I did tell you...

 ...that I got started on the cool colours for collage last week, and, of course, had a blast.  Using Manganese Blue Hue and Hansa Yellow along with black and white, I managed some 35 sheets of paper.  This time I created them mostly with gel printing.  While they're not all complete (by a long shot), some of them are here.  

Years of playing with colour means that I'm no longer wildly surprised at the range of hues associated with just two colours.

I'm liking the glow created around the Tyvek circle masks on the one below.

The wash pull on the gel plate is so soft, isn't it?

The addition of the miniscule amount of black on this print really changes the Hansa yellow.

Stamping on a black card was great fun.

Someone is more-than-slightly circle obsessed!

This was a mistake I couldn't duplicate if I tried, due to Murphy's Oil soap on the gel plate that wasn't cleaned completely off. 

And I'm still loving the self-levelling gel method...it's so organic.

Oh, and I finished that project with embroidery thread and GAC400 I showed you last week, as I created an Easter egg basket for the upcoming weekend.  GAC400 is a Golden medium one can add to fabric to stiffen it.  Do you think that grandkids would believe the Easter Bunny lives in a multi-coloured bird-like habitat?  I'm thinking they'd go for it!

Happy week to you, and may your Easter weekend be filled with the joy of spring, the deliciousness of good chocolate,  the magic of make-believe and the dance of the Easter Bunny.

Learning new techniques...

...and creating with new papers is always fun.  

I'm in the midst of using some small part of those papers I showed you last week as I work my way through Catherine Rains' Collage Kickstart. Here were the rules (aka guidelines):

• Use three of your papers in each of six 3" x 3" mini collages
• Use a light, medium and dark in each collage
• Ensure papers are different sizes
• Create high-contrast
• Finish with a fourth paper of same-type molding paste on tissue

Well, it was definitely a learning curve for me.  I'm adverse to working in any kind of a box, the method of securing the papers was new to me, and I'm not overly fond of grids.  So rules are made to be broken, right?  

I created nine collages, all of which are yet to be completed with the tissue paper/molding paste layer (and that may morph into something different to tie them together given the labour intensive method of the tissue).  I used 3 1/2 x 3 1/2" squares, and found it next to impossible to work with only three papers in those ones where the papers were somewhat humdrum.  

At any rate, here are the not-yet-final works using Hansa Yellow, Pyrrol Red and Black:

And even though I've already created nine smallish ones, there's a stack of papers waiting to be used in the same colour theme.  

I am, however, chomping at the bit to get to the cool colours, so these are likely going to have to wait a while.  

In the meantime, have a great week and enjoy your creative play!

Did I need more paper?

Of course not, but when I spied a free class from Catherine Rains, I just had to try it.  Now I'm snowed under with sheets of papers, all in the palette of Pyrrol Red, Hansa Yellow, and black and white as directed in Collage Kickstart. As always, I'm amazed at the number of colours that can be obtained with a couple of tubes of paint plus  B/W.

The studio is chaos again as always, with drying paper everywhere and piles stacked up and near-teetering over.  This is only halfway through lesson three of five, so goodness knows how many sheets will be in the end count before the last lesson.  That will be one of creating collages from the stacks.

Of course, you know I'll be wanting to try it all again in a cool palette...I'm already salivating at the thought!

I also managed to remember my phone on an early morning walk to the gym...it only took three months!!  I caught a host of photos of shadows and reflections on a dark and rainy morning - here are two of my faves.

 

I'm looking forward to checking out your blogs this week.  It's always so inspiring.  In the meantime, please send help in the form of a front end loader to help move these paper piles, will you?