29 faces best bits

After a month of February faces I thought I would put my favourites together in a little collage.

These are just some my favourites, I tried this time to mix up my mediums and materials. Thank you to Ayala for setting up the fabulous 29 faces challenge. The next round is due in September :)

The end of the summer of color.

Fernande

 It's the final week of the Summer of color :(

The final color combination is Sepia and sage, oh no I thought, that is just not me! I then started to think about my trip to Florence and Pisa earlier in the year. I saw some fabulous fresco's

 I loved them so much!!

These ones were in Pisa. I took so many photograph's!!

So I did like the colour combo! I just had to choose a classical type of image to use the colours.

I used some watercolour paper to make my background using layers of paper.

I then added a thick layer of gesso over the papered layers

Gave my Italian lady a face. I used a thick layer of copper acrylic paint for her hair and scratched through to the base paper.

For the ferns I used fern napkins which I tore up and stuck down around my figure.

fern napkins

  So my final piece for the summer of color is 'Fernande'

Fernande

The summer of color has been challenging and yet fun thanks so much to Kristin at twinkle twinkle for hosting such a great party!

Also linking up to Glue it Tuesday

Decorating paper

Florentine marbled paper which I brought home

Whenever I visit somewhere new I'm always on the lookout for interesting handmade paper, which is why I was in my element in Florence a few weeks back after finding a gorgeous little paper making shop called Il Papiro

Marbled-paper making originated in the Orient, as early as the 10th century in China. A similar method called suminagashi also existed in Japan in the 12th century. In Europe, the art form arrived in the 17th century. Today it survives almost exclusively in Florence. Il Papiro uses these ancient techniques to produce in the back of the shop the most beautiful paper. The shop also sells handmade repeat printed papers.
Easyjet baggage allowances are very mean and I could have brought back far more than I did, but here are a few sheets  I found....

    

 Inspired by these repeat prints I thought i would use one of the lino print blocks I made a couple of weeks ago to see if I could use lino print as a method of hand printing paper.

 First using water soluble ink I printed my ivy leaf pattern, I deliberately didn't press on too hard to print the image as i wanted the print to be fairly faint.

 Then I used Conte crayon pastels to colour over the top of the print once it was dry.

 Then I used the paper to make a little collage!

Then I had a go at printing on thinner mulberry paper to see if I could print an image which I could tear out and possibly collage.

Yay!! It sort of worked. Now I'm in the process of using these printed dragonflies in a separate collage which hopefully I'll post soon.

View from the Uffizi

My Artists Playroom entry  this week is a collage/pencil/watercolour of Florence cathedral seen from the Uffizi Art Gallery roof terrace. The challenge to use orange and blue or 'blorange' was very appropriate as I just returned from Tuscany, where everything is terracotta and brilliant blue, My post yesterday showed a small selection of my photographs. I have a feeling Florence will be influencing me for some time to come. I usually choose blues and pink/greens in my work, rarely orange, so I am pleased at the vibrant result. If I had to choose my favourite combination it would be 'magencerulean '( magenta and cerulean blue) but now I'm wrapped up in all things Florentine that may well change!

An Italian adventure

I have just returned from a fantastic trip to Florence and Pisa.

I have always dreamt of going to Florence, I visited Venice a few years ago and made my mind up then that Florence was next on my must, must, must do list! I love Italian Renaissance paintings and the 'Uffizi' gallery in Florence has the greatest collection in the world. Including the beautiful 'Birth of venus' by Botticelli. Nothing really prepares you for seeing iconic images like this close up. As it was February the galleries and museums were very quiet..

The weather was cold but clear and bright....

The Americano coffee was great ( can't do espresso, sorry :) )

The cakes were yummy!!

 The views were breathtaking along the river Arno..

 And also looking down into the valley from the Pitti palace gardens...

And everywhere, sculpture......from the famous....

Michaelangelo's David

 To the not so famous..

Beautiful cathedrals....

Fabulous churches....

(me doing a little shopping :) )

Frescoes.......

                                  
Dark atmospheric streets...

And the most wondrous architecture ...

around every corner...             

 This trip has fuelled my appetite to see more of this beautiful country...

I took zillions of photos of sculptures, patterns, ironwork railings, fabrics.... loads of ideas for loads of projects, just not enough hours in the day......

Collage Obsession ' Man'

         Collage Obsession Challenge

This weeks collage obsession challenge was the theme of ' Man ' a serious challenge, and I must say a good one as being hoisted out my comfort zone is an excellent thing. I worked in my usual mediums of torn paper, gesso, acrylic paint, watercolour paint and gilt foil, and also used some modelling paste to form the suns tendrils. I wanted the sun to look rather organic hence the tendrils of sunlight.

The Leonardo da Vinci Vitruvian man is a hugely iconic image, and I wanted to combine it  with one of my favourite painters interpretation of the work, William Blakes' Albion, or glad day'. The figure Albion being the  personification of humanity, rejoicing in freeing himself from the shackles of materialism. William Blake was an  influential British painter and poet born in 1751 and I have always been fascinated by his dark romantic symbolism.

Laying on paper layers

 I printed out the image and began to alter it using first paper and then washes of watercolour.

adding gesso and modelling paste

Then used gesso and modelling paste medium to build up texture, finally finishing with acrylic paint ....I know over the next few days I'll fiddle about adding more texture, I sometimes find it difficult to know when to put down the paintbrush, so I would love to hear your comments on if you think he needs more work....