and the winds blew and blew...

I do like our seasons.  The sky blue is always the constant.  Winter is white and wonderful.  really!  Maybe cold but I'm inside playing!  Spring silently pushes up all the yellow greens.  okay, there is the mud.  Summer is green with dots of wild rose pink.  Grass to cut but also bouquets of flowers to collect.  Everyone sighs with the splendor of falling leaves.  The problem is they fall very fast and almost before they can be collected into piles they are all chased away by the wind.  If one likes tress and leaves- summer is the season.

 The two sheds we tried to combine into one shed is now a hybrid.  The second half is a modular effort.   We'll stand everything up and nail it tight as soon as the wind calms itself enough for the big day!

 Because I never have to rake leaves I do have time to play.     I always seem to choose way too many options as I settle down to actually using a small portion of them. 

I took the leaf masks from the previous project and a so-so canvas I'd made and let my ideas blow around.  I thought green would play a prominent part but ...

Trying to get some decent light!  Unfortunately it is a bit small for where I want it so I will be looking for a good large canvas sale!   And likely some better ideas will blow my way!  :)

Playing 101

 Happy Holidays to me!  I went and splurged on a couple of books and some stencils and stamps.  I am actually not much of a game player but I do like playing.

I really like using stencils, masks and stamps. There are some wonderfully talented people making useful supplies and tools.  I do support them as you can see.  lol  I really wanted the Balzer Bits leaf stencil but it must be a hot item because it sold out before I could finish my order. :(    But I have also been studying them and realizing I can make some myself.   I tried my hand at leaves.  File folders, card stock, clear packing tape and mac tac were supplies I had at hand.  I'm familiar with stencils from marking quilting designs and even have some of those kinds of stencils.  I'm not sure I want to use a stencil forever so I am happy at this point to try for something with a shorter shelf life.  But, ah, the logistics of design.  I need to study on this a bit if I want a leaf on my fabric.  ;)

I spurted out too much paint so I tried my new stencil.  In my rush to spread the paint before I ran out or it dried, I sponged lightly. oooh, I like that! 

Foam stamps are quite fun.  I didn't have time for that but I'm thinking I might get a better leaf image with inner spine and outer outline from cutting the sticky back foam into a leaf shape for a stamp.  Maybe tomorrow.  When I have a bit more time I'd like to try carving some stamps.

I am also carefully copying a mixed media tutorial each week so I can improve my skills. Andrea Walford   I am just trying to focus on gaining control and experience with my supplies.  I'm learning what brands, what consistency, what mediums and even which techniques I like best.  My credit card scraping needs work and so does my white space but the benefit of copying shows you where the differences lie and makes you think about what you art doing. I realized I was hurrying again so I stopped before I made a mess I couldn't fix.  I think my mind is on my new books!  lol

LOTS of light fluffy stuff yesterday.  I was game for going out today because I was expecting those game pieces.  Happy Thanksgiving to my neighbours to the south!

Let there be flashes of light

I decided I needed to consider the light source for this wall hanging.  I have an east window in the front room and the light should come from the top right hand corner and filter across and down to the bottom left.  That really helps to arrange all the greens.  I want a small hint of water and a bit of greenery that is more up close and personal.

I took the whole shebang down to the front room and worked over a hot stove to tweak it.

 And I tweaked it.  And I tweaked it some more.

This is quite enough tweaking for this wip Wednesday.  I am all done hot flashes! ;)

This is the general idea and I need to add, subtract and divide up some of the sections.  I also need to multiply some leaves.  I shall leave  it up (oops, pun) and wait for the Rooster to notice and comment on it. ;)

If any of my visitors from The Needle and Thread Network care to shed some more light, I would be delighted to stand still for a few more hot flashes! LOL

Which comes first, the forest or the trees?

I had my coffee this morning in the front room as I studied my focus fabric and made observations and notes.

I had thought square for the dimensions but I think a rectangle fills the space better and echoes many of the design elements in this room.

I think three long sections with a vertical sashing that shows off the gradation on each side of the centre section.  1/3 of the six by twelve inch blocks can be strips, 1/3 plain with some stenciling, and 1/3 I thought could be applique.

I did a quick inventory of my fabric paints and reviewed the technique.  I'd want to make my own stencils, probably from freezer paper.

Then I measured and measured again and cut my sections which will be cut again into blocks but I need to audition more fabrics.  I haven't determined the sashing width either but it'll be narrow.

I don't plan on going shopping so I shopped my stash.  This can work although I can see lots of tweaking.

The first thing is to move the centre section up about three inches.  A bit blurry but this gives the squint test.  ;)  I don't intend to procrastinate but I do want to give this a bit of time to percolate.  Sometimes I get a better idea but it is too late. :( 

I also need to do some multi tasking and work on some paper projects.  I do believe I have some kind of forest happening and now I need to find some trees so I can identify the leaves!

and a child shall lead them

I was watching a watercolour tutorial and my grandson asked if that was art!  I said yes and he said, "Let's do it!".

I did the part where liquid was used and I really liked it.  It drys permanent and it sprays wonderfully.  We tried several things and sometimes he was more successful than I!

He sprayed on a stencil on some scrap paper and I captured the stencil print on extra watercolour paper.

I found the colours to be very vibrant even when diluted. We used the same stencil but moved it over a wee bit for the second colour and that was enlightening. ;)

While everything was drying we turned to making stamps and using acrylics.  He made a LOT of confetti with my cutter but we did get a house built into the existing landscape.

A left handed boy and zig zag scissors was a challenge so we switched to regular scissors. The little bits of leftover zigs and zags turned out to be fantastic for adding leaves to the main canopy!

Yes, Josh.  It is ART!

Leave the colouring to mother nature!

Next step in the leaves series was to cut stencils and use some colour.

I had tried to print a saved image on a file folder but I need to get new ink so I placed the black and white print on my left and I just kinda drew the main shapes I wanted keeping in mind that I had to then cut it out. ;)  It is kinda like tracing only the paper is not underneath but alongside.  To take it to another level I need to not look at what I'm doing and never lift my pencil. :O  Next step!!!   But in the mean time...

I  need to remember to use both sides of the stencil and the mask.  I also think I should put a protective coating on them so they last a bit longer.  Just like real life, I was dropping leaves. lol

I did two samples.  I like the softer look better and I need to use a bit less paint on the gelli plate.

I thought I'd kick the colours up a bit and smeared the lines of paint with my fingers.

This is all quite fun but the end goal is to do this on fabric so I need to do a bit more preplanning.

The backgrounds are colourful but I need to colour up my leaf designs as well.

But this can also be the first layer in a complex fabric.  I'm beginning to feel like mother nature's helper!  lol

Willowing

Prairie Silk Willow tree

 The branches weep and have a downward drop. The leaves are a very simple shape.  They are also a lovely blue green. colour with a lovely silvery sheen.

I gathered up a number of branches.  Unfortunately the branches of this tree and other willows fall frequently. The good news is that it is always making new  branches. ;)

I spent a lovely hour or so gelli printing the 'real deal' with black paint on white paper and deli paper.  These will dry on my line and I will make photos of the individual papers for future use.

 These are examples of the first prints which have lots of paint on the plate.

 Then I will take a second with the paint that is left and sometimes with some repositioning or recycled paper.

 The leaves have paint on them and I will press them onto white paper as well.

I can also pick up another print from the gelli plate if I lightly spritz it with water.

The very last print I pull is usually on the deli paper and is faint or more delicate.

After I photograph and save the images on my computer I will then begin to make stencils from the original pages and play with colour.  But that is for another day! 

The real leaf...

A few overlaps and a shot of spray but these are 'real' leaves pressed down onto the gelli plate!  :)

This is a positive and a negative print of real leaves.

The left are on watercolour paper and the right are on deli paper.  A bit too much paint on the lower left print. :O

 This might be called a 'ghost print'?  But it is definitely not the first as the edges are blurred.  Cool!

Another first and second print.  I like the second but the first offers more possibilities for layering, me thinks.

I went back on the bottom ones and printed over some of the black print pages. I do like layers.

My play page bin is overflowing with all kinds of my practice prints.  It was a really royal experience. ;);)