a no glass ceiling

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This is something I pulled out from my art archives, LOL. Made around the turn of the century and lying unused in a box in my now almost defunct yet stuffed art closet. 

I needed something for the Small Decorations game organised by splocik and for the last 11 months I've submitted various specimens of tatted lace. For this final month, too, I had a few small pieces and a to-tat list of a few more, which I was going to put together as tree decorations to hang as simple ornaments, to cover baubles, etc. However, this value addition didn't happen when I suddenly remembered I'd never blogged about this project. Had to look through several of my containers to finally locate them, but the search did throw up so many forgotten memories!

 

These are mostly leftover glass paints on transparency sheets cut into rectangles for bookmarks. All are freehand, free-style, painting outlines directly over the bookmark and then filling with colour.

 

The black outline is not fine and even in many of them because the nozzle wasn't cooperating ...perhaps because the squeeze bottle was running low on the colour. Yet I enjoyed giving myself a free hand, LOL.

 

These bookmarks remain unused because at times the paint tends to stick to the page especially in the hot summers we have here. Would a coat of varnish help? While I didn't try varnish, I did try to cover up the painted side with cling wrap. Nah, unless laminated, the wrap just spoils the look.

A failed idea and experiment.

The box contained another painting on an A4 transparency sheet - lot more detailed and fine, but the paint has peeled off in several places. Another one has remained fine, though. My largest glass painting (a Medusa), this one on glass was framed and adorned the study for several years. Now it is wrapped up and closeted.

Would the newer generations remember what a transparency sheet is? Are they still being used for presentations or put to some other use? 

I could've punched a hole at the top and tied a satin ribbon for a tail. But I was just plain lazy to collect the materials and put in those few extra minutes and effort. Part of the reason is that these are not going to be used as bookmarks and are too long to stand in for tree decorations. Hmmm, I could cut around the outline of a few of them, though! Now that's something for next year.

So these bookmarks are my submission for December. You can scroll through the beautiful range of  November submissions here - https://splocik2.blogspot.com/2024/12/male-dekoracje-2024-galeria-listopadowa.html

As requested by splocik, above is a collage of all my submissions for the entire year (there were two submissions in October).

I had tremendous fun thinking of what to present each month! And I didn't always have to make something special, though the game was instrumental in several. Glad I could complete the game!

UPDATE: December gallery - https://splocik2.blogspot.com/2024/12/male-dekoracje-2024-galeria-grudniowa.html ; collage of year-round projects by each participant - https://splocik2.blogspot.com/2025/01/male-dekoracje-2024-podsumowanie-i-3.html

Many many thanks, splocik, for organising such a fun event in a supportive and creative way. So much talent was on display through all the submissions!

Happy holidays to one and all!

passing fancy

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As if I didn't have enough 'pots boiling', I let myself be carried away with this! I finished the 12 florets for the bracelet mentioned yesterday. And they simply called out to adorn a tree. 

Can't say how many years/decades it's been since I painted something. But this is on my laptop using a Inking Stylus Pen (a Windows inking device for HP). I've tried the pen in the past weeks for a spot of this or that, but this is my first real experience.

Took me a couple of hours of relaxed brush strokes. So little to show for it.

Requires a Huge amount of practice and patience to improve (it is so much easier to mix and merge colours in oils and water paints, and so much paraphernalia to set up). But I'm not looking for perfection - only some fun (despite some cringe-inducing areas on that tree!) ;-D And I totally forgot the shadow!!!

Oh, and this is how the 'tree' looked before. We've all seen a barren tree, but have you ever seen a missing Tree Trunk  full of foliage and flowers?! Now you've seen it all, LOL.

These are in my flag colours - saffron, white, and green.

Now I must get back to assembling them into a bracelet like a proper tatter!

quick art attack

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When I started this blog, it was meant to be about a lot of things around the home – both creative and practical. But very soon it lost it’s way becoming almost exclusively a tatting blog. Well, let’s take a break from that T word that seems to dominate my life!

Change of seasons means switching clothes and reorganizing the closets. And this time I found 2 of my art books (yes, even my clothes almirah has a huge shelf filled with books and also that T stuff – see the T invasion there?!!!) and was pleasantly surprised at some of the ‘artwork’ I found within. Totally forgotten and neglected all these years – that is the power of T! Aaargh, see there it is again! Before it manages to squeeze in further, let me quickly upload these scans.

First off, it was tough to get a good impression despite setting the scanner to highest contrast, lowest brightness and a higher resolution. I do have a tendency to sketch and colour lightly, yet it is a tad better than what shows up in these scans. I added the black 'frames' with MS Paint.

Colour pencils, June 2010

This scene is partially from some story published in a newspaper or magazine.

Sketch pens, April 2008 

This was a phase when I was watching Neil Buchanan’s show Art Attack 

and was inspired by his excellent command, creativity and quick artwork!

I made faint pencil outlines which were later erased.
Those squiggles in the base of the bowl add a cute little touch,  methinks. 

Water colours, March 2012

This is the kind of stuff I go for – freestyle. 

I’ve used the technique on greeting cards, sarees, home linen, etc.

The above 3 were done on fairly smooth A4 sheets from this art pad. 

They came loose while scanning.

The next 4 below I found within the pages of this smaller art pad 

(I’ve cut/paste the specifics in the image. click on image to enlarge).

The sheets held together during scanning.

Mixed media, April 2008

There is charcoal, chalk, crayons, & colour pencil. 

Bummer about all these light scans - 

those roiling clouds actually came out pretty good using blue chalk.

Pastels, April 2008

I’d bought a set of 24 pastels and was eager to give them a try.

Pencil, April 2008

Another of my favourite theme for sketching : bare trees (and roots)...

 with a bird (there are 2 in this sketch if you can spot them!) or solitary leaf (O Henry’s story is among my favourite) or some such to add a spot of 'life'. 

I absolutely love the way bare branches and twigs enmesh together, yet each has a distinct identity. Leaves I do like, but they mask the unspoken majesty of bare branches.

Water colours, March 2012

Trying the wash technique.

I realise they all look quite amateurish and need a lot more details/background. 

However, they were all accomplished in single sittings! 

So a nice breather from that domineering T (major oops again!!!) in blogging? 

Do you think I should organise more frequently? ;-P

who is she ?

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Couple of days back, Carollyn shared her Gamayun bird lady here, and mistook my avatar image as one, since only thumb nail images can be seen. This post shares larger images of some of my old artwork. It was my ink phase in card-making – mid-80s to early 90s. This is all original work. Hope you like it.

Silhouette In Ink

Love to doodle when idle, when waiting?

No art materials at hand ?

What about only a pen and a paper ?!

I like to doodle. I like to recycle.
Combining both interests, I made these simple cards from materials that you can find in any office, or have in your own purse. A pen & a paper !!! Let imagination do the rest.

Materials I used (everything can be changed as per what is available) :
Manila Folder (or stock paper), cut to desired size.
Ball point pen(s) - (yes, I'm old generation ;-p)
Pencil, if required, for initial sketch.

These are cards made from manila folders with a semi-soft beautiful texture when seen for real. A kind of handmade paper appeal.
I have used Ball-point pens - red & black - to color the designs, taking care to keep the strokes in the same direction.
There is an actual richness & depth of colour that may not come through, especially after so many decades !

I had this idea of creating my own brand of handmade cards and my logo read “Reaching Out” from this black silhouette. 

Many of friends and family received diverse handmade cards for several years and some well-meaning, overenthusiastic friends even bought some !

It all started with this tiny card / card topper (barely 1.5 x 2 inches):

Fluttering Dreams

"Fluttering Dreams" was initially titled "Reaching Out" ; this card is a visual representation of the logo that I use on all my cards & was on my online profile till very recently.

Shimmering Night

This is another quick card I made on an idle night. It measures less than 2x3 inches.

You know the strips that get left out when we cut stock paper or any large paper into cards? These little cards/card toppers/tags were made from those leftover strips, folded.

Notice how the strokes seem to form an enlarging circle from the center ?

TIP : Trick to good ball point pen coloring is to keep your strokes in the same direction, and maintain even & steady pressure while coloring. However, if shading is desired, then alter pressure to get lighter or darker zones. 

Expectant Love

This one in red, measures <3"x5"

In 2011 I had shared 4 of these card toppers on a site. That’s when I went on a christening spree. Collectively, I would title them "Reaching Out" - each image seems to show some kind of reaching out.

You may notice the minimalism and some symbolism. I enjoy adding some meaning to artwork.

Lightly sketch with pencil (or directly with pen) and outline with pen. 

I prefer to erase the pencil marks before continuing further

Leaning Daisies

Decide on the curvature you want for the background.

Make concentric arcs/strokes at regular distance in the chosen direction.

Choose small areas or blocks (between 2 arcs) to fill in at a time. This helps ensure evenness & control direction. It is important to keep direction constant.

Maintain even and steady pressure while filling in.

Gradually cover in the entire background.

Add any necessary details within the image.

Your silhouette ink profile is ready !

This last close-up is the one I am now using as my profile (3"x4.5") :

Shy Blossoms (or Hidden Blossoms?)

She could be a bride. (too old now!)

She could be a shy person. (nyaaah! Are you kidding me?!)

She could be someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

She could be one who enjoys working behind the ‘screen’, spreading joy – someone who loves Nature and enjoys sharing.

You tell me who you think she is ?! :-D 

Continuing on the topic of ink, here's one last card.

This is not a silhouette and neither does it use ball pens. 

I've used stippling with a fountain pen, using red & black inks.

Swaying Acorns

And a close-up … It measures less than 3”x4” ...

When I made this, I didn't even know the term was 'stippling'.

What I like about this ink art technique is that one can make it Any time & Any where - all it requires is a paper & pen !

I’ve even double-folded A4 sheets and sketched on top. Those were quite well-received at the place I worked. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those designs – mostly freehand flowers, twigs, etc.

Have a great day :-)

Art : Diwali

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Original Artwork

Looking for some quick & easy designs for Diwali greetings ?

Want to add a dash of festivity to simple earthernware diyas?

Do you enjoy the satisfaction of a handmade creation?

I

 t has been a long time since I posted anything on art ... anything other than tatting in fact ;-P

With Diwali just a few days away, I slipped down memory lane & pulled out the very few remnants of past work that have been “captured”. Unfortunately, no photographs of rangoli. No good photographs even of these cards, that look much better & color-rich in reality :-(

Nevertheless, this was part of my life journey too .... Sharing pics/scans of my original artwork.

M

 y favorite Deepavali theme/motif remains the diya ! I am always drawn to this traditional form of lighting with it’s mesmerizing & majestic flame. Probably the reason why I tend to let the flame dominate ?! And the humble earthenware red mud diya is a perfect receptacle – unassuming yet nurturing .

This humble diya is soon vanishing due to the glut of artificial fairy lights. Well, yes, they are undoubtedly cheaper and more practical ;-)

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Painted Diwali Diyas

   

I enjoyed painting diyas … Here I’ve used only poster colors & quickly free-handed the very simple design using broad brush strokes. I added some silver poster paint along the upper rim.

If you look closely, you will notice that these diyas have already been used (the dark soot at the top left rim of upper diya), yet the paint has stayed fresh !

TIP : Always soak diyas in water for a few hours. Remove from water & let them dry completely. Only then use watercolors or any other decoration over them. Soaking & drying is a must before oil is poured in otherwise the diya will soak in humungous amounts of oil !

« « « ¤☼¤ » » »  

Freehand  Watercolor  Diwali  Greeting 

Another freehand watercolor , with a dash of glitter !

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 Mixed-media  Diwali  Greeting

 

This is a multimedia design. After drawing the diya, I cut the cardstock to create a cutwork/lattice effect. Since a scan did not show the lattice, I have inserted a white sheet under it in the adjoining picture. White is where the black card paper is missing.

The outlines have been done in white 3D paint (it might’ve been fabric paint …. I forget) with a brown watercolor wash over the white once it had dried.

I then rummaged through my stash of glossy magazine paper to find graphics where the color scheme matched that of fire. This sheet was then scissor-cut into a collage & glued, to create the flame.

TIP : Ads in glossy magazines make for great collage scraps ! One can find myriad colors, shades, & patterns & no 2 collages will ever be the same !!

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Stenciled Watercolor Diwali Greeting

This last card is the very same design as in the multimedia card, which was used as a Stencil for the diya ! Water colors were used, along with some markers probably, for the flame, resulting in the yellows & oranges not gelling together ;-( …

                                                     
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Wishing Everyone A Very Happy & Prosperous Deepavali 

                                                     « « « ¤☼¤ » » »

Art I - What Should I draw? Ideas for Prompts

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Craving to draw?

Stumped on WHAT to draw?

If only there was an unlimited supply of ideas?

During my 5-year stint answering questions on Yahoo!Answers daily , especially in the Drawing & Illustration sub-category (of which I am still currently among the top 10 leaders], one of the Most frequently asked questions was : "What should I draw?"
Whether it is a person who is starting off, or who loves to draw, or an art student who needs to fill in a sketchbook, some time or other, we all face this dilemma. We either run out of ideas or encounter a tabula rasa where our brain was once so prolific with creativity & creative ideas !

This post is mostly about generating Generalized Idea Categories, each of which can then contain loads of very specific prompts. I will come to more specific/elemental sub-categories in a future post.  
Following is the first part of my answer (slightly altered) when the asker does not elaborate much :

I have uploaded a few of my watercolors done on card stock. These are almost 30 years old, hence the jaded, faded, & stained look.

In general :

• Nature, the great outdoors, the scene from your window, anything & everything around you, ....can tell a wonderful story.

"Over the Crest, No Time to Rest"
An original, impromptu water-color on card,
a scene through my window. ~ 1985

• From A to Z, think of a thing starting with each letter every day & draw it. eg. A for apple, apostrophe, apparition,... today ; then stuff with B tomorrow; & so on. Think of more than one thing, that will go together meaningfully, for each letter, & compose your sketch.

• Pick up a random word(s) each day from a dictionary & try to write/sketch a composition.

• Similarly with geometric shapes. Choose one (or 2) & develop some images with it. Combine into designs & patterns; play with angles, perspectives; create abstract & symbolic art forms.

"A Flowing Sun"
A simple, abstract composition using simple shapes.

• Free-flowing artwork, stream-of-consciousness type of art. Draw random lines, shapes, elements – line form or solid forms. Then sit back & let an image(s) emerge from the random chaos. Something like Blind Contour drawings but without any pre-conceived image/object. Highlight the images & figures that emerge from within - something from nothing. 

• Try to visualize quotations, lyrics, jokes, quips, tweets, slogans, etc. - give it your own interpretation & impression.

• Ask "what if....?" questions. eg. What if we had only 3 fingers in each hand? What if the stage curtain does not drop at the right moment? What if a character from Shakespeare met a character from Victor Hugo? What if we forgot how to smile? .... When you think up answers to some such  Qs, you can get some unique material for your drawings, besides stimulating your imagination & creativity !

• News items, current events, human interest stories, weather, etc. also offer you a Daily opportunity to draw something. The emotions they generate, the impressions they form/leave behind, the people & psyches you vicariously encounter, …

• Dreams, fantasies, interpersonal experiences, feelings & emotions, colors, ....

• Visualize & draw Traits – human/animal - & emotions, etc. eg. Courage, Love, Fear, Hate, Perseverance, Peace, Joy, Kindness, Naivety, etc. Make lists of words - adjectives, nouns, adverbs, .... Then conjure up images by randomly choosing any one from each list! A never-ending supply of inspiration for ‘stories’ by combining 2 or more elements .

• Depict Life stages or Rites of Passage such as Birth, Death, Adulthood, Maturation, Childishness, Teenage years, Mid-life crisis, Old age, Senility, Marriage, Widowhood, becoming a grandparent,....

• Think of some "story", incident, issue, anecdote, ... & try to depict them through your sketches.

• Choose characters from any book, comic, film, poem, etc. that you like & develop them visually. Draw them as you "see" them – your personal interpretation & impression.

• Mythological characters  & symbols. World cultures, religions, traditions, folklore, …. All provide a vibrant source of material.

TIP : For any or all of the above, you could do a whole Spectrum of emotions, expressions, positive-to-negative, and so on.

Pick one element each, from 2 or more categories to create a meaningful drawing.

INSTANT  PERSONALIZED  PROMPTS

Whenever an idea strikes you, jot it down immediately [yes, always carry some writing implement – pen & paper/notepad/post-its]. You will soon have a stupendous list!

I like the idea of making your own paper cuttings with tips & ideas & prompts. This idea was born from a pdf download of 100 ideas by Keri Smith. 

Write/type & print out Each idea Or each Element on a separate piece of paper. Fold & dump in a jar or bowl. Whenever you are in the mood, pick any one (or more) randomly & implement the idea. It can be like a never-ending Surprise stream of ideas & stories ! Keep adding to the jar whatever you find amusing, creative, any idea, website, activity, project, etc. etc. Oh what a stash you will have collated in no time !

These prompts can also include 

• different art genres/styles - challenge yourself to try something out of your comfort zone.
• different drawing implements - pencils, pastels, ink, paints, graphics, digital, markers, ...
• different times of day/night - play around with light & dark, hues & shades, shadows, ...
• different 'time-zones' - combine the traditional with modern, fantasy with reality, ...

At the cost of repeating myself, Combine 2 or more prompts/ideas to create Innumerable New versions :-)

TIP : Rummage through magazines, old greeting cards, old calendars, online drawing sites, etc. for tons of ideas to include in your prompt-jar.

Happy Drawing :-))

Would love to see your sketches & ideas !