Trees!

I haven't posted very often in April as it has been a very busy month. For part of it we were also away visiting family in Ontario. One of the things I wanted to do while I was there was to take images of single or groups of trees with very little around them. I am not able to do that here as there is so much forest. Here are some pictures I took and played with a bit on the computer. I can't wait to use them on book covers!



I often took them for far away ..... zooming in - which gives them a bit of a unreal look - not sure what to call it really, but it is a look I was trying to get. I hope book making days will come soon!

Finally!

I have been away for a while - not only away from posting to my blog, and away from creating, but also away from home. I am back, but very busy with other work so have had very little time to create. Above is a picture I drew in a new little sketch book I bought. I had the intention to fill it with face drawings or paintings before the end of the year... at the rate I am going that won't happen!



Here is a little photo album that I finally finished today.... I started it over a week ago, but no time to create these days.

and here is the back of the photo album... the book can hold 22 photos. I made it with an old book cover that I covered with paper that I scribbled on with watercolour crayons, drew on top of that, painted over that with a cream coloured acrylic paint - rubbed some of that off added some more paint and a transparent image and then a wax coating on top of it all.

Always fun...

I hope to create more often once again - it keeps me more balanced and content!

Tea Bag Cards

What fun I have been having making tea bag cards! Tea bags is one of my very favourite art supplies lately. Good thing I like to drink tea. But my one tea bag a day doesn't build my supply of tea bags very quickly. People kind of look at me funny if I ask them to save their used tea bags for me.... they have to be the kind that fold and are either tied or stapled at the top with a string and a tag on them.

What a nice day I had ..... a bit of time to create, time with daughter #1 (#2 is away right now), a nice walk, and a visit with my parents.

New Books and a Card

Another new book using old book pages, cloth, stamps and basic embroidery. The cover is almost leather like in feeling. These are becoming quite addictive to make..... but I probably should move on to other things. Not too sure what yet.

And yet another one.....

The inside of the bird one. I love opening a book and finding a lovely and surprising start to the book.

All 4 of the same kind of books I have made over the last week and a half or so... I wish I had more time to create.....

And..... finally a new card in the same style that the books are made in. What comes next I wonder.....

Winter Weeds, A Book and a Drawing

Winter Weeds are one of my favourite things lately, and I am sure they are going to end up on a cover of a book in the near future. For today my newest book has some basic embroidery and some bees on it....

I will continue to work on my drawing and painting skills this year - right now it is faces, and that may continue for a while... it takes me a lot of my creative time to draw, but I find it so relaxing and enjoyable. The hours can float by without me even noticing.

And.... here is the newest book. The cover is made with a layer of fabric, pages from a old book, old tea bags and of course lots of gel and liquid medium to hold it all together. oh yah - and then a layer of paste like wax..........Once again I used my rudimentary embroidery skills to add some dimension to the book. I am in the process of making another one of these, and will post it when it is done - I am waiting for the wax to dry, and then I will embroider on it and add the pages. Lots of fun - not enough time.

A new book, and some more winter pictures!

I have finally been busy making a new book. This one is a small soft cover book, with plain pages inside. Small soft cover books seem to be my favourite lately. I love how they fit in my hand easily - so easy to hold, and almost a leather like cover. It was very fun to make, and another one is on the way. The image above shows the binding - below is the front of the book when it is done up.

I am not much of an embroiderer.... but I like the look of very simple stitching, which is what I did with this book. The cover is made from layers of paper, material, ink, tissue paper etc. all put together with matte medium.

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I have been away at Arctic Winter Games with my daughters for the past 9 days, but I managed to find a nature trail close to the arena for some picture taking.

The contrast of the shadows on the snow was very beautiful.

I love the colour of winter grass....

and rosehips in winter are so vibrant!

A Self Portrait

A pencil drawing of my daughter and I.... not sure what I will do next. I am getting itchy to work on the bits and pieces book I have had in my head for a long time now... Time will tell!

A Painting and some winter photos

My latest painting... still pretty hard for me, but maybe not quite so frustrating. I will keep practicing, but I am feeling the need to work on something completely different.

When I was out walking this morning the lighting was beautiful, so I ran home for my new camera to take a few pictures.

This picture I took a few days ago, later in the day, so the lighting was much different

The one above and below are both from this morning. It is feeling like spring here, even though it is February. A very beautiful day!

More Portraits

I have been very busy lately, and any time I have for creating has been used for portraits - on-line course I am taking with Misty Mawn
I wish I had more time to work on it, as it is a matter of practice, practice, practice to learn it. I find painting very difficult, but I will continue to work on it.
I really enjoy the pencil drawings we are doing... and will continue to practice there too. I wish I had time to work on other creations - I am hoping that will come when hockey season slows down a bit...

Another Portrait!

This painting was done with Shiva Paintsiks (oil paints in a stick form)- it was fun, just took me a long time. We used our finger as a brush - how much fun is that! I am still chicken to try the portrait with acrylic paints - it is so much less controlled. I would like to have not such a controlled look about it - I just still want it to look like a face. I am hoping to have the time (and courage) to try it tomorrow....