Monoprint

This was great fun to do and is part of the Art of Abstraction course I'm doing. It's acrylic paint on a Gelli printing plate, scribbled over with a cotton bud and printed twice which is why one of the prints is paler and less textured. I love Gelli plates - they're so easy to use and worth exploring using different mediums.

Oh, and I fiddled around designing a new banner for my blog!

Oil & Vinegar

This is sherry vinegar, not rice wine vinegar as my notes say. But either are great vinegars to use in dressings. The rice wine vinegar is a little softer than red or white wine vinegars and the sherry vinegar packs a bit of a punch but nothing like balsamic.

La Mer

My husband reckons this looks like a croissant! I have a tiny, sneaky little feeling he may be right :-)

Happy Earth Day

Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

All things are bound together.

All things connect.”

Chief Seattle, 1855

Shells

This was an exercise in using line for shading and no colour. I used pen and ink, pencil and water-soluble marker.

Falling Leaves

This was inspired by a silver pendant I have and love dearly. I also have a feather pendant so who knows - maybe I'll sketch that too.

3D SHAPES

This is one of the exercises I've done for my Sketchbook Delight online course with Alisa Burke. I love her courses - there's no pressure but lots of inspiration which I need at the moment until I find my muse.

I threw the whole lot at this - watercolour pencils, watercolour paint, Zig Art Pens, and ink!

Honeysuckle

Design taken from an old photo of honeysuckle in my garden last year. I'm beginning to despair of anything ever growing in my garden again after this freezing cold spring and now constant downpour of rain. It looks like a lake!

I used Ecoline watercolour inks for this. They are beautiful intense colours which can be diluted with water or not. I'm going to have to explore my love of bright colours.

STARTED SKETCHING AGAIN

I've picked up my sketchbook again with a promise to myself to try to keep it up for a bit. Good tip to start with if you can't think of any inspiration - paint your tools!