As I mentioned back in January, I signed up for Wanderlust 2019. The idea of being exposed to all the different themes, styles and teachers really appealed to me. And I started off well, working through the background material and bonus lessons before the first of the themes. One of the lessons was on composition;… Continue reading Wanderlust: rule of thirds
I had absolutely no intention of making this panel. Unlike so many other things, the idea for it had not been lurking in the back of my mind for months. This panel only exists because I had a bit of a rearrange in my craft room. It was more of a shuffling than a full-on… Continue reading Seascape doubled
I wasn't happy with the first incarnation of this panel. The end result was so far removed from my initial idea that I classed it as a failure, not a "throw it in the bin" failure but still... Nancee disagreed and said nice things, including that it reminded her of "some old time Christmas ornaments/lights".… Continue reading Rework: golden drips
Pink! I did say that this last pair of leaves were going to be more colourful and pink is (a tint of) the complementary colour for green, making it the obvious choice. It is also a colour that I have grown to love — not so much the baby pinks though they do have their… Continue reading Monstera leaf pair #3
I liked the black background against the green and the clear embossing on the last pair of leaf panels I made, so I thought I'd have a go at a more subtle version with one of the other Brusho/stencil attempts. Once again, I used the stencil as a mask, covered the Brusho with Versamark and… Continue reading Monstera leaf pair #2
I was catching up on blog feeds and YouTube subscriptions and there was a project that used Brusho, I don't remember exactly what it was, but it got me thinking about whether it was actually possible to use water-activated pigment powders (like Brusho and PaperArtsy Infusions and various other brands) with stencils without making a… Continue reading Monstera leaf pair #1
After a really productive August, September just went downhill. It took me nearly half the month just to finish a handful of outstanding blog posts, never mind actually starting any new projects. And it's not even creative block or lost mojo. I have plenty of ideas for things I want to make and experiments to… Continue reading Butterflies
I wasn't sure whether I was going to post this. But I set up this blog with the intention of using it to record all the cards I made — initially as a reference for myself — and while the card making has expanded into mixed media and other arts and crafts, there is still… Continue reading Golden drips
Earlier this year I did a Craft Box workshop (now Creative Craft Academy) and made the Wings of Time mixed media panel. After doing it, I said that I didn’t think I’d do another workshop because I found it frustrating simply making someone else's design. Well, I've recently completed the Just Begin workshop by Shawn… Continue reading Believe
When I did my black and gold experiment, I did a couple of quick crackle paste tests. One ended up revealing the sheep within it, but the other one was less interesting and was destined to end up in the bin. Then my other half wandered in and said it looked like a cloud and… Continue reading Cloud on a stick
So I was tidying up my desk and there was this scrap of paper that I’d used to do a quick crackle paste test on a few days before and it was too interesting to just chuck in the bin. So I tore the excess paper off, glued it onto an art card and put… Continue reading Medieval dragon sheep
Sometimes an idea will pop into my head; often triggered by a barely seen something that just whizzed past my eye. It's not fully formed, it's definitely not a thing, but it's the start of an experiment. That vague idea — a golden slash across a black background — along with the need to play… Continue reading Experiment in black and gold
The sun and moon resin piece had been floating around my craft room waiting for me to get some waxes to colour it. But I hadn't really thought any further ahead than that so, once coloured, it continued to float around for another couple of months waiting for me to turn my attention to it.… Continue reading Sun, moon and stars
YouTube videos are a great source of inspiration, whether it's the finished image that sparks the imagination or just the techniques used. Combine that with your own supplies and a sprinkling of other ideas and you end up with something unique to you. It was the process as much as the end result in this… Continue reading Golden ivy
I was sorting through my box of backgrounds — more to remind myself what I had than to get rid of anything — and I came across this A6 piece of watercolour paper covered in smooshed ink and, unfortunately, some failed stamping. I put it to one side, thinking that it would probably end up… Continue reading Flowers from ink
Crafty Rat 