Variations on a Theme {Polymer Clay}

Posted on by March 9, 2016

Using polymer clay is the last variation I plan to do with inspiration from my original photo. Choosing a photo and then seeing how many ways it inspires you to express your creativity using various mediums is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.

You can see first the other variations and the original photo on these posts:
Variations on a Theme {Watercolor}
Variations on a Theme {Gelatin Plate Prints}
Variations on a Theme {Textiles}
Variations on a Theme {Stamps}

Here are the clay pendants I made:

Clay Oval-Daisy-Pendant

Clay Heart-Daisy-Pendant

Clay Daisy-Pendants

Variations on a Theme {Stamps}

Posted on by February 25, 2016

I thought I was probably done with this series of Variations on a Theme when I finished the textile version. However, quite some time ago I purchased a piece of linoleum for carving a stamp for printing and also a set of carving tools. They were sitting on the shelf begging to join the party. So I jumped into carving a stamp based on my photo for this theme.

You can see first the other variations and the original photo on these posts:
Variations on a Theme {Watercolor}
Variations on a Theme {Gelatin Plate Prints}
Variations on a Theme {Textiles}

My only other experience with using the carving tools was on a small eraser which was very simple. This time I was tackling something much more complicated. I probably should have watched a few videos about how to carve a linoleum block first, but I didn’t. Now that I carved it without knowing what I was doing, I probably will watch some to learn how to do it better next time. (I’ll confess I had to turn the linoleum over and start again after I carved away parts that I wanted to keep!)

Linoleum Stamp-Carving

My completed stamp:

Daisy-Carved-Stamp

I made the stamp a size that could fit on cards and stamped several types of paper using india ink, stamp pads, and embossing powders. I painted some of the stamped designs with watercolor and found out that my ink was not waterproof, but it still made an interesting design.

After all was dry, I assembled my stamped designs along with other papers into a collection of notecards.

Stamped-Daisy-cards

Daisy-Stamped-Cards

Carving a stamp was fun and I look forward to creating more. Am I finished with my variations on a theme? Hmmmm…..

Variations on a Theme {Textiles}

Posted on by February 21, 2016

With my love of fabrics, appliqué, and embroidery, using textiles in my variations on a theme was the obvious next step in seeing how many ways I could use one photograph to inspire creative works. In case you missed the previous variations (and to see the original photo), read these posts:
Variations on a Theme {Watercolor}
Variations on a Theme {Gelatin Plate Prints}

I designed a quilt block for the base of my design and then hand appliquéd the white flowers to the quilt block using embroidery thread and the blanket stitch. I also embroidered stems, additional flowers, and lines on the building. The colored buttons made wonderful centers for my flowers.

Since I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the finished block, I only did the hand stitching on the one layer of fabric (without batting). Once I decided to make a wall hanging, I added the yellow and green fabrics to the sides, top, and bottom of the quilt block, layered the whole piece on batting and a backing fabric, and then hand quilted designs onto the yellow and green fabrics. If I were to do it again, I would have done the appliqué and embroidery through the batting and back fabric layer as well to give it a little more texture and stability. I finished off the edges with binding matching the back fabric layer and one of the window panes.

Daisy-Wall-Hanging

Daisy-Quilt-Block

Now to figure out how to hang it… or maybe it’s just the right size for a sweet baby doll blanket for a granddaughter!

Variations on a Theme {Gelatin Plate Prints}

Posted on by February 15, 2016

I am having fun seeing how many different creative expressions one photo can inspire in me by using different mediums and techniques. In the previous post I showed you some watercolor pictures inspired by this photo I took:

Daisies-with-Window

I moved on to making monoprints with my homemade gelatin plate based on the theme of that photo. I drew and cut a stencil and masks out of cardstock to use for my daisies and window frame.

Handmade-stencil-daisies

After pulling many prints, these are ones I liked the best.

_Gelatin-Print-Daisies-window

Gelatin-Print-Blue-Daisies

Black-White-Gelatin-Print-Daisies

Gelatin-Print-Daisies

Gelatin-Print-Daisies

Since I never throw away any gelatin printed papers (even ones I don’t like) I decided to make a collage from old prints. I first sorted through my pile of prints setting aside pieces that had colors and textures I thought would work in a collage. From those I chose parts and pieces that fit my desired outcome and started cutting and pasting. I finished it off with some shading with a colored pencil. Part of the window frame in this collage was a ghost print taken while working on the prints above.

Gelatin-Print-Collage-Daisies

I’m not finished yet with seeing how many variations I can come up with from my original photo. I challenge you, too, to find a photo you like and see how many ways you can create based on that photo.

Variations on a Theme {Watercolor}

Posted on by February 13, 2016

Daisies are my favorite flowers. My wedding bouquet was filled with daisies and every spring when the wild daisies bloom on our roadsides my heart smiles. Flowers with a similar look to daisies fall into that favored category as well. A couple years ago I took a photo of flowers that looked like daisies next to a cafe in upstate New York. I loved the way the clouds were reflected so perfectly in the window above the flowers.

Cosmos Purity flowers-with-Window

In researching, I see these flowers are probably called “Cosmos Purity” and not daisies. This photo has been calling to me to try painting it. I lightly sketched out the image on watercolor paper with a pencil, pulled out my watercolor paints and gave it a try. I used the negative space painting technique to paint around the white flowers and then added some shadows on the pedals.

Watercolor-daisys

I wasn’t sure I like the way it turned out, so I decided to make it a mixed media picture and added watercolor pencil and regular colored pencil to the painting to see how it would change. After all, creative experimenting is part of the process of learning! Here’s what I came up with.

Mixed-Media-Daisys

I wanted to try the watercolor paints again and do it in a different way. This time I did not draw out anything on the paper with pencil. I painted liquid mask freehand on the paper for the flowers, let that dry, and painted the building and green vegetation over it. Some of the petals were not completely covered with the liquid mask and the paint left interesting streaks on the petals.

Watercolor-Daisys

By this point, I wanted to see how many different variations I could make on this theme using different techniques and medium. Inspired by Päivi Eerola, from Peony and Parakeet, I quickly drew a messy doodle of the picture to use as my starting point and then colored in the spaces with watercolor pencils.

Doodles-and-watercolor-pencil

And adding water makes it come to life!

Doodled-Daisys

I woke up this morning with my brain working on more ways to use the original photo as inspiration for other media. Stayed tuned and I’ll show you what else I come up with!

Make a Mini-Book

Posted on by February 10, 2016

A group of ladies from my church learned how to make mini-books last week. Since our time was limited, I printed monoprints ahead of time from my homemade gelatin plate onto card stock to use for the covers of the books.

Ladies-making-mini-booksFor the inside pages of the book, they could choose from three different sheets of paper with verses printed or plain paper to write their own sentiments. (See below for paper folding instructions.) Several ladies discovered a new fun crafting tool called washi tape, which they used to seal and decorate the edges of the paper pages.

Washi-tape-on-mini-book

For the next step, a coordinating piece of colored paper “binding” was chosen and stitched to the mini-book cover, with the center row of stitching attaching the pages to the cover. (Covers could be stitched by hand as well.)

Sewing-mini-book-binding

Each was encouraged to make more than one mini-book so they could have one for themselves if desired and some to give away. If you are looking for a craft project to do with a small group, I encourage you to give mini-book making a try. Everyone had a great time and some are asking to do a gelatin plate printing workshop soon!

Making-mini-books

Are you ready to try making a mini-book? For the covers, you can use a heavier weight preprinted scrapbooking paper, or draw/paint your own designs on card stock, or try gelatin plate prints on card stock. Whatever you use, cut the paper to measure 6″ wide by 4 1/2″ high. Fold the paper in half to make a 3″ wide cover. If desired the corners of the mini-book can be rounded with scissors or a corner rounder punch.

Minibooks

To make the inside pages:

  1. Start with an 8 1/2″ by 11″ piece of paper. If you preprint your paper with verses or quotes on the computer, be sure to put the verses right side up on the left side of the page and upside down on the right side of the page. See photo #1 below. When folded correctly all the print will be right side up! (At the end of this post you can print out the pdf pages we put into our mini-books, if you’d like.)
  2. Fold the paper in half with the unprinted sides touching and the print side facing out.
  3. Open the paper print side up and fold each edge to the middle fold line.
  4. You should end up with 4 folds in your paper like an accordion pleat.
  5. Now fold the paper in half the long way with the print facing out.
  6. Refold the paper in half as in step #2 and cut along the center fold line through both layers of paper just to the next fold line (not all the way across the paper!)
  7. If you stand the paper up like a tent, it should look like photo #7.
  8. Pinch the paper together in the middle and you will have 4 sections with 8 printed sides. When you stitch the papers to the cover, you will stitch down the middle fold with 2 sections on each side of the stitch line.

Paper-folding-for-mini-book

To help keep the pages together, as well as make them decorative, place strips of washi tape down one side of each section and fold over to the other side.

Washi-tape-on-mini-books

Cut a 4 1/2″ by 1 3/4″ piece of paper (use card stock weight) and fold down the center lengthwise. With a sewing machine, or by hand, stitch the outer edges of the binding, matching fold lines, to the outside of the cover.

Sewing-spine-on-mini-book

Then position the folded pages of your book to the inside of the center line (with two folded sections on each side) and stitch down the center line of the cover/binding.

Mini-book-stitched-binding

Mini-book-pages

And there you have a finished mini-book!

Here are the pdf files for you to print to make your own books:

Love Verses pdf

Encouragement Verses pdf

Prayer Verses pdf

Mini-Book-Making

Mini-Book

 

 

 

Using Embossing Folders in Gelatin Prints

Posted on by February 3, 2016

I am always on the lookout for new tools I already have on hand around my house to use with printing on my gelatin plate. Recently I purchased a couple of embossing folders on sale though I don’t own an embossing machine, but I thought they might work with making designs in polymer clay. So I pulled them out to experiment with on my homemade gelatin plate.

Sometimes for a starting background on a gelatin print, I squirt a little acrylic paint onto the plate, spritz it with water, and smear it around with my finger, giving the pulled print almost a watercolor effect.

watery-gelatin-print

Then I used my brayer to roll paint onto one side of the embossing folder and lightly pressed the painted side of the folder onto the plate in several places.

Gelatin-print-with-emboss-folder

Adding “embossed” layers in different colors gives a nice effect.

Gelatin-Print-with-embossing-folderGelatin-Print

I’ve used stamps on gelatin prints before, but had never thought about embossing folders. They work quite well. Now I may have to invade my mom’s stash of embossing folders! (I promise to wash all the paint off.)

Gelatin-Print

I love the three dimensional look on this next print! I used the other side of the embossing folder design.

Gelatin-Print

You can also roll paint onto the gelatin plate and then use the embossing folder to press into the paint to remove part of the paint from the plate to make a design.

Gelatin-Platye-with-embossing-folder-imprint

Wet paint on gelatin plate using embossing folder to remove paint.

Gelatin-Print

And of course, you can use the embossing folder like a stamp to get leftover wet paint off the folder on another piece of paper.

Embossing-folder-as-a-stamp

Have you used embossing folders in your gelatin prints?

Gelatin-Print

Gelatin-Print

 

 

 

Artfully Inspired Life 2016

Posted on by January 28, 2016

Artfully-Inspired-Life-2016

In my pursuit of learning more about lettering in art, I signed up for a year long class from Joanne Sharpe, author of the book, The Art of Whimsical Lettering. The class is called Artfully Inspired Life 2016. Rather than trying to learn how to hand letter new fonts that look exactly like someone else’s, Joanne’s focus is teaching you how to use your own handwriting as the basis to create fun fonts to use in your art.

Since you have to take the class to find out the techniques, I will just give you a teaser with a few photos of what I have created this month.

Artfully-Inspired-Life-2016

Artfully-Inspired-Life-2016Artfully-Inspired-Life-2016Artfully-Inspired-Life-2016-AlphabetArtfully-Inspired-Life-2016

If you are interested in learning new lettering skills I encourage you to sign up for the class now and get started!

 

Meditative Sketching

Posted on by January 27, 2016

Do you ever find yourself wanting to draw something but feel no inspiration? Sometimes starting with a simple pattern can inspire a “bigger picture”. Last week I pulled up A Little Lime‘s website and settled on this pattern design using the second variation of the StepS pattern to get me started.

I was in a stressful situation at the time and drawing the design helped me to slow down and put my mind on a more peaceful track. My thoughts were focused on prayer and I drew ribbon-like letters to help me remember to always keep prayer woven into all situations in my life.

Pray-Always

I colored the design using colored pencils and outlined with a fine point black pen. Even though I have never seen a flower like this before, it was fun to imagine it could exist.

How to Cure a Curling Knitted Scarf

Posted on by January 11, 2016

Nearly two years ago I decided to give knitting another try while visiting my daughter. You can read about it in this post. On the next visit in the fall of that year, I purchased some very soft Superwash Merino yarn at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio (a wonderfully inspiring shop to visit in NYC) to knit myself a scarf. I decided to just do the whole thing by knitting a row and purling a row, just to get the process imbedded in my brain and my finger muscles. I later learned this stitch is called the stockinette stitch. The scarf did not get completed by winter and when spring rolled around, I set that project aside. A few weeks ago I picked it up again, had to relearn what I was doing, did a lot of “reverse stitching”, learned how to make corrections when something went wrong and almost quit several times. However, I decided it was not going to conquer me and I would FINISH!

What I learned from experience is the stockinette stitch loves to curl at all the edges of your piece, which is why experienced knitters know to plan some kind of border edge when making scarves so the scarf lays flat instead of curling into a rope. (Here is an explanation of why it curls.)

stockinette-knit-scarf with curled sides

After reading online of several “possible” solutions, I decided the best route for me was to hand stitch the long edges together. I used all of the yarn on the scarf and had to sew the sides together with regular thread.

scarf-edges-handstitched-seam

When I turned it right side out, it laid flat. With the temperatures dropping to frigid a double thick scarf will feel great.

knit-scarf

Next time I knit a scarf, I will probably follow a pattern. But I can say I learned much more about knitting with completing this project— and that feels good!