. a little bit different...

...for me anyways...

I'm doing several "Japanese Inspiration" workshops this summer and next...

...and am trying to come up with as many possibilities as I can.

So...

...alongside the obvious "book" format...

...I've now started to work on some smaller pieces...

...to be wound around some wooden spools.

What fun!!

...and a bit tricky as the paper background is soooooooo narrow!!

This is where all those lovely polymer/rubber stamps come out of their folder...

(Inkylicious and Card-io this time)

I used my alphabet rubber stamps to put in a Basho Haiku about Cherry Blossom...

...and used the tiny Card-io "Oriental Blossom" polymer stamps to go with it.

...and I get to use the beautiful sheets of origami paper that have been in the drawer for a while :-o

The paper background was sprayed with Brusho....three pieces stitched together...

...and I also included a couple of pieces of fabric with Sashiko and Boro stitching.

I'm really happy with the result...

I think I am going to enjoy making some more of these!!

x C

Romanesque artbook pages

Here are a few pages that have been completed...

...in my 8" x 6" Romanesque artbook.

This is a design study based on the Norman arches that I find in so many 12th century churches...

...and these are simple graphite sketches of faces and features...

...done on top of one of my own stone wall stencils.

(Tim Holtz Distress ink pads and a piece of sponge through the stencil, then splattered with Brusho.)

I'm finding that using a 5mm 4B graphite clutch pencil is freeing-up my drawing.

I always used to use a 0.5mm clutch and take absolutely ages to get anything done!!

The chunky feel of the Cretacolor wooden handle is a joy ....

...and makes my drawing a happy experience :-)

More tomorrow...

x C

Lascaux pages #2

I didn't say much about the cave experience in the last post....

...but someone has asked....and I think that I should now anyway.

It felt strange.

It is (I'm sure) a VERY good replica, however, the whole process of the visit, unfortunately, leaves you in no doubt that you are not in the real thing.

Too many people in a group makes for overcrowding...

Too short a time between groups - only 10 minutes - means that there are actually three groups inside at any one time...and two groups in the actual "cave" part. When we entered the first cave, we could hear the guide and chatter from the French tour in the second cave. Our guide had to raise her voice so that we could hear her......and she didn't stop talking the whole of the time.

I think some spells of silence would have helped the experience.....

None of this detracted from the beauty of the paintings though. The whole thing is absolutely stunning and well worth the visit. It's not even that expensive 10.50 Euros per adult.....

...as long as you don't count the cost of the lunch you buy because your tour time isn't until 2.50 pm!!

I am very glad that we went....and I shall enjoy it for much longer than the 30 minutes we had in the "cave" as I work into my sketchbook here at the Gladdyvan!! :-)

Now...

...page #2...

This is (obviously) one of the stags....stenciled onto a waxed/batik paper using Sepia acrylic ink.

I hadn't intended to use this paper here.....but....when I sponged my black Brusho through the stencil I had my sponge too wet and it bled dreadfully. So I had to do a "cover-up-jobby" on it and stuck the batik paper on top of the original mess!! I still like it though :-)

This left a space free on the left side of the page for a bit of writing...

....part of a poem entitled "Magic Words"...

...and Inuit poem translated by Edward Field...

...that had been posted by lovely Penny here.

I shall now continue my underground adventure with a few more pages...

...before moving on to work on some Romanesque inspiration that I've found in abundance since arriving in France!

It's going to be another hot one today......

....maybe some stitching in the shade too....

x C

Crickhowell Haiku Book progress...

I'm running a Haiku Book workshop at this year's Crickhowell Literary Festival...

...so samples are being sorted before we go away.

I've sprayed the background with Brusho (as I simply HAVE to!!)

...and stenciled on one of the "inside" pages using Markal Paintstiks.

A small Sashiko panel has been stitched onto Klona Cotton...

...and some Haiku by Basho have been printed along with some images of the poet.

Hopefully I can get this one done by the end of tomorrow...

...then, all things being well....

....we should be off for a much needed break! :-)


This will be my last blog post until we have got ourselves comfortably installed somewhere a bit warmer...

...and more welcoming than here right now!!

I'll post again as soon as I can.

x C

Lots and lots of goodies to play with...

I've been going through boxes and drawers...

...picking out all sorts of bits n bobs...

...to use in my "Lavender & Lace" pieces.

Gorgeous old French linens picked up on holiday...

...some dyed....some not...

A bird's nest of sari silks in glorious colours...

Empress Mills' Egyptian Cotton dyed with Colourcraft "Lavender" Procion Dye...

and my wonderful spray-booth paper covered in all sorts of Brusho colours!

(This is the paper that is underneath everything that I spray. Colours get built up one on top of another...and I end up with the most beautiful papers to play with!! :-)

Hi di Hi!!

x C

At Last!! ...a brown print...and an Empress article!

Ink arrived...

...rolled onto lino block...

...printed onto soaked paper...

Ta Da!

First onto plain paper...

then onto paper that had been sprayed with Brusho.

I much preferred the second so set to work with a scissors...

....and glued the result onto some vellum card.

REALLY pleased with results...

...not too "leafy-looking" ?!

So forward march...

... with the Stretton Sugwas Sampson block :-)


And more news...

My first article for Empress Mills can be found here!!

I'm delighted to have been asked to write for them on a regular basis :-)))))

Enjoy!

x C

...a beginning...

Back a few posts ago...

...I mentioned a bit of a Romanesque thing going on.

well....

...I know it's only a bit of scrap paper that was sitting on the corner of my desk...

...but I'm really quite pleased with the day's doodlings...

(The blobs of paint were from where I'd been painting some beads!!)

I got myself a nice new Khadi book...

(I like these long, thin books these days...)

...and sprayed all the pages with Brusho

I shall do a little bit at a time...

...with my lovely  big fat pencils!

x C

A Wonderful Weekend Workshop!!

Five women are completely worn out...

...after an intense, but very enjoyable weekend workshop "Chez Moi"...

...making a Medieval Tile-inspired trifold book!

Everyone threw themselves into the task at hand...

...and produced the most gorgeous pages. :-)

Well done Jules, Katherine, Anne and Pauline...

...it was a pleasure to have your company...

...and I'm looking forward to our next meeting (in June)...

...and workshop (in July).

As always...

...Brusho Sprays and paints from Colourcraft...

...calico and Egyptian cotton fabrics from Empress Mills...

....and superb wooden print blocks - Medieval tile designs - from Colouricious!

x C

a Wonderful Winter Solstice Weekend!! (Picture heavy!)

Be warned....

...there are loads of piccies....

....but not TOO much talking (here that is...not over the weekend....we didn't stop!!)

We had a wonderful weekend at Arts Alive in Crickhowell...

....Kirsty, Jules, Catherine, Judith, Jan, Bridie, Pauline...and Moi!

Throwing paint and Brusho around like there was going to be no Monday.....

....and covering as many bits of paper and fabric...

...with as many things as we could!

The Markal Painstiks and stencils were VERY popular indeed. :-))

...and, of course, the wooden blocks from Colouricious.

Here is the evidence...

Such glorious pieces....

....so many things yet to finish!!! :-)

(See some of you Chez Nous on Friday. .....there WILL be cakes!)

x C

p.s. ...and I'll try to remember the roll of paper Pauline :-o