another digital drawing using Harmony

Playing with Harmony again - I do love the marks that programme makes. Done with the wacom tablet which I love for sketching but hate for double clicking and using File/Edit etc - I leave my mouse active as well and switch between tablet and mouse.

I'd also like the ability to save as a jpeg mr doob - hope you are reading!

For earlier experiments see here

I wish mr doob would do me a higher resolution version with an erase function.

Sam's book update, another illustration

Sam and his Auntie walking on a windy beach on a cool day, but still the colours are beautiful
watercolour, coloured pencil and pencil

I've done another illustration for the book, of Sam and my younger daughter - yet to go are my husband, his dad an more of his mum.

It's not fantastic but it does catch my daughters brisk walking and Sam's windswept exuberance :>)

Now to think about the text to go with it .......

lino cut - digital images update

A quick update on some of the variations :>) all done with the computer so far.

linoprint fish and digital experiments

Lino cut ready for printing

I felt like having a go at another lino print yesterday and got the fish above cut. It's just a fun graphic one, stylised, no observation at all I'm afraid, unlike Jeanette, who is doing a series of gyotaku fishes. Though I did remember from wildlife programmes that fishes are often reddish underneath and silvery on top to camouflage themselves from predators.

Rather than leave the lino the oblong shape, I decided to cut around the fish.

Lino scanned and the image cleaned up

This one is simply playing with transparent layers of colour

This one involved applying a gradient colour in a lower layer, erasing the white background and painting colours on a layer below the fish, allowing the colours to shine through.

I find that simple traditionally printed lino cuts don't suit my work so I'll use oil paint when I have time to experiment with printing this one. Then I'll be able to use a mix of colours.

I think it would work with 3 or 5 of them in a row in a long thin piece too?

Lino is something I've not done often so this is just for fun.

Art Events weekend - Patchings Art Festival and Clarendon Park Art House, Open Studios - and why get rid of pretty weeds?

Flowers in my lawn, June 2010

Why would you dig these pretty weeds/flowers out of your lawn? I'd rather enjoy looking at them and spend the time going to art events :>) So ........

On Friday I went to Patchings Art Festival for the first time. The idea was to see one friend - Gayle Mason, a very talented animal/wildlife artist at her stand there and to meet up with another friend, Katherine Tyrrell at my local station, travel up to Patchings together and have an art/chat-filled day. We had complementary tickets. See Katherine's review of the show here. There was a lot of chat!

I also kept bumping into people I knew, which was very nice :>) more chat!

Katherine and I had taken sketchbooks to discuss and we had Gayles work in progress and originals around us - lots of discussion :>)

Patchings - I'd been considering whether it was worth a stand for a small group I belong to, for another year, but the verdict was a definite 'no'.

The event is I feel, aimed at art societies and beginners/intermediate artists, who are there to look, not buy original artwork.

There was a great variety of work - paintings, prints, pottery, jewellery, woodwork and more - loads to see.

What were selling were cards and cheaper prints and fairly standard art materials.

There wasn't much at the art materials stands that was unusual and most prices weren't any cheaper than normal online/shop prices. I did pick up one bargain, a box of 24 White Knights full pan watercolours for £10 :>). I was tempted by lots of other things but my halo shone brightly as I resisted what I really didn't need and could pick up at any time from my local art shop or online.

I would have liked to have seen some more unusual materials on display with Jackson's. Gadsby's and the other stands.

The calibre of the daily painting demonstrators/workshops didn't appeal to us so we didn't visit those, concentrating on the things that were of interest. Visiting artists like Shirley Trevena are interesting.

We had a really enjoyable day but I did come away feeling that, for me, it isn't somewhere I'd go again if I had to pay the £7 entrance fee. I would want a wider range of art materials on display, higher calibre of demonstrators, wider ranging in the way they work - and not just those aimed at beginners.

It was very well organised, maps were clear, parking was good and the people there seemed to be enjoying it.

Today I visited the Clarendon Park Open House art event with a friend - 9 houses within the Clarendon Park area of the city showing artists work. The resident artist inviting several friends to show with them.

This had lots of contemporary work at each venue - paintings, printmaking, pottery, jewellery, felt making and some beautiful little gems of gardens.

It was a delight to visit each one, full of interesting work and again. meeting people I knew :>)

Tomorrow back to work ....

Have you ever had an Open House event?

sam's book update 6

One of the pages, with text - using a painting done last year. The dotted lines around the text are Publisher text boxes and won't print.

I've been doing long hours without even lunch breaks because of meetings and marking and stuff - so it's on hold for the moment.

On Friday I'm meeting up with Katherine Tyrrell and Gayle Mason at Patchings - so a day for ME!

Anyone who likes Gayles gorgeous work and can get there - book your ticket! She has a stand and you'll be able to see her work, buy cards and talk to her.

Flowers after rain - photos in my garden

Oriental Poppy, photograph Vivien Blackburn

We had heavy rain this morning so I thought I'd put the 10x magnifying lens on and get some images of the dripping wet flowers before they dried.

Artichoke - or is it a Cardoon ? I can't remember! but it's flowering this year :>) 3 buds. I can't wait until the flower opens. They are supposed to be the blue ones - I love that sky blue colour. It has taken 3 years for it to finally flower.

another of the Oriental Poppies that have done really well this year :>)

Foxgloves - the bees love these.

and finally the climbing Masquerade rose that flowers and flowers all summer.

It's only little but I love my garden :>)