A new start?

To me, September 1st often feels more like a new start than January 1st.  I think it's probably because the UK school system conditions us to this, as the new school year starts in September.

I haven't had much motivation the last couple of months to be creative.  Left to my own devices I haven't worked on much.  I have kept my journal going and worked on ideas for a creative 6 week course at church.  But I need something to give me real impetus to make stuff.

So I've signed up for two online classes.

First Notice what you notice with Christine Chester.  I've done other classes with Christine so I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works with some of us on zoom and others in her studio.

Poetry of Decay (2016)

Secondly I've signed up for Hilary Beattie's Sketchbook Saturdays which sounds like fun.  I've also done classes with Hilary before.

Sense of Place (2018)

Plus there's a new theme Textile Explorations for the Art Textiles group at Littleheath Barn.  It will be great to do an in-person workshop at Littleheath Barn.

Wall hanging from the last group workshop

I feel there's some comfort in working with people I've worked with before.  I realise I need both the impetus for new plus the comfort from knowing the tutors.

What are you planning to do this term?

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Capturing the Place Sketchbook

My last post showed a large number of photographs taken at Forge Mill Museum.  Today I'm going to show my sketchbook page by page.  I didn't necessarily work on the pages in order but this is the order they are in the book.

Our first task was to go outside and concentrate on one aspect of what we could see and find the colours represented there.  I chose the mill building but other people chose the flowers or other buildings.

During the three days, Hilary introduced a variety of techniques for us to choose.  We could try them and discard them, or continue to experiment with them.  We all chose different things to do.

This page was worryingly the colours I associate with my Venice work.

Hilary encouraged us to go out and draw 'en plein air'.  However, I traced one of my photos using layout paper and sketched it up a bit with a pen.  Then stuck it in.

I tore pages and extended pages.

The museum had some metal tiles that could be used for rubbings and a mock up in the museum of what they thought they looked like originally.

There was also a photo of what they had found in the abbey.  I made some small eraser stamps and combined these with the photo and the rubbings.

In the modern part of the visitor centre there was a really interesting drain cover. I made a stencil and combined that with collaged photos.  One of the other participants made this lovely chain stamp.

This page sticks out like a sore thumb.  I need to knock back the green.

Normal service is resumed.   Wax resist, watercolour and collaged photos.

I had a lovely time and really like some of my pages - that's very unusual for me.  Whether I ever finish the sketchbook is another matter.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Capturing the Place

In September I spent 3 memorable days with my friends Lorna and Sandie at Forge Mill Museum on an art retreat led by Hilary Beattie.

We spent the three days immersing ourselves in the place.  I took lots of photos - mostly outside the building.  I didn't really ever get to the inside.  Before I went I was planning to do about the cogs and wheels of the machinery but I never made it that far.

In today's blog post I am going to share some of the photos I took and then in the next blog post I'll show you my sketchbook.

The room we were working in.

Bits and pieces around the mill

 

 

Next time - how these photos and the place itself impacted the work in my sketchbook.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice