Reflecting on 4 Colour Full Years

It is four years since I decide to push visual arts to the top of my priority list.

Major knee injury meant I had to pass on the opportunity that I’d been hankering for years, to manage the PR for Meadowhall. Facing months on crutches and unable to drive, life was taken up by the countless rehab exercises and everything normal took three times as long. With a recovery period quoted in years rather than weeks time began to feel different. I had so little time spare that I had to get to the nub of spending time how my soul needed and what emerged from valuable sessions with my wonderful life coach Heidi-Mai, was art… making… creating, colour, I felt like there was a whole lot of colour and creations inside me that needed to be let out into the world. And so my visual art journey changed up a gear and I began to prioritise this work, moving it from the ‘indulgent, blissful hobby’ to the ‘if I don’t have much time available I’m going to spend it on what feels great’. And with a feeling of naughty delight I signed up for an Art Foundation course.

What an exploration it has been, and continues to be. I’ve  always enjoyed a steep learning curve and staying on such a curve keeps me interested and motivated.

In the first four years I’ve had a solo exhibition, had work in four public exhibitions, have begun teaching fabric design techniques, have shared art skills in school, created commissioned artworks, designs, infographics, videos, animations and have made products from miniature pot plants to fabric birds.

I don’t know where the work is leading and when I’m in the creative moment I don’t think it really matters where or whether it leads. For me creating and making is calming, rejuvenating and present. It’s my antidote to the harrowing stories that the media try to intrude into my calm.

Here are my favourite pieces from the past four years. I look forward to seeing what will emerge from my work in the future.

I’m not stopping here. I’m busy preparing for my next workshop on Sunday 2nd June at Stitched Up and Fleeced, Sheffield.

I’m working on personal projects and strategic commercial communications. I’ve a plan for a book, watch this space, and have some exciting collaborations ahead.

Here are my favourite posts from the past four years:

Fabric Design Doll

Satin Cheese Plant…

Drawing With Silks – Cute Dog

Animating paper pictures

Here are anniversary stories from the years you may have missed. I’ve always worked on the proviso that my work will improve, although I’ve a good way to go to be at the level I aspire to, when I reflect I can see the progression. Practice makes better…

First Birthday and Art Exhibition

3 Years and Beyond

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Paperart Originals – Ready for a new home

Years in the making, and hundreds of tiny details in paper, but I’m pleased to have completed my Brighton inspired Seaside Arches.

In a big move forward for me I am, for the first time, offering three paperart originals for sale in my Folksy shop. (Act quick before I change my mind).

The British seaside inspired this piece. I tried to keep to a limited colour palette, which is tricky as I love colour so much. The steam train is arriving at the seaside where the arches are a tea and ice-cream cafe, a beach paraphernalia shop and a boutique with pretty dresses, hats and handbags. The picture captures a warm sunny day with brightly coloured bunting being tousled by the warm, salty sea breeze.

This time the small white dog Sam is joined by my new little four legged friend, thanks to www.BorrowMyDoggy.com, with both wearing neckerchiefs.

There’s a deckchair and beach towel available for anyone wanting to imagine themself into the pretty seaside scene. Hmmm memories of happy days by the sea.

This winter scene is influenced by gingerbread houses, ski trips to the Alps and Russia, my love of ice skating and a chocolatier selling from a street booth I spotted in Lisbon. There’s a shift in the scene from Autumn trees into winter and the cosyness of festive lights.

Going to the seaside is all about breaking away from the norms and city to race eagerly towards the seaside, the East coast of England in this picture, the shores of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. A pretty cottage awaits the family’s arrival with a fun big wheel and ice cream van to cool down after some sunny time on the beach.

People always ask how long the pictures take to make but I’m never counting the hours as I find a happy space in cutting and placing each piece of paper to build the picture. It can be almost meditative. I most like to do this work at the table in our garden but it’s rare for sunny days still enough to work with such tiny pieces of paper; they can so easily be carried by the wind, but those rare days are magical.

More images and detail about these artworks at my Folksy shop.

I’m going to be bringing my paper art skills together with the fabric design techniques I’ve been exploring to create some cut paper fabric designs. There, now I’ve said it here I’ll make it happen. Watch this space and see more at my Instagram feed.

Here’s more about the paper part of my story.

Related posts:

Paper Art Pictures

Animating Paper Pictures

My Life in Paper

Paper Art Time-Lapses

Designer Dog Coat

Personalised Pooch Weather Proof Coat

My four legged furry buddy isn’t keen on walking in the rain. So to stop this little guy…

…ending up looking like this…

I decided to make him a bespoke coat. As he’s a Lhasa Apso with a long body shop coats don’t fit him so off the peg wouldn’t do the job.

So using his silhouette and paw print, captured on a snowy day, I designed a repeat pattern.

I painted the design in dyes using wax relief…

Then heat-pressed the design onto fabric and cut out the shapes from the paper pattern I had created to fit my furry fashionisto.

The good weather took the sewing and quilting of the layers al fresco.

I love reflective fabric so used used this for back panel of the dog coat.

My lovely Bernina sewing machine made light work of the creative quilting and edging tape sewing.

I don’t think, for me, sewing can get much better than making with fabric I’ve designed and printed myself.

After attaching the pieces and adding Velcro and a button fastening the coat was ready for “walkies”.

The collar up option for heavy rain is quite David Bowie/spacey.

The collar down option for chillier but less wet days.

You might want to see these dog inspired projects:

Drawing With Silks – Cute Dog

The Dog Who Wanted To Fly

Maltese Dog Portrait

Dog Portraits in Acrylic Paint

I’d like to thank my fabulous furry fashion model, Borrow My Doggy for the introduction and you for being here.

Make a new furry friend through Www.BorrowMyDoggy.com

For more fun makes follow my blog, my Facebook page and Instagram feed.

Thanks

Kim and Willow xx

Instagram Highlights

April was a bright and creative month, here are the highlights from my Instagram feed. Enjoy!

Better late than never!

First up was a cupcake themed cushion that I made for a close relation.

Lush pink, grey and teal design. It was a huge pattern repeat so I made a booster cushion with different parts of the design front and back. As I know I’ll be asked the question, the fabric was from Direct Knit and Sew in Sheffield.

Ta da! Here’s the finished cushion. It really was a work of love as it was for someone I love and I love the outcome. The pink ribbon edging the cushion really makes the colours pop.

I started work on a second hand sewn dog portrait. This time featuring Sam, who has been in many of my papercut paperart collage artworks and was the protagonist I’m my illustrated storybook.

I made pretty bunting for my sewing space. Dyeing the fabric using sublimation inks and then stitching into and embellishing the panels. The satin ribbon feels gorgeous.

I used trational machine stitch, love the clear acrylic foot – it’s an essential tool for me, and also used free machine embroidery.

The little boat and clouds are from fabric that I dyed at a workshop last summer at Stitched Up And Fleeced textile studio in Sheffield.

I tried something a little different with my Paperart on one of my favourite icons for a happy day, Ice-cream.

I repainted my Maison du Monde Smile sign to make it more me, white emulsion the flicked my favourite paint colours.

This large canvas happened out of a study for another piece. As it was drying we decided we quite liked it so this is how it is completed, for now. 😊

The above canvas artwork was created using a drag method I had been playing with.

The final make of the month was a peg bag using bright screen printed fabric, printed by a fellow student.

Here are stories that relate to these artworks. Enjoy seeing the backstories.

Sam’s storybook

Cute Dog – portrait

Paperart Pictures

Thanks for being here. Better late than never on this post. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Love, and peace to you, Kim xx

Drawing With Silks – Cute Dog

As a small sofa-friendly project over the easter weekend I decided to embark on a small embroidered portrait of the little dog that spends some days with me.

 

I found a high res picture that really showed the detail, and began first to represent the darkest areas gradually and carefully colour matching the different tones with embroidery silks, and representing the different textures. I took a drawing in silks approach, using drawing techniques that I use in life drawings.

 

I was pleased with how the embroidery began to take on his likeness and reflect some of his character. I added a paw print, from a picture I captured of it whilst walking during a snowfall.As I liked how the portrait looked in the embroidery hoop I decided to turn that into the frame, giving it a collar effect using a football boot lace (ssshh!)

The little dog is a lhasa apso with a lovely coat and sooo cute. He’s a great little guy who it is fun company.

The little dog’s owner was really pleased with the picture and how it captured the detail of his face and coat.

This is not the first cute dog that I have had the pleasure of capturing in art, I previously used acrylic paint to illustrate a children’s book about a white dog called Sam who wanted to fly.

Illustrated Children’s Book – The Dog Who Wanted To Fly

More related posts are at these links:

Art Challenge 28 –  Dog Portraits – Maltese

Sewing into Art

Have a n-ice day! Sewing challenge

I later created another dog portrait – here is the link to the story and a video of the project. 

Its been a pleasure to share this story and its fab to have you here, please share my site with friends who’ll enjoy it x

I write my blog as story by story I’m logging my creative journey and writing my book. If you’d like to read the chapters as they are created you can follow this blog. It’s presently a small and select group but it would’ve lovely to have you join us. 😊

Kim x

Instagram Highlights

Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s been a while since I last posted but that means the highlights are sweeter.

For when we need to reach deep… and need to believe in ourself.

Paper cut seaside paradise. Tea and cake anyone?

I’m making a skirt in pretty bicycle fabric. I’ve been experimenting with sewn embellishments. Pretty sparkles and sequins.

Woohoo spring blooms popping up in my garden. 😀

A sunny break in Spain was colourful and inspiring. Here’s a juicy pic from Malaga market.

There’s something nostalgic about brightly painted bicycles and baskets. It’s a girl thing – summer days, wind in your hair, freedom of time and movement. Mmmm 😎

It’s winter, yet I’m sewing ice-creams and lollies. Bring on summer!

For more sunny posts see my Facebook and Instagram and see the posts here. Thanks for taking time out here, hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Inktober Week 3 – Past The Mid Point!

I feel like week three has been a turning point and I can start to see dividend in the daily practice of creating an ink drawing a day for 31 days. 

Here are my #inktober drawings from the third week of the challenge, they are to fit the #Inktober2017 prompt words but also are created to fit the briefs of the eshortcourse in Illustration I am studying with Bill Wright, tutor at Central St Martins. 

‘Mysterious’ in Bic biro. ‘Mysterious’ #Inktober Day 15. I tried to capture elements that connote mystery and bring them together in a composition.

I really wrestled with how to illustrate #fat for #inktober2017. With Sweet fatty foods coming at her our girl is running away from fat by working out at the gym, as fat chases on.

Graceful #Inktober Day 17. I love the feeling of dance, the physical celebration of being. Ink and brush on an old roadmap of Scotland.

Have a fabulous day! So nice to be using the ink bottle again. Here’s one of my #inktober responses to ‘graceful’.

Have a be you to the full day! Played with my Mexico photos to add colour to my ink line work in my favourite app Pixelmator

A Good Walk – #inktober2017 – Day 18’s prompt word is ‘Filthy’ so I chose to create a series of illustrations as a reportage. The drawings follow…

‘Cloud’ – Keeping it simple for Day 19. I love clouds, do t always want to see them but they can be canvases for the most beautiful colours at this time of year.

‘Deep’ made me think of navel gazing introspection.

‘Furious’ was my hurry to collect my train tickets for London, with two minutes to spare.

Bell Pepper Allergy Illustration to show to restaurant staff when ordering.

Day 21 was ‘Trail’, which made me think of exploting the streets of London with my family. I love these Ashalak boots, they were made in Ibiza. I found them at Las Dalias market.

Into the home straight now – here are the prompt words to come. 

Inktober 2017 Official Prompt Words

You can look out for next week’s instalment or see updates at my Facebook page and Instagram feed. 

If you’ve not seen them here are the Week One and Week Two drawings. 

Thanks for being here, keep drawing. 😊

My Life In Paper

“My latest paper masterpiece, “Hot Days Eating Cool Ice Cream”. It is pretty with details and interest, always something more to see and packed with pictorial love from corner to corner.” 

Read the full story: 

I often have an idealistic view of what an event will be like. For instance say to me garden party and instantly an image conjures of pretty bunting flapping in the wind, smiling faces, beautiful colourful tablecloths, bright blooms, pink lemonade with ice glinting in the sun, gorgeous dresses and a cloud leisurely tracking across a vivid blue sky. My idealism can often lead to the reality being a little disappointing. I had seen this  as a trait that was negative, that I was being naive and childishly silly.

But I have realised that it is this ideal world imagination that is the magic that can make my special kind of art.

My growing number of paper cut creations, finely crafted like a self-made jigsaw, come from this visual idealism.

Best seen in their original form the pictures are intricate and unique. In their creation is a calm happy place for me, one where I am in that sweet spot between consciousness and subconscious. Piece by piece, thought by thought I cut and stick to form a whole that when I step back I wonder how that came about.

When I was a youngster I would get frustrated that my art did not look like I had envisioned. That I could not recreate on paper the picture that I had in my head. But my paper artworks never start from a whole vision, it begins like a building, first the walls go in place, then I furnish the building with pretty furniture from my imagination and add personal items that belong to the imaginary owners, curated over their lives.

Ta-Da… My Latest Picture Revealed

I very recently completed what I feel is my latest masterpiece, “Hot Days Eating Cool Ice Cream”. Like the earlier smaller (A4) Beach Huts, Allotments and Ski Chalet (all in the strip above), it is pretty with details and interest, always something more to see, but this new piece is A3 and packed with pictorial love from corner to corner.

I created the Ice Cream artwork with new colour understanding after studying the relationships between colours. As a result it really pops off the page.

So here it is for your visual consumption. Have a Flake with that.

Hot Days Eating Cool Ice Cream – Copyright Kim

Hot Days Eating Cool ice Cream is a design made entirely from pieces of paper cut into shapes to make a bright, colourful work of art. The design feature an ice cream cafe on a sunny day. The ice-cream maker also sells the delicious ice creams out and about in the sparkly ice-cream van.

Two girls are at the cafe to enjoy ice-cream and a small white dog trots by to in the hope of a little chocolate or sweet treat.

In the distance people enjoy the fun and thrill of a rollercoaster ride and a plane flies overhead to spread the work about the wonderful ice-creams.

This is my first paper cut work that prominently features people. This was a challenge, at first I painted people and cut and added those, but later recreated them in paper and am happier with the paper characters.

Here are some details from the picture… (watermarked).

Of course Maltese Terrier Sam, as in each of the paper-cut pictures, is there – Copyright Kim

And now the fun starts on creating canvases, fabric and products which will take the picture out and about and on the move in the world.

Hot Days Eating Cool Ice Cream – Copyright Kim

I am seeking an art agent or art business mentor/manager to assist my art out into the world. Please share my post so that it can find its way to the ideal person to help.

If you’ve enjoyed this post here are related posts to feast your eyes and imagination on. Enjoy!

Paper-Cut Pictures

Animating Paper Pictures

Paper-Cut Portrait

Paper-Cut Pictures Part Two

My Story

My YouTube Channel

My Facebook Page

All that Ice-Cream makes you feel hungry then have a few scoops and a Flake.

 

Pool Side Painting

I love creating in sunlight as it makes the colours so rich on the paper.

Whilst on holiday in Costa De La Luz, Spain I drew shapes and patterns from the pool environment on A3 paper, then painted in watercolours.i chose my favourite hues and built layers of paint, which dried so quickly in the sun.

Pool Party – Copyright Kim

Pool Party (Detail) – Copyright Kim

Pool Party (Detail) Copyright Kim

I’m pleased with the final overall effect, it is quite different from my past work and I enjoyed creating it. 😊

To Enjoy Next

Posts related to this one are…

Beach Art

Painting Fish

Painting Fish Part Two

First Oil Paonting

My Story

Thanks for being here, it means a lot. 😊 Please share if this post will brighten someone’s day. ☀️

Drawing Into A Magazine – Inflight Entertainment – Working Into Photographs

At University of the Arts London Chelsea College of Art we were looking at backgrounds and I had some interesting experiences drawing a picture out of the background. So I challenged myself to work with existing pictures to draw what emerged or or occurred to me. 

These are compliments to the beautiful photography and in no way are disparaging to the art workers who were involved in the stages to get them to publication . 

Here are the outcomes…

Spicy Ski Slopes from Thonson

Who’s Watching You? Weeping Windows Inflight. Copyright Kim

My close friend memtioned wanting a hammock, when i sae this picture i felt it was crying out for her to enjoy a hammock there. this ones for you Char

Warm Love At A Winter Wedding. Melting Moments.

A man in a dark place seeks an end watched on by beings there to save him

A dog who likes to party. 😊

Here are other posts that are related to this and here is my story.

Chelsea Art Course

From Injury To Art Exhibition 

My Art on New Products

Many thanks, enjoy your day