My creative space: pouches

 

I've been meaning to make my camera a new case for aaaages, it deserves better than being schlepped around in the makeshift flimsy leopard print bag that has been its temporary home.  Now that I've finally learned how to make zippered pouches I've made it two.  To start with I made a canvas case with one of my huia patches on it.  It turned out too small but it'll be handy for keeping little trinkets in.  Then I used the canvas I had been printing with my stamps and made this one:

Here's the starry lining:

 I'm hoping to make cases for lots more things - I think it'd be a great project to use up all the pretty scraps I can't bear to throw out.  And I might even need to buy a rotary cutter!

 

How about you, what have you been making?  To see lots more creative spaces head on over to the "our creative spaces" blog.

Happy Thursday!

Spotty

 I bought a brand new blank silk screen the other day to replace my borer-ridden one and its first task was to make me some green polka dots.  I cut a stencil for these and printed them on canvas...they're going to become a bag (with spotty dotty handles too).  I do believe I have some sheer fabric in my stash that could make a matching top!

 I've also been printing onto canvas with my stamps and fabric ink.  The stamps came out a bit uneven on the textured fabric but I think they'd come out better on calico or something a bit lighter.  Stay tuned to see what became of this stamped fabric!

My creative space: stamps and a winner

First up, congratulations Art by Wiley, you're the winner of my caption competition! The caption the cartoon is going to have is:

"Okay, who's going to go change?"

Send me your address at millicentcrow at gmail dot com and I'll pop your prize in the post for you!

For my creative space today I thought I'd show you some of the fun I've been having with my rubber stamps. I bought some big rubber blocks from Etsy to make bigger stamps than I'd been able to with the erasers I'd been using.
I drew some gum tree leaves that I picked up on my run (again, I need running shorts with pockets!):
Then I turned them into stamps. I stamped them onto paper then cut them out and rearranged them:
I've also been playing with leaf and feather stamps:

I'm hoping to turn this design into a pattern on fabric to put on some canvas bags:

The dots on sticks pattern is based on this plant:
Hope you've been having a good Thursday! To see more creative spaces head on over to the "our creative spaces" blog.

Falling leaves

I was admiring these leaves on an awning on my way home from work, the glass awning was a bit like a light box. When I got home I made this leaf mobile, kind of inspired by the leaves and the glass:
I stamped the gingko leaves onto tracing paper, then taped strings to their backs and taped the whole thing to the wall (don't worry, with nice, easy to peel off tape).

Then I couldn't resist trying it out in different parts of the house. Here it is on the stippled glass of the kitchen door. That green behind it makes me excited about the green fabric stamp pad that's on its way to me from the US of A!

Oh and you've still got until tomorrow night to enter my caption competition. Good luck!

My creative space: a giveaway

I had a birthday the other day, the kind that ends in a zero. And to celebrate, I thought I'd have a little giveaway. Just before my birthday I was walking down the street in a white dress with black spots and spotted a dalmatian dog walking the other way. After having a giggle to myself, I thought it'd make a good cartoon, but I couldn't think of a caption. So what I thought I'd do for my giveaway is get you to suggest a caption for the cartoon, like the competition they have in the New Yorker.

Not a self-portrait...I wish my hair was as tidy!

So if you suggest a caption, you will have a chance to win the cartoon, with your caption added, plus one of my gocco prints and a copy of my zine:
Here's a closeup of the print:
I'll get Mr. Millicent Crow to choose a winner next Wednesday night and I'm happy to post the prize anywhere in the world.

To see other people's creative spaces take a look at the "our creative spaces" blog.

Happy Thursday!

Playing with stamps

Sometimes when I'm making things I get too hung up on making finished products, ticking things off the to do list, and I forget to play around with materials and try things out. Rubber stamps, however, are great for just playing with, and I've been making some wonky little patterns with them and my watercolour pencils. Up the top here is my new gingko stamp that I made last night.
I reckon they look a bit like the designs on '70s enamel saucepans. These stamps were cut from erasers; I've just ordered some stamp carving blocks so I can make stamps on a bigger scale...and play around on a bigger scale!

Oh and I've just listed some new prints in my Felt shop too...you can see them here.

I spy...

These little fellas are in my neighbours' garden. I think they were fireworks once upon a time.

Rubber stamp ideas

I just bought a huge piece of canvas and I'm hoping to make some stamped canvas bags. I thought I'd design some new stamps to cut out of erasers and here are some stamp ideas I sketched:


I made a gingko stamp but the eraser I used had kind of curved edges so it didn't quite work out. Back to the drawing board with a flatter eraser for that one. I did make myself a new feather stamp and played with it on paper:and on fabric:I should test it out on the canvas before I end up covering my whole sketchbook in feather stamps!

My creative space

In my creative space this week I've been working on some more of these paintings that I've had sitting around for months:

This one, my archives tell me, I started back in April last year...oh dear! It features flowers from the banana passionfruit plant that is threatening to take over my garden. I'd get rid of it if it wasn't so fun to draw.

I'm building up a gang of these paintings and I'm finding it really handy to take photos of them as I'm going, to help me work out which parts to change. 'Scuse the gloomy light, it is grey, grey, grey out there today!

Hope you're having a good Thursday!

To see other people's creative spaces take a look at the "our creative spaces" blog here.

My creative space: works in progress

In my creative space this week I've got a couple of oil paintings that I've been working on...they, and a few others, have been sitting around for months while I've been distracted with drawing collections for my zine. This week they've finally been getting a bit of attention.

Complete with messy painting desk!

One day the idea is to have about 13 of these portraits and have some kind of a show. How about you, do you have projects that wait around for ages for your attention?

To see more creative spaces head on over here, to the "our creative spaces" blog.

Happy Thursday, oh and pinch, punch, first of the month! Autumn, my favourite.