An Impatient Heart, a Pencil and some Watercolour

This week is a bit of a whirlwind.  

So I've taken to my old routine of working in my studio late into the wee hours again.  

Those blissful hours when everyone is asleep and all is quiet. 

 I sleep less and I don't watch television - that is what frees up my time when days become hectic.  

If I don't make time to do something creative everyday - music, mixed media, writing, whatever -  it feels like I haven't eaten for days.  I become grumpy.  I feel caged.

It is a hunger that never goes away.  

At best, it only fades temporarily after some creative time.

So I've been looking forward to doing this week-long online illustration workshop with the uber-talented Danielle Donaldson for months now.  It started on Monday.  

And it is the ideal accompaniment to another online workshop I'm currently doing called 

"Writing Storybooks for Children".  

In this week's course, Danielle gives guidance on how to develop your own characters 

and then illustrate them.

You absolutely have to see Danielle's work!  Click here - danielledonaldson.com

I was so thrilled that the first thing we had to do in the workshop was to make our own "storybook" out of watercolour paper.  I'm a bookmaker, so I jumped at the opportunity!  

And then I started playing around with ideas for little characters based on Danielle's wonderfully inspiring class notes and videos.  

This little one reminded me that everything happens for a reason.  

I get frustrated with having to scratch around for little nuggets of time 

to make the creative stuff happen and grow small dreams into big reality. 

 "All in good Time",  she knowingly says - while she carries a tiny potted plant on her head.  

She knows about nurturing new growth.

My impatient heart needed reminding.

Go to jeanneoliver.ning.com to read more about this online course 

and other wonderful and inspiring offerings. 

Danielle's workshop was live this week, but you can enrol anytime plus you get lifetime access.

Japanese Inspired Blinds - a DIY experiment

Magical texture and colour of handmade paper illuminated by sunlight

There has been some fervent creative experimentation with 
2 projects in the making
this past weekend at 
Maison Majorelle.  

The summer sun can be very, very hot and unforgiving here 
in the southern hemisphere 
and the glare makes it really uncomfortable in my studio in the mornings right now.  But when autumn comes, the sun moves and the light and the 
view is glorious throughout winter because we have very 
few rainy days then.  

So I was looking for a solution to cover my studio windows.  Something that would be lightweight, translucent and budget friendly because it would be temporary.  And then the idea of a traditional Japanese paper screen came up.  It might be quite unconventional here in the West, but they've been utilising paper beautifully for centuries, so why not?  This led me to think of the possibility of paper blinds that could be rolled up in the afternoons during summer, and removed entirely during winter without having to cover up or remove any holes or brackets. 

There is a shop in our area that sells a huge variety of the most exquisite handmade papers - see their website here.  Their papers are imported from Thailand, India and China, with recycled mulberry paper products being manufactured on the premises. So I picked up a variety of colours and textures for the project.  I also included a beautiful sheet of Egyptian Art on Papyrus from Cairo that I received as a gift from my brother and cute cotton candy paper that I brought back from Malaysia last year.  

Pasting the paper together so that one large sheet of paper "fabric" is created.

Love the result!  They're light, translucent, 

full of happy colour and texture and easily removable.

Best of all: When the blinds have served their purpose, 

I will recycle them into paper for bookmaking and collage papers for visual journaling.

I'll tell you more about the other project in another post!

Here's a tutorial on how the blinds were made:

1. After taking the measurements of the windows, I made a large sheet of paper "fabric" - larger than the surface of the 3 windows together by laying the sheets down on the floor and gluing the sides together with pva glue.
2. Once the glue was dry, I cut strips from all 4 sides of the paper "fabric" and glued them down again on the opposite sides.  This is optional! I did it because I wanted a more distinct patchwork effect.
3. I measured and cut 3 blinds from the "fabric" - adding extra length to allow for wrapping around wooden slats at the tops and bottoms of the blinds.
4. I measured and cut 3 x 2,5mm balsa wood slats for the top ends of the blinds, and 3 x 8mm dowel sticks for the bottoms. Then I glued them to the screens so that the "fabric" overlapped the wooden inserts on both sides - also adjusting the overlaps so that the screens would fit the length of window.
5. I  used brass thumb tacks to fasten the screens to the wooden window frame.  I also added cotton string to the tacks in the middle. This is to keep the blind in place, once it is rolled away.

Notes on improving the design - as the blinds are still a work in progress:
- for waterproofing in case of rain - a layer of clear lacquer spray or something similar, followed by a couple of layers of gel medium or mod podge;
- for tearing in case of wind - 3 cm wide washi tape in a complementary colour or design to strengthen the sides of the blinds.

The Messier the Funner!

When I opened my eyes very early this morning I was staring into the freshly painted red nose of my beaming little 2 year old - with many more green and red paint patches on her face. My first disoriented reaction was to get those little hands away from the white cotton bedding, but then something stopped me.... I realized her excitement and chose to rather make a fuss of the fun she was having. Then I was surprised by another painted adult face above me and I giggled myself awake properly. She and her daddy were having fun in the kitchen - painting on more than just the large sheet of paper they had layed out on the floor! Hands, patches of floor and a few strands of hair were also included in the extended canvas. I wondered how we were going to clean all this up. Then let go of the anxiety. Jumped in and enjoyed it all with them. And you know what? The cleanup took us less than 10 minutes. A teeny weeny price to pay for roughly 90 minutes of full immersion into fun! My toddler teaches me so much about focusing and being in the moment with body, mind and soul. And in the process, my own creativity is sparked.....so I'm off to the studio now.

So when was the last time you had creative fun like a toddler? Try this - I promise, it will recharge you. Give yourself 15 minutes. Grab 2 or 3 colours of any watersoluble paint. Grab a sheet of an old newspaper - yes, you will paint over the print and the pictures....! Dip your fingers into the paint and start doodling. Make basic shapes, dots, swirls, lines. Don't plan or draw anything specific. Just immerse yourself in the colour and the feel of the paint as you slide your fingers on the paper. That's it - done! Wash your hands, throw the newspaper away or leave it to dry. You will feel nourished and refreshed - guaranteed.

Happy weekend sweethearts!