View Outside my Studio Window

Snow!!!  I laid down around 10:30 for a much needed nap and woke up a couple of hours later to snow.   Here's the view out of my studio window, onto snow covered scaffolding planks.

Inspiration

Inspiration for a future stitched piece!

Part One - Black Birds in Trees Harvest

With a round object of your choice (I used a 6" plate) and a soft pencil (HB) draw a circle on your 9x12 sheet of watercolor paper.

 

 

 

Using a texture or geometric stamp, and waterproof ink, add some texture around the circular area.

 

 

Now fill the circle with some yellow paint, I used Folk Arts Medium Yellow.

Using a thin layer of grey paint the background.

The thin layer of paint will allow the background texture to show through; allow paint to dry completely.

Now apply alcohol inks and in random manner.  I spritzed the moon area with butterscotch, lettuce, and red pepper.

Not to worry the inks will dry way lighter than what you see in the image here! 

About half dry now, it will become lighter still!

Once the alcohol inks are dried take a baby wipe and in a swirling motion remove most of the ink from the moon shape on the paper.

This gives you a realistic moon shape and fall harvest coloring.  Not all of the ink will wipe away and this is fine you don't want it all to wipe away.

If you need to amp up the color for the background now is the time to do so.  Here I recharged the alcohol ink using some additional inks and a water bottle.  Spritzing with water will cause speckling, etc., to occur giving you more texture.

Place stencil of choice onto background, and using dry stencil brush techniques push the paint through the stencil onto the paper.  Here I'm using my stencil Black Birds in Tree which is available through StencilGirl Products!

Too much paint will cause the paint to go under the stencil and well creates a HUGE mess, but this piece can and will be redeemed!  Folk Art Paint - Licorice

And because sometimes I am a bit of a perfectionist, yes me, I went and created a second piece the steps of which are above, just to see if I could get the stencil portion correct!

And I managed to keep the paint in the lines this time!  Ok, the paint should be dry now I'm off to add more layers to the first version of this piece to see where it takes me, oh and to cook dinner!

Stay tuned for Part Two!

WIP - Autumn Bird Piece

Alcohol inks, gesso, black birds in tree inverse stencil, crow lino block - so far.  Off to add more layers.

Beading Resumes

Was starting to make mistakes so decided to take the rest of the day off from writing and started beading instead.  Am working on the branch portion now, trying to integrate it as part of the whole piece.

More bead soups, this time greens, browns, and brownish purples so as to look like an actual branch in my crabapple tree.

Ok I know I've shown this last one before, multiple times actually, but I sooooooo love this color combination!  The only colors that make me even more happy are sage greens, purple sages, and golden greens.  It's hard to explain... except to tell you to go hang out on the open prairie in the fall.

Still Life in Progress

Am working on the lighting still, am in need of one of those clip on swing arm lamps for more concentrated lighting.

New Harvest Pieces - WIP

Two almost done four more to go!

Hillbilly Holler Gets a Paint Job!

I can't stand to watch him when he's out on the ladder stage, I think I may be developing an ulcer over the stress of getting this house painted!

Inspiration

New Fall Colors

New Fall Colors - Silk Cocoons

WIP - Apple

Fall 2009

Fall colors to be inspired by

Burr Oak - taken at Ledges State Park

Apple No. 1 WIP

Apple No. 1 WIP

background color number one down
48x59 inches
cotton fabric, setacolor paints

Red Apple

First layer of paint is down only 6 more colors to go to make it look reasonably realistic. This is Apple No. one in a series of three large apples.

48x59 inches

Cotton fabric setacolor paint

Yesterday

A few more brooches

Prairie bits and pieces

Been busy getting ready for this weekends show, this is just one of the brooches I've been making for this weekends show. Check out the Octagon Center for the Arts Fall Festival in Ames, IA this weekend!

Compost dyed cotton fabric
Machine stitched and embroidered
1.5 x 2.25 inches

WIP No. 32

WIP No. 32 Now that my wet studio is cleaned up I can paint fabric once again, I made this piece today in celebration of having a surface to work on!!!
18x22 inches
Setacolor Transparent Paint, Shiva Paintstiks, Natural Muslin 7878

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 7

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 7

5 x 7 inches

Compost dyed cotton cloth cochineal dyed silk organza fabric, machine stitched, timtex core, black commercial cotton cloth backing.

Now Available in My Store