Some cheerful autumn flowers

Flowers in a pot decorated with music. I went to the singathon at eccleshall yesterday and all the tables in the cafe had these lovely posies on them. You can’t see the black musical notes that were placed in the pots because I cropped the photo.

I loved the combination of colours and shapes. So delicate and intricate. I hope you like them too.

Jug time

After posting the picture of a jug I decorated at the Emma Bridgwater pottery in Stoke on Trent, I just had this picture pop up on my Facebook memories.

This one was double the size, decorated a few weeks later at the Stafford Pottery in Burslem. I noted this was a third of the cost?

They were given as Christmas presents, I enjoyed the creative process and it was good to give something like this to family. I wish I had more time to decorate pottery, but at the moment everything is difficult.

Owly

Wh-ooo-oo you looking at?

My old handbag I just found in a box. I still like it and might uses it occasionally. I have a similar one with different eyes. Perhaps I should give them to charity shops. I like black and white photos and I chose a filter called impact which gives stronger contrast and less greys shades.

I think the decorations on the bag give it a sinister frown!

Dragon pot

Part of a coffee pot that just has foreign stamped on the base. It has raised decoration of a dragon on it. I am not sure how old it is and whether it is Chinese or Japanese. Its a delicate design and it arrived wrapped in bubble wrap and it has gone back to its home the same way. I guess some of the design is airbrushed on, but that might mean it is more modern than I think it is. It would be interestingvto find out.

Present

A present for someone I love and care for in this awful year. As I was about to wrap the necklace and the Christmas tree decoration I realised how much I have enjoyed creating things with a bit of sparkle. The photo does not do the glass pendant justice because the lighting is not good. Perhaps I should invest in a light box or try and make a DIY version. I think the recipient will be pleased as she has a small collection of my paintings. X

Drawn wreath

Drawn in Sketch app

If you want to you can try and draw images with various tools on an app called Sketch. I used an ellipse tool and a symmetry tool to centre this drawing and guide the curves in it. I used leaf shapes and flowers shapes adjusted to different sizes and other pattern tools like stars for a bit of digital glitter. I used a spray gun tool to add shade, using the ellipse and symmetry to get the shadows under the leaves, then added a darker layer of leaves. I added a bow shape with a marker pen tool. Finally I added a circle around the wreath drawing to add a bit of definition and added Merry Christmas on top. I did this twice, first with a darker colour then white, slightly offsetting them to get a shadowed effect.

Duplicating pattern

My photo of cut paper duplicated to make an interesting pattern (I think these photos are from a couple of years ago). The fact that the paper was folded makes for a more interesting image, increasing the texture.

When I cut the paper I tried to keep the cuts to a similar size. I might use this as the background of another image. I will have a play with it in another drawing app.

Paper cutting

I always like to make paper cut snowflakes at Christmas. I did a few a couple of years ago. I always fold my paper into six so that you get a six sided shape. To do this I fold the paper in half, then fold about a third over at an angle, so you have the same amount on either side, then fold the last third over the other two. You end up with a pointed end, and the other end has different shaped areas. Then you need to cut off the excess so that you have a hexagonal shape. Cut patterns through the foldes sides to make a lace like pattern, unfold. (The paper might stick together and rip) Be careful. Flatten the paper out and put up on windows or hang of shelves to decorate. Fun for children but make sure scissors are safe and have rounded ends.