Testing 1..2..3

                                                                            Hi

I have been thinking of starting to post again here on my blog. 

It has been a long time and I wonder if any of my blogging friends are still around.

I 've gone in a different direction since my blogging days and now concentrate on making handmade 

books and what I like to call Keepsake Journals.

I have been sharing my creations over on Instagram. If you would like to catch up with what I've been making you can find me on @carolsmixedmedia

I'm just testing the waters with this post to see if I get any response after being away for so long.

I would love to know your thoughts.

Bye for now.

XXX

March Already

Hi

This is my first post in a long time.

Even though I've not been posting here I haven't been idle so 

I thought I would stop by and share some of the projects 

I have been working on recently.

I thought I would start off the year by making my own Art Journal.

It started life as a  Strathemore Mixed Media pad.

 I used the back board as the front and back cover and bound it with coptic stitch.

I am currently working on the first page. This is how it looks up to now.

I used my new set of Neocolor II's, gesso, black acrylic and my new

full set of Prismacolor pencils.

Just look at those colours!

 I was undecided for a long time as to whether to invest is a set of

Prismacolors owing to reports of a lack of quality control 

but at the price on Amazon for a full set I decided it was worth taking the risk

and they all look in good condition. 

I also made this little book from 3x3in cardboard pages,stamped

tissue paper images and some of my citra-solv papers

Here is some pics of the finished book.

And just before I sign off here is one last pic.

Queen of all she Surveys.

watercolour on paper

I hope you have enjoyed catching up and thanks for stopping by.

XXX

Linking to Paint Party Friday

A Source of Inspiration.

Hi.

An artist that was a great influence to me when I was first interested in

 painting portraits was Amedeo Modigliani.

This was one of my early attempts at a portrait in his style.

Over at Artsy.net they have a designated Modigliani page 

which features a biography and over 25 of his works.

To celebrate an up and coming exhibition of his work at Tate Modern 

which runs from 23rd November 2017 - 2nd April 2018 

I thought I would do another small portrait in his style.

I hope you will go check out the links and possibly gain some inspiration of your own.

Thanks for stopping by.

XXX

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Untitled

Hi

Just stopped by to share the finished piece I've been working on in

 collaboration with my blog friend Robin.

Robin and I have been working on each others backgrounds 

and in this piece I have also used cut outs from Robin's pdf's  of facial features.

You can see progress pics in my last post here.

Hope you like her.

XXX

In Collaboration

Hi

Lately I have been working on a little collaboration with my blog

friend Robin Cox Walsh.

 You can read a bit about it and find a link to her blog in my last post here.


I can now reveal one of the finished projects as they have now arrived safely over in the USA.

Girl by Carol. Background by Robin.


Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the other project but it was a little

sketchbook containing some Khadi paper for the pages and

Robin's background paper was used to make the cover and a paper bead.


However I can share with you what I am working on at the moment.

Here are some progress shots. Once again the background was supplied by Robin and

I have used some of her drawings of facial features cut from some

 pdf files downloaded from her blog.

I added some random stamping and a bit more paint to the background.

I have used acrylics, coloured pencil, and oil pastels on her face and some

 collage papers for her dress.

There is still more work to do but I love her eyes and her mouth.

 A different style to what I would usually do and that's what makes

 collaborating lots of fun.

Thanks Robin.

XXX

Linking to Paint Party Friday.

Backgrounds

Hi

My blog friend Robin suggested that we swap background papers

and see what we can do with them.

I have already worked on a couple of projects which are now winging their way

back to the USA so I can't share them as I want them to be a surprise.

.

After reading Robin's last post I had the idea of using one of her

backgrounds and some facial features from her pdf downloads to create

a little character.

Something a little different for me but might be fun.

XXX

Making an X Book

Hi

In this post I wanted to show how I made this little book using one

 folded sheet of paper.

This was made from one of my painted papers.

 I am working on the inside at the moment and will share it another time.

This little book is called an X Book.

I'm sure you can find instructions for making these little folded books 

 on-line, however, I found this technique in a book called

'Making Handmade Books' by Alisa Golden.

Begin by taking a piece of paper (this one measured  23cm x    )

Fold in half lengthwise

.

Again into quarters.

Make sure to make the folds sharp using something like a bone folder.

Then fold the edges back on themselves to make a concertina shape.

.

Open it up and cut along the crease I have highlighted here with a black pencil line.

Now it should look like this.

Folding back over to look like this.

Then squeeze the two ends together and fold around to form the cover
.

Once folded you can leave as is but I prefer to apply Matt medium

 to the back side and re-fold and adhere the pages in place.

I hope you will give it a try. Its a good way to use those painted papers.

Thanks for visiting.

XXX