bloowabbit

Thursday, 8 December 2016

ABADID 8...Christmas theme 2016

Time to decorate the Christmas tree and bannister. Wasn't sure if I was going to 'do' Christmas in the bright lights jolly holly way but I truly needed a big burst of joyfulness. So I've made decorations, shaken out the tinsel and dusted down the baubles.

For the last couple of years I've watched Rebecca Robeson's Christmas YT videos and am hooked. Previously I hung things on the branches wherever there was space. Now I select a theme and use ribbon, picks and a few tips from the Queen of Icicles herself (video playlist linked below).

This year my theme is all about silver, gold, clear and white with touches of grey and dark natural. Narnia. Subtle yet Christmassy. I bought a lot of clear/silver/gold plastic & glass baubles last year at the £1 shops and I'm making the most of using what I've got. I had wanted to go urban with upcycled decorations using paper, paint and rusted metals but that's for another year.

So Rebecca's way go to instructions are as follows:
- attach ceiling treatments above tree (I've never gone this far...yet)
- fluff tree branches
- light the branches 100 bulbs per foot and thread extension cords down centre of tree
- put topper on tree now, prevents knocking off anything later
- use lengths of wired ribbons and garland to create shape (think random swirly)
- add picks
- add twists of ribbon to where ribbons are attached to the tree
- animate special baubles using spinners (only available in US)
- place larger ornaments and baubles towards base of tree and use smaller towards top
- push some baubles into centre of tree to give depth
- place icicles at tips of branches
- attach stomper (US thing)
- arrange tree skirt
- adjust until satisfied

Bear in mind that Rebecca has been collecting trees and decorations for years and as it's part of her business she has a mega supply so her final and most sensible instruction is to use what you've got or what you can afford. I use the same green tree we've had since Harry was 3 years old - half the wired-on lights have stopped working and other strings of lights needed to be added. I didn't have any garland or icicles that matched so none was used. I yearn for the UK/Ireland to get spinners that click onto the lights in place of a bulb (genius) but so far I haven't found any. Can you imagine your tree being animated!

So that's my 2016 tree and bannister decorated (Rebecca has a way to go instruction list for bannisters too) and it's nice. This year I used our angel that my sister bought us years ago to create more of a tree topper and I think it looks okay for a first attempt. There is room for a few tiny decorations here and there throughout the branches so there might be a trip back to the £1 shops.

Harry reckons the tree across the way is better (mega bright lights) but I like the softer glow of a warm white light. It's nice and cosy sitting in the front room at night, main light off, curtains open and the tree softly twinkling. Gentle time.

Christmas Tree Decorating Playlist from Robeson Design

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Wednesday, 7 December 2016

ABADID 7...ARTWORK - 3 cards GIVEAWAY...

I had thought about doing a giveaway while I was making packs of cards as gifts. So this giveaway is a hand drawn and coloured card, signed, written and posted to you. There will be three winners. I'm also planning to have a special postage 'stamp' on the front of the envelope.

Theme of the cards is Snowy Moon with each figure having a different expression - Thoughtful, Hopeful & Wishful. Cards were sketched first in pencil and then inked with uniPin fine liner.

I used Letraset ProMarkers and flex markers together with Copic ciao. Some snowfall was coloured with JellyRoll white gel pen. The cards are A5 when opened and are also signed on the back.

To win a card simply leave a comment at the bottom of this blog page (not my facebook page) putting the three cards in order of favourite - if you're a winner I'll know which card to send. To comment you may be asked to register with an email address and may receive alerts whenever I blog. I not only want to share some art with readers but need to begin creating a little traffic via my comment section. Good luck!

thoughtful...

hopeful...

wishful...

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Tuesday, 6 December 2016

ABADID 6...Bloowabbit fb art page

In March 2016 I opened an art page on facebook and I called it Bloowabbit. There's something about using a nom de plume or (nom de pinceau) which frees up the writer/artist. I don't have to create a certain type of artwork or worry about how what I create reflects on me. Even though friends and family know who bloowabbit is, I feel using the name takes the pressure off.

One of my nicknames has been Wabbit - something to do with how I sniff things (wobbly nostrils). Plus there was the time a partner bought me a large soft toy rabbit because it looked like me - it did. And I'm not sure if the wabbit thing came after my collecting rabbit figures or vice versa. I added the prefix 'bloo' as a sort of comment on mental health - 1 in 4 of us has some type of mental health issue so let's get rid of the stigma. Plus, I like blue, indigo is my favourite colour.

I have around 50 people who like my facebook page which isn't very many compared to other artists but I'm happy enough to let that number grow slowly and steadily. I notice from what YT vloggers say that social media starts off slow and then, as long as you keep all your social media sites up to date, numbers can begin to rise. I've seen certain Bloowabbit posts get more likes than others although I don't see a trend. It might be an artwork one week or my blog link the next. A couple of times I've promoted my page through fb and it's reached just under 3k. However reaching doesn't mean engaging.

Call over to my fb page and click LIKE if you want to follow my art and videos of other artists - Thursdays are usually when I post there.

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Monday, 5 December 2016

ABADID 5...ARTWORK Watercolour markers

I have a mixed collection of Letraset AquaMarkers and Winsor & Newton WaterColour Markers. Colours range through yellows, orange, red, blues and green.

Continuing with the green mermaid theme I sketched her gazing at an orb as a small shoal of squid-like fish swim towards her. Inked in the drawing and choose to use the watercolour markers. I'm never sure I'm using them correctly - they tend to rub and distress the surface of the paper. While I was colouring I wondered if there was a different way to use them. Perhaps not by shading in using a 'bottom left to top right and reverse' motion and instead gently trailing the tip on the paper like a brush. I haven't given up on them even though they do result in a cheap marker look until the watercolours dry.

I outlined the figure and fish with a heavier fineliner and then outlined that with white gel pen. I'm trying out some Gelly Roll by Sakura but although there's a lot of hype around these gel pens I think I do prefer the Uniball Signo. The Gelly Roll ink takes a moment to dry before looking white whereas the Signo ink dries almost instantly. Also used a fineliner to draw swirls in the background of water and highlighted this with white gel pen which helped the marker look of the coloured background. Happy enough.

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Sunday, 4 December 2016

ABADID 4...Going Xmas crazy in my planner

Well, it's the Christmas season and there's an excuse for going sticker-mad in my planner. Over the last few months I've watched countless YT videos of layouts and hauls and resisted the temptation to buy. Even the amazing sticker kits from the US I have said 'No' to (the shipping can be pricey). Instead I settled for UK shop Plannable Designs on Etsy - love Melissa Holland's colour themes and velvety matte stickers, nice to write on.

I bought 3 full kits for December and a smaller kit for January. And I don't regret a single peel-off, stick-down penny.

The first kit is called 'Swirling Snowglobe', gentle hues of blues, green and pink. Some of the full boxes and little things (plannerspeak) have the coveted 'glitter' effect which is on trend in the sticker world.

There's even a sticker with the words 'Life is like a snowglobe, sometimes things turn out prettier once they've been turned upside down'. (Do pageant contestants walk on their hands?)

The second kit is called 'Peppermint Latte' and I wasn't sure about this set although I ended up preferring it to any of the other December kits. Raspberry red, turquoise, stone and pink.

The sticker with words reads 'Peppermint Everything'...

I have a friend who has always smoked menthol cigarettes and in a bid to transform regular cigarettes into menthol she bought a small bottle of menthol crystals from the local chemist in which to dip them. It worked. But the bottle cap unscrewed inside her handbag and the crystals spilled out. Even after cleaning out the handbag she didn't realise how absorbent tampons are...I'll leave the rest of the story to your imaginations. So no, don't peppermint everything.

The third kit is called 'Skating in Central Park', lilac, teal, lime green and pink. It's full of delicately drawn clip-art which is put together very nicely.

The sticker with words reads 'Dreaming of Skating in Central Park'. That's an image used in many films and is one of those Christmassy scenes. I dream of being able to skate and if I could then Central Park would be on my bucket list of places to go.

The fourth set which I've used in the January section of my planner is called 'Break the Spell' and has purple, dark red, grey and pale gold. These stickers are all about Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I love them because Melissa has created the original dark version of the tale upon which the new film is based. Disney has a lot to answer for by dumbing down and sweetening the great historical fairy tales that have scary bits in them. Read 'The Uses of Enchantment, The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales' by Bruno Bettelheim (child psychologist).

There's a sticker with words which reads 'I want adventure in the great wide somewhere' which I presume is a quote from Belle and which isn't a bad attitude to have.

Beautiful stickers and a well decorated planner. So now I've no stickers left and already I'm having to resist Etsy. I do have white printing sticker paper and I could look up Victoria Thatcher - she does free downloadables... there's a nice retro kit I've my eye on... (sounds of printer warming up and scissors opening and closing)...

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Saturday, 3 December 2016

ABADID 3...My sister Kay

Some of you are aware that my big sister passed away last month. She was 12 years older than me and I remember her coming home from art college in the 60s. She studied Silversmithing and Jewellery and then went on to train as a teacher.

Sometimes she'd bring home treasures from the city, things to make art with, stories or treats like Shake-A-Pudd'n. The box was complete with tall paper cups, lids, long spoons and pudding mix to which we added water and then danced around shaking the mix before letting it set. Funny, the moments you remember.

She became an art teacher and taught me at school which seemed strange at first but I soon knew I was lucky to have her as a teacher. Kay put so much thought into her classes and how her students might complete their work. We learned to recognise art and design in everyday life and she instilled an appreciation of art in those she taught.

Determined to improve our confidence she trained our A-Level class to life draw, in sessions lasting an hour, then half an hour, 20 minutes, 10 minutes, all the way down to 5 secs. And then she took us schoolgirls to the market on a busy Monday. There we sat drawing the moving people around us. I felt empowered, an artist, able to catch real movement in seconds.

It was Kay who stood up for me, persuading my Mum that I needed to go to art college too, rather than the academic course selected for me. And she was at the end of a phone throughout, helping me with questions I had about art and about living away from home in the big city.

Each time I had an exhibition she'd buy some work. Each time I'd make her something her face would shine with delight. Each time I wrote a short story she'd enthuse. It was the same for anyone who was creative. Always encouraging, always believing in the best of us.

When I was completing a City & Guilds Embroidery course and undertaking a gratis commission for her as a final piece I asked her for some ideas on what item she'd like and what colours she preferred. I didn't just get an email with a few pointers, I received an entire folder in the post packed with information, colours, shape, size, texture and form. Attention to detail.

As we got older our friendship strengthened. Phone calls lasting at least an hour long. We'd discuss life, the world, the universe. We'd chat and we'd laugh - a lot of laughter. Her sense of humour was boundless.

Little Big Sis...
Sister, Teacher, Advocate,
Mentor, Patron

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Friday, 2 December 2016

ABADID 2...IDPWD & iDA

image of www.un.org

Since 1992 December 3rd has been United Nations International Day for People With Disabilities (IDPWD). And this year's theme is 'Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want'. This year also coincides with the anniversary decade of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with DIsabilities (CRPD).

It's unfortunate that in the UK disability currently equates more with 'shirking' than celebration, even so soon after the applause and coverage of the 2012 Special Olympics. From the Inspirational Porn surrounding the Special Olympiads to the Disability Hate Crime rise of over 41% in 2015 there seems to be a huge difference in attitudes, neither of which promote a healthy culture for a disabled person to exist.

image of www.adf.ie

If one of your goals as a deaf artist or artist with disabilities is to develop your work then an application to Arts & Disability's (ADF) iDA Grant Scheme might help. The scheme opened this year on November 22nd and closes on January 9th at 12 noon. Guidelines and application forms can be found at the link. For any other information not found on the website you can telephone (028) 9023 9450 or email at info@adf.ie

IDPWD info:

YT video - Karni Liddell, 2016 Australian patron

UN website - IDPWD

Awareness Days website - IDPWD

Time and Date website - IDPWD

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