CHEERFUL SUNFLOWERS FOR A CARD!

 

We all need cheering up and sunflowers are such happy flowers!  I made this card for a family member's birthday.  The background was a photograph I took of peeling paint on an old drainpipe.  The  flowers are made out of handprinted papers, which were collaged on with acrylic matt medium.

SUNFLOWER CARDS FOR A HEATWAVE!

I have just finished these collaged cards based on sunflowers.  They are such a happy flower that embodies summer, and so suitable for this year's hot and sunny weather...

SEPTEMBER SUNFLOWERS

For the latest window in the gallery we used the sunflowers I made last year - click onto the label at the bottom of this post to see how I created them.  I decorated some new gift bags  - see top right - to fit in with the theme.  Together, with some of the members of the co-operative, I helped repaint our display boxes and the floor of the window, so it was all fresh and very white - making it a pleasure to to do the window dressing!!

SUNFLOWER CANVAS

I am still on the subject of sunflowers!  My sketchbook is filling up fast and here is a small canvas, (30cms x 30cms), that I recently sold in the gallery.

This is a mixed media canvas using mainly acrylic paint and paper.  The leaves are collaged tissue paper which give an interesting texture.  I used purple in the centres of the flowers as it is the complementary colour to yellow.  I felt this gave the canvas an extra depth and lift.  I used printing techniques and my fingers rather than conventional brushes.

SUNFLOWERS AND POPPIES

I have chosen sunflowers as a subject before. This mixed media artwork on canvas of sunflowers and poppies was bought by a fellow member of the One Craft Gallery co-operative. A section of it is used for one of my most popular printed cards.   It is a long thin canvas ( 80cms x 30cms) and was inspired by a photograph of a huge meadow, full of sunflowers, poppies and other wild flowers which I saw in The Daily Telegraph.  I just loved the bright  happy colours and the abundance of flowers, especially the sunflowers.

Recently I used colour photocopies of photographs of the picture to collage onto the backs of these two bookmarks shown below (on the right).

SUNFLOWER WINDOW

Here are a few photos to give a flavour of the recently put together 'sunflower' window at the One Craft Gallery.  My large hanging paper sunflowers worked well except that they had a mind of their own and kept facing the wrong way even when the 'stem' was anchored.  It needed a little patience to persuade them to face outwards!  For how to make the flowers, I posted details on Monday, September 15th.

SUNFLOWER GIFT BAGS

To go with the sunflower theme in the gallery, I have just completed some gift bags.  The bags that I decorate are sold at a special rate to anyone who buys a gift from the gallery and have proved so popular that I have to keep producing more!

The centres of the flowers are cut from photocopies of material or mats that I have around the studio.  I then added petals, stems and leaves using collaged paper, marker pens and inks. The gift tags are plain card in a cardboard toilet roll holder that I have flattened and decorated in a similar way to the bags.

SUNFLOWER BROOCHES

I made these brooches, using the same shapes that I used to make the paper sunflowers. It was, of course, on a much smaller scale and I found that 8 petals of each size worked best.  Instead of paper, I raided my fabric stash and instead of gluing and stapling, I deployed hand and machine stitching.

Although it doesn't show up much in this photograph, they all have green leafy backs which hides the stitching and the fact that I slashed through the base felt circles to stuff the velvet centres from behind.  All the petals and centres were cut from a variety of textiles and left with raw edges, as I don't mind the fraying.  Different coloured felts could be used if a sharper finish is required.  Beads and/or embroidery could be added to the centres. As the fabric I selected had spots, I didn't opt for that option.  I also fabricated a small cushion out of vintage sacking to display them on and made some special tags.

PAPER SUNFLOWERS

While researching ideas on Pinterest on how to make some paper 3D sunflowers, I came across this blog - Decorating Ideas Made Easy - and used it for some ideas for my window decorations.  I made 7 large flowers - 5 yellow and 2 cream.  They are about a 12 inches across.  I will be using them to decorate the gallery window later in the week and will take some photographs of them for a later post.

Here are the stages - 1. Cut out 20 petals out of crumbled and acrylic wax treated paper and a centre in thin cardboard.  Using a stapler, shape the petals and attach to the centre - small petals first, leaving space for the larger ones to be joined in between.  2. Cut another centre in painted cardboard and glue onto the back trapping a fabric ribbon with the loop at the top.  3. With a glue gun add a decorated centre enclosing a small amount of stuffing.  4. Make a greenery backing with diluted PVA, strips of green tissues and a smaller circle ( I used a green cupcake case).  Glue and leave to dry overnight on a plastic sheet. Attach this with PVA to the back (with some more stuffing) and then trim.

SUNFLOWER SKETCHBOOK

Many artists and makers find that a sketchbook is an essential tool to progress ideas to a finished piece. What it contains and used for, varies from person to person - whatever works for them.  It is a personal thing. In my case, for this project, I started by listing words associated with sunflowers, trying to think of at least one for each letter of the alphabet. I then collected images, photographs and did some drawings from life.

In the case of sunflowers my aim is to produce 3D window dressing, gift bags, cards, brooches etc. I will use the sketchbook for sketching out ideas and writing technical notes which can be used for reference, should I require to make some more.

Illustrated are some pages from my sketchbook - drawings from the sunflowers I bought (see previous post), and a montage of pics by other named artists and magazine photos.

SUNFLOWERS

Sunflowers are our theme for the next window in the gallery so I have started a sunflower sketchbook to research and develop some ideas.  First I bought some cut sunflowers to study, photograph and sketch.  I also looked out any pictures I had, including photographs of sunflower canvases they I had done and had been sold.

When looking at sunflowers the colour yellow is foremost, from cream to vibrant saffron yellow and almost orange - the bright uplifting colour of sunlight from which the flowers get their name.  Sunflowers are warm, enriching, happy flowers that always make me smile.  I also connect them with growth, harvest and health (I eat loads of sunflower seeds that are so good for you).  They are wonderfully bold and sturdy flowers that can grow to enormous heights.  According to Guinness World Records the tallest one was grown in Germany last year to a height of 8.75 metres (28 feet, 8.49 inches)!