Year of the Pig _ Happy New Chinese Year

This Little Piggie...stayed at home.....

After discovering the qualities of Angelina Fibre and Film from the previous post project (sourced from Colourcraft Ltd) I was keen to work with it some more.

With the Chinese New Year  and last month, a wonderful challenge on the FB page United by Art showing two little piglets, I took my inspiration from there.

I love these groups as I love a challenge
Photo is taken from Pixabay so free from Copyright

I sketched this little guy in my sketchbook and worked out how I was going to approach this.

I already had alot of left overs of the fibres and film from the fish project, but wanted to create a new sheet with more pinks to represent his skin.

As this is a piglet, he/she is also quite hairy too.                       SEE VIDEO HERE

Materials Used 

Angelina fibres (warm sample pack)

Angelina Film 

Card for template and pen

Iron

Sewing machine

Matching and contrasting threads

Scrap of denim and Raffia

I traced him from my sketch 

 To create a template to use with my sheet of new fabric created from Angelina

Template on far left

I selected the colours that I wanted to blend together and then pressed
with a medium iron to fuse them together

This gave me a sheet of pink hues that I needed

I then used my template to draw and cut around the head 

I cut out some ear shaped film (from the top)

and pulled some white strands and pressed to the top of the head

 Using my sewing machine I followed the detail from my sketch that I wanted to include and

added a trough and some straw

This is what she looks like from the back - so very little details

But effective

I added the trough with some bleached denim and added the yellow middles

with a yellow sharpie

and added the straw (raffia)

Done.

If you missed it above
  SEE VIDEO HERE

I think I will change the frame for a larger one and make sure the background is smoothed out more by ironing on some vilene interfacing.  It will help stiffen the piece too

Great fun and more projects on their way.

Angelina materials were supplied by Colourcraft Ltd My goto  for craft/textile materials

A bientot

Bix x

Happy New Year!

Belated Happy New Year

New Year, New beginnings.

 Last year saw us for the first time in 8 years not hosting art holidays and to be honest I was bereft.  Its what I do, its what I love….but….things move on and things change.

We are planning to move but in the meantime I decided to find more time to discover what I Iiked to create and discover new ways to do it.

I also had the opportunity to go out and do workshops outside Bandouille to teach and to learn taking in a part of France I did not know.  It was a joy. And I think that is where I left you.

  Sketch  into Castillon le Bataille

First was Chez Castillion on the grand Dordogne.  A beautiful venue specifically for writers as a retreat hosted by Mickey and Janie Wilson.

I met some wonderful talented people there.  

The weather was perfect, although maybe a touch on the "too" warm side and the scenery wonderful. The pool helped..

I have many sketches from there and many that I would like to paint at a later stage.

After this crazy week I spent a few days a couple of hours further south near Aiguillon where I painted for a day with Christian Couteau and a group of keen followers.  I stayed in this lovely abode which I found on Airbnb for 20 euros a night with my own pool.  Bargain and such nice people who ran it.  It was only 10 mins from where I was to meet my fellow painters. 

Again an amazing experience and so much learnt in such a short space of time.  Cant believe how many sketches we managed in a morning.  Here 3 of 7

After my short spate in the Dordogne I spent a week in the Bordeaux area with my bestie and my girls.  Another area I had not before investigated fully.  Our day in St. Emillion was particularly lovely and ironically 10 mins from Chez Castillon.   We also visited Saintes.

House sale
The house is now officially on the market after not succeeding in finding a suitable agent here sell it.  So we have found on online company who specialises in this field.  If you click here you can see what we have to offer.  So if you are interested please come through the site with your enquiries.

TRAVEL - Madrid

 After the worst cold of my life over Christmas and New Year I went to Madrid to visit my daughter and partner and was warmly welcomed into his fathers home.  I had never been to mainland Spain and the city was beautiful and so calm.  A very strange experience next to London or Paris.  We ventured out into the country and stayed near beautiful Toledo in Grandmas house and visited La Mancha, site of the windmills from the fables of Don Quioxte.  I was able to relax there and sit and sketch together with Jose (my daughters boyfriend) and we did these in very little time.  It was the first time he had sketched let alone plein air.  I love this work.

La Mancha                                                 Mine                                                                Joses

I have now returned home, armed with pictures that I want to sketch including a photo of Jose's Nanna Fernanda who passed last year.  This is a quick sketch before I attempt a larger portrait of her.

And a great pic of his dad to whom I am very grateful for his hospitality in his home.

A very special time was had there (even with the three of them ill with the same cold I had)..

So much to see to see....But I intend to be back very soon.

Now to plan the rest of the year.

I have been asked by Colourcraftltd.com to feature in their February blog.  So I have selected some materials from their catalogue that I have never used before….just for fun.

Watch this space…..I will send a link when I have completed the project.  I promise it will be fun and very much out of my comfort zone.

If you have not heard of Colourcraft before, they are the original producers and suppliers of Brusho, but that is only a fraction of what they supply. Please visit and discover the treasures they hold for the keen crafter.

I use them for nearly all of my creative needs. 

So with that in mind I shall be on again very soon and feel free to comment and ask any questions.

A Bientot 

Bix

Of course obligatory picture of my fluffy boy Arty!  Bx