52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 44

A yarn about yarn. Collage with knitted fabric scraps, toothpicks and a glittery star sticker. Decorated with watercolour and Sharpie inks on A3 watercolour paper. Typed word balloon in Pages on La Carta Weave paper. Note how the knitter is already wearing the garment she is making.

Week 44: Yarn

Update:

With my big ball of string [er yarn], I can do anything... Inspired by the Marion Holland book. Design created on black "scratch paper", which comes in a pack of five sheets (plus tool) for $2.50 from a bargain shop.

Week 44: Yarn II

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 43

Collage of ingres paper, feathers, ribbon with black Stained Sharpie ink. Weird coincidence that the ribbon had a similar pattern to the feathers!

Week 43: Bird

Update:

Sulphur-crested cockatoo in watercolour, on A3 watercolour paper. Feeling very proud as I used confident brushstrokes - and no pencil guidelines!

Week 43: Bird II

Eastern rosella in watercolour and a few touches of black Sharpie and white Signo ink. No pencil guidelines!

Week 43: Bird III

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 42

Crayon resist jellyfish and sand, acrylic blue wash and collaged fish (using junk mail pamphlets and paper patty pans).

Week 42: Under the sea

I knew I was going to use patty pan cases as scales/fins several weeks ago, and I knew i had several packets and leftovers in the pantry. But most of them turned out to be plain white and a few were silver on the outside and white on the inside. White-spotted red and green cases wouldn't have been my first choice, but who can argue at 11.30 pm? The glossy junk mail pamphlet that became the school of silvery fish was for a set of free chromed boules (if I bought a case of wine). I love the randomness of the lines and reflections!

Update:

Black Artline finepoint ink, watercolour, silver-coated chocolate balls and ground pepper for a little extra texture.

Week 42: Under the sea II

I have memories of a breakfast cereal toy (Plonky Piano in the Neptune's Seaweeders band) who looked a little bit like this, but I also caught an interview with comedienne Jenny Slate, on Letterman the other night, talking about her original character, Marcel the Shell with shoes on, and that got my brain ticking over. Plus there's signage, which seems to be an ongoing theme for me recently.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 41

Freehand outline, cut with scissors from black card, and pieces glued down, collage-style, onto A4 white card, to enhance the face's axis of symmetry. This cutting style is called Notan.

Week 41: Black + White

Update:

People liked my giraffe finger puppet a few weeks ago, so here's a zebra. Cut from two pieces of watercolour paper, markings drawn with a black "Stain" Sharpie. One finger is draped in thin black cloth and becomes the nose:

Week 41: Black + White II

Pygar, the blind angel from Barbarella. Black Artline marker and white Signo pigment ink on watercolour paper, with real feathers collaged onto black card:

Week 41: Black + White III

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 40

This week is "Abstract". I found a grab bag of handmade paper offcuts in a discount art store, sorted them into colours and sizes, chose colours that would complement the new paint scheme in my lounge room, and then laid out an appealing design. I glued the strips and three circles onto a sheet of corrugated cardboard. The indigo sheets have gold glitter impregnated into the paper, and the yellowish sheets have swirls of a darker colour.

Week 40: Abstract

What was interesting about gluing down handmade paper: it was very obedient about butting up against its neighbours. I really enjoyed the experience. Therapeutic! When it was finished, the white wood glue had seemingly stained three of the pale cream rectangles. Perhaps the original sheet was much thinner than the rest? Luckily there were three similar pieces still in the bag, so I eventually peeled back two of the circles, inserted new rectangles over the top of the old ones with a regular glue-stick, and refastened the circles. All rather compliant and organic. Only five pieces (and the three circles) actually needed any trimming. Otherwise I simply accepted the lengths as they came out of the bag. You can play forever before committing to glue the pieces down.

Update:

Four and twenty abstract blackbirds escape from a pie. Black "Stained" Sharpie (brush tip), watercolours and collaged blackbird silhouette templates. I cut several of each at a time, then trimmed a few to make them a little more individual.

Week 40: Abstract II

And I think I shall call this next one... Blue Piles. Oil pastels on watercolour paper. Background created by squirting watercolour-tinted water from a syringe. (I did one background on wet paper and one on dry paper, but the dry worked much better.)

Week 40: Abstract III