Modern Abstracts

Hi everyone!

Every so often I feel this creative urge to paint wildly abstract. Abstract art has always been the style that I'm most drawn to, even as a teenager! You wouldn't have found any posters of TV stars on my bedroom walls at that time - instead I hung pictures with bold, abstracted images! I like that modern abstracts leave room for imagination and evoke an emotional response. When I paint abstract I try to capture a feeling and use color to tell a story. 

Below I'm sharing my recent practice pieces I painted in my journal. This is a useful exercise for when I decide to go large. This artwork was inspired by both nature and urban environments.

 

I've already heard some interesting interpretations of my artwork from people on another platform. I would love to know what you see when observing these paintings. Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely day!

Colorful Abstract Artwork

Hi everyone!

Recently, I was in the mood to create abstract art. I did not have specific ideas, but when I came across digital images by UK artist Mike Deakin, it sparked something in me. So I went ahead and painted my version of an abstract portrait the traditional way. The face is intentionally quirky and disproportional with the focus on color and expression. There are rectangular pieces of neutral collage underneath the primary colors, which add depth to the portrait. Not too bad for first try!

The next two paintings are completely non-representational. Perhaps with the above portrait still fresh in my mind I continued with the angular shapes and lines. In the first one I worked with a limited palette and used mostly acrylic paints - brushing them on in some areas and using a scraper in others. To add dimension I made a series of dots and lines with acrylic paint markers. This piece could be described as a bold graphic.

The second painting is more colorful. I used acrylic paints, crayons and colored pencils. If you look closely you can see subtle details peeking through the multiple layers. Despite the angularity it turned out surprisingly cheerful.

All artwork was done in a 20 x 20 cm art journal, mostly using acrylic paints.

Often, I use art as a visual communication when words fail me. These three pieces are an example of my emotions needing to "come out". I almost always feel way more settled once I make those final touches to the artworks. 

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll note that my style differs from post to post. This is because there is no one style that I prefer and I've made peace with it 😄 

Thank you, again, for visiting my blog. Wishing you a wonderful day and weekend ahead!

Art Challenge! Mixed Media Abstract with Watercolors (and a Fail)

Hello lovelies!

If anyone asked me I would say that most of my time is spent experimenting rather than creating actual artwork. And I'll let you in on a little secret...quite a number of those pieces don't turn out as I had hoped. But I would never simply discard them, as there are always some bits that I like. My solution: tear those bits into small pieces and use them as background collage! It works for me. 

And on a few occasions on this wonderful art journey of mine, I have purchased items that somehow end up at the back of the supply cupboard, sadly neglected. I came across a few of these as I was clearing out my studio. In the short video below I'm sharing my art experiment with these unused supplies and how I feel about the result. One thing is for sure - I will never use gold leaf in my art again. I'd rather use gold paint or paint pens. 

That being said, if any of my readers has experience in using gold leaf and its proper application, please kindly share in the comments. I would love to know!

Here is a close up of my abstract art experiment

Even though I messed up the lower part with the disastrous gold leaf, I do like this color palette and the round shapes as well as the mark making. As I mentioned in the first paragraph - there are always good bits to be kept. As for the other supplies, I have put the marker pens in my line of sight, so that I can use them for mark making. I'll try to use up those watercolor pans, even if "only" for making background washes. I probably won't use the stencil that much, as the florals are too stylized for my liking. Thankfully, it only cost me a few euros. I like the India Ink and I'm not sure why the jar has been sitting there unused, but instead of the dip pen, which, I admit, is very decorative, it's more practical to journal with my regular fountain pen.

As always, thank you for stopping by and again, if you have any tips as to how to work with gold leaf, do leave a comment. Thank you. Happy Friday!

Handmade Greeting Cards with Kraft paper

Hello everyone!

I am back with a new, fun tutorial. I love papercrafts of all kinds and therefore have quite the stash of various papers - among those some sheets of A4 size Kraft paper. I thought these would be perfect for this card making project. The process is easy with lots of mark making and using leftover bits of collage, junk paper, found objects, ephemera and anything else you would like to decorate the card with. 

I forgot to take a picture of the plain Kraft paper, but it's really self-explanatory. You take the sheet of Kraft paper and cut it in half. Then you take the two pieces and fold them in half. That's your card bases ready!

Below is a step-by-step instruction, however, feel free to substitute any colors or decorations as you please:

Step One

I stamped my text stamp in a few areas on the card front, then used blue paint to make a couple of random swipes with a big brush. I let this dry.

Step Two

Next I used a small dagger brush and black acrylic ink to make abstract swirly marks and let this dry again.

Step Three

With a fan brush I made some splatters all over the card front.

Step Four

I set aside the cards to dry and prepare the focal images, which in my case are various leaves. I used stamps and distress ink to create the images.

 I keep a basket with tiny paper scraps that I like using in my collage art and journals. These are leftover from bigger projects. These are also great for adding texture to cards. I did not want to overload my cards, so I just chose few neutral pieces. On a whim I cut out tiny hearts from this pink leftover paper. (see above)

I arranged and adhered the pieces with gel medium, which is best for thin tissue papers and a glue stick for the sturdier pieces.

Finally, I add the cut out leaf images and hearts!

Now, I have two unique handmade cards - ready to pop into an envelope and send to someone special! 

You can watch the process in the video below:

Do you or someone you know like making papercrafts with Kraft? Pin/Share this project!

A little bit of this and that

[Werbung/Advertisement]

Hello friends!

oops, I did it again - that is, not blog for weeks on end. At this point I'm probably writing into the void, bar for the handful of exceptionally loyal readers who have stuck with me throughout the years. Know that I appreciate you so much 💕

So while my poor blog has been collecting dust, I have been busy dealing once again with new rules and regulations affecting my small business. In fact, in the past 3 - 4 years it seems like the powers that be have been targeting small businesses - especially online businesses. I finally had to loop in my tax consultant, because the whole process is quite complicated. As the new regulation goes into effect next month I've sadly had to "lower my sights" businesswise. It's kind of depressing actually, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. I love my shop, my products and of course my fabulous customers!

In a nutshell, this basically means that I will be shipping my goods primarily to the following countries:

GERMANY, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN, NORWAY, SWITZERLAND, SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA 

I may be able to ship my goods to:

ENGLAND (with reservations), LATIN AND SOUTH AMERICA, SELECT ASIAN COUNTRIES

I may be able to ship my goods to:

AUSTRIA, if you use one of those companies that provide delivery addresses in Germany close to the border and are able  to pick up the goods from there.

Finally, I won't be able to ship my goods to: EU countries outside Germany

The latter must seem especially confusing and not wanting to get into the nitty-gritty, trust that I have gone through all options available to me 😔

If your country isn't listed - contact me at my email and I will check if I can ship to you!

All of this comes at an unfortunate time, because my own website plus Etsy have propelled forward in the last pandemic year and I was actually hoping for a repeat this year. Now with having to cut important shipping destinations I will really need to up my game locally.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with I will also have to primarily source my goods locally too. Thankfully, I have been carrying popular acufactum fabrics for a while now and they are based right here in Germany. Below are some new fabrics that I have received recently. They are certified oekotex® cotton fabrics at 58" wide. 

Except for the fox one, all are available both at my website and at Etsy.

In other news...

This past Monday I received my second vaccination. So far I only have a sore arm and felt a bit tired the next day. I am so relieved. I have decided to keep wearing my mask while grocery shopping, though, out of courtesy for those that haven't had a shot yet. It is slow going in Germany, as there aren't enough vaccines available. sigh.

My beloved sewing machine of 12 years broke down a few weeks ago. Ugh.  I'm still deciding whether to get a new one or bring it to the repair shop, which is actually a bike repair shop, but the guy does sewing machines on the side. I will have to make a decision soon, as it is really weird not being able to sew!

Plus I'm still suffering slightly from "creative block". I'm putting it down to being cooped up at home for 14 months. I miss those garden days . I always found inspiration there. Speaking of garden, we have started picking up where we left off in our garden again, however it's a bigger project than we initially thought! So, no pictures as of yet. 

While browsing the internet I came upon this art site and suddenly I felt the urge to paint again. I haven't held a paint brush in probably over ten years...

Anyway one art site led to another and another and basically I'm now passionate about mixed media art. I know I'm very late to the game, but I am just happy it sparked my creativity again, even though it's completely different to sewing 🌈

I have been circling Dina Wakley's Mixed Media Art Journal for a while and finally bought it. I was intrigued by the various painting surfaces - watercolor, canvas, burlap and kraft paper - inside and wanted to try out some new techniques. I bought some basic art supplies (that was fun!) and also unearthed the swag bag I once received while attending the KreativMesse. I hadn't even opened some of those crafty things and now they will be put to good use!

Hopefully I can show you some stuff I've done with it in the near future. I know the burlap is tricky. We'll see what I come up with. 

Thank you for reading along. I hope you are all doing well. I know these past months have been so tough for many of us. Take care! Love ~

KREATIV die messe für kreatives gestalten [Teil 2]

Hi everybody!           Hallo Mädels!

In meinem vorherigen Post berichtete ich über meinen Besuch auf der KREATIV in Stuttgart. Heute schreibe ich über einen Workshop, der mich durch seine therapeutischen Eigenschaften besonders interessiert. Wie in Teil 1 erwähnt, durfte ich an ausgesuchten Workshops teilnehmen. Ich hatte mich bewußt entschieden etwas für mich Neues zu erlernen - da das Arbeiten mit Stoffen nun mal mein Metier ist wäre eine Teilnahme an einer Nähwerkstatt nicht wirklich sinnvoll. Deshalb beschloss ich, das Zentangle®, eine einfach zu erlernende, kreative Zeichentechnik wiederkehrender Muster auf einer Kachel, zu erlernen bzw. mir einen Einblick darüber zu verschaffen. Diese Kunstform fördert Konzentration, Kreativität und baut zudem noch Stress ab! Übrigens, die Methode des meditativen Zentangle® wurde von Rick Roberts und Maria Thomas entwickelt und ist urheberrechtlich geschützt.

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In my previous post I wrote about my visit to the Craft Fair in Stuttgart. Today I'd like to tell you more about one of the workshops I attended. As mentioned in Part 1, I was handed a set of coupons, each one valid for a specific workshop at the fair. Prior to my trip I knew I wanted to try something new (no point joining a sewing workshop, since working with fabrics is my forte). I decided to try the art of Zentangle®, an easy-to-learn, relaxing art form using repetitive patterns. It helps increase focus, attentiveness, and creativity. Btw, Zentangle® is a method created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. 

Die Zentangle-Methode folgt einem bestimmten Ablauf. Zunächst zeichnet man auf der weißen Kachel einen "String" (bevorzugt mit Bleistift). Dadurch wird die Kachel in mehrere Flächen eingeteilt. Anschließend werden diese Flächen mit sich wiederholenden Mustern ausgefüllt. Die Muster, auch Tangles genannt, entnimmt man aus einer bestehenden Liste. Für diese Technik benötigt man schwarze Fineliner und weiße Kacheln (Artist Trading Cards). Ein Tangle ist abstrakt und hat keine bestimmte Richtung. Zudem gibt es die Möglichkeit mit Aquarellstifte die Tangles zu schattieren. Ich bevorzuge jedoch die Schwarz/Weiß-Version. Psst...ich verrate Euch ein kleines Geheimnis... ich kann nicht zeichnen, wenn mir dabei zugeschaut wird ;-) Stattdessen habe ich aufmerksam zugehört und andere beim Zeichnen beobachtet, um dann zuhause in Ruhe mein ganz eigenes Tangle zu kreieren.

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The core concept is to use a "string" which defines an area (this is usually done in pencil) and then that area is filled in with a repetitive pattern chosen from an existing list of patterns, or tangles. The tools required to create your own little masterpiece are black fineliners and ATC white tiles. A tangle is abstract and does not have an "up" or "down". Mostly the drawing is completed in black ink on white paper, however, there is also the option of using watercolor pens to shade and enhance the final artwork. I like the black and white version. Psst...here's a little secret about me...I can't draw, much less focus with a bunch of people looking on ;-) And this workshop was crowded! So instead I listened and observed, all the while forming my own ideas for when I got back home.

Wer mich kennt weiß, dass ich gern mal querdenke, ob beim Nähen, Basteln, Zeichnen oder Kochen! Ich bin eben unkonventionell. Daher habe ich ein Zentangle-inspiriertes Mixed Media Tangle kreiert :) Und so ist es entstanden: Zunächst habe ich eines meiner Schwarz/Weiß Fotografien von einer Blüte mit Blattwerk "posterized", d.h. so bearbeitet, dass die Flächen pixelartig schattiert sind. Das Bild habe ich anschließend auf Archivpapier ausgedruckt. Mit einem Bleistift habe ich dann im Blütenbereich einen "String" eingezeichnet. Zum Zeichnen der Tangles habe ich mich für den Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.2 und 0.5 entschieden. Die Tinte ist dokumentenecht, wasserfest auf Papier und lichtbeständig.

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Here's another little tidbit about me - I'm known to bend the rules, whether I'm sewing, crafting, drawing or cooking! I'm also not a traditionalist. Therefore, I created a Zentangle-inspired piece, a mixed media tangle :) Here's my process: I started out with one of my black and white floral photos, which I posterized and then printed out on archival paper. I pencilled in my "string" to define the white area of the flower. I used  Staedtler pigment liners 0.2 and 0.5 to draw the tangles. The ink is indelible, waterproof on paper and doesn't fade when exposed to light.

Dies ist übrigens mein erster Versuch dieser Zeichentechnik. "Fehler" werden nicht korrigiert (daher auch das Zeichnen mit permanenter Tinte), sondern in das Kunstwerk integriert bzw. kaschiert. Beim Zeichnen ist mir aufgefallen, dass ich eher runde Formen als geometrische bevorzuge :) Die Muster zu zeichnen ging nicht schnell von der Hand. Jeder Strich wird bewußt gezeichnet, dabei darf man aber seiner Fantasie freien Lauf lassen. Es gibt kein richtig oder falsch. Einfach loslegen und Spaß haben!

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This is my first try using this technique. "Mistakes" aren't erased (that's why the drawing is done with permanent ink); they are integrated into the overall design. While drawing I noticed I prefer round shapes to geometric ones :) This drawing technique requires focus! Each line should be done deliberately, however, instead of planning each tangle, allow the pattern to reveal itself while drawing. There is no right or wrong. Most of all, have fun!

Wer von Euch hat die Zentangle-Methode (d.h. die Originalversion auf einer Kachel) bereits ausprobiert? Findet Ihr diese Zeichentechnik auch so entspannend?

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Who else has tried the original Zentangle-method? Do you find it relaxing?

Addendum / Nachtrag

due to an urgent family matter I have to hurry to catch a plane today. I have closed all my shops temporarily, but will make sure all paid orders are shipped. Thank you for your understanding. 

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Ihr Lieben, wegen einer dringenden Familienangelegenheit muss ich kurzfristig abreisen . Meine Shops sind vorrübergehend geschlossen. Ich bemühe mich jedoch bezahlte Ware zeitnah abzuschicken. Vielen Dank für Euer Verständnis.