hmmm thinking things a gonna change

I'm feeling a bit sheepish about working in my sketchbook. It's all a bit small and restricing :/ I've decided to buy some large sheets of paper have a look around the charity shops and have a BIG mark making binge tomorrow and see where that takes me! :) feeling better already.

maybe i'll change the title of this post Life & Death

And the bleach is out, one of my favourite mark making media! Love the way you can push back the colour and get some great textures and create the suggestion of depth. My bird in the top right looks a bit naff but the eye has turned out well. Very itchy scratchy just as I'd imagine a scavenger to be.

is this my hundreth post!

Sabrina Ward Harrison, amazing work! was one of the first artists we were introduced to in our first year of studies. http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/see/index.html

I love collaging (^_^)

Last night my dad was printing of some of his holiday photo's from his trip to Kenya. He has quite a few of Masai and some didn't print of so well. Being a Scavenger I leapt at this image of Saitoti Ntawasa cutting him out and collaging him onto a new background in my Sketchbook (permission given by dad to use the image) I've always loved the colours of the Masai traditional dress and beads which look stunning against the dry landscapes of Kenya. I felt a bit bad at first putting him in as Masai are not scavenger or hunter gatherers themselves but farmers. Cattle, goats, sheep, milk and blood being their staple diet. I couldn't resist though the image looks great and it is I that is a scavenger not necessarily the images that are created within the pages of the sketchbook

...a few more pages

Dabbling about with the sketchbook, it's a bit weird working so small :} but I'm sure I'll be used to it in no time :D I wanted to make a city skyline with the poem and then add the scavenger crow. Cotton buds and cotton wool balls are my favourite way to apply in too so i've started applying black inky backgrounds to the cover and some of the pages to work back into.

Hedgerow Walk

Popped out to post a letter and as we are up a country lane had a snoop in the hedgerow. There are so many different colours and texture as well as the odd unusual grasses. My phone camera isn't powerful enough to pick up the smallest of plants and flowers, but the pics I have got are quite good for line and shape. It was such a peacefull stroll I love being outdoors.

Bowerbirds

I'm kinda cementing my concept for my sketchbook after reading this article in the National Geographic July 2010 on Bowerbirds. The male Bowerbird build fabulous ground nests, and decorate then collecting things together nuts, funghi, leaves and even manmade objects like coke cans and crisp wrapper. I'm really impressed as they sort them too they are gathered and place decoratively around the nest all of which is to woo prospective females. So my concept is to gather/scavenge items together as the Bowebird does to decorate his nest, not to woo anyone other than people to choose my sketchbook from all the others to look at, lol and decorate my sketchbook. As I have all my art materials in storage it's also about scavenging mark making tools too. Google Bowerbird nests and you'll find some great pics, they just collect anything, straws, bottletops, eggs and they look really sculptural! The arty farty Bowerbird, lol. Bowerbird photo above from....

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/bowerbirds/morell-text

And to add to my tools a little sewing kit I've scavenged from my parents first aid kit, not the sort you would want to sew any limbs back on with :/

afternoon in Cardiff Bay

Had a lovely stroll around Cardiff Bay this afternoon, plenty to see with the farmers market, some craft stalls and live music. Atmosphere and weather were lovely. Calon http://www.caloncompany.co.uk/ caught my eye for their vintage cushions made from welsh wool and embroidered tablecloths.

it's been two days....

It's been two days since I last posted something. I wasn't sure I liked the new look of my blog which all happened very accidently, technology... lol, but I think it's growing on me so I thought it would be good to just get on and start posting :) Need to get a couple more pages in my sketchbook uploaded! I'm really excited about the Snail Mail project to been browsing through images of letters and there's some really lush exciting ones!

Snail Mail Invite

Just been surfing the blogosphere again, I know i must get a life..... :/ but actually I think I have discovered something that will bring a little happiness to all on an American blog. A Penpal project lets get one going here in Britain. Penpals, snail mail revival, everyone loves to receive something exciting, and colourful in the post! BROWN WINDOWED ENVELOPES DEFINITELY OUT! If you are interested in beginning a postal adventure leave a comment with your email or contact anyone who has left a message. Image here is from http://lobsterandswan.blogspot.com/2009/07/tied-with-string.html and is just gorgeous. All this could make for some really fun swaps too! :)

Lots & Lots of Sketchbooks

I'm just buzzing with inspiration!!! and this pic I found on google images. The Sketchbook is our oyster!!!

Scavenger poem

I've got a bit addicted to the knit a poem game on the poetry society site, lol. Here's my very own Scavenger poem! I had a little trouble scanning it in so it's a bit skimpy on the margins :/

Knitting Poetry

My brother is getting married in September and my sister-in-law to be is having her hen do quite soon. One of the girls is putting a keepsake book of photo's and messages together for her and as I'm not very good at of the cuff messages I decided to browse the net for some inspiration.

I came across this site http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/knit/ and love the idea of being able to print off your own verses, poems or messages with their knitgame great fun and very quirky. As I love knitting and and text I thought it will be handy for my sketchbool project http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/knit/knitgame/

In the garden

I love the colours and texture in the garden and pond at my parents house and I contemplating introducing the colours into my sketchbook. The Water Lilly looks gorgeous!

first page...

As I'm on the move a lot of my mark making things are in storage so i'm scavenging about in the garden to find things to use. Bits of charcoal, teabags, water and ink (well the pen was in my dad's draw) have helped me on my way and I love text in illustration so i've got something down and I'm on my way! :)

in the beginning.........

I wanted to record my sketchbook from start to finish and as my theme is 'I'm a scaveger' which conjures up dark, gruby, black images for me I took some photographs of it in the ashes or the wood we'd been burning in the garden yesterday.

and it's arrived!

.....yesterday was an extreeeeme gardening day at my parents in Neath, they live in the woods, well almost, lol :) Moved railway sleepers and branches, burnt wood and weeded! Around lunchtime the mail arrived and in it was my Sketchbook all the way from across the Atlantic! I'm always talking about how we start something and should have taken before and after pictures and so now is a good time to start. Before, during and after I'm going to record the complete journey of my sketchbook....and as my theme is Scavenger my extreeeeme gardening has come into play!

Sketchbook Despatched!

My sketchbook has been despatched from America! Looking forward to sharing the creative flow with all of you :)