Sea shells and mermaids woyww

collaging paper on top of gesso

What's on my work desk today?
I found two small shell shaped wooden hangings. I am always on the look-out for objects to collage or re-paint.
 They originally were just plain and  said 'I do like to be beside the seaside'
I thought they needed some prettying up. So I had a look inside my 'sea' paper box.

I sort my paper into colour themes and put them in box files, it makes sorting easier. I collect paper of all kinds. Birthdays and Christmas create endless inspiration! These types of paper are not acid free and would deteriorate with time so I always use liberal amounts of  acrylic medium to stabilise them.

building up layers of paper, but what else shall I add?

Remember a few weeks ago my assortment of clay body parts? :)

Just what it needed, a mermaid!

 A coat of gesso....

and some modelling paste stencilled through some netting, the sort you buy oranges in.

I'm still painting her with acrylics and hopefully she will be free to swim with the fishes very soon.
(As you can see I don't use fancy paint palettes, old plastic container lids do just as well )

It was Mothers day on Sunday here in the UK so I hope all the Mums reading this had a super day. My youngest daughter took me out for a lovely meal.....If you are reading B, thank you again, that banana cheesecake was GorGeous! :)

Linking up to WOYWW

Little landscapes

On Wednesday I posted my progress on my little landscape panels which I have been playing with this week. I wanted to experiment on a small scale at first but may try this out on a much larger scale.
 They went from this......

To this....
Now spring is in the air here I am filled with thoughts of summer sunshine!

 I added some fabric thistles. I like to use fabric as another collaged element.

But something was missing.....

Dragonflies! Made from re-cycled plastic which I rescued from my bin they began as lemonade bottles which I cut and then melted with my heat gun.

Linking up this week to.

Paint Party Friday!
 and also
Collage Obsession Who's prompt is weather.... here's hoping for a summer of sunshine and dragonflies.

Little landscapes woyww

Today this is what is on my work desk...
I am really loving working on wood panels at the moment,

I've collaged some twisted tissue paper to make the foreground grasses.
What to put amongst the grasses?....

Thistles....made loads at the weekend. :)

Now all I need to do is fix them to the panels, pop back on Friday when hopefully I will have finished

Linking up to WOYWW

Three more pieces of Skye

last week I showed you what I was working on at the moment.
small wooden collaged panels, covered in paper and paint. I call these 'little pieces of Skye'

The butterfly embellishments are made from plastic which I covered in iridescent medium
.

I left some of the butterfly overlapping the edge which shows on this photo.

I covered the finished piece in satin acrylic medium which gives a lovely glass like finish.

 

No sign of any butterflies yet! :)

linking to paint party Friday. To join the party click HERE

WOYWW making marks

On my workdesk today another small canvas. I am still adding texture and scratchy marks to the background . I love texture paste and getting messy.

Some of you may remember this fellow from a few weeks back (Click Here to see how he was made). He is a large collaged piece using paint, paper, ink spray, and machine embroidered flowers.

I loved his face so thought I would do a much smaller canvas concentrating on his little smile. I don't know if Deer smile, but I see no reason why not :) 

Linking to Collage Obsession who's theme this week is markmaking

And WOYWW

Under the sea

More mermaids, or sea spirits as I call this pair!
this time on wooden panels

the mermaids made of airdrying clay were collaged onto the panels and modelling paste added for texture.

I covered the mermaids in kitchen foil.

They looked a little strange!

I added some copper paint over the foil to make them look weathered.

I didn't want pretty mermaids, I wanted them to look as if they were part of the sea. 

A few mirrors and shells added more texture to their watery world.

linking to collage obsession this week where the theme is' Under'

And also Paint party Friday Who are celebrating their 3rd Birthday!

more pieces of skye

What's on my workdesk this Wednesday?

I am working on lots of small wooden collaged panels at the moment, it is a bit of a production line!
I do a little on one piece and then move onto another while waiting for each to dry. I am calling these panels little pieces of Skye as they represent the colours and landscapes of the Scottish Island of Skye off the west coast of Scotland.

They don't look very exciting at the moment...
but hopefully that will change :)

linking toWOYWW