Time to Tidy Up.......

Hello All,

Well it's only one week now to Christmas so it's time to make an effort and tidy up a bit.

Not that we are expecting any visitors, but still....

Fortunately I am able to close the door on my creative mess......but it seems like a good

time, with the end of the year approaching (again),  to have a think about what I really

need/will ever use/still like and get rid of a few things. Even with the door closed I can

feel what's lurking behind!

The mini-gallery is getting a bit crowded too.......but what to do with everything?

Another cardboard box getting damp in the garage?

The local schools and charity shops usually do well out of my mad clear-outs :)

I never stick at one thing long enough for an exhibition (variety is the spice of life!).

I will take a short blog holiday for a couple of weeks, but please check back in the

New Year to see what I have been creating during the Christmas break.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bye for now, P.

Hello again.....

Well I promised colour!

Trying to paint in a looser acrylic style. I always used to paint in watercolour with a

very small detail brush (might go back to that at some point)  but today it was big brush

and thick paint and intense colour!

Not sure if the hare is impressed.....


Bye for now, P.

Before the Colour.......

Hello and welcome,

This is the first stage of the first attempt at painting the hare....

Yep it's all white.

Placing the sketch and adding some stencilled texture paste.

I more often paint in a naturalistic way, but this time I will slap on a bit of colour.

Will this be a mistake I wonder.........?

Ah well, here goes.

Call back later.......P.

Splitting Hares!.......

Hello All,

Pardon the pun!

The story goes....... When I was out walking with the boys (dogs) the other day, we came

across the body of a wild hare at the edge of a field. I think it must have been hit by a car

and put over the wall out of the way. Strangely it showed hardly any outward signs of

damage. So beautiful and so sad.

When I was trying to think of a project earlier today I remembered the hare.

The end result will hopefully be a painting, but the process will be split into

several blog posts.....starting with a few pencil sketches to get the feel.....

No rushing...... but follow along if you like.......

Don't know how it will turn out but we'll see....

Bye for now......P.

Cold Colours......

Good evening and welcome.

It's cold!

I decided to go with it and chose colours with a bit of frost....

Is there anyone out there who knows how to photograph mirror card without getting a

self portrait? Or how to get the glitter glittery?

Hmmmm.....

It looks much prettier in real life. The tree stamps and embossing folder are from

StampinUp.

Time to go and warm up in front of the fire.....   P.

R is for Robin......

Hello All, welcome back.

As it is the first day of December I suppose I will have to admit that Christmas is

indeed approaching. In that spirit I have decided to blog a few ideas over the next

few weeks that will bring a bit of sparkle to the proceedings.

I have glitter. It sits in a box unloved and untouched. I occasionally look at the

sparkly pots and think.....how pretty.....and put them back.

Ok then, here is the theme for a few projects... to get the glitter out of the box :)

This itself brings a few problems.....have you ever tried to photograph sparkle?

These Christmas robins were created with Tattered Lace dies and glitter card, but

I will be getting out the real sneeze-and-blow-it-away, glitter everything in sight

glitter powder (probably now remember why it has stayed in the pot).

Won't be posting every day (still working) but check back here occasionally and I will

do my best!

Bye for now, P.

Red Sky in the Morning......

Hello All,

Well the supermoon is merely a paler smudge in the thick clouds I'm afraid :(

I will keep looking in case we get a glimpse.

There have been a few red morning skies this week....shepherds' warning?

Felt inspired to make a quick pen sketch with a little bit of colour wash.

A bit of artistic license of course.  But even if I only have ten minutes to spare I really

should make an effort......though even I can see that the flat roof isn't flat in my version.

Never mind :/

Cut that bit off !

It's only a sketch.

Bye for now, P.

Fast and Loose......with Inktense

Hello All,

Still working.....but wanted to play a bit with a set of Inktense blocks. They have been

looking at me for a while so time to have a go.

Take a big piece of rough watercolour paper and get scribbling!

Intense ink...like it says. Not meant to be a work of art....just to get the feel of it.

Like the way you can leave some of the line marks in the washes of water. The paper is

good and thick so takes a good wetting.

Added a bit of collaged paper ( always bits lying around on my untidy desk).

Oh for more free time!

Thanks for looking in :)  P.

Happy Halloween.......

Hello All,

Halloween is not as well celebrated here as it is in America, but there are still a

few mini ghosties and spooks out on the streets this evening.

I remembered to buy a few sweets in case any should come knocking..... but

if they don't hurry up I will have eaten them all myself!

Enjoy, and stay safe :)

Speak again soon.......hopefully......

P.

Charcoal......it's a bit messy isn't it.....

Hello All on this dark evening,

I don't know about you, but dark evenings are a disaster for me in the creative

department! I just want to settle down on the sofa with the dog :/

I'm sure in another life I was a creature that spent the winter months in hibernation.

I seem to watch more television too (whilst on the sofa with the dog).

A real treat at the moment is the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year Competition.

The winner of this weeks episode was a young man drawing with charcoal (check it out)

and it was amazing.

I find the medium a bit messy.......

......but good for getting a bit of dimension.

I just need to keep it FAR away from the sewing table.

It's all a bit leaves and wind around here......

And a few snatched moments after work to sketch.

Bye for now, P.

Everybody Will Get Cushions........

Hello All and welcome,

I usually don't think about the festive season (won't mention the words) until

about two weeks before......it's really not my favourite time of year.

However, to justify the time and pleasure of a few hours happy sewing, I will

say that everybody will this year get cushions!

You can't beat bright and cheerful colours on a clean white background.

I am SO enjoying simple sewing using my Janome Horizon machine. I have had

it for a while now and it suits me down to the ground. Choosing a machine is a bit

pot luck really......I have tried a few, not always with success, but this one is great.

These designs are adapted from projects by Tilda, altered and mashed up a bit. Very

relaxing and pleasant to sew.

I already have some more cut and ready to sew :)

Fortunately none of my family follow my blog.

Have a good evening, P.

Simply Pencil Drawing......

Hello All,

Autumn is definitely here....and it's getting difficult to fit in walks, work and

art. There just aren't enough daylight hours...and it's only going to get worse!

Where's the sunshine gone?

Some things are hanging in there for a bit longer if you look close enough,

and a few new things appearing

so with a bit of simple pencil drawing and a bit of imagination.....

I will persevere.....even though I really just want to slouch in front of the TV.

Which is what I'm going to do now :)

Back soon, P.

Owl......

Hello All,

Pen and ink with watercolour wash has always been a favourite way of drawing

for me. You can get a lot of detail and the drawing helps "contain" the wash

of colour.

It can be quite atmospheric too, with the dark shading. And who says you have to

always go for naturalistic colours?

Use a bit of imagination sometimes :)

Have a good evening, P.

I Actually Finished It!.......

Hello Again and welcome,

Well this probably is a first........I have followed and completed a short on line art

class!   I really enjoyed it :)

And this is the finished product. I didn't have all of the exact materials to use ( self

leveling gel was replaced with a few layers of gesso and sanding) but I think it has

worked pretty well.

Thank you Alison O'Donoghue for your generous giving of information and your

entertaining presentation.

It's a really interesting technique......so if you get chance I would recommend this class.

How about a hippopotamus.....

I'm going to explore this further.

Have a good evening, P.

Quilted.....

Hello All,

Back now after a few days rest from blogging......but not from sewing.

I rarely tackle large quilt projects. I don't like wrestling with large, heavy

chunks of material.

But this was a labour of love for my daughter.

Had to move all the furniture out of the way to make enough room on the floor to

lay out the wadding and the backing and baste it all together.

The best bit is making the quilt top......always enjoy that bit.

It's a simple pattern made from jelly roll strips, but the modern fabrics look great.

Just need to finish hand stitching the binding (in front of the tv).

Bye for now, P.

It's Been Magic !

Hello and welcome to the last of the marathon postings,

Thank you for following over the last 30 days of small musings and creations.

I will keep posting......but perhaps not every day!

I have a couple of bigger quilt projects to get on with, but I will try to keep up the

momentum with the drawing.

As promised.......The Magician......

He really is saying "l....o...o...k into my e...y...e...s....."

But in quite a friendly sort of way.....

Or maybe not......you decide.

Am I talking to myself again....maybe, but blogging sure helps with motivation :)

Until next time, bye for now, P.

Simples......

Good Evening All,

This post is about good and bad.....

The good was an opportunity to learn from a professional illustrator, Debi Gliori,

whose children's books feature charming animal characters. It's good to hear about

ins and outs of the publishing business, and how the creative process works.

Character drawing exercises

with charcoal and paper cut-outs

"Mirror mirror on the wall"......

The bad......poor organisation (late set up, damp hay-bale seating, inadequate equipment)

Not the tutor's fault. LitFest workshop.....socks up. Expensive.

End of rant.

Anyway......please join me again tomorrow for the final something small for September!

See you then, P.

A Bit More Odd.....

Hello Again,

Just a quick update today.

Totally out of character....I am actually keeping up with the short course "Bottles, Bananas

and Beyond"!

This is the next stage, more weird creatures. A totally different way of approaching things

and really interesting :).

See you tomorrow, P.

Conkers!

Good evening,

Another wet walk......better get used to it......this is it now until next year!

Out of the wind though in Silverdale Glen.

Where I found these....

Ready for a quick watercolour sketch

Slightly different angle. REALLY just a QUICK sketch.....so no masterpiece!

But watercolour is really about constant practice, and obviously I don't :/

Some bits are ok

So I will keep trying.

Back tomorrow, P.

The Great Magician.......

Hello All,   hope you are well.

Illustrated another page in my altered poetry book today......such a great idea!

The best prompt for drawing you could have.

Today's page had a description of the Great Magician, brilliant :)

Can see him straight away

What do you think?

This is just the beginning drawing though, got to get those colours in.

I couldn't stop and have actually finished the double page, but have decided to

save it for the 30th day on Friday.

"Look into my eyes"........

Stick with me until then,

Bye for now, P.