Monday, March 24, 2008

March TIF


The challenge for this month was to notice small things we often overlook. I love the way the raindrop looks in the center of the Lupin leaf, so that is what I did. I made this project 4 x 6", because the call was for small things.

I want to explore new techniques for each months TIF, so this month I did the same.

I started with a 5 x 7 piece of muslin and I traced the lupin leaves on with a marking pencil. Next I dug out the oil pastels I bought years ago, never used, and colored in the leaves with a green and then a brown, and then in some places a light green. I blended the colors with a small stencil brush. I wasn't that happy with the look, but I went ahead and sewed a dark olive border on all the leaves and then used a light olive for the stem and center.

It looked better, but still not right, the muslin was too plain. I picked up some glitter mist at a rubber stamp show last month, opal, so I sprayed that over the entire postcard. It gave the leaves a soft finish and blended the colors all together.

It didn't do much for the muslin though. I decided to give the muslin an olive wash with translucent fabric paint. Turned out a pale yellow-green, but made the muslin look better, you could even see a little of the glitter mist on the fabric. I spread it over the leaves along with the fabric and it made the piece more cohesive. OK, still kind of bland, I thought about using another color of paint and splotching it on the fabric, but I decided that would be too much. Instead I took a blue prisma color pencil and drew some crosshatched lines, very lightly over the background.

That was better, I got out my heat crystals and placed a blue crystal in the center of each leaf, to show the reflected sky in the drop. I looked at it for a while and decided that it needed something else, so I took some flat green crystals and scattered them on the piece and that was the end.

After all is said and done, this turned out almost as I had pictured it. I am pleased with the result. March hasn't been the best month for me, so I still have to put the postcard on the back, and zigzag the edges of the postcard. When the postcard is completed, I spray a light cover of acrylic sealer over the top. It protects the materials that are not water resistant, and keeps the card a little brighter going through the mail. After I do that I will replace one of the pictures with the totally finished piece. It might take me a little while to get that done, so consider me done with this months TIF. Thank you everyone for your comments on my last months TIF, I will be better at answering you comments this month, and I will blog my project more often. I had decided earlier this month what I wanted to to, but I didn't do anything on the project until this weekend.

14 comments:

Vicki W said...

I think it turned out terrific!

Jane said...

Hi Meg... They look just like Lupine leaves.. how pretty! Can't wait till the lupines bloom here, one of my favorite wildflowers. Take care...

Anonymous said...

Meg, this is great! You just reminded me of this little detail which I always used to notice and admire in my mum´s garden!!! How lovely! I like all the treatment you did to muslin, the result looks very good! Well done and thank you for your comment too.

Abfab Art Studio said...

Hi Meg,

Cool piece! I'm not familiar with this flower but I can easily picture it from your fabulous design.

Thanks for writing on my blog!

Abfab Art Studio blog

I won't be able to attend the Balloon Fiesta unfortunately, as I'm flying from Australia to spend almost a month in Paris (to run my workshops) and I have commitments back here in Australia after that.

I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a silk painting festival a couple of years ago - love the expanse of the countryside and the fab colours!

Ciao ciao
Teena!
Silk Painting in Paris, June 2008

MaryjoO said...

lovely! And nice notes!

Tanguera said...

The treatment on the background worked out very nicely. I like the addition of the little jewels.

Guzzisue said...

I think it turned out just great :)and I do like the jewels

Debbi Baker said...

It was really interesting reading your process and I think the result is just lovely! I especially love the "under-stated" aspects of it!

Anonymous said...

Hi Meg.
So glad you visited today. Happy you have been to Jefferson before. Your piece looks great. It surprises me that it is muslin. I thought it was felt.

Like your photo. You're a good lookin' cat!
Constance

Helen said...

OO I love your concept. I've often looked at that drop too - the whole world reflected there in miniature. A very nice piece

MaryjoO said...

thanks for stopping by my blog (cow udders). Your work is lovely, and I saw it last week. One of my daughter's favorite books was about the "Lupine" lady, so we all love lupine flowers, and I think I have a photo of myself sitting in a patch of them somewhere!

Vivian said...

Meg, I really like your challenge piece. Great job!

Linda’s Textiles said...

A nicely resolved piece, well done Meg & thanks for your comment on mine.

Angelines Artero said...

Beautiful work, is so elegant. I've got an American friend from Alburquerque, called Denise. She live in Colorado Spring now but her family lives in Alburquerque. Sorry for my bad English . Regards from Spain