Sketchbook challenge: Februaruy

The new sketchbook challenge theme for February is Opposites. 

To start the month I have made a title page using water colours and pen.

Title page for February

Opposites

Entry for February 2nd

Opposites:Young and old

Entry for February 3rd

Opposites: Organic and geometric

Entry for February 4th

opposites:Opposites attract

Entry for February 5th

Opposites:Positive and negative



quilt challenge-52 cards in a year

Week 36

I am now caught up on my cards.  Having everyone back at school has certainly helped.

This card is based on a sketch I did yesterday in the sketchbook challenge. 

I have looked at the opposites of geometric and organic in this page. 

It is made from cotton fabric.  The pattern was crayoned on then diluted textile paint was

painted over the top.  The piece was then iron and stitched.

quilt challenge-52 cards in a year

Week 35

This card today is made with a shadow quilting technique.  I started with a batik fabric.  I painted the flowers on the fabric different colours.  I used watercolour paints.  Not to good if you are going to wash your work but as this is only going to be kept as art work it didn't matter.  Then I layered a gold fabric over the top and stitched around each of the flowers.  Inside two of the flowers I placed beads.

Shadow quilting is a technique that can be used to dull down a fabric behind,  capture items inside, to mute down painting,  to stuff,  put wool into etc.  This technique is only limited by your imagination.  the top layer needs to be see through for this techniques to work.

I've also seen this technique used on cushions.  The quilting on the cushion was done in a grid form and filled with beads of all different colours and textures. When you move the cushion the beads all move around to form new patterns with in each grid. 

quilt challenge-52 cards in a year

Week 34

This next card is made using mono printing once again.  this Time I used my finger to remove the paint off the glass to create a outline of a flower.

This card is made from red and blue textile paint mono printed.  It has been machine quilted with orange, red and blue thread.

quilt challenge-52 cards in a year

Week 33

I am catching up on my challenge after time away and getting my children all back to school.  This weeks art card is a mono print of a buckle that I have created a sun out of.  Mono printing is a neat and very simple method of printing. Paint is layered thinly onto a glass plate and rolled out with a brayer.  Then an object is placed onto the painted surface.  Paint will be removed leaving an negative impression that won't be transferred onto to material being printed.

This piece is monoprinted with red and blue textile paint and the quilted with blue and orange-red thread.

Opposites

As I have been contemplating the new theme, opposites,  for the sketch booking challenge this month I have thought about the opposites in the world of weather and natural disasters.........still/shaky,  dry/wet.....calm/stormy....upright/flattened......water/flames....cold/hot......snow/sun  

The earth provides so many extremes and opposites.  Australia are going through so many opposites at the moment.  In part there is drought,  another flooding,  storms and bush fires.

This site contains some wonderful photos of those extremes.
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/?source=NavPhoHome


Opposites are in all parts of our lives.  Sad/happy......joy/depression.....up/down.....life/death....plenty/few.....hot/cold......love/hate......on/off.......in/out....
good/bad.......  Opposition is important in our lives.  Without one we cannot know the other.  We gain understanding of the opposite by experience and learning. 

In art work, opposites are important in expressing ourselves more coherently and expressively.  Thick/thin....rough/smooth.....organic/geometric....complementary colours.....dark/light.....heavy/light....balance/unbalanced.....symmetrical/asymmetrical....positive/negative.

I am going to try this month to use these opposites more in my art work.  Hopefully as I practice in my sketch book the theme of opposites it will in turn help provide more depth in my quilts.

sketchbook challenge

Entry for January 28th

Highly prized: Art supplies

Entry for January 29th

Highly prized: My camera

Entry for January 30th

Highly prized: Insects

Entry for January 31st

Highly prized: My brain

Entry for February 1st

Highly prized fine architecture and the temple