Fabric Batik

So, I gathered up some tools...measuring things, notes,  

and I dug out the beginner's kit + some extra dyes,

and I found my prewashed ready to dye 100% cotton big cover up I bought at the thrift shop a while back.

And I made sure I had a clock handy to time the process.

I mixed up two dyes, one dark green and one lemon yellow and put them in two tubs.

After stamping and playing in wax to make patterns on the hoodie, I put half of it in the green dye and half of it in the yellow dye.

Here is a close up of the stamping starting to show through the dye.

As the fabric stayed in the dye, I agitated it every few minutes with a big spoon.

Once the time was up, I added some soda ash and let it keep dying for another 30 minutes.  Then took the hoodie to the sink and rinsed it thoroughly and hung it up to dry.  Then I ironed the whole shirt using unprinted news print to remove as much was as possible.  Then into the washer and this photo is what it looks like now.

This is the back... it still has the wax on it here...

This is the front still waxed and wet...

So, I rather like this shirt.  I will see if I still like it when I try it on tomorrow when it all dryed and ironed.  

The batiking was a fun project.  I learned a few things like metal things put the wax onto the fabric best.    I am going to just dye some fabrics now, with out the batiking.  It will be much easier.  I like the idea that I can overdye another color so I am going to try that too.  

Dying takes patience which I know I don't do well with.  I have found that if I can switch to another project while I wait for things to dry, or in this case dye, I do better.  So, while I waited for the dye bath timing, I worked on another cloche using two colors of very soft cordoroy.  It turned out fun!

And I also gave the deep purple cloche a dip into hot water and put it on the hat block ball so when it dried, I could give it a shot of the felt hat stiffener.   

I like this hat.  I think a nice broch on it will be nice.  Or a little green frog, lol.

So, today I feel pretty good about my creative endeavors!

Getting Clocher...Er, I Mean Closer

I really like the look of the 1920's cloche hat.  Recently I found a "reproduction" pattern for them.  I have been playing with my wool pieces, trying to make one that fits me "just right."

My first effort is made from an aqua and purple wool felted sweater.  I love this sagy green and the purple is okay.

I had to trim the brim and I added a flower to embellish it.  I am not too sure I am done with this yet.  I think some more embellishing might be in order...just have to figure out what that will be.

The hat is a bit too long.  The crown does not sit right down on my head like I wanted it to do.

This is a very deep purple upcycled piece of wool.  Nice, it almost looks dark navy blue. I took an inch off the bottom of the crown pieces.

It fits me much better.  I need to block it now and add the embellishments.  

I am going to try another one soon...

I think the felted wool fabric makes perfect cloches!

And, am also playing with rocks, lol.  I know, nothing new in that, he he.

Altered Book-A Woman of Property

I fell in love with altered book making about eight or so years ago.

 I have always loved books... they are my very best of friends and always have been.  My mother taught me to turn to reading for all the ups and downs life sends me.  She always said "friends will come and go, but a good book will always be there for you."

 So, when I discovered the idea of altering a book I dived right in.  I did not do a very good job, although I do still have my very first altered book.  But, when I was in Vegas a couple of years ago, I saw some books that had been sawed into shapes. (Sorry, it has been to long for me to remember who had those books).  But, since I always have a plethora of books around I sawed a few thinking I would see what I could make of them.

 Nothing, they are still in the cupboard waiting to be altered.  But, I read this book called A Woman of Property, by Mabel Seeley.  It was not a very good book per se, but I did relate to the main character in that she worked her whole life to become a woman of property thinking that that would make her become "one of them", especially for the man she loved who belonged to the upper eschelon of the area, so they could be together.

 It did not work, poor soul.

  I could feel her drive and her pain... I think I tried to become something I was not for so many years, trying to fit in, to please, to belong.  My main objective was to be number one, the chosen one, in the eyes of another.

 It did not work for me either.

Any way, the book moved me and so I took a profile from a magazine, drew out the ladies head, cut the book into that shape.  I then removed many of the pages, glued the remaining ones together to make a few  heavy pages.  If you have ever done this you know the book gets a bit soggy and it takes a while for it to dry.  I kept the book around my studio, and every once in awhile I would find something to put into it.  Not much but a few things I added.  The vintage sequined piece I put on the front because it reminded me of something rather pretentious.  The edges of the pages were ugly so I added beads to them.  I wired a row of pearls on one, I sewed a red seed bead necklace to one, and  I sewed some blues one on another.  Then the book was forgotten.  But this last week or so, I picked it up again and beaded the other pages.  Now, I am ready to finish it.  I think it is looking pretty good so far

I am now going to add somethings about "being yourself" to the pages...

The sequined head dress and bead edges are lovely...but don't change the fact that the book was boring, lol

Once in a while I added a few background papers to some of the pages...

The section titles I liked so I made sure they were left when I was cutting out the extra pages...

First sight and second sight were the two parts of the book... that seems to point me towards something...

Sometimes I empty brushes from another project, or a piece of tape...

The silver paint left over from another project gives the woman a face...

Each time I work on this book, it reminds me to forget those who don't already value me as a part of their world...

Journaling, Collaborating, Collaging

Do you ever happen on someone's blog, and you just have to give their technique or idea a try.  I do that often.  Today, I worked on some pages from this lady's blog:  http://katthorsen.wordpress.com/

I will be interested to see where her journal prompts take me.  This first scan is the result of prompts 1-3.  I  combined them all into one.   You are to start with free conconcious writing.  Then you list the words into negative and postive lists.  Then you make a drawing of a heart, and add words to the heart drawing...the words you have used that really affect your heart.  I still have to add the words.  I started with a gessoed spread, then wrote on the left page and sorted on the right page.  I decided rather than do another page with the heart drawing, I would just do it on this spread.  I used my new Portfolio oil pastels and an aquabrush to do the drawing.  One thing I like about doing journal pages is you can try out new art supplies to see what you can do with them.  If they don't work out, it's no big deal.

For page four, we just did a collage, just to relax and have fun.  I had a box of black and white images so decided to use those.  Then I began adding the yellows to brighten it up.  By the time I was finished I had the distinct feeling this collage was a direct result of having lived in a foggy overcast environment for what seems like months, although it has only been a few weeks.  So this is my "looking for sunshine" spread.

It does cheer me up a bit, lol...

And my friend Lori from the sketchbook group sent me an art journal to share with other artists in a collaboration.  Here is the first page I did in it.  

The first step, I used a stencil I made from a magazine...the girls face.  I have used this stencil before and I am always happy with it's image.  This time, I used regular paintable bathroom caulking on the stencil, which gives the eye brows eyes nose and mouth a 3-D effect.  Once that was dry, I washed the face with acrylic to model it.  I keep noodling with this page.  I am not sure why.  I don't really like this but I do like it... I wanted to add some really bright colors, but that didn/t happen.  I think because my inner critic interferred.   I still might do somemore to her.  

I Won!

I don't know about you, but I am not very lucky when it comes to winning give a ways.  But, yesterday, I recieved this darling book in the mail.  I won it!  My car girls are going to love it.  It is a fun story and has great art work in it.  So, thanks for the book...from which ever blog I signed up for it.  I am ashamed to say I can't remember the blog or the name or what I had to do to win.  (my age and thyroid deficit is showing).  But I did want them to know I appreciate it and it is so much FUN to win something!

Thanks to Jenny Sue the author, and the blogger who drew my # or name!

Paper Weight Dolls

You remember the pink fairy from a couple of weeks ago?  She was the first of three dolls I planned to make.  I finally got the heads for the other two sculpted, thanks to Terri Brush's encouragement through her fantastic online class.  I have to tell, you, that my mixed media art world has expanded since I took her class here in UT, and the dolls are just one example of that.

I never considered myself a doll maker.  If you knew some of my online friends from three or four years ago, or maybe longer even, they would tell you I was adamant that I did not make dolls.  Now, lately, I seem to be making more and more of them.  I love creating unusual assemblage dolls!  I think assemblage is so much fun because you have to solve how to put unusual things together.

I call these dolls paper weights because I filled the glass globes with glass decorative globs (or whatever they are called, lol) and they would make very good paper weights.  How, would you like one of these on your desk keeping your papers from wafting around in the...um air conditioning?  JK

Or, can you just see your earrings hanging from her cute little wings sitting on your dressing table?

These plaster hearts are going along slowly... mostly because I am not sure what (and they haven't told me) they will be when they grow up.

I am still playing with felt pieces...hearts are new

but cats are old.  

I got an unexpected package in the mail.  It came from my friend Lori W over in sketchbook group and she sent me a journal.  It is supposed to be a cooperative journal.  I am to do two or three pages then send it on to someone else.  Eventually, it will return to Lori and her very special Art  Camp for Women group.  

This is the beginning of my first page.  Lori...if you see this...are you sure I was supposed to have one of your journals?  And anyone else, if you want to collaborate on this journal send me your addy via my email, and I will send it to you when I am through.  

My second in line Granddaughter, KKK,  brought me these two books today, as her Mom and her knew I was wishing for a really good book to help me get through the uglies...I am talking about our weather.  We are socked in with gray cloudy foggy smoggy absolutely no sunshine...not unusual for our area really but happening way too early in the winter cuz once it arrives it usually stays for weeks!  Nothing better than a good book to escape into!  And I really have been wanting to read this series!  So, thanks girls!

And I have played on Yearbookyourself.com site before, but it is always a fun place to play so I thought I would share with you.  I really laugh at these altered photos.  You just have to take a picture, and then you can download it and the site  makes a year book like picture of you.  I think this one is so funny... I was never a hippy, I was in the group of "too late for the fifties and too early for the hippies, lol.  

Creative Winter Cycle

Over on Creative Everyday, a guest post talks about cycles and asked "What do you to do honour and embrace your personal creative winters? " referring to the cycles of creativity we all go through.  In my head, if  the creative cycles can be attached to seasons, right now is my winter.  I have no stirrings inside to go to the studio and try this or try that.  My creative juices seem to be frozen.  But, looking at this in the light of "seasons" lets my inner critic say...wait, soon the spring thaw will come, and the creative roots and seeds will begin to grow and grow and eventually become something fruitful.  Deep breath, and thankfulness for this bit of "winter hibernation".  
Not, that I am totally NOT creating...I am just doing some art things that are just mundane...some art journaling, and a bit of embroidery on wooly things that I never finished when I was in the throes of wild abandoned creating last fall.  This is creating without an end in sight, just playing to be playing. 

 Now see, I am already loving my winter!  I keep picking up this wooly cat in the evenings and just randomly sewing on it with no definite plan in mind.  It is a happy looking little creation!

Covered in Roses

Or not!

This page today is in response to being disillusioned with something in my life.  I won't say what... as it is a personal thing.  But for a couple of weeks I have been quarreling in my head with the pros and cons of all kinds of actions.  I have finally decided to just accept the weak and unprofessional ways of some people I am interacting with, and go on with life.  The page says "Not everything in life is going to be covered with roses."  I think that says it all.  Can you see the girl covered in yellow roses?
I did a bit of journaling around the edges about the specific situation that has been bothering me.  I think I am almost to the point now, to stop the mental wrestling match, and enjoy my happy, trusting, creative life!

This is a spread that I did last winter.  I had pages of naked girl bodies (some of you might remember those) I made using a stencil.  I collaged one of those on the right.  And, a couple of years ago, milliande did a quick tute on making rose stamps using a styrofoam tray.  The yellow roses are stamped using the stamp and yellow and orange acrylics.  Yellow roses are a special to HRH...being raised in TX and all, ya'll.

I think the blue background part was tinted blue gesso with scrapings which left the lighter colored lines, where I journaled about life sending the stinky and the sweet things to us...sometimes it's a skunk and sometimes it's roses!

The blue writing is oil pastels, 

I am pretty sure that before the gesso and the roses and the collage, there was a basic colored background but it has been too long to remember. 

What I am finding is that I really do enjoy having pages ready to journal on.  This spread just happened to fit with what I wanted to say today.  

I need to get busy and do some more backgrounds!

Heh, I was going to give up creating but I haven't.  I will be posting some more cats, and ornament boxes soon.  

Back to Art Journaling

I decided to art journal again.  I think I need to.  I have some "issues" I need to work through and art journaling is the very very best way to do that!  My friend Lani, over in 14 secrets has been following the "occupy" movement, and then yesterday, she threw out the prompt of "what will you occupy?"  Or, what will occupy you?  Since, I am kind of at a cross roads of what kind of art I will be doing next, I thought I would start my art journaling re-entry with this prompt.  Thanks, Lani, for the prompt!  It is an interesting idea...something to mull around and play with mentally, as well as creatively.

Last year, I spent lots of time art journaling.  I prepped pages in several journals with gesso, and some random color...using up left overs from other projects.  Some days I just added random words or collage snippets.  Once I had located one of these journals, I sketched in the face because the last entry had a self portrait with the words, what do you do on a cold gray day?  A portrait of course.  I did not want to spend the time noodling with a self portrait per se, so I just quickly sketched in the face, painted it with acrylics, collaged things from a box of ripped out images from various sources, using my 2" punch to isolate the images I wanted to use.  I have my mom, a swallow image, myself, and a couple of other ones there.  I wrote  occupy with oil pastels, added some detail with a dark/shadow drawing pencil.  I probably will go back to this and develop it more someday.  I found the pre prepped pages to be very dry after six months or so, and I really liked the feel of them to work on.

Hope you all are having a great month!

Loose Ends Creations

I am finishing up all my projects in the studio today and tomorrow.  Then, I said to myself, I am not doing any more creations.  However, just as I am saying this, I remembered I just signed up for the Terri Brush online class.  So, I will be creating some things after all.  Hopefully, not too much.

Here is what I have been doing the last few days.

 

I so enjoyed making the previous shrine (from last post or so) from a book cover, that when I ran onto this cover I had to make another one.

The book was "Famous Poems"... very vintage.

And I had this wooden piece setting on my art desk so decided to put it ON a book cover... after I added a picture and more flowers.  I am thinking I might keep this one for awhile...

It has a secret compartment in the back...well, slightly secret, lol...

And lovely ladies on the back

And the front...

I

I finally got Catty a dress made...from a vintage dresser scarf...

She is looking finished...well, maybe a bow and a button from being finished...

And got some heads sculpted for these ladies to be...

I really thought once I finished all these projects I would just switch over to art journaling for a while.  I  am not too sure JFG Mamas is going to keep working as my selling connection and since I have no place to store creations... well, have to stop!  But, you know, if I am not creating I am really un happy so journal pages will be substituted!