And Flowers Wednesday

The promised photos of the experiments I did with the flowers from yesterday. Just a change of colour or a different background alters the whole look of the print. I'm not sure which one I like best. A bit of daylight for the photography would have helped too, but (working) beggars can't be choosers, eh?

Flowers Tuesday

I've been hard at it on my day off work, determined to get a print cut and finished. I based it on some of my paintings, which is probably quite apparent. I did a load of prints in black, which I may hand colour later. I also got a few onto interesting backgrounds, but I haven't photographed those yet. More pics soon.

Back to it

Once again I begin with apologies for my absence. This is becoming a bit dull of me lately. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity for a flurry of activity (I keep getting called into work on my days off), but at last I'm on a roll. Today at least. I've been making some ACEOs, as well as popping out for lunch and spending time photographing. I want a medal now, or one of those little trophies you put on the mantlepiece. Oh and I'll need a mantlepiece too, while you're at it.

So without further ado, here's the fruit of this latest Tuesday off.

I've mounted and framed them this time. They're the little cheap frames from Ikea, with mounts that I cut myself, so it's a really inexpensive, yet pretty way to display them. Next time I go to Ikea I think I'll buy a whole bunch of these and start selling the ACEOs fully presented. I think they'd look lovely on a desk or bedside table, and I reckon I could do the whole lot with postage for about £10 or £11. I don't think that's bad for an original artwork.

Flowery Thing

I need to go and wash all my printing stuff up, so just a quick and dirty post to catalogue today's print.

This is inspired by some of my paintings from last summer. I tried printing it in blue too, but it looked like snowflakes. not necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't what I was going for.

More Octopus Goodness

I grabbed some evening time during the working week to produce these. I've listed them for sale all over the place (OK, just on FB and Folksy) if you're tempted to bag one as a treat. Seafood anyone?

And a little offering to the more steampunk orientated people out there. I do like a little bit of paper burning.

My Lino Print Making Process

I've often meant to do a blog with a work progress theme, so today I made my idle self photograph stuff as I went along.

My day off has been put to very good use. I've been working since before 8am and just finished a little while ago. I set myself a very challenging project, which has been flitting round in my head since the weekend.

First I needed to do some drawings. I used a ruler and compass to get the basic shape of the compass, then drew the octopus freehand.

Next I arranged the image the way I wanted it and traced it with a very soft pencil onto tracing paper.

The image was then transferred old school style onto the lino sheet by rubbing the back of the tracing paper. I have to use a really strong desk lamp for this, as the lino is quite a dark colour, not the best for seeing pencil lines.

Next comes the cutting. I use several different sizes of lino cutting tools to achieve different grades of lines. I do tend towards the very fine one though, since I enjoy creating lots of detail.

I made some mistakes and had to use a little bit of modelling putty to fill in one gap. It doesn't show up too badly in the finished print, but I know it's there even if nobody else does.

The final stage is to mix up coloured inks with a printing medium and create the finished image by rolling a thin layer of colour onto the lino. Paper is placed onto the ink and burnished down with a nifty little tool I found in an art shop recently.

Here's my finished nautical design. It's ever so slightly smaller than A4 size and has taken me a total of about 10 hours from start to finish.

Busy Day With Birds

In a superhuman effort of Saturdayindustriousness I have done all manner of busy things today. Having used the evenings this week to get plenty of printing done, I cut mounts and took photos this afternoon. This came after the weekly food shop and a quick pop to work for a bottle of wine (not a sort I've ever seen in the shops, hence my special journey). I also did some Folksy listings and Facebook updates of my peacocks, before being ever so domestic and doing home made coleslaw with jacket potatoes for dinner.

I am bout to have a glorious bath before putting on pyjamas and settling down to watch a film. Goodness knows I must deserve it.

These prints have turned out well. I shan't be a bore and put all the colours here, but I've done a lot of experimentation with different hues and graduations. Oddly enough, the plain black has been the most commented on, and it's also my personal favourite (one has already gone to a new home). I have a great idea for my next one, but it's going to be extremely complicated and time consuming, Still, I think they're so satisfying to do and I won't mind a bit.

Peacock Day

I had such a slow start today, I didn't think I was ever going to get settled into any work at all. Still, once I'd decided on my theme I got motoring. I painted an ACEO which has already sold (yay for first sale of 2012!) and did a lino cut, of which I have a very ropey photo. I'll take a better one when it's daylight.

Part Two

Here I am, back just like I said.

Two paintings finished and a little trial of printing under my belt. The latter is no great shakes, I was just needing to get a feel for it after a gap of about 30 years since my last venture. Gawd, how old? Still, it was fun and I think I'll be fine with it. I didn't take any photos, I'll save that for when I do something good. I do have pictures of the watercolours though. Tadaa!

My Happy Start to 2012

Today should be "back to normal" day, but it's not really. I've only had xmas day and new years day off work, so it was a weird one for me all told, and now we're back to the usual routine of Tuesdys to myself. I have heaps of plans for my creative work, which will begin very shortly, but I'm also chock full of squee and good mood, altogether distracting!

It being bank holiday yesterday they let us out of work at 3pm, so I had this bright idea of popping along to the local retail park for a little browse. Unfortunately the whole world appeared to have had the same thought and we spent a good half hour trapped in traffic hell waiting for a parking space. Luckily we did it in the end and had a leisurely wander, culminating in my amazing beloved buying me a Kindle. Oh the joy! I am so utterly delighted with it that I can't even describe. Naturally, me being me there is a peculiar turn to this, in that when I spoke to my lovely Sis last night she told me she'd been planning to buy me one as a surprise for when I visit her next week. Argh! this is the swirly shoes thing all over again - a few years ago I treated myself to a pair of Red or Dead shoes full of awesome and win, only to find that she'd purchased exactly the same ones for my birthday. This is what you get for being in tune with a spectacular sibling like her.

I love my Kindle SO MUCH. I've downloaded heaps of books for it already and also eagerly await my handmade cover from Lemur Lady which will match the handbag I bought from her not so long ago. It's win all round, I tell ya.

This will be my first day off with the freedom to paint things in quite a while. I have one picture in progress that I aim to complete today, as well as a whole pile of linocutting paraphenalia right here just begging to be used. I'm in such a tizzy of needing to create that I almost don't know where to begin. This all makes me so pleased that I managed to achieve so much of the journey I began exactly a year ago. I've come so far and kept my momentum going for all this time. It's a massive achievement for me, albeit a small one in the grand scheme of things. I would never have imagined that I'd be back in full time work but still finding time and inspiration to persue my arty stuff.

To add to my joyous day, I have just booked train tickets to Scotland for next week. I have some holidays to take before they run out, so I'm having a week now and another one next month. Hub and I are going together to visit my Sis. We really enjoy our northward voyages and we thought we'd have a change from driving up there this time. I do love travelling by train, especially through the Lake District where this route takes us. Even better, I use a really good website for discounted fares. I've paid as much as £80 plus to get there before (one way), but we've just bagged two return tickets for a total of £20. That's combined, not each. The petrol money we've saved will buy us a lovely lunch in Glasgow with enough left over for a little treat or two. More squee! I'll be loading my Kindle up with entertainment for the trip. Double squee!

Well, it's light outside now so I feel that I can begin working. I hope to be back soon with photos of my labours. My biggest wish right now is that I can feel this positive for the whole of 2012. Let's give it a go, eh?

Merry Christmas

Odd to write an update on the biggest holiday of the year, i know, but we've had a simply wonderful time and we're all chilling out now. The kids descdended upon us for prezzies, food and festivities, wallowing in some lovely time together for the first time in ages. What a splendid day!

Hub and I, Nerf Gun style

My hub, son and two daughters, with Craig the boyfriend

My girlies and I. They've both gone blonde for xmas, totally freaking me out because they just turned up like this with no warning :-)

Here I Am Again

It's Tuesday again and I'm (joyously) at home. Similar to last week however, I have things I need to do. I'm stopping the devil making work for my idle hands just now by writing this as the floor is drying. Yes, I've been a hive of industry, which is necessary in order to get us ready for xmas. The house is ghastly, or rather it was until I set about it with a myriad of cleaning products today.

On a rather dour note, I have zero time off to spend with my lovely family. Just the 25th itself to be precise. I could whitter on about that ad infinitum but I shall refrain. One of the things I've been doing today is looking for a new job, and it's been fairly productive with several phonecalls received and one definite CV put forward by an agency to a local company. Cross your fingers, toes and moustaches for me please.

In my tidying frenzy I have come across several unfinished bits and pieces of paintings, some of which I will try to complete over the next few weeks, as they have a glimmer of hopefulness about them. I am also very excited with the knowledge that santa is bringing me a whole load of lino printing materials and tools, all ready for my next adventure in the new year.

Speaking of new year, I really must pat myself on the back. My intention last January was to get back into doing creative work, and looking back over the past year I can't help but be pleased with the huge progress I've made. I've got a whole portfolio full of paintings here that I'm really quite pleased with, not to mention the 50 plus pieces that have sold. I guess I can call myself a professional artist now, eh?

It was shaky at first, but it was going to be, wasn't it? With the support of other people in a similar position I have grown in confidence, producing (among other things) a few pieces that I don't think I'll ever be able to part with. I also got the courage together to promote myself, which was one of my biggest hurdles. Nowadays I'm quite blasé about showing my work off, having shed my shyness and worry that people will think it's rubbish. I imagine plenty of folks do think that, but it honestly doesn't bother me at all. I'm thoroughly enjoying doing what I do and it makes my life so much richer. All in all a wonderful place to be.

There's still stuff to be done around the place, namely my dreadfully messy bedroom, so I'm off to tackle that before my beloved returns home form the hill, so to speak. I hope to be back soon with new paintings and wonderful news of pastures anew. Come on santa, get your act together and bring me a lovely new job!