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Category Archives: Design Play
Print commission: Piece 1
I was recently engaged to explore printing on handmade Hemp paper by someone who intends to market this paper for sale. I was given a general idea of what was required based on some work I had done previously. Piece … Continue reading
Paper experimentation
On recent visits to the papermaking studio I’ve been exploring laminating paper. In papermaking terms this means layering multiple pulled pieces together into a single finished sheet. I started with white: as much as possible recycled cotton rag printing paper … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My paper
Tagged Paper making, plant fibre paper
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Print group concertina swap
Every December our print group cut up either failed or excess prints produced during the year and swap with each other to create small concertina books. Our group is full of very experienced printmakers, most of whom specialize in specific … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, General fun pursuits, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Printing
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A bit of time out
It’s been a stressful week so it seemed like a good time to take a few minutes away from other people to mess about in the studio with some loud music, a bit of paper and some pens. Going through … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My books & journals, My drawing, My painting
6 Comments
Quick monotypes
I had a quick dip into the world of monotypes recently after watching a few short videos. Essentially I spent a bit of time with ink, scrapers and credit cards to see what marks I could make. These two were … Continue reading
Messing about with paint – Day 4
I noticed how similar my colour palettes were in my two previous pieces so decided to make some adjustments. I also took note of my comment that perhaps squiggles – a bit more organic than my blocks and lines – … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My painting
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Messing about with paint – Day 3
On day 3 of the challenge I stuck with acrylic paints, as I enjoyed them so much on the first day. After painting this piece I became stuck on what to do with it next. So I left it alone … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My painting
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Messing about with paint – Day 1
Last week two friends and I decided to join a 5 day on-line creative challenge. The basis was supposed to be painting but the ethos was pretty much ‘anything goes’. As it was a free thing, designed to enthuse participants … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My painting
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Abstracting a design
This week I’ve been building resources in my sketchbook. An A5 pencil sketch of TV remote controls sitting on my cutting mat was followed by a closer view of a specific area in Sharpie pen. I picked these as my … Continue reading
Collagraph: Man-made – progress
I first showed this print plate in October where I discovered the issue of using Shellac that had been made for a while and then shaken to remix. Tiny particles had hardened and subsequently transferred to the plate and printed … Continue reading
Collagraph: Man-made
Using minimal materials; essentially mountboard, a couple of pieces of lightweight paper and some adhesive foil, I built a low-relief multi-layered collagraph plate. I cut into a few areas, removing the mountboard surface, thereby encouraging the ink to ‘grab’ the … Continue reading
Project: Treads
Car and truck tires seem to have been in my peripheral vision lately so I drew a few and collaged them together to form a rectangular design. Being such a fan of geometric and linear imagery I was pleased with … Continue reading
Project: Information Highway
Take two products … Last year I invested in several new stencils. In theory I could have cut some of them myself but the strain on my hands and possible mistakes when doing this wasn’t worth it. So the question … Continue reading
Exploration: Journey
I’m currently part of an on-line creative exploration course. It’s nothing onerous, just something to stimulate ideas and create some random drawings without too much thought. The word for the day was ‘Journey’ and I jotted down a few things … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
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Gel plate collagraph printing
I recently read an article describing the technique of pressing collagraph plates into an inked gelli plate surface, followed by pulling the print from the gelli plate – not the collagraph. In essence, a transfer print. My normal printing routine … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Collagraphs, Gelli plate
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Banksia Book – Part 1
I recently wrote about some etched solar plates I’ve been given, which I’ve started printing. My aim is to create a book showcasing the prints to give to the friend who kindly donated the plates. My criteria are as follows: … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My books & journals, My Creative Pieces, My prints
2 Comments
Creating a Colour Selector chart
I’ve designed a system of recording both the variety of paints & drawing materials I own and the items & colours I intend to use for each project I work on. I own quite a range of media including oil-based … Continue reading
Working in only 2 colours
I recently taught a colour & composition workshop where we concentrated on the wonderful world of colour choices; tones, tints, likes, dislikes and colour matching. Trying to introduce the participants to a new way of considering abstraction in their work … Continue reading
More gelli printing
This week I was introduced to another way of gelli printing, one where texture can be created whilst still being able to produce quite exacting patterns. In September I blogged about a similar, but slightly different method, and gave the … Continue reading
New gelli plate printing
Over the last 12 months I’ve done quite a bit of gelli plate printing using a few different methods; random rolling of paints, applying stencils, mark making with objects and the like. All have been done with either one or … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
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Exploring Mixed Media: 5
Continuing with the Gelli printing & stencilling, I used my original source photos as a start point and reproduced some of the images then cut stencils & masks, plus addition pieces to widen my selection. These thin acetate stencils are … Continue reading
Exploring Mixed Media: 4
Gelli Plate printing These first samples have been about re-familiarising myself with the Gelli plate, getting good coverage and colour combinations. All produced with various brands of acrylic paints. Creating patterns within the painted layers. Stencilling: Experiments with different media. … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
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Exploring Mixed Media: 3
Anyone following this thread will note that I’ve changed the title from ‘Working with nature’ (which were parts 1 & 2) to the overall course title. I feel happier not being so constrained by the narrow reference to nature. It’s … Continue reading
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Working with nature: 2
Identifying colour palettes from photos This is something I’ve done many times before but this time I’m exploring computer programs that automatically extract colours from photos. In the past I’ve always painted swatches or wrapped threads to indicate colours. Having … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
7 Comments
Working with nature: 1
This week I joined an online class exploring different ways of working with nature in an art practice. Initially we were encouraged to explore our environment and collect flora that attracted us. Obviously, in parks and and on bush trails … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
11 Comments
Counterchange
With the restrictions of being at home pretty much full time I joined a small on-line challenge this week. Entitled Notan/Counterchange, it was described as follows: Notan is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and … Continue reading
Printing with water-colour
I’ve spent a week playing with water-colour paints, exploring how they can be transferred to print paper outside of the normal landscape or still-life painting arena. In the past I’ve gone down the traditional route of water-colour painting and haven’t … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My painting
2 Comments
Playing with my photo booth
Having taken some advice from a gentleman by the name of Patrick, a member of a photography group, I finally ordered and received a photo booth. I can’t promise that all pictures will be perfect from here on, but I … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
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Playing with paints
In anticipation of a couple of book-binding courses I’ll be teaching in a few months time I’m exploring ways of applying different paints to paper without too much mess and water. Last time I taught at this venue I asked … Continue reading
Pastepaper Workshop
The notes received in this workshop stated (in part & abbreviated): Pastepapers have been used since at least as early as 1650. They were often made in the binder’s shop, but some businesses were set up solely to provide them … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My painting, Workshops & Classes
Tagged Pastepapers
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Design Play: Circuit Project – More grids
Loved the grid experiments in my last post so continued down this path this week with some great results. Sequin waste was cut to shape and placed over an inked acetate sheet. This was run through the press and the … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Connections and circuits, Lines & connections
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Design Play: Circuit Project – More backgrounds
More background experimentation – yep, I’m not done yet Whilst making book samples recently I’ve been mulling over my Circuit project. I’ve tried quite a few different ideas as background bases for my connections and circuitry to sit upon but, … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Connections and circuits
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Design Play: Circuit Project – Getting started
The value of experimentation No-one gets it right first time and I’ve a vision in my head that has been difficult to translate into reality. Having had a brain stuffed with home renovations, builders, paint choices and so on for … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My painting
Tagged Connections and circuits
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Design Play: Exercise – connections
I’ve been looking back over some of the work I’ve created in the last 5 years or so. While I’ve covered a variety of subjects I see that I keep returning to the idea of connections, boxes, containers, lines and … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise – collagraph abstraction
I’ve moved away from the source book I was using for my exercises and am following my own direction. The book helped a lot when I was a bit lacking in creativity but now I’m back up and running I’ve … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 5 – Textures – Part 3
‘Other World’ Print Plates In my post of 16th February I created my first 3 collagraph print plates for this series + 2 masks. Here are plates 6 & 7, the final ones for this body of work. PLATE 6 … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Collagraphs, Design experiments
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Design Play: Exercise 5 – Textures – Part 2
‘Other World’ Print Plates In my post of 18th January I looked at both internal and external textures with a view to planning my Other World project print plates. The aim is to produce several small prints to be mounted … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Collagraphs, Design experiments
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2019 01 28 Image of the week
Continuing working with design play exercise 5 I chose one of the images and explored what I could achieve using Photoshop CS6. I’ve never had much in the way of formal training on Photoshop but have used on-line help, forums … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 5 – Collecting textures – Part 1
Goal: To create a resource of both found and self-created textures for future reference and to stimulate ideas. I’m planning my next print project which will involve producing prints from textural collagraphs and as I have fairly specific imagery in … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 3 – Final design & prints
The goal: To turn solid shapes into line drawings, create variations on the theme and translate these into a workable design to print. Stage 1 of this exercise started by using photos of Walking Irises in my garden. I developed … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My painting, My prints
Tagged Design experiments, solar plate printing
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Design Play: Exercise 9 – Line studies
I’m jumping around with the exercises in the book and missing some out as I’ve done similar things multiple times in the past. The goal: To explore the power of a line and the nature of a line versus a … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 3 – Creating a design
The goal: Take line drawings and create a workable design to print. After my initial drawings of irises and grevillea (very loosely translated) a couple of weeks ago I spent a few minutes messing around with floral bouquets and was … Continue reading
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces, My drawing, My prints
Tagged Design experiments, One & Twenty
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Design Play: Exercise 3
The goal: to turn solid shapes into line drawings and create variations on the theme. Part 1 For one day only, late last week, my Walking Irises came into full bloom. I had a sea of green, white and purple … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 2 – extending a design
The goal: to create a variation on a theme. I’ve long been a fan of 1950s fashion and homeware print designs. I’m drawn to repetitive semi-abstract motifs, usually large bold shapes and colours. I recently saw an exhibition which included … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 2 – creating the designs
Exercise 2: designing and cutting stamps The goal: to explore the possibilities of stamping as a design tool. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks carving 11 stamps from some of my comma designs (posted here) and then printing them. Collagraph … Continue reading
Design Play: Exercise 2 – drawing and preparing
Exercise 2: designing and cutting stamps The goal: to explore the possibilities of stamping as a design tool. I’ve decided to use an old favourite image of mine, one that naturally lends itself to wide interpretation; the Boteh. The Boteh … Continue reading
TactualTextiles 