Alphabets, Word Grids and February's Sketchbook Challenge

I've found myself falling way behind in Letter Love 101.  Joanne is sharing so much amazing 'stuff' that I find myself playing and not moving on to the next lesson. LOL  Yesterday I started this word grid.  I decided to add a few flowers too to add a little more fun to it.  I love playing with the words and thinking of 'fonts' that will suit them.  I really liked the black and white version and was almost reluctant to add any colour.  

 When I started to add the colour, I was very disappointed in how it was looking and wished I had left well enough alone.  However, the more I played and the more details I added the better I started to feel about it.  I used Copic markers, Marvy LePlume II markers and a correction pen. I love the pop that the white correction pen gave to the finished piece.

 Next, I decided I better do my Funky Alphabet.  I decided to jump right in with my Pitt pen, but my spatial organization was off so I had some blank space at the bottom.  At first I was going to fill it with flowers and flourishes but then I remembered a great quote I hear a while back so I decided it was a perfect solution!

Although the X, Y and Z are pink, orange and pink respectively, I realize as I look at the photo that there should have been more contrast in that row.  OH WELL...









Today's final task was to create my journal page for the Sketchbook Challenge.  This month's theme is 'Close Up'.  I love poppy seed pods and decided to incorporate some of my new found lettering skills to add the text.  I love sketching on old book pages.  These are the left overs that I had removed from an altered book I was making (to reduce the bulk allowing for the extra thickness of paint and papers I add to the journal).  I blended red and orange pan pastels to create the vibrant red colour of the poppies that grow in my garden.

It's a good think I rode my bike on my stationary trainer for an hour this morning because I've spent most of the day sitting on my butt!  (I guess technically I was sitting on my butt while cycling too! LOL)

Sketchbook Challenge Journal

As you may know, I've been participating in this year's Sketchbook Challenge, but with my own fibre twist.  Although I have recently started playing a bit with a pen and paper sort of journal, when the year started and I decided to participate in the Sketchbook Challenge, I decided to make a fabric journal using my interpretation of the monthly themes.  In addition to the Sketchbook Challenge pages, I decided to include some of the wonderful art quotes that I had collected.

You may have seen some previous blog entries as I finished pages, but the last 6 months were sort of neglected.  Well, I finally got back into it (art everyday!) and the journal is finished.  All of the images were altered/enhanced using Photoshop before being printed onto fabric and then incorporated in the journal page.

January's theme was Highly Prized.  Casey, my dog, represents the unconditional love and natural mothering instincts (even to a kitten) that I prize.  She knows how to relax, loves to go for walks and even at 11 years old, she romps like a puppy in new fallen snow.

February's theme was Opposites.  For this one, I played with light and dark and experimented with the effects that changing the background colour would have on the colours I was using.

March brought the theme Spilling Over.  It also had me struggling through some real frustrations with my health and the image literally represents what was going on with me.  Enough said.

Branching Out/Out on a Limb was the April theme.  I decided it was time to take a risk and try journalling on paper.  I drew a silly character, did some writing then photographed it.  I added the title text in Photoshop and it was ready for printing.

May's theme was Resists so I went back to using paper and paint for this page.  As always, I added the title text in Photoshop.

The theme Pathways for June had me playing with photo collage.  Yes, that's me as a little girl, but since our road trips involved 9 people when I was a kid, we travelled in a big station wagon and not a VW bug.  However, later my oldest brother did have a bug and it's just so much more fun than a Galaxy station wagon!

 July's theme was Elements. Since I procrastinated on this page, it wasn't done until recently, thus allowing me to use a photo I took of my Chinese lantern's late this fall.  I love the intricate lace and the bright orange seed exposed inside as the orange skin erodes away.

 For August's theme, Everyday Objects, I cheated a little by taking a photo of a piece of fibre art I had recently finished on which I had thread sketched a pair of scissors.  I guess it's not really cheating since the original art is mine too!

September brought the birth of another great niece.  The theme was Unfurled, and I couldn't help noticing that the first photos of Abigail had her fits tightly clenched but as time passed her little hands seemed to unfurl.  

October's theme was Views.  This theme had me going back into my photo archives for this photo which I took in a church in PEI in 2007.  I love the reflections and shadows that the design in the window created.

Imaginary Animals was the November theme.  Last week I went to see the Marc Chagall exhibit at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario).  Chagall seems to incorporate a chicken in many of his pieces and he had other interesting animals, some certainly imaginary.  When I got home I was inspired to draw this imaginary creature using the bright colours Chagall used in some of his works. I also loved the quote, also by Chagall.

December's theme is Trashed, Ruined and Decay.  This summer, the town of Magnetawan suffered a tragic fire that ruined the old historic general store as well as June's Restaurant.  For the town folks and all the cottagers in the area, it is a tragic loss.

And the final quote.

Thanks for visiting!  Please leave a comment~I love to hear from you.

Sketchbook Challenge- June Theme: Pathways

This month's theme took me back to the road trips of my childhood.  We used to all pile in the Ford Galaxy station wagon and go on camping trips around Ontario.  Some of my best family memories are from those trips!  I was also brought back to the wonderful VW bug that my oldest brother used to have when he was in university.

This page started out as a paper collage that I then photographed and digitally altered before printing it on fabric and stitching it together.

Sketchbook Challenge- May Theme: Can't Resist

Well, this month's theme took me a little longer to do, but I really like the end result.  The theme for May is "Can't Resist".  Chocolate was the first thing that came to mind, but I also wanted to use some sort of 'resist' technique and I wanted to use my sketchbook prior to putting it into Photoshop Elements to digitally alter it.  The list of things you see in white were written with a glue pen (hard to see what you're writing because at that stage the paper is still white!)  I then painted and stamped over that with acrylic paints and finally added more text and doodles with a Micron (01) pen.  In this case, the only digital work was adding the blue text over top of the piece I had done in my sketchbook.

To see my previous pages, click below:

April: Branching Out/Out on a Limb

Front Cover, January through March

Sketchbook Challenge - April Theme: Branching Out/Out on a Limb

Here's my finished journal page for my version of the Sketchbook challenge.  It really was fun to push myself to sketch with pen and ink.  I used the Inktense pencils that I won a while back.  They're fantastic!  I highly recommend them.  You colour with them as you would with a pencil crayon, and then use a damp brush to go over them and get the intense colour.  It's like watercolour, but it's actually an ink.  Great product!

GOE Challenge

My fibre art group, GOE (Group of Eight) poses various challenges to the members each year.  Our current challenge requires us to use a particular piece of fabric and create something that represents the theme "Spring has Sprung".  The challenge fabric was about 6 inches square.

challenge fabric

My inspiration was a video I watched on making wool felted Easter eggs.  Below are some photos of my finished egg from various angles.  The beaded quadrants were quilted with a double sewing machine needle, using a green thread and a peach coloured thread.  All of the beading and embroidery were done after the egg was assembled and stuffed.

I've included the link for those of you who would like to make one yourself. www.joggles.com/woolfelteastereggs-video.htm

Top view: 4 quadrants and cord for hanging.

Beaded side view.

Cross stitched seam.

Feather stitch with Colonial knots.

The Sketchbook Challenge

I don't usually use a paper sketchbook, but I was very interested in the 'Sketchbook Challenge' so I decided to participate using my own twist on the theme.  Each page is digitally altered using Photoshop Elements and then printed onto fabric and sewn to highlight the image.  One the cover, I decided to include the original banner from the official website.

The theme for January was 'Highly Prized'.  I had a beautiful photo I had taken of my dog, Casey, and her new kitten, Arbour (taken almost 9 years ago) and it spoke to me about trust, love, motherhood, etc.--all the things that I highly prize.  Using Photoshop, I added a painterly filter and the text to give the effect  you see.

February's theme was 'Opposites'.  For this page, I started by playing with Shiva paint sticks and rubbing plates, creating the same patterns on black and white fabric.  I then cut those out and sewed them together to create the background.  From there, I took the photo and imported it into Photoshop so that I could add the text and borders.

'Spilling Over' is the theme for March.  Needless to say, I was in a bit of a dark place when I created this page.  The photo of the eye was scanned from a magazine image so that I could digitally enhance it and add the text.

I will continue to post the new pages as the themes are announced each month...