Sketching up a storm

I'm really loving sketching right now, and the early mornings have been particularly successful in getting lots of sketches down. The sunny bank holiday weekend helped too.

My work desk in the springtime sun

Experimenting with my tools

More experimenting

Playing with crayons and charcoal

Pens and pencils

Poppy seed head in pencil and pen

And watercolour

My excitement in sketching is all down to the fabulous Sketchbook Delight class by Alisa Burke. I highly recommend it.
Happy sketching x

A day of sketching and crafting in the sun

Happy Easter Saturday. It's a completely spectacular weekend here in the UK - I have never known it to be this hot in April. Mainly because apparently we haven't seen temperatures like this at Easter since records begun.

So today I've been enjoying the unseasonable weather - I've been sketching, eating, reading and crafting in the sun.

I don't know what's going on with my skirt here

Despite the glorious weather I have been online quite a bit (okay, a lot). Here are a few links from around the internet that have caught my eye this week...

- This print - "An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail"
- Baked oatmeal - I have porridge with blueberries and bananas every day. This looks like an indulgent alternative.
- The Sketchbook Project 2012 is live - which theme will you choose?
- My friend Lu has got the cutest mugs.

Enjoy the rest of the Easter weekend x

Wow.

I love the word wow and I probably use it too much but when I saw this artist's work (via papernstitch) I said: wow.

Michelle Moode is a mixed-media artist (and book maker) from California and she challenged herself last year to start a drawing a day. As you know I'm all about challenges but I'm full of admiration for someone who is committing to do something every day. I think I may have to make a purchase from her lovely shop soon.

PS you can read more about setting your own creativity challenge in my column on Indie Fixx.

Crafting 365 Days 15 & 16

Happy Sunday everyone, hope you've had good weekends. Mine went way too fast as always.

On Friday I whipped up these cute little button rings:



On Saturday I made this quick little collage from an old book and vintage newspaper adverts:



What did you make this weekend? x

New work- what do you think of it?

This is something a bit different for me. Have been experimenting with my gocco prints and mixing them up and adding other elements...


[click image to view larger size]
On sale here

I think I'd like to do a 3D version of this and frame it in a shadow box.

What do you think?

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Hope everyone has a nice weekend- I'm currently cleaning and sorting. Spring cleaning in Summer when it's actually sunny for a change. Oh well, best to do these things when the mood takes me otherwise they'll never get done!

x

Decorated Bra Contest

Here it is, my first ever contest.

Take a bra, any bra, everyone’s got one lurking in the back of their underwear drawer that they never wear any more. Then decorate it any which way you wish- dye it, cover it in flowers, ribbons, sequins or whatever you can think of. Be inventive & imaginative. My last post has some inspirational links to give you some ideas.

Then upload a picture to the Flickr group that I’ve set up for the contest. The deadline for entries is June 6th. On June 7th I’ll post all the photos here and ask for votes from all you lovely readers. The entry with the most votes will win a special big box of handmade goodies from me and other talented crafters and artists. If you’d like to donate a prize please email me at bracontest(at)tesco.net

Any questions? Leave me a comment! And please tell your friends about the contest, the more the merrier.

EDIT: Here are some FAQs to answer the questions I've had so far:

FAQ
How many times can I enter?
It’s just one entry per person- if you make more than one bra, choose your favourite one to enter in the contest.
Can I post more than one photo of the same bra?
Yes you can. But I'll choose only one to post on the blog for voting.
Does the bra still have to be wearable?
No, but the bra should still look like a bra- i.e. don’t make it in to a purse.
Can I post my entry photo somewhere other than Flickr?
No. Please post your photo to the Flickr group only.
How do I set up a Flickr account?
Go to www.flickr.com. Click the button that says “sign up” and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you have an account, you’ll need to join the Decorated Bra Contest Group.
How do I join the Flickr group?
Go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/335553@N24/ Click on the link that says “Join this group” and follow the on-screen instructions.
How do I submit my entry photo to the group?
First you need to upload your photo to your Flickr account and you must be a member of the group. Then follow the instructions available here.

EDIT (24/5/07) PRIZES: See this post for the one of the prizes- more to be announced soon.

Finding my style...

As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm now the owner of Claudine Hellmuth's second book, Collage discovery workshop: Beyond the unexpected. I love this book! Not only is it full of beautiful art, great techniques and inspiring ideas, Claudine also gives some advice on how to develop your own personal style. This is something I think many artists (am I really an artist? Hmmm, not so sure!) struggle with. And I am no exception. Looking back at my ATCs, they're so varied I can't really see a common thread that I can define as "my style". So here are a few ideas that I'm planning to try out so I can decide what I like, dislike, what suits me and what doesn't.

• Make lists of art that you enjoy- magazines, galleries, photos.
  
• Use the lists to define some essential concepts- texture, line, colours, themes.
• Experiment- make lots of art! Try making one piece of art a day.
  
• Keep a journal

So I'm going to start by making lots of lists, and will probably share them here as well.

I'd love to hear how you all found your personal styles as well, please leave a comment!