Blackout Poems

When I'm stuck with either writers or artists block, or just want to loosen myself up a bit before starting a project so I can experiment a bit more fluidly I grab a newspaper or an old book I keep for this purpose (Dr Haggards disease and the white man's dilema currently) and make blackout poems.

 I first came across them via Austin Kleon who did a whole book of blackout poems and is my general go to author when I'm in a creating/marketing funk.  He's sweary, he's very anti marketing speak and totally into Brian Eno's idea of scenius "genius is individual, scenius is communal."

I find them freeing, whenever I'm a bit stuck with artwork, or if a student was when I was teaching, my course of action is limitation. I get paralysed by indecision and wrapped up playing with technique or tools rather than getting an idea across effectively. So if I've got a line I want to make when I'm drawing someone and I have all my brushes, pens, inks, pencils etc out and I have no idea how best to describe it, I'll usually grab a twig out of the garden and try and use just that and ink, or splat something on the page to contrast against rather than having the scary possibilites of a blank page, it's like telling your brain it's ok to fuck up as you can blame the lack of tools, so you may as well experiment, which is the most important thing to me making in a satisfying way.

Machine mbroidered map for Lincoln A-Z exhibition

I currently have one of my pieces in an exhibition in the Collection in Lincoln if any of you would like to go and see it there’s a link to the exhibition details, the museum/gallery and(the museum itself is well worth a look, there’s a fantastic dinosaur skeleton they found under my old school)

The piece and corresponding poem are hopefully self explanatory, what people looking at the picture don’t know is how the piece ended up there. A month ago I started planning out how to make the piece and began searching around for old maps of Lincoln for reference in the embroidery. 

I think the lighting made it a little hard to photograph things so just incase you can't read all the poem it says

"Dear Tom, my dear Bear,

I want to stitch our story, sew our love on the machine,

all calico and cotton, framed for all to see.

Thin silver pin reminders

of where we've been and where we'll be."

 It was while looking around on the internet for old maps of Lincoln for reference I saw an advert calling out for a last minute piece for an exhibition by a local radio show. When I looked into it it was for A-Z Lincoln, a radio show where the presenters put a pin in a map of Lincoln and do the weekly show from that location (think more community project/ installation than cheesy radio roadshow, go check them out.)I messaged them telling them about the piece I was working on and that I’d love to surprise my partner and about his history in radio, luckily they liked the idea and said yes. 

Luckily Bear loved it and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying that he welled up when he saw it, he even seems ok with the fact that he can’t have his christmas present here in the house until the end of January. I felt like I botched proposing to my bear a bit last year (something he assures me wouldn’t have been very us without 2 engagement rings disappearing in the post, running across castle square in full steampunk getup to get a stand-in ring on the day and having to rip open the organza bag with my teeth to get the ring out while on one knee) so this was my big romantic gesture. 

All photos are by my good friend Spy Mistress General

Cake and hugs
Frocktopus
xxx

Watercolour Historical Fashion Illustration

I've recently bought myself a set of water brushes and don't know how I got on without them, especially as they mean I've been working in watercolour again. it's very easy to make watercolour painting muddy, especially as I tend to work in thick layers, the same way I do with acrylic paint so I tend to use a thick white liquid watercolour for the highlights. I'm going to try more pen and watercolour wash work soon.

The brushes in the picture are Pentel aqua brushes, they're one of my favourite things, I don't really go in for a lot of kit but these work really well and it means I can keep them, an ink pad and a sketchbook in my bag at all times. If you fancy a pack you can find them here, there's also loads of different types out there for varying degrees of money, mine were £3 for three with postage.

On a sad note this painting was done for a local steampunk magazine, unfortunately there was a bit of messing around involved and, not to be a downer on things, I have learnt a valuable lesson not to work for free for a business if you've already heard worrying things, there's plenty of better ways to get your artwork out there. It's not only a waste of time but devalues your work and the hard work of other artists. On a happier note I have discovered an artists union that is trying to stamp out this kind of thing.

You can still have a read of the articles author Sandi James's diary of steampunk events at her blog sandi by gaslight though, it's really sweet and there's loads of fantastic photos of amazing costumes people have made, the fact Sandi makes historical and steampunk clothing really comes through.

Love and cake

Frocktopus

xxx

midnight moon and rust

I thought I'd go hunting yellows and oranges with my new camera, as they show up so bright in the lovely blue grey light we've had today, plus it doesn't hurt that yellow is my very favourite colour.

I'm very much enjoying photography at the moment but I'm trying to sketch more, I was going to attempt a sketch a day for the year but crochet got in the way. Here's last weeks sketch.

We had a christmas party the day after boxing day this year, we usually have one on christmas day but with health and seeing both families this year we thought we'd give ourselves a days recuperation first. I got all my sketching stuff into a sneaky corner so when my fatigue hit I could sit and sketch people but I was too busy catching up, cuddling and being hypnotised by the fire, so my first sketch this year is of the fire, burned out and smelling of smoke and bbq, like most of us the next morning. oh and bear proposed back at the party, pruuuuuu.

Did you all have a merry Yule or Christmas?

Love and hugs

Frocktopus

xxx

Portrait and figure work on the iPad

In an effort to learn new things I've been playing around on bears iPad. It's surprisingly fun, if a little frustrating, these are all drawn on paper 53, I tried art set but even though it gives you far more choice (especially with colouring, the watercolour brush on paper 53 is, quite bluntly, rubbish) it just doesn't suit me, I prefer making digital art that is very obviously digital media as opposed to something that badly imitates physical media. 

This is my friend Jess, she's a brilliant photographer, hairdresser model, I'm very lucky having lots of friends who are life models too and happy to pose in return for cake.

 This is Dan Svarc, a fantastic musician and I'm proud to say one of my oldest and best friends. He's also often known as his alter ego Svan Darc, go check out his stuff, it's fantastic, he's currently looking for artists, musicians, crafters and data-benders to work on him with remixes in all media of his latest ep Purge.

I'm particularly fond of this picture, after playing around I managed to shade by using the watercolour  tool and rubbing out the dodgy wiggly outlines, then sculpting the edges of the lines with white watercolour.

 This is my bear, you've heard alot about him already but art wise he's hard to draw, I tend to cut him off at the chin as drawing or painting his beard that goes down his neck makes his jaw look way longer than in real life, it ends up very cartoon Viking. His nose is fantastic to draw though, definitely my favourite facial feature to draw, noses are so angular and so individual to a persons face, for me if I've got the nose right, I'm happy.

If you can't tell by now I don't like drawing two eyes open, I can never get them looking the same way unless i'm drawing myself in the mirror and that limits you terribly, so this is one of my rarer angles unless it's illustration stuff, which I tend to do with long fringes and put all the character in the bottom half of the face. This is also a lot freer than I am used to drawing, this was at the end of a long night up chatting and it seems to be when I draw best.

What have you lot been drawing and making?

Hugs & doodles

Frocktopus

 xxx

Watercolour and portrait

I've been reacquainting myself with water colours after buying This inspiring book about urban sketching, as it's still way too cold for me outside at the moment I got some delicious mussels to paint, all in the name of art of course, the garlic and butter was purely aesthetic I assure you.

I've also drawn a get well soon card for my lovely steampunk friend Rhys, this is him in his evil scientist getup from the asylum last year.

Love and cake

Frocktopus

xxx