Tuesday 29 September 2009

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I think this is my favourite page so far-I love drawing with pen and ink, I enjoyed researching the quotes I wanted and it made me laugh. It also made me closely read the rubbish they spout on the hair dye box, which normally doesn't get a second glance. I have been dyeing my hair for so long now that I do not need instructions or tests or stuff-just tip it all out and go. It made the experience more fun somehow! The colour of the girl on the right is the colour I used but it came out this interesting shade of reddy pink on the page. I love the quote I found by Thomas Carew-it is mysterious and strange. I do not know what it is from and must research more.
"Those curious locks so aptly twin'd, who's every hair a soul doth bind"
The hair are your aerials quote is Withnail And I-one of my favourite all time films. Danny is lamenting the demise of the 60s.
I love the Kahlil Gibran quote and also what Bianca said-it is true! She was justifying the extortionate cost of something or other but still!

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The other day I was wearing the necklace in the top left corner and it reminded me of the sun. It was only a cheap necklace but there is something lovely about it-it makes me think of cowboys and buckles-it is quite heavy metal and nice to play with when you wear it. Anyway, once it had reminded me of the sun, I started to think about how much of my jewellery is representative of real things. I think this is because of my love of miniature things-I have a whole collection, not currently displayed (lack of room!) Then I thought of loosely arranging them in a scene-I suppose I could have made more of a scene of it, but got carried away recording the tiny details of the pieces of jewellery I picked.
In case you are interested, here is a list of the items-going left to right and top to bottom.
Sun like necklace
Rainbow chunky plastic ring
Star earring (plastic)
Moon necklace (silver and ivory coloured resin)
Bird earring (wooden-painted)
Grapes earring (glass)
Butterfly earring(enamel)
South American couple-kind of embroidered I think
Enamel faces earrings
Plastic moulded rabbit brooch
Lego skeleton necklace
Enamel on silver snake charm
Alice in wonderland rabbit and watch earrings
Enamel daisy earring
Turquoise, coral and silver earring
Enamel cat brooch
Tiny silver fishbone earrings

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The blackbird is a singing toy, bought for Forest school. He is sitting in a real nest. The cockerel is glass, from Whitby. The red bird is plaster I think-he has little wire legs. The swan happened to be on that piece of newspaper. I would love to draw real birds but they don't want to come in and pose!
I can't believe how dark the shadow is in this photo. I took it at lunchtime, in bright sunshine, on a white board. It looks like there is cut out black paper under there!

Sunday 20 September 2009

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My new Rocket Dog Disco Stars boots-they are beautiful, too beautiful to wear! They are like something that children wear but for grown ups-I love them!

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I saw this technique in Stampington's Art Journaling magazine and really love the effect. The artist is Dina Wakley. I have done stencils before but not thought of using cut outs of people. I have been cutting out lots of people from magazines so I can use them in other books-when I have finished this one. I used acrylic inks flicked from an old brush-one of those ones that all the hairs have spread out on-perfect for this job!

Saturday 12 September 2009

13-unlucky for some

I lived at a flat with the number 13 for quite some time, so have lost my superstition about the number-I think! This dress is lovely-but I always worry that I look like I have gone out in my dressing gown. It is from Hennes (a cheap yet stylish clothing chain) so I have seen lots of other people in the dress-or its rusty red version, and they look ok, so I hope for the best! I loved the bamboo patterns on it and the way it has brown on black.
The other side was a drawing of some brooches-it went wrong so I gessoed and painted, then did the nursery thing of drawing around my hand-outside of my hand, then coloured and drew-using weird souffle pens-they have to dry to appear. It has my snake ring-but next week I am wearing labradorite-for protection-look at Kasia Blue!

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From left to right, top to bottom:-

Tiny Red (Vanessa Valencia-A Fanciful Twist), Mother's Day Doll(She has bird children) (Beth Robinson-Strange Dolls), Violet (Mealy Monster Land), Titania, (Me!) Broken Hearted Doll (Beth Robinson), Gothic Lolita (Beth Robinson), Susanne (Du Buh Du Designs)

I have a collection of old dolls-not valuable old dolls, just old. They are beautiful to me. (I would like to clarify-they are not the porcelain type Victorian dolls, or the baby doll type-they are costume dolls from different countries mainly)

In the past, I have made papier mache figures-just three-two of them were Frida and Diego Kahlo. When I became involved in blogland I realised that there are so many Frida fans out there and many of them feel drawn to make a representation of her so I am not alone there! Then I discovered the world of art dolls-did I know about it before? I can't remember, but I am so glad I do now. I have a growing collection which I love. I love to look at their faces, and, as someone who is learning to make them, I am inspired by and in awe of the artists that make such beautiful things. Their little faces do really take me outside of myself-I stare and stare at them. They are, logically, inanimate objects, made of clay or cloth. But to me they look real and I read many doll artist's writings and they all say the same thing-that their dolls start to take on a personality of their own as they emerge.

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I tend to have favourite clothes or jewellery-or music actually. I wear/listen to it over and over again and then one day-that's it-I forget about it. (Am I fickle?) This is one of those pieces of clothing. It has a lovely blue and white pattern, is cut well so as to disguise my stomach, and looks good ( I hope!) with either a short or long sleeved t-shirt worn underneath.

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These were both Tiger, but actually, one looks like Lily-looking slightly mad at the back!

Thursday 3 September 2009

Tuesday 1 September 2009