... and its final

I think I'm over drawing still life and doing my own thing for now - even with colour thrown in. I need to get back on track with Sian's project, and follow someone else's instructions. Cant leave without posting the last 2 - completely sketched with inktense blocks, & over a couple of sessions to let each layer dry before the next.

The bubble vase, previously

and showing progression over 2 different layers

and the paper bags, previously

and showing progression over 2 different layers

perhaps suffered from overexposure

Vase with Gerbera

We were given this little vase as a wedding present 27 years ago. The gerbera was given to K 2 weeks ago before she went to France - its a sturdy little one.
I had the mantra "leave it for best" drummed into me when I was young. But I'm not going to do it anymore! I've been leaving the inktense crayons, thinking, "I'll do these practice, learning sketches with the cheaper ones". Why? Why? Why? The inktense are so much easier to work with. Once the ink crayon has been brushed with water it is wataerproof, so another layer sits on top. The paper doesn't degrade as much with the colour application either.

and here are my sketches.

 Left to Right (and chronologically)

water colour pencil and texta

water colour pencil and crayon

inktense crayons

... and I couldn't help fiddling later

Snuggling out of the rain

Last week when it was pouring with rain, these two Rainbow Lorikeets sought shelter and snuggled on the back deck

and this King Parrot sat and chatted to itself



Back to the Bubble Vase

I am constantly amazed at how putting pictures on this blog makes deficiencies really stand out. I'm not going to go back to the beginning & rework everything, but sometimes I just cant resist fiddling with sketches from the last few days. I allowed my bubble vases to sit on surfaces (with water colour crayons - the pencils are a bit scratchy and hard on the paper - now that it is dyed).

and remember without the surfaces

Paper Bag journey

I have some crumpled paperbags which I am studying and sketching

The one on the left was done about 2 weeks before the one on the right. I am trying to see the main lines, and to identify 3 major shades. It helped with the latest one that I had a strong light source from the top, so the lines and tones were quite well defined. I used watercolour pencils for the shading, then white watercolour crayon for the highlights.

Continuing highlights

My camera has just winged its way to France with K, so I've had to dig out another, & I had a very long argument with technology about the orientation of the photos when I post them here. I lost and took the photos again. This is a lovely glass port decanter - I just don't seem to be able to fit an object on a page.

Learning the Highlights

A few weeks ago at an ATASDA social day, we used the Brusho dyes kindly donated by Sandra Meech (way back in May). I transfromed my latest sketchbook into a lovely riot of colour. Resists were added randomly as was a bit of bleaching. Not a scary pristine page to be seen. At the same social day we had some t-pots and vases set up for sketching.



In all these examples I actually sketched the t-pot first and then painted the page. Above, extra colour was added with water colour pencil. Below, shading was done with fine texta and highlights with white chinagraph pencil.

Here is my favourite bubble vase sketched on the dyed page the next day. I like sketching and painting on the dyed pages - the watercolour pencils sit nicely on top of the coloured dye. However, must remember to make the pieces actually sit on surface, give them a shadow.

To retail ... or not?

Its a steep learning curve. I'll take it slowly. Didn't do well at the Fair - and I think its because I am suffering from all round "puffy chest" syndrome - ie thinking my work is worth more than anyone else thinks its worth! So I have reduced the prices on everything - ePOCK's are now $27 and postART cards are $8 each or 2 for $12. I know what the buyer thinks (after all, I was one at the North Shore Craft Group's Boutique Christmas Sale last Friday) - you have to really love it and the price has to be right. So I'll see how they go at Marie-France now.

And yes, I know its boring talking about sales.

So thats it for now.

I've been doing lots of everything ...

... but most important right now is getting ready for the Lindesay Christmas Fair with my friend Mally Ellis from Grasshoppers and Knit For Life!. I have ePOCK's and postART, and Mally has her beautifully soft hand knitted items.

Grasshoppers modern, yet classic and timeless, simple and soft hand knitwear designs are HAND made from 100% high quality cotton by the Knit for Life! co-operative of over 200 indigenous women in the South-East rural areas of Zimbabwe.

Grasshoppers is Australian designed for babies wear, children's wear, adult jumpers (special orders only) and homewares. Each piece is hand made stitch by careful stitch with dedication and pride by the Knit for Life co-operative of knitters.

Grasshoppers is a Fair Trade registered label, providing sustainable income to a community of women and their families in Zimbabwe since the business started in Australia in Oct 2001. All revenue from sales goes back into the long term sustainability of the business.

The Fair is on from Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th November, 10 - 4 daily at Lindesay House, Darling Point Sydney.

Retail and marketing - friend or foe

I have developed (maybe its just because I'm just thinking about it at the moment) a bit of a love/hate relationship with retail and marketing - and the ideas behind the buying and selling of the goods in our lives. I mean, they are not called "goods" for nothing - no one would be tempted to go and buy "bads". I've always been the recipient of marketing information, & now, with no idea of what I'm doing (apart from self directed research) I'm making and selling "goods". And, my word, what absolutely marvelous goods they are. I've been rescuing lovely hand embroidered doileys (thats what our grandmothers spent their spare time doing) from left, right and centre, and morphing them into contemporary-vintage electronic pockets (epocks) to carry mobile phones and music players. They really complement this summer's fashions. My first batch is now available for purchase from Marie-France Group - Boutique Hair Salon and Art Gallery in West Pymble in Sydney.

I've created an advertising page

 and here are some of the little pockets themselves

Feathered Fascinators

The Melbourne Cup was run yesterday. I had my fascinator all ready to go, but someone borrowed it to wear to school. I thought just the one feather was quite lovely.

For some people, one feather is just not enough though ...