Grungy Pipes and a Reawakening.

It's been over a year since I posted anything on my blog - I just had too much else on my plate this time last year - but now it's time to fire up the old girl again.

My plan is to document all the random creative, crafty stuff I have a go at and some of the things that inspire me to keep trying! I will probably just be whittering away to myself, but that's fine, I do it all the time :o)

Here's a page in my art journal which started with some 3-D printed miniature pipework which my son Tom made for me. I die-cut the cogs, screws and things from card, layered them up on the page and then got busy with pastes and paint to grunge it all up.

Blimey, what a mess I made! The most fun (if slightly scary) part was painting over the whole (almost finished) page with water-based oil paint (yes, that IS a thing, who knew?!) in Payne's Grey, letting in dry and then wiping it back again - I love how it settles into all the nooks and crannies to accentuate the details and texture.

My plan for the opposite page is to try and create a kind of dark, industrial. grimy version of one of Tamara Laporte's beautiful colourful scenes with all the higgledy-piggledy houses - watch this space!