TEATIME BOOKMARKS

These collaged bookmarks have a 'tea' theme.  The top pic shows the front side and underneath is the corresponding back to each.  People often buy these as an alternative to cards as I supply them with an envelope for posting and a gift tag...

LOVE AT TEATIME!

I have just completed some more Valentine cards with 'tea' as the theme.  I have used my usual collage techniques, but with these cards I have added homemade tags which were decorated with words cutout from magazines, and attached by punching a couple of holes into the backgrounds.  I threaded the ties of the tags through the holes and fastened them to the back of the pic before they were applied to cream card stock.

This latest decorated gift bag uses papers that I created by photocopying one of my woollen scarves!  I have found that scanning or copying fabric onto lightweight paper is a way of adding interesting papers to my collage paper stash!

The gift tag was created from a cardboard toilet roll - it was flattened, stuck together, cut to shape and a hole punch in the top and decorated in a similar way to the bag.  It makes a sturdy tag that hangs well and doesn't buckle!

BOOKMARKS FOR CARDS

I enjoy making collaged bookmarks as they make a good alternative to cards and I can try out ideas on a small scale.  My latest is to mark a friend's 60th birthday - 'Sensational at 60' on one side and a stylised vase of flowers - deliberately done in the style of Mary Quant and the 60s on the other.   I rarely work on one at a time, so also illustrated is the other one - 'Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!' - with another stylised floral design on the other side.

For these works, I took a photocopy of a black and white place mat to cut out the vases.  Photocopying or scanning favourite textiles, flat objects, such as, feathers, leaves etc. is a useful resource of papers to collage. The blue background is decoupage paper of jeans pockets. I could have scanned some of my stash of vintage denim for a similar effect.  For the flowers, I used simple shaped punches and hole reinforcement rings.

MORE HEART PANELS

'My cup of tea'  (20cms x 20cms)

This panel consist of several layers of paint and papers. The problem I find with layers, particularly in small works, is to not to cover up too much of the underneath when creating a new layer. Outline shapes work well to introduce another element into the picture. You can, of course, just paint or draw outlines onto your work but  this can be tricky on top of textured backgrounds. To overcome this problem, I drew the cup shape with a marker pen, onto tissue and attached it with matt acrylic medium. This meant that I could try various positions before sticking down in place.

'Love hurts' (10cms x 10cms)

With this smaller panel I wanted to add some more heart elements without covering up all the detail of the playing cards and 60s song titles that I had already added.  I again used outlines, but this time, took the paper that was left when using heart punches, and carefully cut around them. These were then arranged on the work before attaching.

SUNDAE BEST

If I get a commission to do a subject that I have little visual reference on, or I choose a subject that I haven't previously researched, I search the internet to get some inspiration. Photographs of the subject are good but I prefer to see interpretations by other artists.  This doesn't mean copying an image, even if it is copyright free, but it gives you ideas for possible colour schemes, shapes and composition.

'Sundae Best' - mixed media on board (40cms x 20cms)

After looking at various images, I did some thumbnail sketches before deciding on an outline shape.  I then covered a background board with torn up pages of vintage magazines. As this artwork is a present for a friend, who is opening a vintage tea shop next year, I wanted that sort of feel to it. I used a selection of doylies for the sundae dish, thick acrylic paint and alcohol ink for the ice-cream and toppings with a flattened painted straw for the chocolate sticks and beads, attached with glitter glue, for the crunchy topping.  I added words cut from the same magazines and scribbled 'Sundae Best' as the final layer.

WORKING IN LAYERS

My mixed media paintings are made up of many layers.  I feel it adds depth and interest when glimpses of what lies beneath can be seen.  To illustrate this, I have taken photographs of my latest work in its various stages in development.  It is called 'hazy, lazy days of summer'.  It was inspired by recent sunny weather and the feelings, sights and smells you get when lying in a wild flower meadow with the sun on your face.  Even better if tea and cake is on offer!

I decided on yellow as the main colour as I keep being struck by vibrant yellow fields of rapeseed and buttercups everywhere I go. I put together a mood board with my photographs and those of my friend, Dawn Porter.

Stage 1 - a 50cm square wooden panel is primed with gesso and painted with bright yellow acrylic paint.  Pages from a vintage magazine were torn up and stuck down with matt acrylic medium.




Stage 2 - patterned paper napkins were separated into their layers and torn up and applied with medium.




Stage 3 - pictures and words from a newspaper were cut out and added.  A border to represent the edges of a cloth thrown onto a wild flower meadow was applied and the area inside given a thin layer of gesso.




Stage 4 - texture is created  in the meadow area with modelling paste scraped through flower stencils and left to dry thoroughly.




Stage 5 -  the meadow area has a yellow glaze wiped over it and acrylic paint and gesso added to highlight the flowers and texture.  A green marker pen was used to add grass-like marks.  A piece of wood and cork was used to stamp on gesso to the tablecloth area.

A black felt tip pen was used to sketch the teaset,  cakes and more words onto a layer of napkin tissue.  Some paint was added before these were stuck on with medium.


Final Stage - now that the layers and foundation for the design are in place extra colour and details are added.  I painted on some dilute walnut ink for extra depth and acrylic paint and gesso to define the teaset and cupcakes. Flower shapes punched out of old letters  and bits of relevant sentences from old paperback books were stuck on with medium.  Next marker pens were used for extra detailing and metallic gold paint splattered over the entire surface.  It was all protected with a layer of UV varnish.

'hazy, lazy days of summer' (50cms x 50cms)

TEA FOR TWO

'Tea for Two' (40cms x 40cms)

'Tea for Two' is a favourite subject of mine.  I like playing around with all the shapes and patterns involved with a table set for tea and cake.  Also the lettering is very satisfying, and there is no problem in finding a title!

This particular 'Tea for Two' was a commission and is now in the office kitchen at Biznus Recruitment, Shepton Mallet.   The text is tea related and I have used a combination of stamping and cut out punches with acrylic paints, papers and old lace.