Free Up Your Sketchbook

It took me a while to decide whether or not to sign up for Karen Stamper's Free Up Your Sketchbook and Grow.  I have done classes with her before both online and in-person.  You might have see my Venice book or the start of a canal one.  I don't think I ever blogged about the finished book.

So I wasn't sure whether Free Up Your Sketchbook was relevant three or four years on.  I've done so much more textile work in the meantime and I wondered how this course could help me. But in the end I decided to go with it.

Here are my week 1 pages using pencil, inks, gesso and other media.

The idea is to work back into these pages as the course continues over the next 5 weeks.  I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

More collages. Really!

Yes really!  More collages.

In Saturday Sketchbooks Hilary has been concentrating on collage and pattern.  One suggestion she made was that we made collages and then copied them on the next page, colour matching our paints as best we could.   This didn't appeal to me at all.  I mentioned in the previous post that I am using half an A5 concertina sketchbook.  I decided to do a series of collages using a limited colour palette.   I'm really pleased with the results.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do next.

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

Canal Concertina Sketchbook

I had started a concertina sketchbook way back in 2018 which was based on views of Venice - except lots of people thought it was Morocco.  I didn't get any further with it than the photos in this post: Karen Stamper workshop.

I did another workshop with Karen in 2019 and was more pleased with this sketchbook.

Anyway, back to my original sketchbook.  I loved the zigzag book I made from an Everything Art online workshop.

I thought I would make a bigger version using the old concertina sketchbook.  I cut out the main Venice pages leaving the ones I had started.  I knew I could cover up the stamped architectural images.

I won't show you all the pages, just the development of a few. This first double page spread was totally blank when I started.

As you can see this page had gothic window shapes stamped on and some Italian dictionary.

I used gesso and acrylic paint to cover the stamping.

This spread also had Venice related stamping.

I added washi tape and part of a photo.

I added acrylic paint and stencilling.

I'm still working on the pages.  I work on one and then go back to another.  I'm adding photos, text, stencilling, paint, gesso.

Here are a couple of pages that are next to be worked on.

I'll do another post later this month with some more finished (or almost finished) pages.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Concertina Sketchbook continued

In my last post I described day one of a two day workshop with Karen Stamper.  On to day 2!

Karen introduced some new techniques and then encouraged us to use day 1 and day2 techniques in our sketchbooks.

I continued to add layers onto new pages and sometimes going back to the day 1 pages.

Karen encouraged me to get different sizes of images.

I tried to work quickly and to not think too much.  I also tried not to draw anything!

This week however, I did have a go at drawing the Rialto Bridge.

Here are all the finished pages in the sketchbook.

Here's a wobbly look through video

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Concertina Sketchbook

Last week I spent a couple of days at Littleheath Barn doing a Concertina Sketchbook workshop taught by Karen Stamper.  I did a one day class with Karen last September, but between the fact that I was hosting and that I had only just got the use of my hand back, I thought I would try again with this 2 day workshop.  And I'm pleased I did because I achieved so much more and the pages look more like I wanted them to.

On day one we started by preparing some of the pages in the sketchbook.

Then we added coloured inks.  I used Black and Sepia.

Karen demonstrated various techniques and I built up layers as the day went on.

At this point I realised that the pages weren't working how I wanted them to, and I turned the book up the other way.

By the end of day one I had 12 pages that I was mostly happy with and in the last half hour I started on the next 12 or so pages.

I'll show you day two next time.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice