The Work Of My Hand

I've been experimenting with a variety of pens, inks, watercolors & acrylics. The "work of my hand" was painted/drawn/inked on a page of my regular (daily writing versus art) Moleskine lined journal. The paper is very thin &, once I had started this drawing I wished I had done it on my Clairefontaine Watercolor pads. Thankfully, a layer of gesso on the paper really helped to beef up the weight & made this sort of detailed work possible on such thin paper possible. I loved working on this hand ! I may doing a regular painting of both hands in a similar style - I have some nice square canvas' all ready to go !

If You Want To Learn More About Acrylic Paints,Mediums & Gels These Two Books Are Perfect!

These two books were written by Chris Cozen who is a Golden 'Working Artist. When I first noticed them they sounded as if they would be perfect for me - since they addressed all of the things that I was specifically interested in. I read the reviews & several people indicated that this is a very slim book - almost a pamphlet,that the photos were small & that the author did not mention that other products could be substitued (why would a Golden working artist promote another companies products though?!). After reading more I decided that I would wait to spend the money on these two books - and got some other titles instead.

The other books that I got (one of them is by another Golden working Artist Patti Bradycalled "Rethinking Acrylic") are excellent & I am glad that I added them to my library. I was still , however, drawn to these books - so I ordered them. I am SO glad that I did! These two books - and yes they really are more like 50 odd pages of a large pamphlet - are packed with exactly the information I wanted about transferring images and using the wide variety of available acrylic mediums. Yes, the photos are small - but they are quite suitable to the the information that is being presented. The lay-out is excellent. Pictures of what mediums & gels work to achieve a particular result. Clear, concise & to-the-point. I highly recommend these two titles if you want to know about using acrylic paints, mediums & gels to the best advantage. I found a "recipe" for a glaze in "Altered Surfaces" that works besutifully! Thus far each technique that I have tried using theses books for inspiration has been a success & I am far more confident in my use of mediums and gels now too! These books are available through Amazon, your local independent book seller & good art supply places.

New Favorite Matte Acrylic Paints & Some Great New Art Books

I have used acrylic matte craft paints for a lot of years - generally Plaid, Americana or whatever other brands that places like Michael's sells. I really like the flat, almost chalky, matte-ness of the paints & they look really good in certain situations. I recently sold a couple of things in order to fund an order from Dick Blick and, while I spent hours going over my 'wish list' again & again , I had a look at Blick's matte acrylics -of course I had to try a bunch. There were very reasonably priced and the colors looked divine! I am happy to report that these colors are, in fact, divine and they do perform very nicely on a variety of media; cold press watercolor paper, various journal papers, pastel paper. Nice, creamy, saturated colors that give me better coverage than a lesser priced brand and retain that matte-ness that I like so much! Give them a try - I think you too will be most pleasantly surprised at the rich colors that you can have on hand for very little money! No. They won't take the place of my beloved Golden acrylics - but they all certainly have their uses - and these paints from Blick deserve a place in your paint box!

I also had a bit of a spree - also funded by the sale of some other items, at Amazon. I got the three books shown here - all of which are well worth the price. Mixed Emulsions is geared more to the mixed media painter I think (ATC's, Art2Mail, journal pages etc). One of the things that I find particularly interesting in this book is a 'time line' that runs along the bottom of the pages and describes the history of the item or technique being described.

"Acrylic Revolution" and "Rethinking Acrylics" are filled with information that I wanted to learn more about. The chemistry of acrylic paints, the differences between all of the mediums, gels and grounds and the different types of paint - transparent, opaque - and which colors give you which effects. Having never had an art class, this sort of information is really important to me - as I like to understand why things do what they do! There are also a lot of very interesting techniques ,that are suited best to acrylic applications (rather that oil paints), explained in much needed detail. I am happy to have found these two books. Initially I had thought that there might be some over-lapping of information and, to a very minimal degree, there may be a bit of that. All in all though these two books provide different ideas and information about my favorite kind of paints. I love the smell of oil paints - but I prefer the faster clean up and greater flexibility that acrylic paints and mediums offer.

I already have another order in my cart at Blick's so I guess I need to figure out something more to sell! Thanks, as always, for checking in. Seeing your comments and seeing folks 'follow' my blog with Google really makes me smile! A lot!

Have a very happy, creative weekend!

In Love With Paper: Clairefontaine Artist Paper That Is!

Clairefontaine watercolor paper with pen,
J.Herbin fountain pen inks & colored pens

I am sure that some of you may recall me saying that I have been blessed & am very fortunate to be able to experiment (read "play") with some awesome products thanks to the largesse of Exaclair's Karen Doherty. Being a little short on funds has made this a double blessing for me since without her generosity I would not be having some of the great fun that I have been enjoying lately! Karen's latest 'box' arrived packed with some more wonderful Clairefontaine paper products. What I don't think I have mentioned in the past is that I was a fan of Clairefontaine products long before I made this happy connection with Karen. I always had at least one or two colorful Clairefontaine notebooks on hand - a small graphed paper one for my purse as well as a larger graphed version for home. So I am not simply being gratuitous when I say that I truly do feel that Clairfontaine products are quite superior - as well as more colorful and appealing !

What I had not realized prior to the arrival of this box was that Clairefontaine produces what I now know is a full line of truly select artist sketchbooks, pastel papers, watercolor paper & pads as well as an inspiring line of calligraphy papers. WoW! I have been one happy camper!

Clairefontaine watercolor paper with pen & permanent India Ink

I have received some queries today asking if I had fallen off the face of the earth . Aside from a spate of the rainy,wet & cold weather doldrums as well as some birthday days off for DH that threw me way off schedule (who knew I had one of those?!) I have, in fact, been busy, experimenting with some of these great artist papers. My new 'career' must surely be "Doodles r Me "(or is it i? ). I have been using of J.Herbin inks, paint & pencils on these papers & trying to fit in other, much less enjoyable things, like work & home, has been difficult! This morning I even got up an hour early to be able to doodle some before I left for work. Those who know me also know that this is not at all like me. I do not 'do' morning easily nor generally with a smile on my face!

Watercolor paper with pen and permanent ink and water color paint

A feline is beginning to take shape on water color paper with acrylic paint and pen

"Doodles r me" on a larger sheet of watercolor paper.
Pen & permanent ink & a Sakura Glaze pen.

A second 'go-around' of an earlier design on pastel paper.
Pen & permanent ink, acrylic paint & watercolors.

I love working in a square format - at least with painting I do. Quilts are another matter - and I am not terribly fond of working square in quilts - except perhaps for some artistic, non-bed type pieces.

Look at these amazing watercolor pads from Clairfontaine. They're awesome! 300g cold press paper that is a joy to paint on. My favorite size right now is the small 100X100 mm (roughly 4 inches) pad. I have it with me all the time & have been having endless fun doodling away. It got me through a staff meeting today even (no worries - my boss humors me & knows that keeping my fingers busy during staffing actually helps me focus more!). The other size that has become a favorite is the 200 X 200 mm (roughly 8 inches) & the portrait size is a generous 210 X 297 mm (again, roughly 8 X 11 inches). These pads have a cool see through cover made of a sturdy (non-bending) plastic vinyl kind of material with a nice design on the top. The backing is made of the same material with a super sturdy piece of creamy cardboard underneath it (except for the mini square size). The plastic & cardboard makes balancing these pads on a knee , a tree limb or a deck rail a breeze.

These are the watercolor sketch books described above. These pages are not micro-perforated & would need to be cut away if the work needed to be removed. I have to say that I really have become enthralled with this particular paper. I have used different water color brands over the years but this product does have superior performance - comparable or better than any of the more "well known" mainstream brands. I do still like Arches hot pressed with the molded edges - but with this available now I am not sure that the cost differential would be worth it to me any longer.

Below is the 9.5 X 12 " 60lb Ingres Pastel paper with 25 sheets to the pad. The paper color is a very pale, warm ivory & the surface has a beautiful laid structure. Color goes on smoothly; I experimented with pastels, cray-pas, acrylic paints & pen & inks. A lovely paper choice that is available in assorted colors as well & is available in a wide a range of sizes that includes full 19.5 X 25.5 inch sheets.

Next up is Clairefontaines s-m-o-o-t-h & yummy 60 lb Calligraphic paper. This pad is 9.5 X 12 inches and includes 60 sheets.I had to include a picture of the descriptive notes about the paper - which explains why it is such a special choice for calligraphers. I have some calligraphy books that I have been meaning to practice with & this paper could not have arrived at a more opportune time!

Last, but not least, is a really pretty tablet of lined paper that features super smooth Clairfontaine writing paper. I think that this is a truly happy looking pad! I love the full front & back illustration which looks "Disney-esque" to me. It's a little treasure that would brighten anyone's day - what a cool surprise for a Mother's Day gift this would be ! I am, truly grateful for having the opportunity to try out these products from such a fine company - and as I said - I liked their products before so my praise is not simply because I have been fortunate enough to be able to exercise my unstoppable desire to put more playtime in my life! Thank you Karen - may your generosity return to you many fold!

It's My Thing Tuesday: What In The Heck Have I Been Doing All This Time?!

There are times when it feel like I am not accomplishing a single thing. I have nothing much to post and nothing at all to 'brag' about! This is one of those alow times for me. Things are 'in the works' but nothing is really finished so I though that I would, at least, share with you a couple of the things that are not quite there yet!

First is this fabulous hoodie scarf. It was not as easy as I thought it would be to find a hood pattern so I was thoroughly pleased when I found this one from D-Made. It's under the free patterns. I love having some cabling running the length of the scarf - I needed some practice in cables anyway and this was the perfect amount to do. The hood part itself will have a cables edging to it when all is said and done. The cabled scarf part will be 7" when it's done. I am using Knit-Picks Worsted yarn in Fire Brick.

The next thing that I have been working on is something that I doubt too many of you will have an interest in - but it is fun for me! Thisis my first fountain pen restoration project. I am wokring on an old Shaeffer pen. I have to replace the sac (the thing that holds the ink) and also a small washer in the top of the blind cap. Unfortunately, no one makes the washers so I am trying to figure out what matieral i can use to fashion one from. This is truly, a mercury retrograde kind of thing, I can't finish the repairs until i figure out what to do about the washer. Arghhhhh..... Other than this irritation though it is really quite interesting to discover how pens are made. I had never taken one apart before. The book, fondly referred to as "Da Book", was given to me by a kind person on the Fountain Pen Network. This is one amazing site. Friendly people willing to share all of their knowledge and information - no no one knows where to get washer material - everyone has made their own!

Last, but not least, in the on-goingprojects is some painting. I am taking another on-line calss from Paulette Insall called "Enjoying The Journey". The first lesson was on creating backgrounds. This was the first background that I made (there have been several) and, since it was rather pale & relatively boring, I decided that I would start another in my 'cat series' on top of it. I am working on a few painting projects right now that will, ultimately, become whole cloth quilts. The 'cat series' is one of those "soon to be quilt" projects. I am playing with color & facial variations for the cats. This one is really just a flicker in my eye at this point - but what else can I say I am working on things - but nothing is 'presentation' worrthy yet!

Creative Christmas Bounty

I thought I would share some of my Christmas bounty with you. DH is very supportive of my creative endeavors. He never really says much but the gifts he gives speak louder than words I think. The Fountain Pen books shown above is my collection. I had one, some wonderful freinds gave me one and DH gave me two that are more difficult to find. Yahoo ! I have already been able to learn a lot ! You really can't tell it from the photo but that big box is a home studio lighting set! I will now be able to take some better photos of my quilts - and other things too. This lighting system had been on my wish list for a long time. I hope to work with it this weekend.
Last, but by NO means least, here is my art supply bounty- WoW - I could hardly believe it when I saw these boxes filled with TONS of paints, some mediums, a variety of sketching pencils, colored pencils & many new brushes !!! I know there was a freindly elf helping DH with this - but it was such a great surprise. Just in time for a new quilt that has been percolating in my head for months ! Doesn't it just look good all together?!!

New Cards: Exploring Golden Mediums

I have been doing some playing - I know that seems hard to believe! - with some Golden mediums. After I had posted the first batch of these cards, a friend suggested that I try Golden Absorbent Ground as well - as it absorbs the paint better. I also had some Golden Clear Gesso on hand - so I though I would try them all together and see what result I came up with. I think that we tend to use brands that we are used to using - and that is probably one of the largest reasons that I prefer Golden products. I have used them for a long time & I like them. They never fail me & their products are always, in my mind, just a bit superior to other brands. There have been times when I could not afford them and have bought many other brands to use - but I always return to using Golden products as soon as I am able to. These cards were made in various ways using lots of layering techniques - I am still considering them part of my tree series. It is interesting to use the clear Gesso over colors for adding more texture. You can then color the clear gesso& layer more colors for more texture. I have to say that, after experimenting with the absorbant ground by itself, I did not like the way my cards were coming out. - too much color was being absorbed and I was losing some of the texture effects I was looking for. I like the way Gesso acts as a bit of a partial resist. The 'magic' happened when I layered some regular gesso on top of the absorbant ground - that yielded fabulous results! I am still in the midst of experimenting - and have several more, larger pieces in varying stages of drying & gesso layering. I had so much fun with these. It seems to be invariable that the ones that I consider tossing turn out to be the pieces that I end up liking the most. A good reason to keep layering and reworking a piece. Even my rag looks colorful and is more fun to use (after careful washing of course!) after these "Golden experiments"!! More to come ....

Oh yes ! I DID in fact start that new quilt too - and I think it is going to be a lot of fun to make. Simple, but effective & sleeping under it will, I think, create happy reveries !

The "Bud"

"Wind Tossed"

Tangled

"Banded"

Books I Just HAD To Have

I have been trying to be responsible and not exercise my plastic power, but since I had to order some birthday presents anyway I decided to get two of the books that have been on my "must own" list. "uniquely Felt" by Christine White is a book that I originally requested through Inter Library Loan. Thankfully, my local library, knowing well my addiction to felting books, ordered it for their collection. I have taken it out and renewed it innumerable times - to the point that I was feeling guilty about always having it out. I would return it on time- and then hurry back in to see if it was still available before taking it out once again ! I finally decided that I had to OWN the book! This book is an absolutely invaluable resource for anyone who is interested in the various, amazing methods of felts and felting. The instructions for each process are clear and extremely well illustrated. From Nuno felted scarves to felted flowers; this is a must have book for any felt addict.

Ruth Issett's books are always on my list. Her books never disappoint me. This book concentrates on how to build texture and depth to fabrics by the use of paints and patterns. Ruth goes over different paints and mediums and lists the advantages - as well as the disadvantages- of each. The illustrations are rich and well done . I consider this a process book with lots of eye candy.


One of my day dreams is to be a crafting book reviewer....or else to have a carte blanche to be able to buy every book on my Amazon list - and then some that I don't even know about yet ! Any publishers out there who want to help me out of my misery?!

Just Waiting On A Friend

I am just about to box this up for a friend's birthday. The center is a piece of my hand dye - with hand embroidery embellished with Shiva paint sticks. Every month, for the longest time, I got 5 inch Bali sample squares & I have been slowly working on a quilt using them all. The piecing around the center is made from leftover scraps from these 5 inch squares ! I just could not throw them out ! I did use a full fat quarter for the backing though - and envelope style with a velcro closure. I have two more of these to finish up . They are 12" X 16".

Sketches of Alien Bloom

I had to make a couple quick sketches of the "Alien Plant" ... and the photo quality is poor since the lighting a work was not too good ! I wanted to abstract the plant - and like what I got.

I remember years ago I took a class from the inimitable Jane Sassaman called "Abstracting From Nature". It was a wonderful class that I had looked forward to expectantly - but I had such a hard time abstracting .... or maybe it was just that drawing at that time was more difficult for me. I think that was 5 or 6 years ago and now I have a much easier time with abstraction. I am sure that some of what I "got" in the class is finally filtering into my consciousness. That seems to be the way my brain works .. techniques don't seem to "click" until time goes by and I am able to assimilate the information in my own way. Sometimes, I wish I could take a class again with the same teacher to see what I would do 'the second time around'.

Wanda asked if I could make an alien bloom from felt. I had not thought about doing that , but am now! I think it will look wonderful. Thanks Wanda - for the idea !

I should also perhaps mention that if anyone ever has the ability to take a class at the Quilt Gallery in Kalispell Montana you will have one of the best class experiences in your life. It's where I went to take the Jane Sassaman class. The owner, Joan Hodgeboom, is an amazing woman, the staff is the most friendly and helpful I have ever come across. They do everything to make your class experience special. Lunches brought in, class "trips" sometimes arranged (after all you ARE in one of the most fabulous places in the world). I would happily go back yearly if I had the financial means.