Module 6 - Chapter 9

Decorated edges and borders

6.9.1

This is a lovely chapter and one I could have spent days on, if I had the time.

1) Trees. Simply torn edge with tree printing. A little extra colour at edges
2) Flower buds. Partial punch, cut into
3) Oak leaves. Bought punch
4) Random holes. Various sizes punched with my Japanese hole punch. I love it (the punch)
5 Oak leaves. As before but glued to edge

6) Weather vane. A partial hole punch for snowflakes.
7) Cogs. Not very cog like
8) Stitches. Machine made holes then hand stitched
9 Houses. Hand cut roves and hole punched squares
10) Wooly. Hand made slits with hand dyed pure wool threaded through.

I could imagine making an entire book just out of decorative edges, but I am looking forward to using some of these and others in my final book.

Module 6 - Chapter 8

Fun with photographs and Photocopies

I have certainly learned to do a lot more with my computer on this course.  During this module I came across some quite clever things such as speech bubbles, writing on photos etc.  However next time I thought about using them I couldn't find them.  Perhaps I should go on a Mac course one of these days.  However I have been using Picassa for years and it is very straightforward apart from the fact that right now I can't get a changed photo from where I have it to here!

Using photographs
This picture turned out far too simplistic.  The original pic shows the cow in a field looking over a gate with lots of others.  When I put him by himself I should have made the painting more interesting.  I would  not use it like this. Also he is not as well 'embedded' as he should be.

Cutting into strips or squares.
When I then cut the above picture up to rearrange it, of course it didn't look at all interesting, so I combined it with one of the gate pictures.

This is the same combination as above, but woven.

I tried a variation on the waterlilies picture, but oh it certainly does depend on the picture one is using. This was most disappointing.

Then I tried a different ratio with another picture, but still not good.

I have one of Sandra Meech's books, bought whilst on a course with her, so I have a ready reference to her work which is very useful.

In the last chapter I used the writing on one of my sheep pictures. Here it is again since I quite like it.

I used a black and white photocopy of one of my cog pictures cut up and rearranged.  I think this could have potential.

I used a black and white copy of the cogs and then painted over it with blue and pink Then glued torn strips of tissue with writing over the top.   It all looked rather dark and strange.  I then had the odd idea to print on it in white, using a foam block of a tree and my sheep, plus bubble wrap.  Looks quite out of place in this chapter.

Take a fragment and draw to complete. I used one of my barn pictures that was on a transparent sheet to photocopy. The pen I used to draw on the black was tricky. It is a Zig Writer in chalk pastel white, but the odd thing was it is clear when you are using it and not white until it dries.  Makes things a little different. I should have switched to a white crayon.

The collage of photos included one I don't think I have shown before. It is a tiny baby pipestrelle bat. We found him in the sitting room and he was not even as big as the top joint of my thumb. When it started to get dark we put him outside and he crawled out of his box.  When my back was turned he disappeared. Apparently at that age/size if they call to their mother she can come and pick him up by the scruff of his neck and take him away.  Ahhhh.

This chapter was very informative and certainly covered an awful lot of techniques, many of which I need to give more time and attention and hope to do so soon.  I feel there is room for lots of improvement here.

Module 6 - Chapter 7

MIXED MEDIA LAYERS

6.7.1

I started with the first idea by tearing pieces of magazine pages and sticking to a base layer, then doing a green wash, followed by drawing around shapes and then stamping with a home made stamp.

a)

b) Then cut and stuck some of my foxglove oil pastel drawings that I had photocopied in various sizes

c) These beautiful colours in a magazine, when woven together, also reminded me of my colour scheme.

d) But I didn't think much of this result. Torn shapes placed to give an impression of foxgloves

e) Perhaps a similar idea using my weathervane background would work, no not really

f) A change of subject. I used one of my lamb pictures that had not come out very well last time, made a larger lamb mask and stuck it in place.  Then I used an overbright wash of Inktense. Yes of course it is intense!  When I removed the mask I was disappointed with the result, so made another cut out, this time of tracing paper, stuck it on and darkened it slightly with a pewter oil pastel.

g) More cut outs, some overprinting of sheep breeds (there are hundreds of them) and a little sewing. I like this one.

h) Last year I made this hare, copied from a mug, into a foam stamp and have used him quite a bit since then.  I traced around a cut out onto a 'farm gate' page from the last chapter with progressively lighter/thinner pens and filled in a little with paint applied lightly with the end of a brush.  I could, I know do lots more with this lovely chap.

i) Sometimes when I start experimenting I get halfway through and wonder what the heck I am doing. This is one of those time.  The background is Markle over a extured background. The weird tree is hot melt glue, which obviously comes out lumpy, ironed to flatten it. Then I used foil over the top ironing it lightly to remelt the glue a little. Additional pale green paint then added on top.  I shall not bother with that idea again. The hare is cut out of tomato puree tube and textured by being pressed onto a cheese grater.  All a bit strange.

I have mixed feelings about this chapter. It is a very enjoyable one to do but I am feeling that I need to get on as time is running out.

Update on September 2012

Last autumn when things were getting very hairy here, I finished my Owl & Pussy Cat book in a bit of a hurry and I didn't like the cover very much at all.  I have just got around to amending it. I used raw cocoon strippings, sprayed with dye and ironed with a hot dry iron. I cut out the heart shape to show the original pair, stitched some waves and stars and then glued it in place.  I think it is an improvement, although they do look a bit washed out in the middle there.

Module 6 - chapter 6

Printmaking with foam sheets

My printing surface is very quick to set up.  I have a portable padded ironing board (with cutting mat on the reverse) that I use by slipping a plastic carrier bag over, that is an excellent fit and wipes clean.

6.6.1

To make some fairly basic printing blocks, I used the farm gate with the name Pittescombe on it, although I didn't really expect this to be readable, a lamb from one of my drawings and the words "farm" and "lamb". These were made from foam which I know I don't have an allergy to as I have been using it for many years, and also another block of a lamb using a piece of pizza tray.

a) this is done on plain black paper, first with white then blue. I think the black background is very effective.

b) This pale lilac patterned background doesn't really show up

c) The background to this is painted mauve and lime green, done ages ago for this course

d) This is one of my favourites in this chapter. Again a background that I have had for ages, the gate block is done in copper and the word 'lamb' oddly enough in a pearlised green textile paint. It was a new one and I wondered how it would look on paper.

e) The first of the blocks done combining the two methods.  Not very interesting at all. Again it needs more going on in the background.

f) Getting a bit better, but the sponge too damp when applying the paint to the polystyrene.

g) I like this a lot more.  I think this would be very effective sliced up and rearranged, but I won't do that just yet.

Come to think of it, some of the above that I don't like would benefit from slicing/dicing and a bit of extra colour.  I did a few more, like one of lambs on a magazine page of wooly jumpers and other experiments, but they are not worth putting on here.

I have remembered my magpie block that I made for this course as well, he may get used later. I do like doing printing very much, so this was fun if not as successful as I had hoped.

Coincidence!

Just started reading chapter 6 and see it is printing with foam sheets.  Here is some I did a couple of weeks ago.  A pair of temporary curtains for the downstairs loo to make it more toddler friendly. I cut the individual petals, centres, leaves and grass from funky foam and used mostly fabric paint but a bit of acrylic.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself too.

Module 6 - chapter 5

Repeats

6.5.1 Cog
Section of cog from old water wheel on the farm This is coloured using Neo oil pastel in brown and cream for the cog which acts as a resist and then a wash of green gouache for background

I used the card template of the cog to feather Markel oil stick over the edge.  Very enjoyable in a Zen sort of way. My husband thought this should be called 'alien audience'.

6.5.2.Weathervane

I got off to a rather slow start with this exercise, but got into it after a while. I found putting the paper on top of a sheet of transparency paper stopped it slipping around. I didn't end up gluing all of them, some were just placed and scanned.  This meant that I felt much freer to keep trying new ways.

a)

b)

c)

d)

This next one is my favourite, the pale tissue at the bottom is taken over by the bright pink background
e)

6.5.3. Fern

Using a grid. The original was a small fern growing out of the wall
a)

b)

6.5.4. Barn

I took an outline of the barn, then used a section of it in a larger scale to use with it.

I thought using a purple marker pen might be more sympathetic than black.

I liked my first arrangement the best, so coloured it as below. Again I have used Inktense. One disadvantage is that sometimes there is more coloured pencil in one part of the drawing than another, which is more noticeable when it is gone over with water.  It doesn't matter really, but what sometimes starts out as fairly gentle colours gets brighter and brighter.   

This variation is the one above, copied and then cut diagonally with the middle reversed.

What a nice way to achieve an abstract composition.  Again a very enjoyable chapter.

Module 6 - chapter 4

6.4.1.   Taking a closer look

There are so many things on the farm that I like to draw, so I had to select something in particular and I decided on foxgloves.

A simple line drawing

a)

b)  pattern, closer up, using my grid.

c )  Using the view finder, closer up still, with  tone

d) Not very interesting leaf. I should have turned it round.

e) & f)

  

I thought it would be interesting to do more than one of each in different media, so the first is done with the flowers in oil pastel and the background Inktense. I found it quite liberating in a way to use oil pastels for this part as they are chunky and it isn't possible to be too 'fussy' with them.  White was used and blended to make the paler parts. The second is just Inktense pencils and blocks.

g) & h)

g)  White oil pastel for a resist inside flowers. Pen and gouache for purple, Promarker for the green parts. Inktense blocks for background.

h) Oil pastel for flowers and stem, watercolour for background.

i) & j)

Once again i) is oil pastel and white is used as a resist. Background is gouache  

j) is a bit scary isn't it?  But just to experiment it is done in felt tip.  Not really my style at all.

K) a leaf in Inktense.

This was a really interesting chapter because it has made me appreciate the advantages and pleasures of mixing different media.  Also I shall be using oil pastel in the future now I have come to love it more.