Still thinking.

I have been playing again.

printing and inking and painting and messing.!

In my sketchbook first....

And then on white cotton....

I generally just had a lot of fun with this one piece of polystyrene cut into a bird shape. The polystyrene is from a pizza packaging. These pizza bases are great for printing and one side sometimes has a texture on it which adds to the print.

It is also good to draw into the polystyrene with say a knitting needle or pencil and then print the image.

Actually I might do that soon. Am thinking bird shapes or bird footprints.

Although I was thinking of working on some smaller pieces I think I might join the long pieces of prints together and work on a larger scale. I really like the black on white prints.

I don't know. Still thinking about it.

xx

Inktense.

Yesterday morning I started the day with a great walk up through the muddy wet lanes and fields beside our house. 

It's a great way to start the day, even if it means getting soaked to the skin. 

I think I actually enjoy it more in the rain.

So when I was out I was thinking about what to do next in the sewing department. Birds, there weren't many about. leaves.. not many of those either.. a few hanging from the branches.

Not many berries about, but plenty of ivy and ferns and rotting leaves underfoot and mud.

When I got up to the sewing room I got out my bird sketchbook which had a few pages filled.....

I really like the shape of this bird and I made a stencil this shape which was tucked inside the book.

So I played about with it for a few hours, along with my new Inktense blocks which I purchased months ago but hadn't got round to using.

Here are some images of play time....

You can get lovely intense colours from the blocks by adding water and blending.

This was all in my sketchbook using the blocks, black paint, white acrylic paint applied with a roller.

The next pictures are now moving onto white cotton.

The white cotton was not pristine to begin with, there were marks on it made by being in close proximity to me and my messy sketchbook work. But this is an advantage.

This is the cut shape of the bird, inktense applied then watered down quite liberally.

Then flipped over and printed onto the drawn shape. A roller isn't really needed here. Hands do just as good a job.

lines added by placing the fabric over a solid squared shape, then rubbing along the edges with the blocks. 

White acrylic paint squeezed onto a glass plate then rolled until it is thinly spread. This is then rolled onto the fabric.

I love the effect this has, and it also creates a resist for other layers applied on top.

I worked into this piece with further layers of inktense blocks applied like a watercolour wash, and random marks made with the edge of the blocks. The spirals are drawn with a permanent pen. The outline of the bird with a black ink pen.

Second piece. Cream cotton, the same stencil. The same methods, but also using a spiral stencil, cut from card. The stencils can be used below the fabric too and treated like a rubbing.

And my number one favourite play essential. Paper doilies.

Look at the gorgeous marks made by the doily and white paint.

And also the doily and red paint.

This is the reverse side.

The image above is the stencil used on a large brown envelope, which was scrunched up, ironed flat, paint rolled onto it and then the image applied. 

I love brown paper. I might try and sew this in some way onto cotton. There is an accidental tare down the middle but it adds to the appeal. Old and worn look.

Onwards and upwards.

xxx

The Inktense blocks also come in pencil form.

youtube has some good tutorials and info about the Inktense range

youtube.com

and type in Inktense, or inktense on fabric.

xx

Ginger, Jessie and Ann.

Ok, so I'm not very good at blogging on a regular basis. 

But I am going to turn over a new leaf and have a more productive and creative 2014.

Over the last few days I have spent the odd hour here and there sorting out my scraps

random small pieces of cottons into...

2.5 inch strips, 2 inch strips, 1.5 inch strips, 2 inch and 2.5 inch squares, and larger pieces, ironed.

This is actually quite a long process, but very enjoyable and relaxing. Not much thinking.

I may just continue to do this every now and then over the next few weeks and months until I get to the bottom of the pile.

I also need to back and quilt Beth's quilt.

But what I really want to do is start some work based on nature, birds, the seaside.

Maybe start on some small pieces in print, or paint. I don't really know yet.

My head is full of images of sea birds, and footprints in the sand, berries on the trees, blackbirds.

Poetry.

On a totally different note, I got three new hens last week, after losing two in the last few months.

Lucy died in November and Honey died just after the New Year.

My new ladies are Ginger, above, Jessie and Ann.

xxx