Art Journal
Art Journal Page: An Open Book [Wanderlust 2016]

Posted on 1st March 2016 by Neil

There’s various things keeping me from my ‘me time’ in the studio, and consequently, I’m playing catch up with the Wanderlust 2016 course. The fourth prompt for our dedicated art journal is ‘the bravest moment of my life…’. The theme for the layout came fairly quickly, and the page came together just as I’d hoped – it’s the first time I have done word decoupage in a layout. In fact it took longer to retrieve accidentally deleted movie files from my iPad than it did to create the layout! Happily, with those undeleted, I’ve been able to piece together another of my time lapse videos:

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Digital art
A Perfectly Formed Ambigram

Posted on 28th February 2016 by Neil

Ever since Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons introduced me to ambigrams, I’ve been fascinated by the typography involved. An ambigram for the uninitiated is a typographical design or art form that may be read as words as presented, or from another orientation (in this case, upside down). Combining that fascination with a desire to make a more personal and distinctive logo, I started sketching last night. This afternoon, I have honed my first ever ambigram in Illustrator, and I think it’s turned out alright. I’ll not be rushing to do another in a hurry as it made my brain ache, but that might just be the full sinuses and leaning forward. And though personal, I’m not sure that the word is so distinctive unless you knew what was there to see… what do you think?

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Art Journal
Art Journal Page: Wonder

Posted on 21st February 2016 by Neil

Next month’s Art Journal Session is going to look at printing on a budget. With nothing more than a biro, some stick glue and a polystyrene plate to make printing plates we’ll then use acrylic paints to decorate our page. I’ve embellished this spread with Posca paint pens. I used Dylusions paints for the printing.

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3D Projects
Perfect Paper Pockets [Wanderlust Week 6]

Posted on 20th February 2016 by Neil

I’m catching up on my Wanderlust course, and in week 6, we were introduced to origami wallets to hold small journal cards/zentangle cards in. To be honest, I didn’t like the style taught as it was open on all sides. So I dug around in Pinterest, and Google and developed this version. On the product list for the lesson was ‘lokta paper’ – which is quite fibrous, hardwearing and handmade in Nepal. So I searched for that too! I eventually found this wonderful vintage style paper that, to me, seems to be a cross between old leather and hand rolled tobacco leaves. The shop that sells it (PaperPod) was one flooded in York this winter, but still managed to get my order out to me in good time – fantastic since the shop is still drying out and all the (dry!) stock must be somewhere else.

I got a bit carried away and worked out all the sizes for my various journaling cards. All I need now is to monogram the fronts, label the bands, and get journaling! Note that the brown colour is a dye and moves about when wetted… I may seal it with a suitable varnish, or just let it do it’s thing as it is handled.

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Art Journal
Art Journal Page: Pick A Stick Challenge [February]

Posted on 19th February 2016 by Neil

I’ve been working hard on other projects and it’s been a while since I’ve had time to journal. Consequently, I’m two weeks behind on my Wanderlust course and also finishing this layout some two weeks after the challenge was set. For the uninitiated, the Pick-A-Stick Challenge group posts a monthly challenge with ten journaling prompts, which are drawn at random and have to be completed in order. It’s a great way to stretch your creativity.

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3D Projects
Tea With Sugar?

Posted on 11th February 2016 by Neil

Whilst doing the ground work for yesterday’s sculpture, I made a second tea cup and saucer base. Today I made sugar lumps from polystyrene and Distress Rock Candy glitter and added them to a selection of tagged herbal tea bags for my cascade). Rather delighted with the outcome of this one too 🙂

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3D Projects
Candi Cup Cascade

Posted on 10th February 2016 by Neil

I’ve seen several of these ‘magic’ cups made by one of my Facebook friends – she stamps, embosses and then cuts out lots of flowers to decorate hers. I’ve wanted to make my own for ages, and finally got chance (and the cup and saucer) to do one this week. I didn’t have the patience to cut out a lot of flowers, but for some reason found enough to individually place and glue some 400 pieces of Candi (from Craftwork Cards). Delighted with the outcome and looking forward to arrival of a new turntable which will make a 360 degree video so much quicker!

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Art Journal
Art Journal Page: Take Time To Smell The Roses [Wanderlust]

Posted on 23rd January 2016 by Neil

In the Wanderlust class this week, we were introduced to still life painting. The lesson was done on a canvas, and the artist was seriously unimpressed with those who included words in their painting, preferring the image to do all the work. Well, you know what they say – you have to know the rules to be able to break them. So I did. Here’s my homage to still life painting, done in my art journal, and complete with words. Enjoy.

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Art Journal
Art Journal: Travel Journal – update

Posted on 22nd January 2016 by Neil

A couple of weeks ago, I showed images of a travel art journal I made in response to one of the Wanderlust 2016 classes #wanderlustclass. Earlier this week I took a day out to Liverpool, and have been filling in the journal. Some was done in a Costa Coffee at Albert Dock, some on a tilting Pendolino train on the way from Leicester (that was fun!) and some since I have got back. In the various pockets, I’ve got descriptive tags of the places I visited, receipts and tickets and even the wrapping from my mid-morning flapjack – in short anything I handled that would fit in was included. The map segments are from a free city map. Panoramic views of the journal should follow depending on your your viewing platform.

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Tangle Patterns
Tangle Pattern: 25 Castle Street

Posted on 22nd January 2016 by Neil

This week, I had a day off and using a special offer voucher I took myself off to Liverpool for a day trip – just because I could. Over the day, I walked 15 miles around the city, took in both cathedrals, a couple of art galleries, had a pint in The Cavern Club and spent a lot of time looking up, and down alleys, enjoying the varied architecture and juxtaposition of money versus old dock buildings, and old versus new.

Ever on the lookout for new patterns, I came across this stone carving above an access archway aside 25 Castle Street – which appeared to be a mercantile area back in the day with fabulous mosaic building titles and fancy copper roofs.

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