Dancing Fans...back to my first love

In art/craft that is!
For a while I have been thinking it is time to start another patchwork project. Throughout this year I've made 3 major projects: Bernina Bling and 2 children's quilts, so I didn't abandon quilting altogether. This remark in response to what I get asked every so often: " Don't you quilt anymore?"
Back to the new project. I set up the following checklist for this new project:

1. This is a bed quilt: so it has to be big enough and fabrics and techniques used have to be appropriate, iow, the quilt is to be washable.
   
2. No new fabrics to buy, but I am sure I have to buy wadding.
3. Not too complex. 
4. Not boring in either technique or design
5. Some handwork. We finally solved the problem of lighting in our lounge and I can now stitch while watching TV.

While two days ago I was wondering if I could legally sell EQ6 , yesterday morning I used it to design this new quilt. Dancing Fans is the working title, I may change it yet. However, after having problems opening the program, my project is there but there is nothing in the sketchbook!!! Shock Horror!! Fortunately, the only things I really needed: the template and the layout, I had printed out. I'll have to try to reinstall and if that doesn't work, get to support.

But this is what it is:
A Fan block with 5 blades. The blades are appliqued onto a 6" background.
I am using stash fabrics.
I considered a few different options such as a colour wash quilt , but that would make it too complex.
I made one test block 

The plan is to cut the background fabrics from medium dark-dark fabrics.

Blades from fabrics in my "multi light" box

Applique a quarter circle over the end of the fan blades in the lower left corner.

"Keys that jingle in your pockets"

I skipped the 2-key practice and went straight into the 3 keys!

I worked on this for 90 minutes today, half an hour yesterday. In all, I did 2 hours yesterday. I think if I just keep drawing, I just got to get better, shouldn't I? I am also re-reading "Drawing with your artists brain".

I do understand it better now than I did when I first got it.

I don't know, maybe because my designs (except the Tarots) have always been so analytic, that's just how I think: if I cannot analyse it, I think I cannot draw it either.

The book speaks about retraining your brain...

"Windmills of your mind"

Our art group has asked the textile/mixed media artists to create a piece based on music for March 2010. That inspired me to do a drawing, based on the lyrics of  "Windmills of your mind",  at Deb's course.
Initially I was going to do a collage,  then I designed a film strip that was to show "images unwinding".
I was pretty excited about that design, but it meant that each of the images had to be drawn small, to fit into the strip. As per usual, I got to the stage where it didn't seem worthwhile, especially as I missed 2 of the classes. Also as before, I didn't like my drawings.
Today I decided to "just do it!" and DRAW. I chose "keys that jingle in my pockets". I spend 90 minutes, drawing one key and I am happy with the result. I didn't draw from life, but from a reference drawing. Next I am going to draw a key overlapping another key, then 3 keys.
I will need to forget the idea of drawing small, so I am going back to the collage, something like this
Next class is Tuesday, I want to be able to have something to show then.

Deb's new course

Deb is starting a new course: " Design, Development and Finish".
For a while I wasn't sure if I was ready for this. My realistic drawing didn't seem to be going anywhere. I didn't mind doing some bits and pieces, but I couldn't visualise anything I would want to work on for weeks.
Till last week when I decided to go with design and then apply realistic drawing techniques. I don't know if that style has a name, for the time being I am calling it "organic geometrics". In other words: geometric design that has become more fluid, more random and has perspective applied to it. LOVE Deb's "Wonkies"!
So I enrolled and it will start on the 6th October. Not sure if I will stick to graphite or go with colour, but that seems to be a decision that we will explore at the class.

What about realistic drawing?

I tried.
I really tried.
I was even successful every so often.
However, I found myself not wanting to do the actual drawing. I knew I should practice, practice, practice. I read books and articles, I tidied my work table. I downloaded a lovely reference photo of a pair of old boots, graphed it up and intended to copy it that ways, square by square.
It went OK, but I wasn't happy doing it. 
I started to think back about projects that I enjoyed so much that I couldn't wait to get back to them and I realised, I am a designer rather than a fine artist.

I love design, I love using all kinds of pencils and pens,  I love working on paper. Why fight that? Why not combine my knowledge  and years of experience of design and my newly acquired knowledge of realistic drawing?

Here is the last quilt design I did. "Spice Stars" Please note: this is 2.50m x 2.60m and has some very intricate machine quilting.
I was very happy with that design.
Working with fabric and sewing, there are many more restrictions than there are with drawing.
As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the newly formed Somerset Art Scy Inc. Each Wednesday some of the members get together to work on their art. I decided to join them and also decided I was going to work on something enjoyable.
Got my pastel paper out and pencils, but found ordinary pencils didn't work well. Got my pastel pencils out and just drew some curvy shapes and then filled them in with further shapes.
I made them go over and under to provide some depth, I LOVE overs- and -unders
It is still a work in progress: initially I coloured in very tentatively.  RS suggested that I push down harder, to get more intensity. It stuffed up my work, because the pen outline is done AFTER the pastel pencil, having to go over it again meant I had to go over the black lines again.

You can see which parts have been redone.
I put the work where I can see it, and I know now I that the shadows I put in aren't correct. I should have put shadows where the shapes cross over, so I am not sure I want to continue with it as I can see so many ways I can improve on this now.
The main thing is: I enjoyed the process tremendously.
Deb is having a new course and I'll make that a separate post.

Having a go at collage

OK, so I was all excited about finding the right technique, but being a realist, I didn't jump in immediately but got some 4" square canvasses to try it out.
The theme was to be: Kitchen. Maybe these little trials would make proper little artworks to give away or even to sell!

I printed some kitchen images from one of the Dover books. I cut them out, glued them on according to the instructions and played with some mediums ( should that be media???) and some paint.
The result is awful!
But it shouldn't be surprise. I didn't quite follow the instructions.  This seems to be an ongoing issue with me! LOL The book suggests liquid acrylics, I used watered-down tube acrylics. I didn't want to have to purchase a whole lot of new materials when I haven't even used much of the ones I have!

Not only does the book suggest liquid acrylics, everything is identified by the brand name. I am not sure you can get that brand here, but the obstacle remains: I have dozens of tubes of cheap-brand acrylics I would like to use.

Anyway: I can still paint some more over it, the ugliness is partly due to the revolting colours!
I might glue some more stuff over it and I probably need to be more aware of composition. And improve on the colour scheme!

Piano improvising

My friend Kathy lent me a book " How to play the piano despite years of lessons" when I mentioned I would like to learn to improvise. Us textile artists don't just chat about visual art!
Well, that book really changed my thinking and piano playing practice.
It claims" no need to know scales or chords" and that may well be true, but I have done scales and chords all my life, but I never knew how to apply what I knew.
As per usual, you take from instructional books what suits you. Once I understood how the chordal system applies to music, I had this lightbulb moment!
I got out some of my old song books. They are also called "Fake Books" because they have the melody line only plus the chord indicator and you "fake" the left hand. It was amazing, all of a sudden it no longer took months and months of frustrating practice to play a song!
It is now so much fun to play, I spent a few hours every day.
I have ordered another book " How to play from a Fakebook" so I can give Kathy her book back.
Thanks Kathy!