I finished my postcards

So happy that I got my cards out in the mail today.  As usual, I am late but better late than never! 

This didn't photograph well but I wanted to get it in the envie so didn't retake it.

I really quite like this blue flower with the needle-felted and bead embellished centre.

Attempting

Trying to add a post on my iPhone! and I did it, well I added the picture!  I created this piece as part of the Index Card a Day FB group!  It was an experiment gone awry!  The waves and the scribble lines were done with gesso and I rubbed dioxin purple acrylic paint on with a baby wipe.  I thought that I could get the gesso to act more like a resist but it didn't happen.  Possibly I picked the wrong pigment and might try this one again.


Instead of throwing the card out I decided to act stuff to make is presentable.  I cut out the butterfly images from an end roll of wrapping paper.  Then doodles all over the card with gel pens.  I used glitter, neon, and soufflé Sakura pens. I like this card now, it was fun!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Do You Have a Blog?

I was asked via e-mail by a friend from Australia if I had a blog.  I have replied to her e-mail but I didn't mention this blog.  Okay so I do have a blog but seemingly I am not a blogger with any sort of stamina.  I find Instagram, Flickr and Facebook quick and easy (well that is a bit of a fib).  However, I can surf through these platforms on my phone; it isn't so easy posting to blogger using a hand-held device.  So, I just kind of got out of the habit.

Anyway, this post is for you Carol!  I just participated in a postcard swap with Hanna Andersson from and we were to post our blog addresses.  Felt a bit weird submitting my blog address after I checked some of the blogs of the swappers that sent me cards - they are avid bloggers.  As I have said, me…not so much.

It seems strange but I retired from work in May of this year and I should have loads of time to put into this blog.  Not true!  It is a conscious decision on my part to not blog really.  I tell everyone that I am as busy as I have always been and finding the time to blog just doesn't make it to the horizon.

So, I have been doing some different artistic endeavours and I think that I will pick up the gauntlet and give this thing another whirl.

I took an on-line experimental art course (if I could figure out how to put her badge/icon/thingie here I would but I don't find blogger easy) that I thoroughly enjoyed.  She is a fab artist from the UK and her name is Amelia Critchlow.  I now have a cool new mixed media avatar that I can use.

This is the first pencil selfie I have ever done and I enjoyed the process.  I especially like the hair although this was not required for that segment of the course.  I love the colour purple and so just started cutting shapes from a magazine.  Although I don't have purple hair, I added the grey shapes to indicate that I do have them.  I like the effect.  It is more representative of what my messy curly hair looks like in real life so I much prefer this to a Bitstrips cartoon!  I added some Derwent Inktense to cheeks and lips to add a bit more colour.

Thank you card!

I couldn't believe it when a few days ago I received a letter in the mail and was the very happy recipient of a thank you piece of art.  The sender was the recipient of my 4 X 6 postcard exchange that I did through the Sketchbook Project.  How nice was that!!!  Her is Rachel's watercolour and graphite postcard drawing!  Isn't it lovely!!

I am very happy with my progress on my postcards for the swap.  I have finally completed the blue prototype and have to just find some creative lettering that I like to add my message to the front.

I would like to find more washi tape around but decided to use what I have although I don't really think it "goes" that well.  But really it will have to do as it is all that I have on hand in this colour and I might as well use it up.

The one thing that I learned from finishing this one is that I have to move the beads up more.  I ended up having to cover the ones at the end with the washi tape.  Bummer!  That is the reason that I do a prototype.  I am just not a very good designer/planner in my head; I have to use my hands and make one to find the flaws or make any changes that I think would look better.

I also decided that I didn't like putting the beads in the flower centres because there really wasn't enough symmetry for me.  I decided to move them to in-between the hand stitched crochet cotton which makes a clear and clean line.

With the photo above, I just wanted to show that I painted a piece of cheap paper with the peach colour in the ribbon and then stitched the beads on.  The soft gel was used as an adhesive and the ribbon attached to the postcard.  Then the washi tape was added for the final touch before the writing.

Postcard Swap-Prototypes

I thought I should show what I mean by junk mail postcards.  Here is one that I received in the mail last week.  I can recycle them in the bin or I can use them in my art.  And I am using an iTunes card to apply the first layer; gesso!

I

Here is the finished prototype in pink!  Now I just need to check the internet and come up with some creative lettering for my message!  I don't have enough of the deep pink ribbon so I will have to make do with blue.

In the photo below, I am stitching the ribbon to a piece of paper that has been painted a peach colour.  As the photo above shows, I stamped this postcard using the same stamp but some different ink.  This time I used Staz On ink pad.  The Staz On ink will go on "anything" and it actually does STAY ON!!

The thread I am using is actually crochet cotton that I got at a charity shop.  I think it works well. 

Mixed Media Collage and Prototypes

I  have signed up to participate in another The Sketchbook Project challenge and I can't wait to receive my 4 X 4 canvas to paint.  I haven't decided if I will actually "paint" it per se or if I will make my painting a collage.

I have a bunch of old dress patterns "from back in the day" when I sewed more.  I got the inspiration to do this from a fellow Instagramer.  She was using the packaging in her altered collaged journal pages. My IG friend Carol had some real "vintage" dress patterns from 1950's that were really cool.   Since my patterns are not old enough to be cool, I decided that I would try and use the dress pattern  tissue in a collage.

I really like the effect and I am seriously considering using the technique for the 4 X 4 painting challenge. I found some tissue tape that I had purchased at a local art supply in the sale bin.  The reason it was in the sale bin is because the glue was dry so I just tore off what I could and applied it. 

I like the idea of adding text, of having something to say in my journal page.  I have to remind myself that it is okay to play like a child.  We have to remind ourselves that children live their lives "in the NOW" all of the time.   I think we need to return to that.  I think it makes it easier for me to make art when I get myself into this "childhood memories" zone.

What I used to make these:

-recycled paper substrate (from the recycle bin at work)

-recycled dress pattern tissue applied with soft gel medium

-stencil that I had purchased some time ago and never used

-wooden puzzle piece

-magazine page cut out using paper punch from dollar store

-recycled foil gum wrapper dot applied

-Text (in a different language ) applied using Magic tape from a cookbook  to make "artist" tape

-Micron pen and coptic pen

-oil pastel for smudging

I am planning on joining another postcard swap this month with Shannon Ganshorn and I think that I will use this as part of this next swap.