sketch club

Sketch club was not a success this week - too tired to deal with the challenges this model gave me in  her poses and I left early.

I have been stitching though and Stitchers Plus, my home group at the Embroiderers' Guild, met last Saturday.  It was out last meeting for the year and we had usual show and tell and talk fest.  We also had our Christmas Party.  I came home exhausted but happy.  Jenny has put photos of some of our work on the Stitchers Plus blog - click here to have a look or visit the side bar link.

Finally picked up a needle

I have been caught up in other things and haven't posted much lately .   However I picked up a canvas work that got put aside quite some time ago and started stitching on it again - its working title is Daintree Dreaming.  It started life as swirly sketch which I photocopied and painted and the colours and leaf forms reminded me of leaf litter when we explored the Cape Tribulation area.  It is a magic place.   I have some barramundi leather that I have been saving and will apply in a couple of spots to bring up the texture.

I think if I keep at it I have about 15 hours work left before it is done!   Not much in the scheme of things as I posted a photo of the sketch in 2008!

I haven't done much drawing lately either - no pears or life drawing! Managed to get out my charcoal and do a couple of fun squiggles though.   I am practising trying to get dimension and depth  - I will need to add some compressed charcoal to my supply - I only have willow and when I try to smudge it it lifts off - might alos be that the paper doesn't have enough tooth - I do my drawings in a A4 visual diary

tired of pears yet?

I'm not.  They have a lovely shape - very feminine in form I think.

After drawing yet another pear (not this one) an idea struck me for a challenge my group has set all members of the Embroiderers' Guild NSW.  Having been involved in the set up of the challenge. I was almost over the idea. The general theme is "Changing of the Seasons" and I really wanted to avoid doing something involving flowers - well I haven't but that's OK.  The piece is not due in until September so I have a little bit of time to change my mind.

Masks

I would love to say this fellow was my own design - it is so lively and full of cheek.  I am sure that he is singing as he does not look at all scary.   I love the way the curved  central line alters the face and how I view it.

I have been reading books on Oceanic and African art: this is a wooden mask from the Kwilu region in the Congo.

In particular I have been looking at carved , painted and woven patterns for inspiration and noting them in my journal.  In my minds eye I can see stamped, appliquéd and embellished wall hangings.  It is yet to happen of course but I am enjoying playtime in my head space.

stitchers plus

My home group at the Embroiderers' Guild NSW  met on Saturday.  Much chat and show and tell took place.  Jenny has posted some of the 'show' on Stitchers Plus blog.   Charterhouse rules apply to the 'tell' bit.

sketch club

Renata - a ten minute sketch

sketching

Tuesday night is sketch club night.  I have only been twice this year and, as I only draw that night,  I am right out of  practice.  I was happy with one quick sketch and am wondering how I can employ stitches to render a version of it. 


I have been reading a couple of interesting books which have got me thinking - one on the history of crewel work and another called Embroidery Studio (Embroiderers Guild).  Embroidery Studio  features a number of textile artists who consider an old embroideries or textile and the pattern, stitch , composition etc and interpret and creation of new works inspired by those textiles.

I love to draw with charcoal

I try really hard to draw with pencil but I find charcoal is so more forgiving. These studies are based on pictures in an encyclopedia type picture book I got from the library. They were done on cream paper - can't seem to get the colour to photograph well.

Sketch club is pretty much a constant in my life - I am not Leonardo but each time I go I do a better drawing. (Of course I only post the more reasonable ones I do.) And I love the fact that I can crop the photo so that I have something proportionate to the ground that it is on. I seemed to get mostly back views for the longer poses last night - which means I had to work on shadow to give contrast/form. One day I post a first and last drawing of the night.


There is discussion on the radio at the moment to the effect that anyone can became good at something if they practise for 10,000 hours. As I tend to only draw when I go to sketch club I have a lot of hours to clock up!

According to the fellow speaking it is important to try and extend your limitations and push yourself to the outer limits of your boundary (and change the molecular structure of the brain). The second important thing was to have rigorous critical feedback.

I have enrolled in acrylic painting class and had one enjoyable lesson. Its the first time I have really picked up a paint brush with the intention of doing something other than a background was for a journal or paint fabric on which to embroider. Jan, our teacher , set up a wonderful still life of simple lush primary colours and round shapes - all I could think was what a wonderful idea for an embroidered work! So I won't throw away my painting - or at least I will take a photo of it before I do - so I have a resource to call on when I get around to doing that.

I am clocking up my hours with hand stitching - my current embroidery project is a play with blue, grey and creamish threads on canvas using limited stitch types to create a mandala effect.

ANIMAL INSPIRATION

Inspired by a visit to the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo. Would love to do more with those stripes. Will doa couplw of more drawings and see where it goes.

drawing, again

Finally back to drawing again after a bit of a break from sketch club. Actually came home and worked on this a bit more

more of the same

I have been stitching but it takes a bit of time for the result to come to light.

I have also been going to sketch club - this is a 10 min sketch from a couple of weeks ago. I keep promising myself I will go back and work on it some more but time has passed and I think the moment is gone.

I am back working on Daintree Dreaming but an hour of work gives me about an inch of coverage so it will be a while before I have much to show.

drawing and sewing again

Not that creative in the stitching line but very good for the soul. Been working on a small canvas which will become a footstool when done. It has been good to do this before venturing into the big portrait piece I intend to do - my tension has been all over the place and thread a bit thin in places. And yes, before you say anything, I have been working this free in my hand and don't have the canvas taunt which does affect the tension - I will need to block it before it becomes a little stool.

I got to sketch club for the first time in over a month. My drawing is progressing. The one above needs more work - I forgot to take a paper stub with me and the charcoal needs to be worked more. But what I was pleased with was the fact that I actually got the hint of feet. I avoid hands and feet like the plague as I find them so difficult. It is interesting looking at what you do after it is photographed - it shows there is lots of room for improvement!!!

I have been looking at paintings by Hunterwasser and have been inspired by his use of colour (not that that is reflected in the above) and will have a play with colour and shape -maybe play with a paper collage. I am trying to encourage myself to play with colour but seem to run out of time and energy. In fact, I am off to have a little snooze once I have done here.

ni sa bula

I have just returned from a lovely holiday in Fiji. I took lots of photos and did a few drawings and a tiny bit of sewing. Fell in love with the patterns on the trunks of coconut trees and the reflections in Nesekowa River. I will set a slide show up of these a little later on.