Shoshiplatypus

Paper mesh

I did some more work on the packing paper mesh pieces I was working on recently.

I didn’t like the sheet from the scrunched up paper mesh stamping:

so I added some coffee staining – which I also added to one of the baby wipes that needed a bit more attention to make it interesting enough to use in collage:

but I didn’t think it improved it too much. The reverse was interesting, though.

I then added some ink and Infusions, and also to the baby wipe.

In the end, I still didn’t like it!

Again, the reverse side looked a little more promising.

If I do use it, I shall probably mute it with a thin layer of gesso.

Despite my ironing it, the paper remained pretty wrinkled. This is only cheap copy paper and it really isn’t designed to take as much sprayed liquid as I inflicted upon it.

Turning to the stencilled piece:

I also added some coffee staining to this one.

I also added some strong coffee spatters.

With all these experiments, I mostly ended up with a mess. Hmmm. Win some, lose some!

I had had great hopes for the paper mesh as a mixed media/collage material but in the end it was a bit disappointing. I think the best use for it is to stretch it out and use it as a stencil, although I did get some interesting results pressing it into the gel plate.

I did have to tone these down with subsequent glazing layers of paint because my initial layer (black) was much too strong. Still, these papers do have potential.

I have yet to try gluing this paper down as a textural element in a collage.

So perhaps all is not yet lost as far as the paper mesh is concerned.

Printables

I downloaded some new printables from Shawn Petite recently – she has got some lovely freebies on there, and to download them, all you have to do is subscribe.

I have a large collection of images that I’ve collected here and there over the years and I decided to print some of them out, along with Shawn’s ones, to use in my collages.

My own images

I also have a huge number of photos taken over many years, which include the things I love to photograph the most – texture, old walls, doorways, rock formations, tree bark, rust, and so on. They are scattered across many different folders but I selected a few that came to the surface, and made printouts of them.

The following pictures are photos of the printouts I made for my own use from this first selection. I shall eventually be making up finished versions of my printables from the original photographs and uploading them to my OneDrive for free download.

The images I called “Manky Pot” were taken back in 2003 soon after I got my first digital camera for my 50th birthday! I think these are some of my oldest photos, and I’ve never done anything with them. I love the cracks and the texture, and all the colours. I can’t even remember where I found that rotten old pot…

This is an enlarged and edited version of part of a beautiful silver-mounted nautilus shell necklace I bought at the County Show several years ago.

Enlarging part of an image can totally transform it and turn it into an abstract pattern or texture quite unrecognisable from its original source. Here is a picture of the necklace, showing both sides.

Some rock formations.

Now for some old walls.

A bottle window.

Woven cane.

Some natural forms. I love tree roots, which are often twisty and gnarled and interesting.

I once knew someone who kept bees and they started a new colony outside of the hive, and they built the combs into wonderful organic and curving shapes. I took loads of photos of these.

I also have a vast folder containing all the photos I took in Romania. I separated out the more conventional holiday snaps and views, and kept the rest in a different folder – textiles, wood carving, architectural details etc. There is a wealth of material there and I am looking forward to getting stuck into that! It is such a rich culture with the most beautiful folk art in all its forms.

So far I have been concentrating on my current limited palette of muted, neutral colours.

Botanicum book

Last Friday we went to Castle Drogo, one of our local National Trust properties. It’s several years since I have been there. It has recently undergone major repair work because of serious water infiltration, and the whole structure now looks magnificent again – and beautifully clean! My hubby went while the scaffolding was still up, and had a tour of the renovation work – at that time only limited numbers were allowed through at any one time, and only in the company of a guide. I didn’t go as it wasn’t very accessible at that time, with opportunities to climb up the scaffolding inside, to see the work inside the roof!

I shall be doing a blog post about our visit once I’ve sorted through the photos. The castle is full of absolutely fabulous treasures and as you can imagine, I took loads of photos! So much art inspiration everywhere… Pattern, decoration, texture…

At the end of our day we spent some time in the gift shop, and I stumbled across this most magnificent large format book entitled “Botanicum.” It is full of stunning plant illustrations in the style of the old herbals. I instantly fell in love with this book and realised its potential for art inspiration!

The large format pages have tastefully arranged images showing clearly the characteristics of various plants. Many of the pages are monochrome, with the illustrations in white against a plain coloured background. These are particularly striking. I think it would be fun to try and create some images like this.

Illustrations like these bold pictures in the book would make gorgeous focal points in art journals and collage pages.

Beginning with the end papers:

Other pages with this monochrome theme:

and some multi-coloured ones on a black background which are very striking.

Most of the pages are like the following examples.

Isn’t it absolutely glorious? I never cease to be amazed at the astonishing diversity of God’s beautiful creation!