No Car = Lots of time to do ART!

Yes the car went into the garage today. Sadly the part needed to mend an old car is going to take till Tuesday to get here. So I am at home no car. Garage says I can drive small (5 miles) but no further in case I break down.

Still it was fun today Ann and I went to Sudbury to do a bit of shopping. Saw another couple of friends there and had coffee. Mannequins got treated to some bling from the haberdashery stall. More of that when I can get it attached.

Working on a mini chest of drawers. Here's how the top is going. Still more tiny weenie watch parts to stick on.

And this is a small selection of my watch parts, see the sewing needle, that's what I pick them up with. So many tiny bits, carefull is the word I would hate to knock that lot on the floor!

And on the Work Table Today...........

Looks like a big mess? Well I'm working on a lot at once as everything needs drying time (yawn) in between the stages. I don't want to waste this quality time I have, as I'm stuck here due to car not getting mended till Thursday. So we are reading from bottom left, top to the small chest of drawers, the chest with new finish, stand for mannequin No3, drawers for chest, and set of three wooden boxes. On the chair are two more boxes, larger ones, they were a bit shy. The mannequins are at the many coats of PVA sealer, so not much progress there.

Bought an old photo frame last time I met up with my art buddies, here's whats going on with that.

 And a close up of the box top.

Hidden under the milky wet glue are two people big one is a giant Mr Henri Cop and the small one is Prince Colibri. Both toured in a circus side show. When the glue is dry you will be able to see them properly. I got these tiny tiny dolls from eBay, this one is in the back plate from a Rolex watch.

The snow has melted and Molly and I were able to do our long walk today. Checked the garlic and lots of it is up, its snuggling under the straw. I'll have to take that off soon or the shoots will be yellow. Lost all my broad beans to the frost and they were in the green house too. Will only have one lot this year so waiting a week or so before trying again. Tis very wet on the veg plot so no digging. If we have a couple of dry days I will be sparking up the rest of the mass of scrap timber left  from cutting down the trees.

Cut,Cut, & Glue Glue

Spent most of today cutting figures and gluing them onto the mannequin.

Starting to have fun with the bling on the neck decoration,

Back waist, now glued, nails removed too!

These old ear rings were just right for this purpose.

Can't wait to get her finished. Mean time thinking how I can resolve the wobbly stand.

Not Where I should be today.

Today Cherry Ann Hall was holding an Open Gallery of her 1st Exhibition. Yes I should have been there, but the car thought otherwise. Friend Ann stepped in to drive me there, then Molly went down with a bad stomach. So Ann had to take me to the vets instead. Arrgh what a horrible day.

Little book for my Granddaughter.
This one has a watch face in it.

First Site paper bag made into pockets, each has a little hint on life, love, who to go to for help and last on a Goth Necklace. Do you think she'll listen? Hope this is better than nagging!!

 this one has a small heart in it.

Next mannequin is a French Madame, using the new french magazines, Revue de la Mode and La Mode Illustree. This is an Edwardian Mannequin made of paper mache with a stuck on cloth cover. Even though I've done the covering of poly filler and glue, still jolly hard to get some areas flat and adhesive. Had to do another coat of PVA to seal the whole thing. I'm trying to make the layout look like a dress using different elements of the papers. About 1/2 way.

Molly is very quiet but not shivering with tummy ache now. Better day tomorrow I hope.

The French Have Landed

Oh La La my French magazines have arrived. School girl French allows me to read about every 10th word. But the pictures are brilliant! Little sample below.

Top lot are 1880's coloured pictures are 1950's. Money well spent in my view. There are loads of pictures inside too and adverts. Plus the 1880's ones, some have the original paper patterns still inside and unused.

Been cutting and gluing a lot today. Onto the last mannequin, this is the vintage one with the damaged boobies. Sounds like 'Allo 'allo don't you think?

The 1880 mags came with an outer cover in a grubby pink colour, very faded and tatty. So I've cut those up to use as the base layer.

Now do my boobs look big in this?

I've had to do some more paper surgery on the nearest boob as the poly filler shrank a bit as it dried. Oh what we girls do for our art.

40's song mannequin is still awaiting my light bulb moment to get it finished off.

Frozen, Snow, slippery - Molly loves it!

Between trying to dig out the car and trying to keep upright on the walks i'm all done in. Molly on the other hand is going round like a mad dog. Couple of pictures so you can see we have snow.

 Surveying the snowy territory

 Speed freak Molly in her smart red coat.

 No water here today just ice! Whole pond is frozen solid.

Anyone for a bath? Old metal bath now a water trough on my allotment.

Work goes on to the next mannequin. Several friends have called round, so not much got done over last two days.  Trying fringing but its wrong colour, right effect! Darn I got all this stuff and I'm going to have to buy something new! This one is all 1930/40's sheet music sheets. Theme is jealousy/love.

Finished my friends birthday present size 9 socks. Took forever as pattern was difficult and size 9 I usually knit size 5 for me!!!

Tomorrow I'll update you on the magazines I've bought from France, they are really yummy!

I think its day 16?

Must be feeling good I've hoovered, cleaned bathroom, done washing and scrubbed kitchen sink! Molly got a right shock when the hoover went on, if it wasn't so cold she would have shot out of the cat flap. She hates the hoover, sensible girl so do I.

A little more on the mannequin - she's been called "The Housekeeper" remember those stern Victorian heads of house? They went round with all their essentials hanging round their waist on a chatelaine. Wiki here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatelaine_(chain) Thinking about it I may just call her Chatelaine, sounds a bit more exciting! sexy you know what I mean.

Housekeepers had to know all about fashion, running a house, keeping to time, family life, romance and all. Mostly they were very strict, you had to be with all those maids and butlers carrying on downstairs. So this mannequin reflects all these things and more.

I am praying that the ink well bonds to the neck of the mannequin, Hard as Nails is taking for ever to dry! This one will have to cost more as its a lot larger. If these sell I must make sure I have enough to buy more mannequins at full price, just in case I can not get 2nd hand ones.

Just a quick drawing today.

Well they "All Fall Down" before I get them coloured in?

Lost the plot totally yesterday

Molly and I went to Chelmsford yesterday. Lately I am finding going a long way from home very stressful. So got in a bit of a panic, that makes me tired.

We were made very welcome by the staff and Evelyn at the Community Bookshop and Thrift Store in Market Road Chelmsford. Molly was allowed in both shops!! That is so rare and thank you to the staff, one for letting her in, two for making a fuss of her and three for selling my art.

All the staff except for a couple are volunteers and they are doing a great job too. The book shop has loads of excellent books, all sorted by category and or author. Right now they have a sale on History related titles. The charity provides mobility aids and advice to those who find getting around a large shopping centre a challenge.

Now the number of artists selling their work, in the shop, has increased and the shop looks so bright and friendly. You can sit on a sofa, browse the art and books. Then pop into the thrift store which is just around the corner. Right now the artists have a Valentines display.

No time or energy for art so painting a day has got put on hold. Today I have been to visit a lady who had some valuable collectibles for sale. Oh dear they weren't, had to break it to her gently and advise the boot fair. So wasted journey, never mind I got a cup of coffee and had a fuss from her dog, Honey.

I finally got to sort out the sheet music I bought at the boot fair over a year ago. Right at the bottom I found this........................

If you like Billy Fury this is how his song first started, as just music - no words - its a tango. Left hand sheet dated 1926, right hand sheet 1942 and now its got words. Next mannequin here I come. I think this is going to be the theme. Check it out on You Tube, go on you know you want to spend a couple of minutes swooning!!!

Very busy on the 3rd mannequin, nearly finished. Here's a bit of the French Oh lala skirt.

All those dangly bits sewn on by hand, to a piece of braid, then stuck and also used small tacks just to be sure. Don't want my French Mamselle losing her skirt.

Day 14 Painting a Day - Brain full of Squiggles.

So today I had plans for working hard on lots of things, have done some. My brain has gone on vacation and my mind is just full of squiggles. So that's what has come out in my painting today.

I started with a pale underpainting of Cad. Yellow, Windsor Green - blue shade - and Magenta. Let that dry, then picked out areas in the same three colours but darker mixes. Let that dry. Then out came the fine Pitt Artist Pen and lots of squiggles around the colour blocks. Still did not look powerful enough so over the colours again still using same colours. So I drew over the whole thing with a Pitt Artist Pen with a brush nib. Ah that looks better but it needs to be shiny, so glazed over it with the PVA adhesive.

Then when that was dry I could see the shape in the painting. Out comes the gold acrylic and I washed over the background three times. I am quite pleased with this. It suggests a Victorian silhouette but is modern in style.

Ok it's hard to get the effect from a photograph!!! So 1st one has two coats of gold on and is in sunlight.
2nd has three coats of gold and is in normal duller light.
3rd is with the picture held up to the window so you can see the under painting.

1st one is nearest to real life. I still have not got the hang of this camera. My last one had a night time setting that made a much better job of reflective surfaces!!!

My trailer is full of chicken poo again. AND there is also a larger heap of the stuff next to the trailer. So I have some forking work to do - do you like the nearly swearing whilst making a sentence that is really true?  lol.

Mannequin update, its had the first coat of dilute PVA and I have spent ages going through my stash of "bits" to see how to decorate it. So far I have dangley bits, two bracelets, various chains, braid and an old brass inkwell.

Now its nearly getting dark so I must walk the dog.