Friday 4 January 2013

Gold lettering

As I mentioned yesterday, I am taking part in the Sketchbook project again this year. I haven't left it as late as last year, but the deadline is approaching! (If you want to see the sketchbooks from the last 2 years, you can go to my page on the site.)

So, here is how the idea developed. Last year I used different paper in the book because I wasn't really happy with the work I started on the pages. But I kept all the paper. The book contains 16 pages (front and back one page). Last year I kept thinking of things to do with the alphabet, but didn't have enough pages.

So, this year I am adding the pages from last year that I didn't work on...which, surprisingly enough, is exactly 10 pages.

So, letters. I have enjoyed the work on the letters for the other book project I am doing. So, I looked in one of my Medieval Manuscript books and found one set I liked. I enlarged it several times till I got the letters big enough for the book. I decided to place them on an old book background. I had these blue pages from a foreign language book. The letters would fit just right if I cut the blue pages in half.

----Related sidetrack-----
I am sort of following the 365 Creativity book *(see description below) I got for Christmas...but not as my daily project prompts. More like using it as a connection to something I am doing that day. For yesterday, it said use paper but don't glue or use scissors or draw on it.
So, I cut out all the letters with a scalpel. Then I coloured them with a gold pen.

Now I am stitching them onto the blue paper with black crochet thread!

I am thinking to make it more interesting I will cover the white pages with red tissue paper. The faded blue pages will stand out much more. As it is no longer day 4 - don't use glue, I might glue it. But I am toying with the idea of using acrylic gloss medium or acrylic wax. It isn't glue!

I might do a bit more stitching across the top and bottom of the red part of the pages with the variagated pearle cotton.

*365: A Daily Creativity Journal - a gift, but one I requested. The book has 365 prompts for getting ideas to make things. There is a blog run by the author Noah Scalin called Make Something 365 and Get Unstuck. Unstuck is another book by him.

I am linking this to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday. Not specifically an Art Quilt, but it is really priming the pump as I sit and work on it. I am definitely getting ideas for how to get started with a piece I will be starting soon. and maybe ideas for continuing more work related to the Communication series I worked on before.

6 comments:

Judy Ferguson said...

I have to say that you have really put a lot of thought into this series. Wonderful ideas here. Very unique.

Deborah OHare said...

I love the combination of paper and stitch.

Margaret Cooter said...

Do you know about the Letter A Week project? It's run for a couple of years now - the current one is http://aletteraweek2013.blogspot.co.uk/ and last year is http://aletteraweek2012.blogspot.co.uk/... etc ...

Sandy said...

Wow Margaret!
The letter blogs are totally awesome! I may have to rethink whether I am already over committed on daily/weekly stuff! However, I DO want to make some big work to enter places, so there has to be some give. Maybe next year!
Thanks,
Sandy

Susan Lenz said...

Hi!
Thanks so very much for the thoughtful comment on my blog. Your medieval letters are wonderful and I also enjoyed seeing photos shot directly off the television. I've never thought about doing that! They look great!
Susan

Nina Marie said...

prime the pump indeed - fabulous ideas and development! Feel free to link up any creative endeavor - any media - the letters are interesting and I'm of the mind that every girl needs a bit of gold in her life!