LITTLE FLOWERS AND LEAVES

Erika at "Art Journal Journey" is asking us to make art on the theme "Vintage or Modern".

My friend J made me another beautiful sketchbook and I decided to use this one immediately (instead of keeping it to admire). 
It's going to be a book for collages.

I made these two pages for the "Modern" part of the theme.




A close-up detail.

I'm ridiculously pleased with these two simple pages


I'm not sure if the following qualifies for the "Vintage" theme but here it is anyway.

Many years ago, in the Olden Days, when I was at art college I did a project on the theme "Water and Sky".  

We were supposed to make lots of drawings before tackling the actual artwork but I chose to use photography and mono-printing instead.

The mono-printings were made by painting on glass then making a one-off print on to paper.
I took a lot of photos at the Botanical gardens.

It was a cold winter. This is a photo of a frozen pond

and here is a mono-print using the photograph as inspiration.
Do you like the water angel who magically appeared?

This is the same photo upside down

and the associated mono-print.

I did try to follow the photographs carefully but mono-printing can have a mind of its own.
(The mono-printing did it).

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Thanks to each of you who, in a previous post, suggested one or more names for our new teddy.

Elizabeth suggested "Bashful" because I said the teddy was still very shy. Unfortunately Mr. Esmeralda has taken to calling the poor teddy "Bashie".  Thanks, Elizabeth, she doesn't really mind it. 

There were several other suitable names and I tried out a few on New Teddy with not much response.  However you will be glad to know she is settling in well and making her way through the books in our home library.
She has also borrowed a hat from one of the other teddies as she was feeling cold.

* * * * * * *

Although we may try to make beautiful art, there is nothing to match the beauty of nature, especially at this Autumnal time of year.
I found this leaf while we were out walking.

Have a great week ahead and I hope to see you again soon.

THE WIBBLY WOBBLY MONSTER WALKS INTO A COLOURFUL LAND

The amazing Erika at "Art Journal Journey" is asking us to make art on the theme "Vintage or Modern".

I cut out (digitally) pieces from several of my own oil pastel paintings (old and new) and jigsawed them together with Photoshop.  I think that's fairly modern, don't you?

Here is an old friend, the Wibbly Wobbly Monster, walking into a colourful land.

And for a simpler contrast - I painted this little flower with water-colours in the old-fashioned way, no photo-editing, just water-colours and paper.

It is too small to be entered for the AJJ challenge, so let's just enjoy it for what it is, a little painted flower.

Mr. Esmeralda's sweet peas have continued to flower from late Spring to the present day.
  

Douglas is displaying them in the precious vase my niece made.

Douglas say "Hi" to all his friends and he and I hope you enjoyed your visit and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

THE PINKS ARE COMING

Hello everyone.
July, August and September have gone in a flash, a good flash and here I am happily back to the paper and paints.

Linda at "Art Journal Journey" is asking us to make art on the theme "Creature Comforts".

I took a photo of a flower in our garden, an old variety of a garden geranium called "Buxton's Blue" which flowers right through the Summer into Autumn

and photo-merged it with one of my oil pastel and watercolour paintings of a bird in Spring

to make 

A LITTLE BIRD REMEMBERS THE COMFORTS OF SUMMER AND LOOKS FORWARD TO AUTUMN

This little bird sings in our garden throughout the day and often into the darkness of the evening.

* * * * * * *

At "Try it on Tuesday" the team is asking us to make art on the theme "Black, white and one colour", a super theme for which I would like to make more.

I chose pink as the one colour and drew this.

THE PINKS ARE COMING TO GREYTOWN

Then I took a fairly violent dislike to it but as I've been told repeatedly not to throw my artwork in the fire (and the fire wasn't lit, haha!) I cut it into pieces instead and gave it a photo-edit colour wash.
Is this an improvement?  At the very least it makes an interesting, if rather threatening, abstract.

Is it better on point?  Hmmm.

Strangely, after I had cut it up and looked at the original again, I decided the original wasn't too bad.


So today's hot tip is - Do not immediately throw artwork on the fire or cut it up or crumple it and put it in the waste-basket.
So here it is again, the only copy I now have is on screen.

Peculiar, yes?


Hang on to your hat, I'm going to give the diagonal one a twirl.


Looks good with the greys.  What's that thing doing top right?

This one looks like a pretty embroidered tablecloth.

Not sure about this one although it is quite pleasant.

A pink multi-tentacled monster?

I like the added corner bits.

That was fun.

What do you do with artworks you dislike?

A BIRD FLIES ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS

Hello everyone. 
We are now back from our travels and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Yvonne at "Art Journal Journey" is asking us to make art on the great theme "A World of Fantasy".

This was just right up its street for my computer mouse who likes to play with the old Windows Paint program with its basic brushes and colours.  I enjoy the clear graphic colours and crazy designs the mouse invents.

A BIRD FLIES ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS

In another challenge Yvonne and the gang at "Try it on Tuesday" are asking us to "Slap it on" so the next piece is for both this challenge and also for the aforementioned "A World of Fantasy" challenge at "Art Journal Journey".

I painted with inks, watercolours, pens, oil pastels and stamping.

Can you see anything yet?

Changed the colours but nothing else

and voilà! we have

TWO YOUNG FRIENDS PLAYING IN THE GARDEN

In other news a new teddy has arrived at Orange Esmeralda's house.

She's still very shy and we don't know what her name is yet.
Do you have any suggestions?

THE DARK GUARDIAN OF THE STARS

Hello everybody.

Yvonne who is hosting at "Art Journal Journey" this month is asking us to make art on the theme "A World of Fantasy".   Thanks Yvonne, for a terrific choice of theme.

I went miniature again, and my full journal page conforms to the AJJ specified minimum size (just about!) so I hope that's alright with the AJJ Size Monitors.

The drawing at the start of painting.

The Dark Guardian of the Stars looks after fallen stars in his underground rooms and sends them back home when they are recovered and ready.

The full painting and the watercolour pens I'm using.

A close-up.  The little house is the teensiest bit over 2 centimetres (under an inch). 

* * * * * * *

For those of you who like to see our garden - here is a view from the Persicaria looking over to one of our seating areas. 

You can see Mr. E's very comfortable chair and his painted flower boxes, all made from from recycled wood.

This perennial geranium is one of the loveliest flowers in the garden.  I love the strips of lime green and the dots of orange against the magenta.

The vase is one of my most precious possessions.  It was made by my niece.  Don't you think it looks like a fairy's vase?
These are Mr. E's sweet peas.  We've had the most wonderful range of colours this year. 

I've been mostly off-line for the past few weeks so I am very much looking forward to coming round and seeing what you have been doing and making.

ALGERNON PINK IS HOME

My muse Algernon Pink has come back from holiday

and is joining this pair having a nice iced Mocha on a very hot day.

They have heard that Bleubeard and Elizabeth have a tea party every Tuesday and are looking forward to meeting Bleubeard and his fellow cat Squiggles.


So with Algernon Pinks's return I did manage to make some art.

I again raided my sketchbook and landed on this, choosing the one on the left which I thought had potential.

First attempt was digitally made

and the second attempt was drawn then painted.

I'm linking these to Art Journal Journey where the indefatigable Bleubeard and Elizabeth are asking us to "Count our blessings" and as regular visitors know, one of my great blessings is our garden.
I'm also linking to Moo-Mania where the theme is "Summertime".


Finally here is Mabel, in from the garden with some runner beans to freeze.

With the past hot sun and the current constant rain, the runner beans are growing like crazy and Mabel has plenty of work to do.