Art, Crafts and Creativity
I have always enjoyed art, but tend to lose motivation to find the time to make art and have a bad habit of getting enthusiastic for a short while and then getting too busy and ignoring my creative side. As an adult it's easy to compare my amateur abilities to accomplished artists and feel discouraged. However with the ever increasing 'art' abilities of AI I am determined to get back into art as a hobby. I find it relaxing and it feels great to create something human.
So I am starting this thread for all the accomplished and hobby artists and crafty shipmates to share about their projects and techniques and inspire each other to keep being creative when life gets busy.
My latest pursuit is water colour painting. I haven't really used water colours since school and began with some lessons on activities to teach children that I can use at work and add to my professional development hours. The course came with all the paints, brushes and some paper so I am continuing improving my skills and having fun using Youtube tutorials. I plan to get creative and paint some more original paintings once my skills improve and I get the courage to be more experimental. Today I painted a simple cat and poppies and had a go at a landscape.
So I am starting this thread for all the accomplished and hobby artists and crafty shipmates to share about their projects and techniques and inspire each other to keep being creative when life gets busy.
My latest pursuit is water colour painting. I haven't really used water colours since school and began with some lessons on activities to teach children that I can use at work and add to my professional development hours. The course came with all the paints, brushes and some paper so I am continuing improving my skills and having fun using Youtube tutorials. I plan to get creative and paint some more original paintings once my skills improve and I get the courage to be more experimental. Today I painted a simple cat and poppies and had a go at a landscape.
Comments
And an interesting thread where we can't easily share images.
I've started drawing with biro. I find it freeing as I can't rub out so have to draw freely and loosely.
I have already made a prairie bonnet using some leftover navy blue gabardine (I made the version with the ruffles), and have dismembered an old bedsheet to make an apron. Now I'm moving onto the frock, hopefully making something I can wear again after. I have some very pretty floral fabric, only downside is that it's quite thin and transparent so I'm going to have to line it. Another bedsheet shall be dismembered for the purpose. I'm going to base it on a vintage blouse pattern from my Mum's collection, and add a layered skirt onto it. This is going to involve gathering a LOT of fabric, but I can't think of another way of enfrockifying the pattern. If I have the time and haven't lost the will to live by then, I might finish the ensemble with a frilly faux collar and cuffs.
@la vie en rouge your costume project seems amazing. I learnt to machine sew, but struggled to sew straight seems. I didn't inherit the family dressmaking skills, unfortunately. I have enjoyed cross stitching in the past, however.
I started cross stitching when I was 20 and must have done hundreds of pieces, mainly because many of them are quite small.
At present I am stitching bookmarks to sell at the local Community library. One of the first ones I designed was for a friend and was based on a sign outside a local bookshop that said - " I'm a novel lover but I'm booked for the night".
Years later I spoke to the owner of the bookshop and she said the words came from a printed bookmark a friend from England had sent her. Later, when I wanted to stitch the design again I discovered I'd lost it so I asked my friend if I could borrow the bookmark back - he refused, on the entirely reasonable grounds I'd probably lose it, but he said we could photocopy it. I said, "But you can't photocopy needlework". I was wrong - it turns out you can.
So that is what I'm doing with the bookmarks. I stitch one, photocopy it multiples times, back them with another piece of paper and laminate the results.
As the bookmarks are only two pieces of paper and the plastic thick they don't strain the spine of the book as a fabric bookmark might.
My latest design I backstitched both as a wall hanging for my cat's vet. and a bookmark. It depicts the rear view of a cat with a raised tail, with the words 'Hissed Off" stitched underneath in red. I'm having to produce more copies than usual as people who see it at the Vet's also want a bookmark (some may want it as a wall hanging, but it will only be available as a bookmark unless they stitch it themselves).
Here is my latest spring inspired Cueva de Nerja.
https://imgur.com/gallery/la-cueva-en-primavera-GknSOD1
AFF
Aw! Not fair! Booo!
AFF
I was confused for a moment why I could see it then remembered I have my VPN on which places me in Ireland.
I'm about to go out the door with a bag full of wool and another bag of crochet hooks and knitting needles for a craft event at church this afternoon.
Me, I am determined that my retirement is going to be the opportunity to start doing some art, though I've been retired exactly a year and haven't picked up a paintbrush yet (apart from several for decorating!)
What I have done, though, is join a craft club. For £3 a week, we get to experiment with different craft activities, with all the materials provided (and a plethora of materials it is - I spend half my time just trying to decide which I like best!). There's no pressure to be good at it - we're all just experimenting together. It's currently the highlight of my week.
I have another project I really must get organised to complete. My late mum started to knit blanket squares before she died as she wasn't strong enough to concentrate on "proper" knitting, so I have a carrier bag full of squares she knitted. I decided to continue to knit more squares the same size and sew them together to make a blanket for my son's wedding - he never knew his grandma and I think she'd love for him and his husband to have something she contributed to. I need to get a move on though - he got married last October and there's still only enough to cover his knees! I blame the cat - when she's around I end up knitting as much cat into the squares as I do wool!
I've always loved the sound of your bookmarks @Huia, and think the photocopying idea is brilliant. Many years ago I was given a beautiful embroidered bookmark. Sadly I've never used it as it was a double thinkness of fabric and it was sewn with the seam up the centre of the back, which I think added to it's thickness as well. I might try making a copy of that so I can actually enjoy it!
I have a friend who is currently working casual jobs here and there, who doesn't want to fully retire, but is near retirement age. She is great at finding free and inexpensive art and cultural activities. She just invited me to a Pacific and Torres Strait Islands art and music day at our state art gallery and we signed up for a free weaving work shop with Muagal artist Paula Savage. I'm looking forward to trying something new.
11am every Monday.
Some of us do colouring books and others sketch or doodle. There are five of us, and two are Shipmates.
You are very welcome to join us, PM me for a link.
There isn't a craft room or area at EasterCon this year, but there are usually lots of people knitting, or doing embroidery or other crafty things.
I need to get back into stitching. I tend to do small projects these days as there is a chance I will actually finish them!
@Smudgie - sounds like the perfect first anniversary present!
Or... of course..... tenth anniversary
Our wonderful central library, a gift from the earthquakes, has a craft space on the ground floor on Sundays for a couple of hours. Most of the crafters are knitters or do crochet, however in the school holidays the kids' programmes seem to take over everything. I have thought of borrowing a kid but haven't found any suitable canditates.
I marvelled at the detail on some of the artwork, and I bought some cards with a haiku and a simple cut out picture stuck onto it - I might be able to make something similar myself.
I have finished Ma Ingalls. And though I say so myself, I think this is a pretty flipping epic fancy dress costume.
My daughter is very crafty and usually has several projects going at a time. Right now, she's working on a bunny cross stitch for her daughter's room. She was sitting with me in the hospital this week and passed her time by working on it. Many people came by and commented on how beautiful it is, and that they wished they could do the same. As always, she encouraged them to start by searching for tutorials on the internet!
I hope your daughter's project has inspired the visitors this week @jedijudy. One thing I love about cross stitch is it's portability. Perfect for taking out and about!
The model was amazing. She kept one pose for 2 hours! The other positions were shorter in time, but very challenging.
I learnt a lot. Lot the artist who was teaching us was very professional.
I'm glad to say my drawings were as good as anyone's!
I design, make and fly little model jets. These include the Hawk trainer used by the RAF Red Arrows team.
My latest acolyte/colleague wants to progress from my simpler designs and make one. I'm really chuffed as he he is himself ex-Red Arrows team.