BRIGHT CARDS FOR SUMMER!

Here are some bright cards for summer!  I have followed on with the flowers and butterfly theme and then have added some highly coloured birds to the cards below.  I have used my favoured method of making cards - using a layered background and collaging on shapes and images.  In some cases I have used a fine black or white marker pen to complete the picture...

COLOURFUL BUTTERFLIES!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything!  It is not that I haven't been creative when I can find time, but the truth is, full-time caring for a loved one doesn't leave you a lot of spare time!  I am still involved in doing the One Craft Gallery window with Caroline Tetley.  Above are pics of our latest window, which is full of colourful butterflies.  I made these out of thick cartridge paper decorated with alcohol inks.  They were coated with cold acrylic wax and the middle was then folded and stitched.

Above are some butterfly cards that I made by cutting up a background that I had constructed using layers of acrylic paint and napkins.  I then collaged on punched out flower shapes and butterflies.

AUTUMNAL CARDS!

Before the leaves really started falling, I created some cards featuring the red berries of Autumn.  I used a background that I already had for the four cards.  Then it was a matter of collaging on printed tissue and painted papers.  Before applying the butterflies and birds images, I went around the edges with black marker pen and added embellishments.  A thin marker pen was used to add scribbles as a finishing touch.  The artwork was then mounted onto white textured card stock.

BUTTERFLIES FOR PAT!

This is the latest card that I have made.  It is for the birthday of a friend, who has recently had a torrid time with health problems.  The red poppies in the background were from napkins that were cut up and collaged onto a painted paper.  This was cut to fit 6 inch square card stock and then the wording and butterflies were added using acrylic matt medium.  It was finished off with black and gold felt tips and spray mounted onto the white textured card...

  

HAVE A GOOD READ!

I have just made some more bookmarks.  I used natural brown coloured card stock, which I felt was too flimsy to use as cards.  I stuck the two sides together, and cut them in half vertically, to create two bookmarks. These were then collaged in several layers, with various papers and punched out images, which were outlined with a thin black marker and white gel pen.

The photographs, above and below, show both sides of the bookmarks.  To finish off, a hole was punched at the top, with ribbon, a gift tag and brown envelope added, so they can be sold as a present and card all-in-one!

A SUMMERY BIRTHDAY CARD

Whenever I do projects, there are always leftover bits which I keep. These can be extremely useful when, for instance,  I remember a friend's birthday and need to make a card quick!  To have a ready made background is great - it gives you a starting point, a colour scheme, and half the job done...

That was the case in the above card, where I added a large cutout butterfly, and raised lettering using cerne relief, to a collaged background.  I then emphasised shapes with a black felt tip and a white gel pen.  The finishing touch was to add yellow using a letraset promarker, as I felt it required more colour...

BUTTERFLY BAGS

Some more gift bags for the gallery!  This time decorated with poppies and butterflies - a mixture of collage and doodling.  I used matt acrylic medium, which acts as a glue and varnish, to attach the images.  On the gift tags I coated both sides with the medium so that they wouldn't curl...

FESTIVAL ON!

Glastonbury Festival is on!  I can hear it from my home when the wind is in a certain direction, in spite of being miles from the festival site!  So, to mark the event and the many other festivals taking place at this time of year, we have done a window dressing in the One Craft Gallery to reflect this...

Caroline Tetley, a fellow maker, and I, used cardboard letters, painted white, and placed them on glass shelves so that they appeared to be floating, when seen from a distance. We also hung cardboard butterflies, which I made several years ago, and have been so useful!  When they have been shown before, customers have asked to buy them, but I am glad that I have resisted...

Also used were colourful wreaths, that I had constructed from wire covered in  pieces of knotted ribbon.  I have had to get storage outside my house and studio to accommodate all the things that I have made over the years to dress the window!

'HANGING BASKET'

This is one of my latest mixed media artworks, using a combination of acrylic paint, acrylic inks, vintage papers and oil pastels.  It is fairly small - 30cms x 30cms and is done on a wooden panel.  I collaged on the paper butterfly and added details with ink and a dip pen.  It gave the work the finishing touch which I felt was needed!

POPPY AND BUTTERFLY CARD

When I have time I like to make personal cards for family and friends.  This collaged card was for a young friend who recently gave birth to a gorgeous baby named Poppy.  She also loves butterflies so I combined both images in this card.  The finishing touch was a turquoise glittery cutout butterfly!

BIRD AND BUTTERFLY BOOKMARKS

I have just produced some more bookmarks to sell in the gallery as I noticed that I had almost sold out!  I have made all these from A5 card stock which meant less cutting out.  I could work on both sides at once before folding and glueing the card together and cutting in half to make two bookmarks.  Another advantage is that they are a perfect fit into standard envelopes...

For the backgrounds I have collaged papers - napkins, tissue, paperback pages and photocopies of material and my own artwork onto the card. Then, when they were cut up and assembled, each bookmark was treated separately with extra embellishments - cutout letters, flowers, butterflies, or birds.  They were finished off with a fine black marker and protected with acrylic wax.    

The photographs above are arranged so the front of the bookmarks are on the top row and the reverse side are shown below.  Bookmarks are a good alternative to sending a card as it is something people can keep and use...

GRASSES, POPPIES AND BUTTERFLIES

Today I have been helping do the window in the gallery.  One of our members, Phil, who makes beautiful wooden objects, brought in a lovely selection of grasses.  These were used together with some of my cupcake poppy garlands and cardboard butterflies to create a summer window.

POPPY FIELD WINDOW

We have just redone the window in the One Craft Gallery.  My poppies are still there but butterflies and grasses have been added.  I made these butterflies a few years ago for window displays.

They are made from sheets of deep purple card from Yeovil Scrapstore (a treasure trove of useful materials), which were cut to shape, using my templates in various sizes. I then put blobs of paint on one side, folded the butterfly in half over the paint and opened it up to reveal a pattern - just like the ink blot pictures I used to do as a child! I also painted the backs of the butterflies so that they can be viewed from any angle. They were then embellished with a metallic gold felt tip pen, wire antenna were added and a hole punched on each corner so they can be hung in different permutations.

These pictures were taken from inside the gallery, looking out on market day!

SIMPLE FLOWER PICS

As you can see the simple flower theme still continues with these two small pictures. The backgrounds are my own hand decorated papers torn up and collaged onto two 7" x 5" canvas boards. The flowers have been cut from painted papers and an old letter. The butterflies were created using two different sized stamps. Decorative details to them and the flowers were added using various markers. As with all my work they are protected with a matt varnish with UV protection. The pictures were then mounted into white painted frames. Time for a subject change, I think!

MY 'QUOTIES'

I have decided to call my small (10cms x 10cms) mixed media blocks with quotes on them - 'quoties'!  I have just finished the third one.  The other two have featured in previous posts.

The latest 'quotie' was made for a young friend who loves butterflies and the quote, which I saw on Pinterest says, 'never run faster than your guardian angels can fly'.

GOING OVER THE EDGE

Whenever I work on canvases, I always use the ones with the deep edges, and use the sides as well as the top for my artwork.  The smaller the canvas is the more important this is.  I have just finished doing four mixed media collages (yes, I am still on the butterfly theme), which are only five inches square which doesn't give much space to work on.  However, by going over the edges there is a greater area  to use and I feel it gives it a much better finish, especially when hung on a wall.

The above photographs show the top face of these small canvases while the pictures below show how I have taken the artwork over the edge.

Incidentally, when I work on canvases larger than these, I usually stretch a piece of canvas material over the bought canvas and attach on the back using furniture tacks, so that I have a stronger surface to work on.

BOUNTIFUL BUTTERFLIES

Our recent spell of warm, sunny weather has thrown a lifeline to our native butterflies who have had to endure the wet and cold during the last few years.  There are plenty around at the moment - on the flowers, on tv (I recently watched a fascinating BBC Springwatch programme on butterflies and moths), and even on the wallpaper of the ladies loo when I went to lunch in a pub on the Somerset levels!  Inspired by my recent artwork, I have done a butterfly window for the gallery and have made some cards. As can be seen by the pictures below, the gallery is situated in the centre of Shepton Mallet,  just by the picturesque market cross which has been recently cleaned and restored.

For the cards I used a single butterfly motif raised mounted onto cream card stock. This was influenced by the specimen trays of butterflies that the Victorians prized so much.  It was unfortunate that they had to kill real butterflies for their displays.  Not one butterfly was harmed in the execution of my cards!  I took some paper-cloth that I had attempted to make after reading Kellie Perkin's excellent book, Stitch Alchemy, and cut out a butterfly shape. Bits of fabric and a layer of net was hand and machine stitched and then buttons added.

 

VINTAGE BUTTERFLY

Here is my second design for the Vintage Button Box collection - a butterfly card.  The old chunky lace sets these vintage buttons off, with their subtle worn colours and unusual hexagon shape. This shape can be found in nature  from bees' honeycombs to crystals and the Giants Causeway. Regular hexagons can fit together to form a grid without gaps, making efficient use of space and building materials which, for the bees, means less wax is needed for construction and the honeycombs gain lots of strength under compression.

 Card without the buttons

In the case of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, there are naturally formed basalt columns - a large mass must cool slowly to form such a polygonal fracture pattern with the tops showing the hexagonal shape.

 Giant's Causeway

When you start looking this shape can be seen everywhere - architects have made use of it,  think of  The Hexagon, a hexagonal theatre in Berkshire or it can be seen in floor tiles, interlocking patterns and even chicken wire!

ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY

A few weeks ago I stumbled apon a tv programme called 'Hollywood Me', featuring the fabulous Martyn Lawrence Bullard, interior designer to the stars.  Since then, I have watched a few episodes as I love seeing what impact he can make when he does 'makeovers' to 'ordinary' British homes. He often uses unusual wallpapers.  In one episode he used some fantastic wallpaper covered in butterflies (from the stylised to the photographic) with shadows so that they looked 3D, as if they were flying off the wall.

This inspired me to do a collage/assemblage using butterflies.  As often happens, when I start a theme, song lyrics popped into my head and guided the development of the work -  "across my dreams, with nets of wonder, I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love".   The song is Elusive Butterfly written by Bob Lind and the cover version that I remember is by Val Doonican.

I used a box frame, wooden letters, bits of wood and various butterflies taken from recycled cards, mobiles, napkins etc.  I worked in my layered method for the collaged background, using muted tones as the song was written early in the morning.  I printed out the lyrics and put them as the first layer but by the end not many words were visible, so I stuck a copy onto a recess on the back of the frame. I also had a 3D butterfly which came in a 'box of bugs' from the zoo. The colours were not quite right and I wanted to change the slightly 'plastic' look so I used alcohol inks, gesso and silver acrylic.  I also splattered the silver all over with an old toothbrush. 

'Elusive Butterfly'  mixed media assemblage/collage (34cms x 30cms)

CORNFLOWER COMMISSION

Photographs by Dawn Porter

This hot spell of weather has brought out loads of wild flowers.  They seem particularly abundant this year and welcome to see after our bitterly cold spring.  During this time, I have been working on a commission that requested a cornfield full of red poppies and blue cornflowers and incorporating the words - love, peace and harmony.

To get me in the mood, I viewed the wildflower photographs taken by my friend Dawn Porter, who is known as the 'duck whisperer' on Flickr!  As well as flowers, she takes wonderful pictures of the ducks and wildlife surrounding her home. I also took some photos and did sketches before starting the picture.

The artwork consists of many layers, to give the illusion of looking through the cornfield at the wildlife and flowers.  It is bright and summery - a reminder of our mini heatwave!  It has now gone to its new home and I hope it is a cheerful reminder of the hot and sunny weather.

'Love, peace and harmony' mixed media on board (56cms x 90cms)