We are planning some big changes in our house, with redecorating and swapping my studio with the spare bedroom. The work and chaos probably means it will be a week or two before I can do more City and Guilds work, so I thought I’d post what I’ve done so far as a little on account.
I had a big sketchbook (A3) that I’d had for ages and hadn’t used so thought I’d use it for this. I coloured the pages before I started. I also coloured a variety of papers for Chapter 2. It was only when I started on the paper exercises in Chapter 2 that I realised the mistake I’d made. I used Brusho which gave super bright results and interesting effects when I sprinkled dry powder onto wet paper. However, as soon as I touched the paper with wet hands or glue, all the colours ran. Sometimes this gave an interesting effect, but other times the inadvertent mixing of complementary colours produced just a dull browny grey. (I also spent a few days with stained fingers and nails – I can’t use glue with rubber gloves.) Once I have my new studio up and running I’ll try again, using Koh-i-noor and acrylic paint to colour the paper so that once it’s dry, it will stay the colour I intended.
Above 3.1/2.1 bottom of a basket
Above 3.1/2.2 some silver jewellery with spirals. Paper development of Celtic knot pendant in twisted dyed kitchen towel, stiffened with pva.
Above 3.1/2.3. Paper development of drawing of filigree pendant. When I cut it out, pieces of the orange paper fell onto my blue carpet. I liked the effect with bits of spirals so glued pieces at random onto blue paper.
Above 3.1/2.4. Fossil shell and some crystals arranged to form a spiral. I tried to interpret the spiral in layers of coloured paper, but I’m not happy with it since the colours ran with the glue. I’ll try again later.
Above 13.1/2.5 another basket. Will try later with plaited paper.
Above 3.1/2.6 A spiral staircase. This image really excited me.
Above 3.1/2.7 wedges of coloured tracing paper for the steps with orange dyed cartridge paper
Above 3.1/2.8 folding tucks into the tracing paper before gluing it to the orange cartridge
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Above 3.1/2.8a held up to the light
Above 3.1/2.9 DNA double helix
Above 3.1/2.10 Spiral galaxies photographed by the Hubble telescope
Above 3.1/2.10a My drawing of the spiral galaxies
Above 3.1/2.11 some rubbings of spirals
Above 3.1/2.12 some prints from bought and made print blocks
Above 3.1/2.13 rubbings from the two baskets
Above 3.1/2.14 spirals cut out of paper and arranged in a spiral shape
