Hi Sian

I've attempted three designs using clouds, sunset and a rainbow as my starting point.

Clouds

Details of the cutting process below.

Clouds shapes outlined in this picture of big skies over Lowestoft.

Torn cloud shapes using oil pastel frottage and brusho papers.

No 2, photocopied, torn into similar shapes and rearranged on a background paper.

Rainbow paper

I based this design on the sequence of colours in a rainbow. Details of the cutting process are below.

You can see how repeatedly photocopying between each process, reduces the vibrancy of the colours. In fact, my printer was starting to run out of ink and you can see the dramatic effect of this in the sunset designs a bit further on.

2 Photocopies of bleach discharged papers cut into strips and arranged at a slight angle in rainbow sequence.

3 is a photocopy of 2, cut into long, thin triangles across the strips and flipped.

4 Rainbow paper

Photocopy of 3, cut into long thin triangles and flipped in no particular order.

1 Sunset with the extracted shapes that I used in this design. I had to modify the size of the ovals to make it work. I tore the shapes to simulate the fuzzy edges around the sun.

2 Sunset shapes torn in orange oil pastel frottage paper and placed on a blue background.

At this point, the colour ink on my printer started to fade and the background should have been green.

Below, you will see that deep red papers came out in a gorgeous magenta. I liked the blue and magenta together, so continued to use them.

3 is a photocopy of 2 with sunset shapes extracted and placed on a red background

4 is 3 on a blue background ready for photocopying

5 is 4 photocopied, cut into strips and flipped

6 is 5 photocopied, cut into squares and rearranged on a blue background

7 is 6 photocopied, cut into strips and flipped

Collage with oil pastel resist and bleach discharge papers

... inspired by life's quirky details with titles extracted from quirky bible verses.

Iwent slightly off-piste here... I love the oil pastel frottage and bleach discharge papers. I taught simple bookmaking and collage to our church craft group and made some quick samples using offcuts of my decorated paper on white card.

I liked the rainbow colours on white so I've started to design a range of notelets using this technique.

They look lovely pegged along my studio wall. I think they may also work as small embroideries, bunting or perhaps a quilt. Here are the titles, I couldn't caption them beside the relevant image for some reason... all 9cms x 9cms.

watch in hope

press on

my sheep

in my heart

flowers appear

even the sparrow

Chapter One, Drawing Methods

Hi Sian, I attempted scans this time. Let me know if this is better. In keeping with the conservation them, I've used and reused paper I've had lying around for ages and mounted my samples on lovely strong pages from an old atlas.

1A Colour studies: I took my colour inspiration from this wonderful picture of a rainbow taken by my brother in Africa. The painting on the left is by Turner.

1B Wonderful wax crayon and gold markal: The wax crayon buffs beautifully. I particularly liked the impressionistic effect of the dashes in seven rainbow colours.

1C Coloured pencils and felt tips: I like the delicate marks that the coloured pencils make. The sunset was very golden so I've used gold markal and a gold gel pen as well.

1D: Oil pastel and coloured pencil: I loved the oil pastel. Great effects when blended with a cotton bud or kitchen roll, eg the blue and yellow circles blended to a lime green background and the red and yellow to an orange.

I also experimented with oil pastel transfers, ie placing the oil pastel drawing face down on another piece of paper and then drawing into the back of it. I read about this technique in a back issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors.

A Fine Line. Using a line drawing as a starting point for collage. Emma Jane Fashokun. September/October 2008 Volume 20.

http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/

1E: Wax crayon frottage over sequin waste: I was intrigued how just using the crayon at different angles produced very different marks. I particularly liked the wavy diagonal lines.

1F: Gold markal and oil pastel over sinamay: I thought the sinamay frottage gave a lovely representation of ripples.

1G Oil pastel over string block. Very effective over buffed gold markal.

1H Sgraffito: A knitting needle made a great sgraffito tool. Red oil pastel over buffed gold markal was particularly effective.

1I Oil pastel resist with Brusho is a revelation. I love the vibrant colours, chalky finish and serendipitous patterns.

1J Brusho discharged with bleach: My favourite tool is a date serving fork left over from Christmas which makes lovely swirly marks.

1K & L Transparent surfaces: Acrylic paint on tracing paper makes lovely mono prints on acetate. When held up to the light they cast delicate shadows which remind me of the work of Marian Bijlenga. I've chosen her as one of my Artist Studies. Here is a link to her website.

http://www.marianbijlenga.com/

Module 6 Creative Conservation

Research Images 1-3 show pictures of Lowestoft and Walberswick in Suffolk. Photographers: me and Ray or should that be Ray and I. We went 'crabbing in Walberswick. I like the reflections in this image.

The wonderful sunset, rainbow and silhouettes were taken by my brother Mikes in Capetown, South Africa.

Resolved Sample

Hi Sian, more pics and detail are in the Order of Work attached via email in a Word doc.

An angle view showing pleats.

Here it is stretched out.

The finished sample is robust and easy to

manipulate.

Chapter 12 Trial samples using extreme contrasts

I chose these three samples and the one below to work with.

For the background, I decided to work with the pleated vilene with a mix of scrunched habotai silk and chiffon stitched on with the wire.

Scrunched scrim on calico attached with stab stitch.

Thread: DMC linen in ecru.

Stem stitch on calico.

Thread: stranded cotton.

Snippets of habotai silk attached with stab stitch.

Thread: coton a broder.

Markal Rubbing.

Pekinese stitch.

Thread: coton a broder.

Gathered running stitch in spirals.

Thread: stranded cotton

Muslin on black cotton.

Couched gimp with danish flower Thread.

Stem stitch in Anchor lame.

Snippets of muslin and organza bonded to calico with bonding powder. Straight stitch and cross stitch added.

Thread: Madeira Metallic machine embroidery thread.

Pekinese stitch in stranded cotton.

Red strip: running stitch snipped, glued at back to secure. Trying to work out a way of stitching the door shapes.

Quilted with polyester wadding halved to reduce bulk.

Thread: stranded cotton.

Quilted with polyester wadding halved to reduce bulk.

Thread: coton a broder.

Fabric printed to imitate decorated papers

Left: Markal rubbing over scrunched paper.

Middle: Funky Foam stamp with white acrylic.

Right: Ditto

To allow background to pleat here is a Vilene sample stitched with 28 gauge beading wire with zig zag stitch length 1.5 and stitch width 2.

Underneath left the wire is stitched over scrunched silk and right over scrunched chiffon. Burn marks for texture.

Background samples: scrunched silk and chiffon on vilene

Design work with decorated papers

Chapter 11 new beach huts sketch and collage

Another possibility: print the design onto vilene or canvas and manipulate the fabric.


Beach huts collage using flat and textured papers.

Working out a design; experimenting with shape.

Beach huts, South Beach, Lowestoft. Inspired by the row to change the shape of the collage and number of huts in the design.

Hi Sian. A very happy new year. Your thoughts on this much appreciated before I start to translate into fabric. Many thanks. Nicky