Painting the flowers

OK!!!  Time for color!

I started painting the flowers on white muslin.

I'm using plain ol' acrylic paints, and it was easier than I thought.

The flowers layer will be a separate layer altogether.

Once I finish it, I'll stitch it on to the green background.

At least, that's the plan :)

Meanwhile, the background is coming along as well.

The base was muslin that I painted in greens and browns,

on which I had layered the cheese cloth I dyed in the same colors.

Now I'm adding circle cutouts from my paper cloth that

I created earlier - just to add interest.

Notice how wonderfully stiff the paper cloth is?

This was a really good thing to try!

It cuts like paper and doesn't fray,

but is pliable and sew-easy, like medium weight fabric.

To add even more texture, I'm making large,

random stitches with embroider floss.

And then, to jazz it up, my lovely water soluble crayons 

are adding color to the stitches.  It's like I used 

variegated thread, when it's actually only solid green.

More next time!

Textile Project: Backups and tryouts

Things are heating up for our house purchase

and impending move - two days to go!

I have some work done which I haven't yet taken

pictures of but meanwhile I want to share

a few things I'm doing...

When I decided to do the paper cloth idea,

I also made sure I had back up with familiar material,

meaning just fabric, since I wasn't sure how

the paper cloth would turn out.

So while I made the paper cloth,

I also painted two more pieces of fabric,

one with glue and paint,

one with only paint.

This way I have three green backgrounds

to choose from.  Also, the background I don't choose 

would still be painted over for the flowers,

which I would applique on to the background.

I'm going with the just-paint fabric background,

using the glue/paint material for the flowers

and the paper cloth for the tree.

Here are some things I was trying out:

Cheesecloth - dyed and painted
(fun)

I made this to give the background an out-of focus look.

This was the trial piece; the actual piece is already on the background.

Dyed, glued, sewn - another tryout.

Free-motion stitching on a trial piece.

Fabric leaf on fabric background.

Paper cloth leaf on paper cloth background.

Next: pics of what I'm finally going with...

Stay tuned!

Color - Textile Project

Continuing on, I've covered the green tissue 

with yellows, browns and more green.

The texture of the paper has given the paints a wonderful depth.

The paints blended beautifully,

but they have left the fabric paper/paper cloth

stiffer than before.

After everything is painted,
I will be adding hand and machine stitching 
as well as bead embellishments.

I'm going to try sewing a part of this material
to see how I can work it.

I've roughly painted in one flower.

The paper cloth is still doing great.

Once all the stamens and other details are filled in,

I hope this will come alive!

Paper cloth!!! - Textile Project

I'm so excited!

The paper cloth idea is turning out fab.

It's quick and easy.

It dries faster than I expected.

Even the NanoBot could 'help'!

Before I get into that though,

remember the lovely image I'm working on?

I just want to give a shout out to the photographer.

Olga Piedrahita, if you're reading this,

thank you for the beautiful photo - 

I'm honored to work with it!

I hope my textile version looks half as pretty

as the real thing!

Now back to the paper cloth:

Here's the muslin all laid out and ready.
Ditto garbage bag underneath.


I made a glue-water mixture and sloshed it on.
Then laid down sheets of green tissue.


I had to stop working before I got enough layers down,
but I can pick up and continue later on!

I don't have the pics for when I was laying down the tissue

(having too much fun to remember to take pics)

but it was just that:

Glue on muslin, paper on glue.

I had to stop and leave home for a bit,

but when I got back it was dry!

Nice and leathery-looking.

But soft and pliable.

Next step:

Adding more green layers,

and then adding colors for depth.

Stay tuned!

Textile Project: The "update" post -

Oops - did I say update?  But you see how I 

snuck the word between quotation marks? Ha!

So.

Somewhere between jumping headfirst into the wild world of

milk kefir, water kefir and sourdough starter-making,

and reading up on things like aquaponics (why now???)

and navigating my way through the cardborad cartons 

that DaddyBoy has thoughtfully strewn the apartment with,

I'm working on the project - honest!

Getting the colors together - can you see the yumminess?

See? Progress!!!!

Those four swatches are not fabric, but paper!

Of course, the room I euphemistically, but only in my head,

refer to as my 'studio' is filled with staggering towers

of cardboard cartons, again courtesy the man of the house.

Yes, we're moving.

Yes we need to pack those DVDs we never

watched in the last seven years but desperately need.  

Yes, my sewing machine will survive the intrusion.

White muslin, yellow tissue and cheesecloth.

So, between keeping the apartment spic and span

for showing to prospective new renters

(despite said cardboard carton towers)

who may, and do, drop in at any time,

I've been thinking of HOW I want to approach the fabric.

The paper and cheesecloth will go on top of the muslin.

I had thought all along I'd do what I normally do:

layer lots of fabric and yarn and ribbon 

embellish with embroidery.

and jazz up the whole thing with beads and sequins.

But that's NOT the way I've decided to do this!

I have two words for you - paper cloth!

I think this can be done a few different ways,

but the basic idea is to adhere layers of paper to 

a muslin base, and add texture with stuff like cheesecloth.

You can paint as you go, add ribbon, yarn, foil, whatever.

If you're using glue it will take a while to dry,

but once dry it can be cut and sewn just like fabric,

but a strong, non-fraying type of fabric.

There. That's the technique I'm going with.  I think.

Did I mention I've never done this before?

And that we just began Ramadan?

And that the NanoBot always has her nose in my work,

us being the un-schooly types?

And that we're moving?  Next week?

Now excuse me while I go feed my baby starter.

Sourdough bread, please wait up!

Textile Project: Drawing a picture

OK, so sticking up the image was the easy part,

but what was I to do next?

I debated drawing it out versus tracing.

Of course, tracing sounds easier.

It would also ensure correct placement of parts.

So tracing won out, but it wasn't a simple matter at all!

When I tried to see through the tracing paper,
the image was very faint, barely visible.
Still, I soldiered on!

Of course, I had to first make a tracing paper quilt.

But I realized right away that I should make

the quilt as I trace along, not before,

since I had to constantly lift the tracing paper to 

take peeks at the photo to make sure I was on track.

This is what it looked like.

Can hardly see a thing, right?

I reinforced the ball pen lines with black crayons.
Did some shading.
Much better!

I can see some of the tonal differences now.

How will this tracing help?

I'm hoping it will enable me to see the picture 

in a more two dimensional way.

Break it down to its basics.

That way when I trace it on fabric I can focus

on the main parts first.

At least that's what I'm hoping!

Next: color!

Niagara - Canada Culture Capital for 2012 and the Textile and Mixed Media Art Project

Today I begin documenting my work for the 

textile project I am collaborating on.  

Some months ago I stumbled upon a Facebook post

about this, and went ahead and applied.  

It was just a brief message asking for 

textile artists in Niagara to respond - 

that was enough to get me interested.  

And now here I am - one of the team 

creating textile and mixed media pieces to 

represent the Niagara Escarpment - how exciting!

Basically, we are working from photographs 

(also juried entries) of the escarpment 

and re-imagining them as textile and mixed-media works.

In the end, though, our translation still needs to 

look like the photo we were assigned.

This is the piece I have been given
 - it was truly the yummiest, juiciest picture of the whole lot. 
I feel so lucky 
(and a little intimidated - it's such a complex image)!

It measures 18 inches by almost 5 feet!

Coincidentally, the NanoBot is working on her own

Very Large Project,

so I stuck my image right beside hers.

That way we can spur each other on:)

I looked up about the assignment and this is what I found:
The project is "a collaborative art project as part
of Niagara's 2012 Cultural Capital of Canada celebrations.  


The project requires a variety of textile and mixed media artists,
including hand and machine quilters,
traditional and contemporary quilt artists,
hand and machine embroiderers, felters and beaders,
and artists who work with metal,
paper, plastic, and other materials."

Here are some close-ups:

So much intricate detail - 

and I have to do this all in fabric - yikes!

The sheer size of the project alone is 

bigger than anything I've ever done.

There will be lots of painting, layering and beadwork.

I'll use embroidery too, I think!

But isn't the image just lovely?

Peach blossoms - YAY!

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

I can't wait to see how each artist (there are about 14 of us)

will translate her or his particular image.

When the panels are all done,

they will become

a permanent exhibit for the Niagara Region.  

Wow!

More coming soon!

Funky Fabric Jewelry, and looming deadlines

So, I'm just wrapping up my illustration assignment, 

and looking forward to starting work on my 

textile art assignment,

due only in...

10 DAYS!!!

I really need to get started.

Actually, it's due end of August,

but we have a group meeting soon and

we are expected to show SOME progress by then.

So, next few posts I'll try to focus on that,

but meanwhile here's a peek into 

stuff I did while I SHOULD 

have been working on the textile project.

Actually, I made all this jewelry several weeks ago,

while I was trying to get my muse

for an illustration assignment.

Now that I've done some more illustrations,

the latest ones,

I'm all set for starting my textile project.

See?  Works out perfectly :)

How I Help My Neighbors

That's the name of the new book I'm illustrating.

It's written by Julie Mair, and has simple, spare text.

Here are a few quick examples of my pics - 

I hope the whole thing will look good when it's done.

These are all double spreads.

I put the text into the first pic as an example.

The empty areas in the other pics 

will hold the rest of it.

The colors are bright and saturated,

and the outlines bold.

I like to add critters :)

Maybe that cat should be a more funky color!

In fact, I might just do that.

That's it for now - more later!