Sketchbook practice on happy colours page

A little bit more link love

Daisy Yellow is continuing her Link love mission and I am continuing to join her. There are so many amazing people doing so many amazing things, why wouldn’t you want to know about them? I also think it’s a great idea because sharing is fun. Sharing is encouraging. Sharing helps us grow. I receive so much encouragement and inspiration from the blogs I read and I wanted to give some encouragement back by sharing them today. So, here goes:

Beth Morey writes an honest, creative blog. I love that she acknowledges her faith, that life has pain and creativity in the midst of all of that.

Art journalist is a great site for techniques, lettering for art journaling and other fun stuff.

Erin Leigh makes gentle, beautiful and touching art. The words of her blog have deep impact too. Very grateful for her sharing.

Mary Beth Shaw‘s current post has a link to a video about women making art. It’s fascinating and well worth a little look.

 

Here’s the link to Daisy Yellow

Diane of Crafty Pod is hosting the link love mission this month, so check her out too! What fun. And I mean real fun!

There’s my 5 happy favourites this month. I hope you get some enjoyment from them. Feel free to share the link love too! JP

Gelatine plate printing

Just thought I’d give a little insight into my gelatine plate printing. It is such a fun way to print patterns and textures onto paper, newspaper or anything you like really. I really like a paper I found at my local art shop, that is almost like tissue paper but a bit stronger when wet. They called it greaseproof but it’s not like what mum used to wrap our sandwiches in. Much nicer. I think it’s called deli paper in the US.

But I have digressed. So first step is to mix up the gelatine. I used a local brand and followed the instructions. This made a rather thin mixture but it worked ok to print on. Previously I made the mixture with extra gelatine powder. and the plate was quite strong. This meant that I could used it to make more prints than the plate I use to make prints  in the following examples.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of gelatine in 100ml of hot water and then add 4ooml of cold water. I found this has to be done fairly slowly otherwise lumps and bubbles form. No matter though…

…a simple sieving removes lumps and…

 

 

…a skewer removes the bubbles!

The benefit of a thinner solution means less bubbles in the mixture.

I tried to remove the plate from the disposable tray but it wasn’t a good idea. In the end I cut or tore the paper to fit the tray. I guess that is the benefit of the Gelliarts gel printing plate.

I used acrylic paint and a circle stencil to create these patterns – using a roller to roll out the paint on the plate. Each paint rolling prints 2 pages, after that I got ghost prints. These were ok and might be ok for collaged backgrounds – I will let you know.  And I used one of my favourite bits of recycled equipment – bubble wrap!

I got quite a few prints from my plate but at the end it had deteriorated so much that I had to throw it out. I did make two plates, used one and kept one in the fridge for another day. It lasted about 5 days, which I thought was quite good.

 I did use fairly random colours – not happy ones I don’t think but they will be good for generic backgrounds. More about that some other time.

I love gelatine plate printing, can’t wait to do some more! Have you had a go? Would love to see what you’re up to. JP

 

Happy colours are as good as putting on good music.

This week has been full of interesting things. On a world scale, things that shock and stun and leave one feeling almost helpless. On a personal level there have been some disappointing happenings and some of us in our family being ill. And it just seems to be dragging on forever. Sometimes I’m not sure how to deal with these things but I think most of the time I have to just keep going. Trust in the One who has brought us this far. Trust that He will take us on further.

I guess there are other ways to to keep on keeping on – counting blessings, writing down the good things of the day before (no matter how small), exercising, being creative, putting on good music.

Today I discovered that my colour choice makes a difference. As good as putting on good music. Maybe better.

This afternoon, even though I really was feeling rough, I sat down in my little art room and got out colours that always make me smile. Some that I have never used before – fluorescent pink for instance. That was my base. I would never had used it had it not been for Roben-Marie Smith who sent my mum a bright, happy piece of mail art. It was part of her 1:2 project. So thank you Roben-Marie!

I also love this picture because of all the paint that has gathered on the hinge of my journal. It feels like I’ve worked really hard in it and that it is well loved.

So this page began as “I need happy colours” and moved into happy shapes cut out from gelli plate printed papers. What better happy shapes than flowers?

By the time I had nearly completed this page I had painted myself happy! Sometimes I work through the ‘stuff” with colours that fit my mood such as black and grey and red and that is quite cathartic too. But today needed to be a happy colour day. I still have more to do on this page, it will have a layer of gesso over it and some doodling, but for now, as it is, it is making me smile. Hope it makes you smile.

Imagine what would happen if I used happy colours and played happy music too!? JP

ps. Today I’m pondering Psalm 30:5 …sing your hearts out to God! Thank him…the nights of crying give way to days of laughter.

(my paraphrase)

Geli printing – what fun!

Happy Mother’s day and food for thought…

A lovely day spent with family and afternoon tea with Mum! Creativity expressed in different ways today.

But I know not everyone gets to have a special day like I have just had.

Our church has been following some Australians in Bali who are on death row for drug smuggling. It’s a confronting issue and one that should not be ignored. Here’s a link to a story in the Australian newspaper, if you are interested. The thought that these mums are not having a lovely mother’s day because their sons are on death row is a thought that makes me quite uncomfortable. One day they may have to say goodbye to their children. And they don’t know when.

And here’s a link to Amnesty international so you too can sign the petition to call on the Australian Government to support Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in their appeal for clemency from the death penalty. These guys have acknowledged that they have done the wrong thing and they realize they need to reap the consequence of their actions and thus serve time in prison.  I know that it is a complex, emotional, political and controversial situation but isn’t there a place for mercy in this world?

Hope this is food for thought. Blessings on you today! JP

More link love

I know it’s May and Daisy Yellow’s link love project was for April, but I felt that because I had only one link love post in April I ought to do one for May. ( And then I discovered Tammy is continuing her mission through May – Hooray!) After all there are so many inspiring Artists and Crafts people blogging their creative life, who willingly share thoughts and ideas – why not keep the creative circle going?!