Part 3! You’ll probably want to check part 1 if you haven’t yet, that’s where I explain things in detail.
Challenge #03
This is palette number 3:
I like the colours. As with the two previous challenges, I used things that were close in colour, not exact. Most materials are second hand.
Piece 01
Media: mixed papers, acrylic marker.
I really like how this one turned out. Colourful and graphic.
Pieces 02
Media: watercolours, pencils, oil pastels, fine liner, acrylic markers.
I keep trying to draw things, but I think my heart is just not in it. I just don’t have the interest in developing the skills needed. I still enjoy doing it, but I never enjoy it as much as when I do other things.
Piece 03
Media: oil pastels.
This is more my thing. Still somewhat representative, but more on the abstract side. I’m quite happy with this one. I’m still learning to use oil pastels, they’re hard but loads of fun.
Piece 04
Media: mixed fabrics, mercerised cotton thread, sewing thread, scoubidou
I love this one, especially the background. I used off-cuts from a bunch of other projects. Sewing over them with sewing thread took ages, but the result looks great. The flowers are all Suffolk puffs, I love those things, especially when made with slightly wonky pieces of fabric (like the top one), they always end up in interesting shapes.
This is my favourite kind of slow stitching, simple stitches and limited colours.
Piece 05
Media: paper, fabric, yarn, wood beads, scoubidou, pre-made bow
I’m not sure about this one. I like the flowers, but the overall thing is just not great. It look very much like a greeting card, which is not a bad thing, but not what I was after.
Piece 06
Media: watercolours, mixed fabrics, mercerised cotton, acrylic marker, oil pastels
A totally random one with leftover bits from everything else. This was the last one I made. I really like it, but it’s so random!
Piece 07
Media: paper, mercerised cotton, pencil
The French knots on this one were so hard! They were so close together that the paper kept breaking. I’ll never understand how some people can fill a whole page with French knots and not have it shred on their hands! I do love the result.
Pieces 08, 09, 10, and 11
Media: acrylic paint, acrylic marker, mixed papers, felt, plastic beads
I absolutely love these! I followed a tutorial and discovered collage master boards, and I think I am in love! I enjoy the process and I think the results are so cool.
I added the felt circles and the little flower beads after cutting the masterboard. I’m not the biggest fan of the black lines, but I like everything else.
Pieces 12, 13, 14, and 15
Media: watercolours, acrylic paint, oil pastels, fabric, foam stickers, feathers
These were made with another masterboard, but this time I added fabric to it too. It’s very different from the previous one, and I love it just as much. The only thing I added after cutting were the feathers, which are kept in place by the stickers.
Afterthoughts
The whole point of doing these challenges was to get me out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t done any art in many many years, and I felt somewhat overwhelmed when I started again.
Limiting colours and size, but making myself create a lot of things seemed like a good way to rediscover what I enjoyed, what I didn’t, and what I would like to get better at. I feel like now I have a much more defined understanding of what I want to do. I’ll make probably 1 or 2 more of these, and then I’ll stop and start creating other things of my own choosing.
Embers on the hearth 