Keeping Christmas

 I have written on this blog before about the skills of Charles Keeping, one of my all time favourite illustrators, so this is a good opportunity to use one of his magical books to spread the joy of the season.
Back in 1967 Charles Keeping won the Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustrating. The BBC then asked him to produce the stills for the Christmas morning edition of Play School in 1968, subsequently published in book format. The reader that day was the late Roy Castle and although I was 14 at the time, he is a performer I remember well from my childhood, mainly for his long running Record Breakers shows.

I remember picking this book up for pence in a charity shop and thinking how lucky I was to find another Keeping jewel. Look at his wonderful graphic marks and composition. The photo below is of the end pages from the book and the others are a selection hopefully showing the energy and verve of his drawing. I think the cover showing a breast feeding Mary was definitely ahead of its time.

Taking the book off the shelf is as near as I've got to Christmas so far this year although I made a few cards and  I did lug that turkey home from the shops this morning so something is happening! The book reminds me that is a time for children and a time for reflection. As I write this we are sat through yet more rain and yet more high winds, not exactly the weather I'd have wished for to celebrate the Winter Solstice. I'd have liked a crisp cold snap of weather to make it feel like Christmas just like when I was a lass. Still, we live with what we're given and I have a lot to be thankful for, so let me just say Merry Christmas to anyone reading this. Best wishes for the season and the year ahead.

I remembered the camera......

 Today was the final book making workshop of the year and I made lots of samples of the cross structured binding which everyone attacked with gusto. They scoffed when I said they could easily make two books each today but then went and did exactly that. Some were still stitching the second one as they went out of the door but I know they will be finished quickly. Everyone loved the feel of this chunky little book in the hand and I foresee a few being made for Christmas presents. As I finally remembered the camera I want to share the fruits of their labours.

 Cynthia

 Halina

 Jennifer and Diana

 Sheila

 Catherine

 and last, but by no means least, Maggie, who had to leave early after finishing this colourful book from Khadi paper and a watercolour paper cover. Can't wait to see the next one.

As for me, I floated a few ideas for workshops next term. I suggested the Secret Belgian Binding but when I told them it was all about precise measuring and accurate stitching etc the idea seemed to pall for them. Back to the drawing board for 2016 then and perhaps a few workshops in some other venues. More info to follow in due course. Thanks everyone for your efforts this year. Great books and great company!

In out, up down, repeat

 I am enjoying a lull in what has been a hectic few weeks. Last week disappeared in a blur of sampling and preparing for three consecutive days of workshops. First one was my lifelong learning group on Friday  for a day of making books from just one piece of paper utitlising different folding and cutting formats. We employed mark making techniques and collage etc and some of their results were amazing......but I forgot to take the camera....

... then I spent the weekend with the Pembrokeshire Embroiderers Guild making books focussing on stitch techniques they were familiar with for decorative spine work. We worked with buttonhole stitch, running stitch and cross stitch as well as versions of chain stitch culminating in coptic stitch bound books. They worked hard and I did take the camera this time but forgot to actually take any pictures! Seems like I've forgotten how to do this blogging malarkey. They produced some beautiful books, going home with the knowledge now to mix and match the stitches and design their own spine patterns. That was my plan anyway, so I'm hoping to see the responses in a future workshop.

One more bookmaking workshop to go before the end of term and perhaps I might call it a day then and concentrate on my own stuff for next year.

 I'm making a note now though to remember to take the camera so that I can show their output and do their work justice!

What month is it?

 Hey, where did October go? I was here but I was obsessed. Working on a sketchbook project with my Shropshire art group took me back to spoons.... an obsession I had a few years ago. I thought I had got it out of my system but it has got worse as I'm now addicted to kitchen utensils of all sorts. My husband says I have developed utensilitis and that there's no known cure. I just have to go with the flow until something else takes my mind off them. I care not as I have had a fabulous month, drawing, painting and even making spoons out of wire etc and there are worse things to be addicted to.

 I've enjoyed painting with watercolour but it always comes back to the drawing for me.This has been the year that I vowed to improve my drawing and I've been doing lots of practice in my sketchbook. Handles are my current thing as you can see above. Yesterday I decided to try the grid technique for upscaling. This drawing below is from a photo I found  of some utensils and I am itching to carry on today with it.

 In between the drawing I have been teaching a few workshops and preparing for others as well as doing a couple of one day ceramics courses on offer at the local art college. I spent one day handbuilding pots and they have been fired and the next day was a raku tile firing day.
 I loved the serendipity of this process and we were a large group with a lot of tiles. Of course one had to get broken didn't it? Typically, it was mine but that's life. It wasn't about what I brought home for me. It was all about the process and I enjoyed it.

Along with three others from these two one day courses I'm now doing a five week evening course on ceramic surface decoration. I signed up to all of them for fun but I am now keen to see how I could incorporate print onto ceramic. I want to try screenprinting but they don't do it at the college. However, they've said if I can find a way to do it, they will fire it for me.... so I'm off on another tiny obsession which might cure the utensilitis, but it will never stop me drawing. Why did I wait so long to find out - or accept and believe - that I can draw? For me to show my drawings online is a big thing so if you're inclined to comment, be kind!

Mellow fruitfulness

 This early autumn sunshine is beautiful is it not? I can't get over how wonderful the days have been in the past week or so. We've been out and about walking the beaches and noticing the change of the seasons as the sun gets lower  but nowhere is the change more evident at the moment than in my garden. After five months and two broods our resident swallows decamped for Africa on Sunday, always a sign that autumn is upon us. I'm watching seedheads and seedpods develop and ripen, already offering treats for goldfinches and chiffchaffs. The blackbirds, having eaten our plum crop this summer are now enjoying the autumn raspberries and it's a daily race to see whether we can pick them before they do. Of course we could net everything with a fruit cage but where's the fun in that?

The fig tree is overburdened and I may have already mentioned that neither my husband or I like them, so we've been picking them for a queue of friends but  losing the battle for some as they are ripening faster than we can gather them. Consequently the tree is festooned in butterflies feasting on the rotting figs and they flop about, drunk on the nectar. After a dearth of butterflies this summer in the wet conditions, we are all of a sudden overwhelmed by the number of them. I'm sure we're not alone and wonder if anyone else has noticed the same?

 There are loads of Red Admirals and Speckled Wood butterflies around and today, I caught the two Comma's (above) absorbing the heat on the wall by my kitchen window. We don't see lots of Commas so to see two was very special.

 Similarly it was special to notice a pair of goldcrests enjoying the hawthorn tree outside of the conservatory this morning. Having just photographed the butterflies I was glad I had the camera to hand but they were flitting about so quickly that the photo below was the best I could get - all very hazy and not exactly clear -

 - so it was an unhappy experience to then hear a thud as a bird flew into the conservatory window a few minutes later. When I looked out and saw the tiny goldcrest stunned on the windowsill my heart sank but we did what you're always told to do, and that's nothing. Leave well alone and let nature prevail.

Well, he/she looks a bit sad here but I can report that after about half an hour it was well enough to fly off but I thought it was touch and go for a while. The little things supposedly weigh no more than a one pence piece and are our smallest bird in the UK along with the firecrest. People often think the smallest bird is the wren but we have plenty of those around too at present and, although they are tiny, they are definitely bigger than the goldcrest.
Although the days are warm, the nights are cold so there are nowhere near as many moths around as butterflies. We have the moth trap set up for tonight to see what is on the wing.It has also been an odd year for moths so I am looking forward to seeing what we find as well as enjoying the daytime treats for a few more days yet.

More bookmarks?

 I had an e mail today to say that Bookmarks X111, the project I've taken part in this summer, has gone live. If you want to see the whole set of contributors  go here for some real treats.

In my abortive starts on the project I cut 100 heavy cartridge paper pieces that I intended to emboss. Regular visitors will know I never used them. So, they've sat in the drawer, waiting, for an idea to pop into my head. It came last weekend as I was working through some thoughts on another project about spoons and utensils. Just when I thought my cutlery obsession was in remission....... anyway, I've been drawing spoons and on my beach walks picking up flotsam and jetsam that I think I can re-construct into spoon like objects. Sounds weird I know but I'm having great fun.

This week whilst having a clear up I did an inventory of all the rusty bits and pieces I have and then I saw spoon or spoonlike object shapes everywhere. I got those cartridge paper strips out and I've made loads of rusty 'spoons' so far. Some are useless but others have potential - for what though I can't say. I'm still thinking things through but as I've said before, there does not have to be an end result as long as my brain is ticking over.

 Today I wondered what would happen if I put that dodgy old cyanotype solution on top of the rust. I know I should throw the stuff away but I just can't. I slopped it on and didn't even let it dry as I should, putting the pieces out in the sun for just a few minutes. The weather is so warm and the sun so strong this week it just seemed like a good idea. Well, I love the results but doubt I could replicate them. The cartridge has wicked up the solution better in some places than others and I don't know if that's the rust acting as a resist or what. What do I do next with them? I have no idea other than maybe put them in the sketchbook to inform future ideas or maybe incorporate them into a book form.I am keen to add drawing to some of them too but I'm definitely going to try the same two part process on fabric now and I'm following the weather forecast to make sure this weekend's weather will do the job. I'll share the results!

Ta dah!

I have now passed on the print I mentioned in my last post - hand held through the process by my lovely friend Sue. I printed the initial proof at home and the print plate needed some altering but I'm pleased with the second attempt and he looked great and was well received.  I doubt I will take another print off the plate but I intend to do something with that as it is a thing of beauty in its own right.

This is a crow called Russell, last seen in Shropshire on my monthly visits to the art group with Bobby Britnell. Rescued as an abandoned fledgeling by Bobby's son, Russell flew all around the place, often into the classroom, where he had a penchant for pulling pencils and pens out of containers and throwing them around. He was definitely a crowd favourite but since July he has disappeared and his fate is unknown. It makes me even more pleased that I opted to make a reminder.

Our art group met this weekend and Bobby shared a sneak preview of the courses planned at Moor Hall for next year. I won't spill the beans here but there are some fantastic tutors coming and a new opportunity to sign up to some mentoring sessions is included in the programme. The mentors are really top notch textile artists and I predict a  fast take up of places. People are already asking for places on courses without knowing dates or anything, such is the reputation of what's gone before. If anyone wants to know more , sign up for Bobby's mailing list and newsletter. It's worth it.
 

Drawing a line under it

 There are times when I'm sat at my desk where I challenge myself to make something from the items that are within my reach, just for the fun of it. It could be a collage, a book or a print usually. The other day I was determined to put that series of simple collagraph plate shapes to bed once and for all but as I sat at the desk I picked up a stack of 4 inch square mat board pieces. Now, I'd cut them for a sample of a stiff leaf binding that I was making and they were left over so I browsed the mess that is my desk and also eyed the sheets of ring re-inforcers and sticky labels stacked there too.

The quickest idea is usually the one that's uppermost in your mind and of course,that's the tea bowl/pot shape in my case, so I made another two collagraph plates.  I can't look at these subsequent prints without knowing the circular motifs are those ring re-inforcers but what I enjoyed most was using the shiny sheet that's left when the rings are removed. I used it as a background to the print above and the finish repelled the shellac sealer and gave me some interesting effects when viscosity inked. It seemed to pool in the unseen holes and almost looks like a deconstructed screen printing effect to me.

After making these two plates enough really is enough and I need to move on. Other things are in my head and gestating on the printmaking front. I recently made these two prints exploring copper sulphate etching and they serve to show that I obviously have a bit of a 'circle' thing going on whether it comes from a manufactured shape or via my own hand. I have some ideas to develop my mark making repertoire on aluminium and I've been playing with some unusual resists which I'll share another time.

I also spent a great day last week with my friend Sue working on a collagraph plate that is intended as a gift for someone. It's under wraps at present in case she reads this blog although that's unlikely.... but it's also under wraps because I can't get it to look how I want it to. I'm going to try printing it again tomorrow and seeing how to improve it. Wish me luck!

Don't think, just make.....

 You're probably looking at the above picture and thinking what on earth has she got in that bowl? Nothing but a hefty solution of Lapsang Souchong is the answer. I think I used the last 12 or so teabags in the box to tone some cyanotypes that I produced on Saturday afternoon.
I'd intended to do some printing but that plan went awry so I took advantage of some great sunny weather and made a few more cyanotypes with the dodgy solution that I made last year. Now every time I use it ,  it gets less and less predictable and I know I should throw it away but I can't seem to let it go. Somehow the imperfections of the process are what I am enjoying. I don't care that the blue isn't deep or that's it's patchy, I just love using it. Of the few that I made, one was a book cover I'd already constructed from watercolour paper and it turned out OK but I decided to try and tone them instead.

 Firstly I made a solution of washing soda to bleach out the iron in the blue but that did nothing so I resorted to good old household bleach  which turns the prints into yellow and white, although as you can see above, my book cover held on to some of the blue and it doesn't look that yellow! The results were not promising at this stage but then I placed them in the tea bath and  they all turned various shades of brown. As my whites were not that clear to start with there is not much definition between the lights and darks but I still like the random patchy effect of it all.

 Time now to make the book with the constructed cover and I'll probably do the same with the others after I've given them a coat of acrylic wax just to liven them up a little. I'll show the books when they are finished but that will be next week as I went back to the printing press today instead.

 I was intending to print some copper sulphate etchings but I  again got sidetracked with a simple little collagraph plate that I made recently.
I had a large A2 drawing that I cut into squares at random to see what serendipitous images I'd get and this was one of the shapes I was left with so I decided to make the simple plate as it reminded me of a tea bowl. Then my husband said he preferred it the other way up looking like a pot so that's where these will stay.... for now. I quite like them either way and have had  fun messing about with different viscosity mixes of ink all day. I think I've done about 20 prints and some are disastrous, whilst others have possibilities. Quite a few look like they will be interesting to draw into later or use for collage so I'll let them dry and go from there.

Today has been one of those days that remind you it's not about perfect outcomes. Unless you get out there and make something you'll end up making nothing. The majority of today's play will come to nought most probably but I feel itching to get back up there tomorrow and do some more. The last thing I did was print a couple of plates in metallic ink and then paint them immediately with indian ink to see if it would resist. Might work, might look rubbish but could be brilliant. Who knows? Whatever the result, it will lead my thinking onwards. Surely that can't be bad?

and he has picked.....

The draw was made by my husband this morning for the book and it is on its way to Australia. Look out Fiona, it will be posted in the next few days.
Thanks to  everyone for their comments. I appreciate them. Sometimes I wonder why I'm still writing this thing after so many years. My output diminishes year on year but I still can't quite give it up. I still love reading and commenting on the small number of blogs that have been in it since the early days, people I've never met, yet consider good friends. Long may it continue. I can't promise another 500 posts but I'll keep a giveaway up my sleeve for another milestone number. Many thanks again.

Paying it forward with a giveaway

 A few posts ago I wrote about the trials and tribulations of my offering for this year's Bookmarks Project organised by Sarah Bodman at the Centre for Fine Print Research. After trying out some cyanotypes and some embossed lettering ideas which I felt had not hit the mark I opted for a crop from a conte drawing of mine and printed my 100 bookmarks digitally.

Well this week I received my full edition of everyone's bookmarks in the project, including one of my own of course to make up the set. It was just like Christmas when I opened the package and I have spent ages looking through them and following up the artists who've signed with an e mail or website address. They are a rich set of original prints, drawings, re-purposed book pages and clever digital work. I am a lucky girl and hope I can join in again next year too.

 Of course, now I have the luxury of hindsight and seeing other people's take on the brief, I realise I was reading it too literally. I could have easily continued with the embossed bookmarks and offered them up so next time I shall yield to my instincts and go for it. No idea is wasted though is it? At the time of the bookmark printing I used the cardboard letters to emboss a few pages of Khadi paper and I subsequently used them as end pages and internal pages within a book I made as a sample for a workshop. I now come to the bit about paying it forward as it is time I did my giveaway for reaching 500 posts since 2009. Well, in truth, I'm a few over but let's not split hairs.......

The book is A6 in size and made up of handmade Khadi cotton rag paper. The surface is slightly rough and it will take water based media to use as a small sketchbook or notebook. It is sewn over tapes and is a bit floppy as so many people have handled it but it holds chunky in the hand and would look great filled to the brim with someone's creativity. The cover is a wallpaper sample of tiles from Deborah Bowness and if you'd like to have it just leave a comment below and say so. I will leave the post up for a week to 10 days and then ask my lovely assistant to pull a name out of the proverbial hat. Once done, I'll post the winner here and they can get in touch via e mail with an address. Hope that sounds a good idea and I hope someone puts their hand up for it!