Stretched

I realised the other day that stretching my prints over canvas might be a good idea, then Jason commented on my last post and suggested the idea and I thought I might do it today. I got five frames and then went hunting through all my prints to find ones that was the right size. The above peacock fitted perfectly which was nice as some of the other fabrics were a little bit too small to be stretched.

The print below isn't a screenprint but a lino print and actually could be used in Loobylu's Friday Archives because it is from second year of Art School in 2000. It's from a photo I took of Flinders Street Station and the person at the front was my roommate in first year, Pammy. I did some of the lino prints on different green fabrics and found them in my old bedroom when I did a big clean out a few months back and brought them back up to Melbourne.

I'm at Rose Street tomorrow so pop on by if you're hanging round Brunswick Street looking for something to do. For once the reports say it isn't going to rain and hopefully it is nice and warm as last week it was pretty chilly.

Red Hot Birds

The print above is from the drawings I did of the Curlew a few weeks back and he had a super long beak but little feet. I've now got a whole pile of drawings that I can turn into bird prints so I'm looking forward to making them up over the next few weeks. The thing about the stencil screenprinting is once I have my drawing I still don't know what it might look like and what areas I will cut out. What I love to do is draw with a really sketchy style, then add more detail, but when I cut out I mix up the shapes and use both the sketchy lines and more precise lines to create the shapes.

The print below is an old one that I recut and printed again. I've made cushions a few times for Rose Street and this time thought I would just make some really simple ones with bold prints on them. The backing is a super soft fabric with a lovely folky pattern and Gareth just came in an asked if he could take it to be because the fabric is so soft.

Fab Four

These little ladies are for a custom order I've been working on and I thought they looked really sweet altogether. I spent the yesterday at the Museum drawing the birds with Bridget and today was spent on a mega screenprinting drive. I did over 50 prints onto fabric with six different stencils. They are all ones I've done before (although two needed to be re cut) and I was able to keep all 6 stencils at the end which made me happy.

The whole lounge room/dining room was covered in the prints on their little squares of newspaper and I was worried when I went outside to the laundry the wind would come in and blow them all over the wall leaving me printless and with a messy wall to clean, but lucky the wind wasn't that strong. I've got lots of sewing now to keep me busy for the next few days so hopefully come Saturday I will have lots of new stock for Rose Street.

Perfect Sunday

Little Jamie

The perfect Sunday involves sleeping in, sitting and watching Nevermind the Buzzcocks all afternoon and eating rice crackers and dip, cutting out a screenprint, then curry for dinner and a French film on SBS.

After watching a couple of clips on Youtube from Nevermind the Buzzcocks (the Sam Preston and Amy Winehouse ones) I got hooked so we watched about 5 shows in a row this afternoon and I don't think a show has made us laugh so much in a long time. I wonder if Gareth and I should get one of those mega satellite dishes so we can watch BBC whenever we want. I know I would be hooked on Eastenders in about 2 days. It would be dinner at 5 (Haddock Pie) followed by tea in the sitting room and Eastenders with a Tunnocks Tea Cake if you've been good. Or another perfect Sunday with the Omnibus.

Modern Australian Textiles

Thanks to Pip from Meet Me At Mikes I am involved in the Modern Australian Textiles exhibition at Nest Studios in Croydon, Adelaide. It is a shame Melbourne is too far away as I wish I could go to the opening night on the 4th of July. I've put some bird fabric in and hopefully it looks okay next to all the super talent that is involved. Having a look at the websites for the other designers involved was really inspiring and I suggest spending some time with a cup of tea and your feet up as you might want to spend a while because the work is amazing. The other designers are: Helena Gieger, Nicola Cerini, Publisher Textiles, Pip Willy, Umbrella Prints and Laughing Bird Textiles.


If you pop over the Craft City Melbourne Blog you will see I got a Craft City Citizenship Award. I'm really honored and the other people who had won are all such talented ladies. The blog is fantastic, I have already found some contacts and shops that I have been wishing I could find and I know more will come. Whenever I talk to artists, designers and crafters I always gather such great information about products, where to find them, places to go to and new techniques I have not thought of and so it is good to have a blog to find out all that information in one place.

Another lovely blog called Lastee did a feature on my stuff. They just started out this month but the website has a great look and feel to it so one to keep your eye on.

Lastly, if you're wandering around Fitzroy tomorrow pop by Rose Street and say hello. It says it is meant to rain so I am hoping that doesn't happen until after 5.20pm when I've loaded my car up, the heating from under the steering wheel is on full and my legs are toastie and I'm wondering why I am driving down Hoddle Street when I know Football is on at the MCG.

Green Birds

I printed up some more fabric with the bird designs from the museum drawings Bridget and I have been doing. I had a few problems with this run so wont be selling the yardage and will use it to make up bags and pouches. I tried to have the print closer together so printed with a space big enough for the screen to fit once it has dried. However it didn't quite fit and so a few overlaps ended up happening. I like the calico and green combo and made up a little pouch from the fabric earlier in the week.

I've got my replacement camera yesterday and it doesn't seem the same as the last one. I know it should as it is the same model but the pictures doesn't seem as good. I'm not sure if it is the settings I had set up before and I have not changed them on the new one and I'm hoping this is it. I had the last camera for 2 years in September and this one feels much different. I wonder if one of the reasons the price goes down is because the parts are made cheaper as Gareth said this one feels more plasticy than the last one.

Busted

I got home on Sunday and went to take some photos of some new fabric I printed and realise that over the weekend I cracked the LCD screen on my camera. I went into a massive panic mode thinking it was the lens, then realising it was the LCD, then realising that it was also very bad. Luckily Gareth is one of those sensible types who not only think about getting home and contents insurance, but actually go out and organise it. I am not one of those people and after finding a Flickr forum post saying it isn't covered in warranty realised I could still be paying off a camera which doesn't work particularly well.

I was also surprised when I called AAMI on a Sunday that not only did I get to speak to someone, but when I first called I didn't have to go through the whole press 7 to go to blaa blaa blaa, someone answered right away and asked what I wanted, then transferred me through. I got a call from my case worker at 9.30 am this morning and should have a replacement by the end of the week. All in all I was pretty impressed with how painless it was, I was expecting headaches, tears, a lot of paperwork then a lot of weeks and waiting before I would even hear anything. I am very thankful that this wasn't the case, that I have a sensible boyfriend, but annoyed at how careless and silly I am with things that I own. I was going to put the ugliest picture I could find of myself up as punishment, but figured that would just look strange, so opted for some artwork instead.

The Friday Archives

Loobylu started a weekly thing called The Friday Archives and I thought I would join in. I've been a bit slack with the blogging over the last few weeks and despite reading lots of great blogs, when it comes to writing mine I can't think of anything interesting to say.

The drawing above is from first or second year of art school, so circa 1999/2000.
The model is Julie who did a lot of modeling in our life drawing classes and was very good at it. Although it isn't until you have someone who is bad that you realise how good the good ones are. Answering your mobile phone mid pose is a bad by the way.

I'm at Rose Street tomorrow, so if you're hanging around Brunswick Street come by and say hello. Just turn left at Shag clothing and you're almost there. Then tomorrow night I'm off to see the Spun Rivals EP launch. Should be a good night.

Scarfy

After spotting Lucian Matis wearing a skinny/wide fabric scarf on Project Runway: Canada last December I decided to make myself one. His was skinny in the middle then came out wider at the bottom and I used some soft white linen with a white screenprint on it to make mine. When I showed Gareth we laughed at how it looked because when I wore it I looked a bit like some kind of religious leader and I didn't make anymore.

Anyway since it is winter I have decided that the scarf should be worn and it has quickly become my favourite item of clothing and I don't feel too holy in it. When I got the linen I don't remember it saying it had anything blended with it, but it is so soft and pure and with the pink backing it is quite girly.

Since then I've made a few more including some from beautiful silk I found a week or so ago and combined it with some prints on blue fabric. I've only made a few with bird prints so far but someone is already walking around Melbourne with one on since last Saturday at Rose Street, which is always a good sign.



Oh and if you're a Project Runway fan then I recommend trying to get your hands on the Canadian Version. It is just as good and the talent is very high. Just don't start googling too much as you will find out who wins and nobody likes show spoils, except Meringue. It almost killed me to tell her if Jim and Pam got together in The Office. It goes against everything I believe in.

Birds

Bridget and I spent yesterday at the Museum for our bird drawing. We had a Curlew and a Bell Bird and the Curlew had a beak that was enormous. I turned some of the drawings into a print design which I plan on printing up tomorrow. Although this one has been changed in photoshop and illustrator but the one I will do will be hand drawn and then cut out.

On our way back from lunch we found poor first year student who couldn't find where her exam and the reading time had already started. I forgot they hold them at the Royal Exhibition Buildings and once we figured it out after a phone call we ran over and hoped she got inside.

Winner!

The winner of the Blog Giveaway is Ingrid from Lottie Lulu and her favourite film is Love Me If You Dare and her favourite TV show is Project Runway. Thanks so much for all the comments, I now have a big list of everything that was mentioned so if you're on the lookout for a film to watch or a new show then there should be something in this list for you. The most popular film was Indiana Jones and the most popular TV show was Brothers and Sisters.

Railway Pattern

I took some photos of the railway lines and wires at Caulfield Station while waiting for the train to Bairnsdale last Saturday. I looks much different from the original due to the pattern repeat making it like a kaleidoscope and I prefer this abstract version of the image. It's also nice to design something that is a little more masculine as I feel most of the stuff I make is quite feminine. I could see this one some satchel type messenger bag, like the one I've been meaning to make Gareth for well over a year now.

You can see a larger version on a longer repeat over on my flickr account.

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The blog competition giveaway is still on until Sunday so if you have not entered then you still have time. I'm looking forward to making up the list of films and shows and seeing who will win. Will it be Brothers and Sisters or something involving Gordon?

Turning Birds

I've been playing around with some of my bird drawings from the museum trying to work out how I can use them for other things. I was planning on using some for screenprints, both handdrawn and handcut ones and some computer aided designs.

These are some of the ones I worked with on the computer, both in Photoshop and Illustrator, just to see how they would look in a repeat. The two designs are too close together and if I was to create the pattern for real I think I would like them spread out a little more with some variation in size and other elements to break it up. I've still got my training wheels on when it comes to creating a design repeat, but I'm enjoying the design challenge. I think I prefer the one below more, there is something about the bushy roughness that I really like.

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A quick reminder that the blog competition giveaway is still on until Sunday so if you have not entered then you still have time.

No Bag Of Tricks

This design above is a new screenprint I made for some t-shirts. I had the birds already cut out from the design below so I thought I might use them for another print. I also did some on t-shirts and blue fabric.

This red linen is really bright, it looks almost like a watermelon and not a red. I've used it with some creamy/beige denim I found a few weeks back and it is one of my favourite combinations.

This large tote bag is available over on Dawanda. I've started using one just like it and it fits a lot of stuff inside, books, spare clothes, a camera and all the other junk that seems to end up in my bag. Not quite as much as the old Country Road Tote circa 1993 that I seem to use non stop, but still pretty big.

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A quick reminder that the blog competition giveaway is still on until Sunday so if you have not entered then you still have time. It seems Brothers and Sisters and Gordon are the popular shows so far, but I will compile a list of everything when it is finished as I've already spotted a few shows and films that I've not heard of and look good.