When I'm in the Project Doldrums...

... my normal go-to is gel printing.  However, after finishing the Stab-Me Binding from the last post, I've spent the week taking photos of my work and honing my design sense.  I've always really liked abstract art, but doing it is a great deal more difficult than it looks, and part of my issue is design.

So I've taken photographs of part of my artwork, cropped and corrected them for colour and light, and then done the same again.  

It's interesting that nearly every segment could be cropped more than once to create something that is pleasing to the eye.

The cropping can make a tremendous difference to the orientation of the piece as well.

And each segment of a piece can be a work of art on its own.

Really, apart from the issues of pixilation, the possibilities are endless.

Here's my question for you this week - what do you do (and how) to hone your own sense of design?  It's a life-long study for me, and I'm hoping you can help!  

A learning curve...

 ... is always very steep for me when it comes to spatial relationships, and the Japanese stab-binding book @joerotella showed us in #creativejumpstart21 was a huge one.  I've been working on it off and on for what seems like a year (exclusive of studio light reno time), and finally finished it.

The book holds about twenty-five pages of gel prints that are jam-packed with colour.  In fact, I think the book should be called 'A Wee Bit of Colour', don't you?

I'd reached a point where the covers needed to be made, and you can just see the near-ready back one in the bottom right of this photo.

Handy-dandy Mr. Dinn did his usual masterful job of drilling the holes when it was all put together.

The stitching had me bamboozled for a while, but after three seventeen run-throughs of the video and printed instructions, I managed to wrap my head around it.  I think it looks great!

And it's a perfect way to showcase some of my not-so-subtle prints.

I'm delighted it's finished, and surely if I did it once, I could do it again, right?  I've got a project or two in mind for the grandchildren.  😉😍

What?

 It's THAT close to Valentine's Day?  Then I'll need to show you one of my favourite pages in the black and white journal I'm still continually working on.  Only umpteen more pages to go!

And since I'm in there anyway, I'll show you some of the other pages that have been appearing recently:

I can tell I'm making progress in this journal because I now have to hold it open with my fingers to take photos - that's a big yay from me!

I've not been in the studio much this past week as it's in a bit of disarray after the electricians were in to install some new lighting.  I'm so excited about moving back in there once the painting of the metal conduit is done.  I can actually see what's going on!  How cool is that?!!!  I LOVE it!!!

Wishing you a delightfully happy Valentine's Day, wherever you are, whomever you're with, and whatever you're doing.  Knowing that love is inevitable makes all of this pandemic stress seem easier, doesn't it?!  And, please eat some decadent chocolate for me...it's way past time for a strict diet in this body!  😄

It's been another week...

 ...of playing in the studio.  I've done a meditative mark-making project from #creativejumpstart21, inspired by @AndreaChebeleu and turned it into a small book utilizing a suggestion from another student to bind it.

I've finished two more mini books from another lesson, with three more to go:

The black and white journal has a couple of new spreads,

progress is being made in the stabbing department (although I am still flummoxed by the choice involved in choosing the covers), 

and I delighted in a very quick and not-at-all-dirty tutorial by @SethApter.  This storyboard project (photographed on my oh-so-subtle file cabinet) took less than ten minutes, and I can see a great range of applications for playing with it.  It cracked me up that he stapled his storyboard labels to his backing, and that one can actually purchase colored staples.  Did you know that?  It opens up a whole new world of possibility, doesn't it?  😄😎😄

I just love being in the studio and trying new things.  I can see there will be a host of new classes in my pocket (and $$ flying out of it) if this Covid-thing lasts much longer.