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Category Archives: My Creative Pieces
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
3 Comments
Continuing drawing figures
I’ve continued working on drawing fashion figures. Referring to my text book, I’ve produced a couple of line drawings demonstrating different poses. Using one as a template I went on to complete a body shape. I’m in two minds about … Continue reading
Posted in My Creative Pieces, My drawing
5 Comments
New challenges in drawing
I’ve had a project in mind for a while now but know my drawing skills aren’t up to the job so I’ve bitten the bullet, invested in some basic drawing books and picked up a pencil. I love fashion illustration … Continue reading
Exploring Mixed Media: 6
Masks, Stencils & Monoprinting . . . with a bit of painting and drawing. A fairly good result. Perhaps a little less colour in the upper background would have been better. The buds have more orange and colour variation that … Continue reading
Posted in My Creative Pieces, My drawing, My painting, My prints
Tagged Gelli plate, Stencilling
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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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Another take on natural dyeing
Over the years I’ve done a range of techniques to apply both natural colour (i.e. colour extracted from nature: leaves, bark, berries, plant stems) and natural patterns (i.e. leaf imprints, petals, fronds, pine needles, etc.) to both cloth and paper. … Continue reading
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
Posted in Design Play, My Creative Pieces
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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
Articulated concertina: More complexity
In January I posted the results of my exploration into creating a double articulated concertina book. I made two samples; one with basic stitching and the other with an attractive beaded join. Ever since completing the these I’ve been irritated … Continue reading
Posted in My books & journals, My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Book-making, Linocut
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Finished and framed etching
At the beginning of February I posted my hand-drawn Banksia serrata and my journey to transform it into an etched print. Today I share with you the finished piece, framed.
Part 2: Two colour etching
Back at the end of January I wrote about a 2 day workshop I did with Basil Hall. Click here to read that so you get the idea of what I was trying to achieve. Essentially I didn’t go with … Continue reading
Self portrait
And now for something completely different. Having been playing with water colour effects on paper recently I considered how they could be combined with my more usual oil-based printing techniques. My goal was to produce a printed image on paper … Continue reading
Challenge 30 – Day 17
A long gap since my last sketch of Jack but this one hasn’t come out too badly. Despite not having drawn him for around 6 weeks I’m pleased that I’ve retained some of the improvement I made by concentrating on … Continue reading
Printing: new concepts
Intaglio lino print on 100gsm handmade recycled mountboard & orange skin paper Me, today, struggling to come to grips with a new printing idea. Nothing like spending time with the textbooks. No matter what you think you know there’s always … Continue reading
Posted in My Creative Pieces, My paper, My prints
Tagged Intaglio printing, lino print
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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
Etched lino: Two colour print
In late December I recorded my initial etched lino process and single colour prints from two of the lino plates. On my return to the studio a couple of weeks ago I intaglio inked one of the lino pieces in … Continue reading
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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Part 2: Etching with Basil Hall
In Part 1 of my recent course with Basil Hall I worked on 2 colour etching plates. That 2 day workshop encouraged a small number of us to visit Basil in his studio for a further 2 days of printmaking. … Continue reading
Posted in My Creative Pieces, My prints
Tagged Drypoint etching, Photogravure, Zinc etching
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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
Part 1: Two colour etching workshop
With Basil Hall This 2 day workshop was an eye-opener for sure. The aim was to produce 2 etched plates, with a variety of tones, to layer together to create a coloured print. No ideas for designs were suggested beforehand … Continue reading
Pineapple paper
A friend gave me some semi-prepared pineapple fibre to make into paper. The fronds of the pineapple plant had been stripped and dried before being shaped into a hank. I pulled it apart, chopped it into short lengths and boiled … Continue reading
Challenge 30 – Day 16
Short of time today but at least I’ve got the outline down. The head is definitely a better shape than the previous drawing.
Challenge 30 – Day 15
Nose is too long and a bit narrow. He looks more like a foxhound. I think I need a close-up photo and draw larger to get the proportions. Good movement though. An update on day 14 as I added the … Continue reading
Challenge 30 – Day 14
Not sure how to draw water but it’s a start. I’ve done a bit of shadow but it should probably have been extended under his belly as well.
Double articulation concertina book: Floral linocut
As I bring this project to a close I’m struck by how much I’ve learned on this journey. My first decision was to create a duplicate of every component as this was totally experimental. What I see in my head … Continue reading
Floral linocut – moving along
After my last trials on white paper I moved to printing on coloured bases. My backgrounds were made by rolling various acrylic paints onto damp plastic sheeting and smoothing paper over the surface, thereby transferring some of the paint. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Floral linocut progress
Having finally managed to finish cutting my piece of lino just before Christmas I’ve been itching to print it. I have a specific idea in mind but thought I’d trial a few different colours and see how they look. First … Continue reading
2019 12 23 Image of the week & cutting lino
If you follow my blog you’ll have noticed that lately I’ve been messing around with colours and patterns on paper quite a bit. Some of the results lend themselves to be overprinted with bold designs and I’ve been working on … Continue reading
Etched lino
I’ve seen etched lino prints, I understand the principle but I’ve not done it. That changed last week when our print tutor introduced us to the method of ‘burning’ into the surface of lino and creating intaglio prints. I first … Continue reading
More painterly mark-making trials
A friend and I got together to continue the mark-making experimentation. I’m building up a good resource of coloured papers for future projects. Some may end up as book-covers, some as inner pages, some will probably be over-printed and some … Continue reading
Posted in General fun pursuits, My Creative Pieces, My painting, My prints
Tagged Gelli plate
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Mark making & Gelli Plate printing
Having attended a recent paste-papers workshop and had such a good two days I was reminded of the fun of just ‘having a go’ and letting colours appear on paper with a little less planning than I usually do. So … Continue reading
Posted in General fun pursuits, My books & journals, My Creative Pieces, My painting
Tagged Gelli plate
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Challenge 30 – Day 11
Day 10 drawing was more puppy-like with a shorter nose. Today I’ve achieved an older dog impression and the facial proportions are much better. This actually starts to resemble Jack (minus the body markings obviously).
Challenge 30 – Day 10
I can honestly say this is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my creative life. I’m a third of the way through my challenge and progress is spotty. Occasionally I seem to get a rough (very rough) likeness … Continue reading
Docking Station collagraph: Connectivity project
This week I created a new collagraph plate using an idea that has been floating around in my head for a while now. I’m a bit of a fan of science fiction and fantasy films. I’ve always liked images of … Continue reading
TactualTextiles 