Sketchbook Project VI

I've not really done anything new today but instead have taken the wax resist idea a little further. In my box of oil pastels I found a couple of metallic crayons and tried some simplified seed head shapes.

I then brushed over these with some black ink which really makes the shapes glow and stand out from the page.

I then started to think about how I could simplify them further and draw them without lifting my pen off the page (with a view to stitching them) and came up with a couple of doodles worked on scrap paper.

I then did the same shapes, again in the metallic oil pastels, this time in my sketchbook.

And another sweep of black and blue ink.

And the scrappy little doodles... they got stuck in the sketchbook too. I think the point I'm making here is that wherever ideas occur to you... jot them down, both sketches and written notes, on whatever scraps of paper you have to hand, because they can always be added to your sketchbook later, either glued in , stapled in or tied in.

I can see this taken further with metallic threads on a dark background, so to remind me I did a quick stitched "sketch" to tie into my book.

Now it's time to work a proper stitched sample!

I'm still enjoying seeing how bloggers have taken up this sketchbook challenge. Take a look at what Miriam has done here and here. And what Penny has done here and here.

Do let me know if you are joining in so that I can link back to you!

Sketchbook Project V

A really quick and simple way to add interesting pages to your sketchbook is by using wax resist. You can achieve good results by just using childrens wax crayons or even a candle, but you get the best results if you use oil pastels which are oilier than regular crayons and give a better resist.

Start by sketching out your design - simple bold shapes work well and once again you are not aiming for a masterpiece!

Once you are happy with your design, load up a large soft brush with plenty of ink or watercolour and start to wash over the page.

You can see how the wax marks resist the water colour...

giving bold colourful images.

Try different designs or try putting sweeps of crayon onto the background to give different effects.

As always, give yourself permission to play!

Food

I love food... I love to cook it and I love to eat it! And most of all I love to cook for other people - the whole process of sharing and enjoying a meal together is one of life's pleasures for me. But sometimes the daily routine of putting a meal on the table can feel like a chore, especially when one's family includes one very strict vegetarian, one fish eating vegetarian and another who won't even consider touching a fruit or vegetable. I find I get stuck in a rut of turning out the same things week in, week out because I know they work. But this weekend Delicious mgazine has really inspired me to cook some new things. As well as the "boobie" puddings I was desperate to try this Turkish Menemen... (we have a huge surplus of eggs again!)

It was meant to feed four but Stewart and I polished it off between us for Saturday lunch with no effort... before I got a chance to photograph it. It was delicious!

And then for Sunday luch it was back to the magazine for more inspiration and we had a Chilli Slaw accompanied by a Courgette and Onion Tart (with a few adaptations to use up things in the fridge)

Followed by an old favourite... Nigel Slater's Plum Cake... served warm with a generous dollop of creme fraiche.

And because Jacob wouldn't eat any of the above due to their fruit and veg content... I made him glitter cupcakes as a special treat!

Normal sketchbook and textile posts will be resumed tomorrow!

My lodger

My friend's daughter starts a nursing degree in Cambridge in September but had to leave her flat at the beginning of August leaving her without a place to stay. And so we offered her Joe's room until she moves in to her new accommodation. Since moving in a week ago, she has stayed out all night as often as she has come home, she never lets us know if she'll be in or out, especially for meals and when she is here she eats as much as the boys... and has seconds! In fact, it's a lot like having Joe* at home!

But it is great fun having another girl around the house, especially like last night when Stewart's Kirsty came up from London to join us for a meal... there was a lot of laughter!

In particular in reference to the puddings I made (Summer berry jelly and white chocolate pannacotta from August Delicious magazine)... you wouldn't believe the number of wobbly boobie jokes!

* Joe called yesterday morning and they are now in China... apparently heading off to see "a load of soldiers made from clay"... I guess that would be the Terracotta Army then?

A Postscript to Sketchbook Project IV

After doodling in my sketchbook yesterday I was inspired to have a play on the sewing machine... little squares inspired by the viewfinder squares.

Some simple free machine embroidery stitched onto a background fabric of tyvek scraps and sheer fabrics (something that had been lurking around my workroom for a while, the result of trying to use up the scraps), backed with pink felt.

They only took ten minutes... simple free machined lines with black thread, using the machine like a pen to draw.

Inspired most of all by the colours I had been using...

And the bold graphic lines of the doodles.

One of them has been stitched onto a luggage label which has been tied into the sketchbook... mostly for future reference but it also adds a bit of interest. The other three have been made into cards.

I just wanted to show how the sketchbook can be used to spark off ideas. They don't have to be major projects... sometimes as much pleasure can be had from a quick and simple idea. I confess I was quite pleased with the way these turned out.

I'm also delighted by the way these posts seem to be continuing to inspire other bloggers. Take a look at what Penny, Angela, Lucy and Mavis have been doing this week.

No sketchbook for me this afternoon... I'm taking some time off and Jacob and I are going to see Toy Story 3! What will I do when I no longer have a "child" (he's 18 in October) to take me to see films like this?

Sketchbook Project IV

It's all very well having a sketchbook full of drawings and images but as embroiderers or textile artists at some point we have to translate these into fabrics and threads. There is no one way of doing this and often the image itself will suggest the way we wish to move forward. But at other times we can come up against a blank wall. So it can be helpful to manipulate or develop our original drawings into designs which we may then be able to take into our textile work.

Starting with one of the original drawings, cut yourself a viewfinder from card. This can be any size or shape you like but because my sketchbook is quite small my viewfinder is only about 4cm square.

Move the viewfinder around over the drawing to isolate interesting areas.

When you are happy with an area, take a sheet of tracing paper and trace what you see through the viewfinder. Repeat this process as many times as you like.

Then trace the designs back into your sketchbook.

Because my original drawing was quite detailed my traced drawings still retain the feeling of seedheads, however this process can produce some really abstract designs.

Now the fun part! Make several photocopies of the traced designs so you have plenty to work with.

And doodle or work into these photocopied sheets in any way you like... perhaps with a black pen to produce strong graphic designs.

Or with coloured felt tip pens, to give completely different effects. (Colour scheme for Gill!) If you don't like what you do you can throw it away and start on a new sheet. And those you do like can be stuck into your sketchbook.

It may be that none of these designs suggest further ways forward, but this doesn't really matter. The process of exploration, allowing yourself time to play is what's really important. And just occasionally you'll come up with an idea that you'll want to take further. I would quite like to turn this into a print onto fabric...

But that might just be because I was inspired by this fabulous exhibition which is running until October. Worth a visit if you are in London.

Sketchbook Project III

One of the biggest problems when working into a new sketchbook is that new bright white page... so unspoilt, so precious! And so you will often be told to colour the pages first to make them less intimidating. Good advice... but then what? One of the things you can do is to paint onto the coloured page with diluted bleach which removes the colour. These pages were washed with Kohinoor ink first. Take care when using the bleach not to splash your clothes and never use good brushes. Even if you wash them thoroughly they will rot.

When the bleach is dry, you can then draw into the bleached images. Think of this as making marks and lines on your page rather than trying to make that perfect drawing. Also think about what media you use to draw with - I'm using a biro - something that is often overlooked. You do not need expensive pens!

Keep working into the drawings until you are happy with the result.

If you want to take things further and add interest to your sketchbook you can stitch into your pages and tear back the edges like Frances Pickering does with her beautiful books.

By using weaker dilutions of bleach you can achieve more subtle effects such as these.

Again these have been worked into with biro using only a bare minimum of line. You do not have to spend hours to achieve interesting results.

And don't forget to keep your source material close to hand. There is no substitute for actually looking and trying to record what you see.

Although I'm doing these sketchbook project posts for the benefit of my new textile group it's also been fun to see various bloggers taking up the sketchbook challenge. Take a look at some of these:

Textile Trials, Tizduster, Just a Thimbleful and Scented Sweetpeas