Travelling Journal

A bit of a struggle this week to complete my pages for one of the Yorkshire Travelling Journal pages but it is all done now.  I had a look through last year's entries to see if there was anything I could put on my blog and found this ....

Bees were my theme and I took my inspiration from some illuminated medieval manuscript pictures I had saved. A scrappy bit of dyed linen formed the backdrop, a piece of tomato puree tube embossed and then coloured with alcohol inks was utilised for the sun and a bit of couching incorporating bits and pieces of thread I had lying around and it was done.  The foiling represents the golden honey and the sunshine. All just a bit of fun!!

Cup and Ring Print

This is the first print from a split collagraph I have been making over the past few weeks. I am fascinated by the 'cup and ring' carvings on stones that have appeared in several places in the UK. A photograph in The Telegraph several years ago of a rock that had become exposed in Northumberland started the journey and I have looked at the possibility of using if for some embroidery or printing on and off since.

Print 2 with a change of colour and a darker image as I did not remove as much of the oil based ink.

And finally a bigger change on the final print of the day as I opted for Sepia ink instead of the Prussian Blue I had been using. Can't wait until next week when we start to use viscosity inking with the plates.

A Bit More of the Same

Another page from one of the small booklets I produced.  The flower head is Gum Arabic Transfer using Raw Sienna oil based ink.  The bee flying off the page is also Gum Arabic Transfer and I think it was Silver ink. Lots of drawing ink, Quink and bleach on top of white acrylic paint.  A small picture from a magazine has been transferred in the centre over some white acrylic.

Two pages from my concertina sketchbook.  The lefthand side is just me playing about with layers of white acrylic, waterproof drawing ink, Quink ink and bleach. the right hand side has two Gum Arabic Transfers on it.  The first was some cow parsley in Raw Sienna overprinted with tree branches using silver.

A Sticky Weekend

If anyone needs their spirits lifting I can highly recommend a weekend workshop with Sue Brown at The Yard Art Space in Cheltenham.  Last weekend I went to her Gum Arabic Transfer two day workshop and had such a wonderful time.  Not only did I learn new techniques but also spent time with some lovely and very talented people.

I managed to complete two small booklets, printed onto various types of fabric and also completed several pages in the two A5 sketchbooks I had taken with me. A massive achievement for me.

Above and below are some of the work created by other people on the course. The paper threads on the booklet below were the left over pieces trimmed to make the pages square.  They were so beautiful it was such a shame to put them in the bin.

These are two samples of fabric using the Gum Arabic transfer printing technique. The one on the left was transferred using the back of a wooden spoon and the right hand one went through the etching press.

Two more pieces of fabric using gold and then silver oil based printing ink and photographs of wild garlic flowers that had been manipulated in Photoshop to make them into black and white images.

A two page spread from one of my small booklets.  The bees were added using the Gum Arabic Transfer technique and the coloured picture was a piece of magazine placed face down onto wet white acrylic paint and then left to dry before damping the back and removing the paper by rubbing it with my finger. A bit of bleach discharge too, plus indian drawing ink and quink ink washes.

This A5 concertina sketchbook was very useful and kept me occupied whilst waiting for work to dry.

Autumn has arrived

It was such a lovely morning that I took myself off for a long walk starting at the Wych Cutting and walking through the woods on the Malvern side of the hills back to North Hill and then down through the Quarry car park back home.  Still lots of leaves on the trees, but plenty underfoot too.  Saw a Green Woodpecker which was a lovely sight.

View from North Hill over Leigh Sinton

Yesterday we went to Compton Verney to the Textile Fair and I discovered a willow sculpture I had not seen before which is positioned in the field on the right hand side as you walk from the car park to the house. It is called 'Drift' and was created by Laura Ellen Bacon. It was quite interesting with lovely shapes within it and I presume it will eventually decay and breakdown.

Wish I Was Here

Several of my stitching pals have been on a retreat in the Lake District this week and I wish I could have gone with them, but to be honest the drive from here is a nightmare up the M6 and back.  Anyway I thought I would post a couple of photos from last year as a reminder of how wonderful it was ....

Felted tubes in the woodland

Felted spirals in the Game Larder

Well this is it ....

Or should I say Them? Little and Large. A3 and Postcard Size ....

I still do not know if I have constructed them properly.  The large one will store all of the bits of paper I have rolling around to be used at some future date in creating books.  The second will hold the collection of lovely postcards which arrive on a a fairly regular basis from my friends, that I cannot bear to throw away.

As you can see there are three folding flaps that hold everything secure, plus ribbon ties to keep the folder shut.  The problem I always have is with the glue, which seems to have a mind of its own, no matter how careful I try to be.  That actually probably makes matters worse as I seem to get more where it should not be when I take extra care.

The picture above is the doodling on the inside cover of the A3 portfolio. The butterflies were cut out from the small piece of cover paper I had left. Some of the doodling hides very small glue marks!!