Mini Tutorial!

Hmmm, I am writing this post, but as yet unsure whether I will publish it or not!
A few people have asked me how to "do collage". This is like asking someone how they paint! I don't know how I do it - I just do it! But, I thought I would have a little try at a blog post, to explain - mostly through pictures. I am no teacher....but I will do my best!

So I decided I would do something simple: a lemon. Except that a lemon did not turn out to be simple at all - not least because yellow seems to be the least common colour in my whole stash of magazines!! Nevertheless.....here goes!

So, this lemon! If you look at it, you may see as well as yellow, there are shades of orange, lime green and ochre there.

I started by drawing the outline and began to fill in - start with your basic light and shade. I often end up with layer upon layer of paper or fabric, so you neednt worry if its wrong at this stage (this is why I am hopeless at watercolour - when you have to get it right first-time!)

I like to use pieces of paper with a bit of text on. I try and use the line of the text to follow the form of the object.

Personally I prefer to rip my paper, but you can create lovely collages using little squares cut with scissors.

White tissue paper is a staple for me: I often use it in landscape to make the background seem further away, or take the vibrancy down a notch.

Almost finished. I feel that I overworked this, normally I would use half as many pieces, but hey-ho! I never claimed to be perfect!!

And there you have it! Not my best piece of work, but hopefully you get the idea!
Maybe I have inspired you to have a try? If so, I would love to see (yours will probably be better than mine!) Leave a link on here if you make a collage of your own!

Happy creating folks!!

Jellyfish

Just before Christmas a colleague of mine gave birth to a baby boy, and I made her a brightly coloured hanging jellyfish. I didn't manage to get a decent photo of it, but it was similar to the one I designed for the sealife mobile below...

I suppose really a jellyfish is rather an odd baby gift, but I thought he might like to watch the ribbons floating above him! Herbie was most taken with it anyway, so I agreed to make another just for him, and with his help too - and then I thought I could do a little tutorial on here.

Difficulty rating is 1 - is really is easy peasy lemon squeezy!

First, choose 2 contrasting/matching fabrics. Ours HAD to be orange!

Next draw round a small bowl and with right sides of the fabric facing each other, machine or handstitch on the pencil line, leaving a few centimetres at the end. (Ours measured approx 15cm diameter.)

Turn inside out and press.

Fill with polyester stuffing and stitch up the gap.

Next, take a mixture of ribbons, measuring approx 60cm-70cm in length and criss-cross at the half-way point (see above)

Stitch to the underside of your jellyfish. Then stitch a further piece of ribbon to the middle of the top-side and hey presto!!
Your jellyfish is complete! It looks great hanging above a bed or in the window!

And here's a glimpse of my little assistant (he operated the foot-pedal!)