Art for Arts sake 4

Last page for the  Art for Arts sake theme at AJJ this month chosen by Chris from Pearshapedcrafting

I made this a week ago on one of the sweltering hot days we had here in the UK but not had the chance to post until now :(
 

I saw a fab page Susi had made recently using some LaBlanche stamps  and as I hadn't used mine for a while thought I would take the opportunity of using them on a project.
 My mixed media A4 piece started with some left over scraps as well as a LaBlanche stamp of a lady (top right) - but because of the heat/humidity I struggled with getting a good clear image  - these are highly detailed stamps and I often struggle with them without the heat making it even harder... 

 

Doodling and marks using Derwent Aquatone sticks and black Posca pens and I used some  flourish and fleur de lys LaBlanche stamps and mini alpha stamps for words.

Short and sweet this time as I need to catch up with comments etc plus some much needed housework before the temperatures go back to being hot again this week.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by

Gill x

Art for Arts sake 3

Art for Arts sake is the theme at AJJ this month chosen by Chris from Pearshapedcrafting
and because I had so much fun with the previous page I made using gouache and stencils wiping over top with a baby wipe I decided to make another. I did a double page spread this time to make up for not doing so much art this month.

Starting point was some Gouache

I used several stencils and wiped over them with a baby wipe which moved 

 and blended the water based paint and removed some colour completely.

I dipped one of those rubber ended shaper tools into water
 to remove some colour and make some squiggly patterns.

Sorry if you've been melting in the heat lately :(

We desperately need some rain here but I guess the continued heat

 for weeks on end has been good for some things. 

We have are getting a nice amount of French Beans....

 The weather girl on our weather machine got her prediction of rain wrong (see she has her umbrella ready) I think she had it out to use to keep the sun off and not rain:)
40c is not accurate as the outside probe was probably in direct sun  - but it was well over 30c as the downstairs of our home really was 29c

 
And for the second year there is fruit (albeit just a few) on our two Nisperos trees (also known as Loquat) I can't wait to try them and see if they taste as good as I remember back in the 1990s - something like a mix of peach/apricot/tropical fruit.

Last year there we saw one fruit on each tree but they were small and shrivelled. 
We hadn't seen any flowers so wasn't expecting to see fruit but apparently insignificant flowers appear in the autumn.
The prolonged heat may have made a difference this year for a bit more fruit - or maybe next year it will be even better as the trees mature. My late parents grew them from seeds from the fruit around 1997/8 and then donated the small potted trees to us when they moved in 2004.

And we are growing Tromboncino again. 

They are a squash and very long - they taste a bit like a courgette but much, much better.

 

This Tromboncino fell off as it wasn't supported properly and it weighed 1.2kg and about 25 inches in length - a mere baby to the ones we grew last year. 

That's for all this time - thanks so much for stopping by.

And for all those suffering with the heat, wherever you are - I sympathise and hope you can keep cool.

Happy Sunday and have a great, creative week.

Gill x

Art for arts sake again and some fans and windchimes

Phew! - this hot weather in the UK is too much now - it's been none stop (here on Essex coast) for several weeks - and some nights I haven't slept ...arghh! -  how  people survive hot weather regulary I just don't know. My PC is overheating and very slow just like me ha ha  - so expect garbled blogging and weird art as my mind is frazzled ( I think I mean that) - I can't think straight.

First thing Saturday I thought, I just must make some art... so this is for AJJ 'Art for art sake' hosted by Chris from Pearshaped crafting.

I started by making a background with Gouache paints. 

Then I saw my box of stencils and then I thought of using a baby wipe to wipe the paint off with. I've seen it done with inks and stencils and this Gouache was water based so could be reactivated again when moist to remove the pattern. I then used another arty stencil with a hand on and lightly sponged some white gesso on. Coloured pencils and Stabilo all black to highlight hand. 
Then I looked at a TH sticker book with words which I've only used once - but what should I add.... well the wiping over the stencils is really easy and effective so it just had to be 'Ridiculously simple' 

If it stays hot I shall have to do some more of the stencil baby wipe thing as that was so much fun and fairly quick too.
 

I don't think the temperature was really 34.5c as the probe for the weather station may have been in sun however the real temperature inside (downstairs)  was 27c and upstairs the thermometer in Fahrenheit been fluctuating between 81 - 85 even at night :(
I promise I will never moan about winter and the cold again as its much easier to get warm than cool down :)

While I was in an arty mode I remembered some plain fans I bought last year which would come in handy right now.... but what to decorate them with quickly?  I know - alcohol inks - so I randomly just dripped them over the surface open and closed.

And I have finished the wind chimes I started last summer. I had to wait for the stems of the plant that we pruned to dry and change from green to a bamboo looking cane.

Bean tin lid for the top and punched some holes to thread everything together to hang. The sound they make is a very gentle noise and I think I need to add a bigger dangley bit to the end of the middle cane to catch the wind more.
 

 And I drizzled alcohol inks over the canes to decorate them.

Himalayan Honeysuckle - the plant that the canes came from.

OK that's all for today,

probably going to need to let my PC cool now

before trying to catch up with your posts

but I will get there eventually :) 

thanks so much for stopping by

Gill x

Art for Art's sake and a 'thing with wings'

July looks like being a fun month as Chris from Pearshapedcrafting has chosen "Art for Art's sake" as this months theme at AJJ and it's about having fun with arty techniques and our art supplies.

I was wearing a brand new white T-shirt and apron when making this and managed to get to the end without splashing any paint or ink on me (as far as I can see) phew!!!!

 I will be glad when that song stops playing in my head too... so I had to add the words to the page of course.

I started with some blue card and used some cheap gouache paint that I need to use up before it dries and painted a bit of an abstract design. ( dear hubby got me some better quality paint and of course the cheap stuff gets overlooked). 

Then I dribbled some inks down the page - the black one is in a spray bottle and hardly used and for some reason I seem to just dab it on things as sprays always seem to clog.
After drying the drips I added some white acrylic ink and for the first time made use of those little credit card looking things shops give out and used that to swipe the ink.
After writing the words with a black Posca pen I found a stamp I never use to add some fine dots.. the stamp is pear shaped (made by Stampscapes) and called a toner applicator.

 And I have a whimsical page using Neocolor 2's and a little coloured pencils and gouache which I shall link to TIOT   for 'Things with wings' and MOO Mania    for 'Your favourite colours'.
I'm not sure what my favourite colour is - I love all colours, but I think it depends on the shade and what else they are with.

thats all today..

thanks for stopping by.

Gill x