El Topo Illustrado (Cristian Turdera) II

A lovely happy illustration by  El Topo Illustrado (Cristian Turdera), have a great weekend.

Thornton Walker I

Watercolour paintings by New Zealand artist Thornton Walker. Thornton's work is very diverse in style medium and subject. These watercolours from 2007 are from a year when he worked repeatedly from fruit and these particular still life objects producing paintings that have a strong Japanese influence their composition. (thank you)

Squeak Carnwath I

Squeak Carnwath  is a contemporary American artist whose paintings are like collages of contemporary life, like pages of a journal they mix, statements, dreams, observations, graffiti and findings in a cocktail of ideas and communication.
Thank you

El Topo Illustrado

I love these gentle illustrations by El Topo Illustrado (Cristian Turdera) with subtle bits of collage and tape adding to the image. Cristian Turdera is an Argentinian illustrator with an extensive portfolio of published works, this latest endevour is published via twitter.

Printing Using Polystyrene Packaging

I haven't done this for ages but I wanted to pass this technique on just in case you didn't know of it. Yesterday I showed my students printing using polystyrene pizza bases. 

This is a cheap, effective and quick way of making relief prints using recycled pizza packaging. 
The polystyrene is very receptive to imprints, so anyone including small children is able to make a printing block using this material.

You can cut the polystyrene to what ever shape and size that you want, using a craft knife or scissors. 
Here I wanted to make two blocks that interlocked so that I could have two distinct colours in my print. 
You draw the lines that you want, or stipple, cross hatch etc using a biro or sharp pencil. 
As long as you can feel the imprint with your finger then it will print.

Above: you can see the inked block and the first print. 

I used block printing inks and a roller but you can use acrylic paint and brushes. 
Roll or paint the ink/paint onto the block, once inked  place on the paper. I always like a wider border at the bottom, like when you are framing a picture and try to place it centrally. 
It is important to  keep your hands clean so you get a clean print. 
Turn and rub from the paper side (friction on polystyrene can burn) be careful not to move the block on the paper surface. 
Peel the paper back on one corner to check that you have transferred enough ink.

Below you can see the red riding hood printed in red to complete the image. 
When you have finished printing for the day you can wash your block to use again, if you want to. 

Below: finished print on left and blocks on right.

Bella and Bellissimo

It was also lovely this weekend to spend time and make Freya a toy. This time it was a friendly cuddly female version of the family cat Bellissimo. This is Bella complete with red dress and soon to have a mouse rucksack. 
For me this is what the Christmas holiday is all about not all that crazy running around shops.

Playing with whiskers

The cat who lives with us (Bellissimo) has whiskers like porcupine quills and Freya and I have been collecting them for a while now. 
This weekend Freya was under the weather and it was the last days of the holidays so  . . . time to play. 

Carol Hopper II

Carol Hopper also draws incredible portraits often of those on the fringes of society, from criminal photo shoots to castaways and down and outs Carols work captures photo real faces but with the empathy and soul of hard earned observation and rendering.

Carol Hopper I

Stunning drawing from American self taught artist Carol Hopper. Her drawings make the mundane extraordinary in their detail and finish and soulful observation of forgotten details. Thank you

Rose Wylie I

Rose Wylie was born in 1934 her work is inspired by an eclectic range of sources including news stories, celebrity gossip to Persian miniatures and everyday observations. Her work is lively, varied and exciting, full of life and excitement, raveling in the freedom of age. 

Alžběta Skálová III

A wonderful battlement of a camel by Alžběta Skálová. 

Alžběta Skálová II

Alžběta Skálová's beautiful sloths to remind us all . . . to just enjoy 'being' this year.

Alžběta Skálová I

I was drawn to research Alžběta Skálová after finding a wonderful family of sloths. I am very happy to have found her as she has made an award winning children's book, Pampe a Šinka from old holey socks, she has genius creativity and humor. Thank you

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Good morning and a very Happy New Year to you all. I wish you a healthy 2014 full of love and joy XXX