A Couple of Hares

More watercolour practice - this time some hares. This one is just watercolour paint (with me trying not to be heavy handed!)

 

 

And this one started out with a watercolour wash, but then I fancied giving him a bit more texture so I got stuck in with some coloured pencil (another medium I'm interested in at the moment. I've seen some amazing coloured pencil work recently...yet another thing I want to learn...I need more time!)

 

 

 They both need backgrounds really - maybe I'll return to them and add something.

 

Watercolour Practice

I've been trying to learn watercolour technique using books and tutorials. I've had some disasters (I tend to be heavy-handed with colour and tone) but I think I'm starting to make some progress.

 

I've traced some outline drawings (pigment pen) from reference photos and scanned them, so I can print them off multiple times. This allows me to concentrate on practicing the watercolour techniques without worrying about having to spend ages doing a drawing each time. Here's one of Chichester Cathedral with watercolour washes.

 

 

Still not very accomplished but definitely an improvement on earlier attempts (which weren't fit to be seen and went straight in the bin!) 

Watercolour Pencils

I'm getting into watercolour painting and have seen some nice examples of watercolour pencils used in conjunction with watercolour paint to create some nice effects. I hadn't used my watercolour pencils for years, so I got them out to have a practice. This is just an adult colouring page I found online - ideal for experimenting with the pencils and getting a feel for them. I penciled in the whole thing dry and then added water (using a water brush - such a great invention!) to create a first wash. I then let it dry and added subsequent washes to create dimension. A great learning exercise, and I have to agree with all those who love adult colouring - it's SO relaxing! 

 

 

Red, White and Blue Handbag

Another sewing project! I wanted a small shoulder bag to go with a particular outfit, but didn't want to spend much money. I had some plain off-white/cream fabric left over from an unused curtain, so I decided to use that with some heavy duty interfacing to stiffen it. I added navy and red stripes using ribbon stitched on to the panels before I stitched them together. I only had to buy a red zip, and a pair of metal clips / D-rings. total cost: less than £5. Bargain!

More Home Decor - Wrought Iron Bench Make-Over

I bought this wrought iron bench thing cheap on Ebay a while ago, in need of a make-over. I cleaned it up and touched up the black finish, then had a seat cushion cut from foam and bought some cream and mink fabrics (from Dunelm Mill). I made the seat cushion cover, bolster cushions and square throw cushions (except the patterned ones. I already had those).  It looks brand new now. Another Ebay bargain! (And by the way, the table next to it was by best Ebay bargain ever, at just £2!!)

Winter Tote Bag

I like the size and softness of this slouchy winter tote bag I made. The fabric is a lovely textural one from Dunelm Mill, made up of strips of chenille and a silkier black cloth. I made the handles extra long for comfort and there's an inside pocket as well as an outside front pocket.

Paper Patchwork Picture - Bargain Home Decor

Well, it's been a long while, but I'm finally back to blogging. What have I been doing all this time? Well, I have been quite busy. I've done a bit of painting, some card-making, and plenty of home décor and sewing.  My sewing skills have definitely improved (thanks to help from books and online tutorials) so I've progressed from very basic projects to slightly more advanced ones.

I've also made a few more changes in my studio, which now looks like this:

I made the large framed pictures myself, using free samples of wallpaper from a DIY store.

I love the look of patchwork, so I cut the wallpaper samples into 2" squares, and laid out a patchwork design that I liked, using whole squares and half-square triangles.

Working on a large sheet of graph paper as my base layer (to keep the lines straight), I stuck all the paper pieces down, then added some extra detail using small flowers punched from the same papers. I added faux stitching all over (using a gold gel pen).

Finally, I added a border made from more scraps of wallpaper and mounted the whole thing on a large sheet of chocolate brown cardstock. Once framed up, it looks great!