I went for something really simple and quite minimalist but with Christmas colours.
Available on Etsy and can be made to order :)
This is my take on the traditional Christmas tree home decoration. I went for something really simple and quite minimalist but with Christmas colours. Available on Etsy and can be made to order :) Available on Etsy
0 Comments
A few years ago, I started to play around with oil pastels.
Although I really like to draw, I am lacking formal training. Hence, I am more of a quick sketcher and my drawings have lots of imperfections but honestly? I like them just like that. But it also means that I have no idea how to paint with a paintbrush, with acrylic, oil paint, gouache…. So these oil pastels thingies looked very intriguing to me… And when I was looking at how easily my partner was using them to create beautiful paintings, with so much textures and such beautiful colours I really wanted to try! Well, of course, my beginnings were quite disastrous :) But I tried, again and again and slightly started to understand a few things about the process of working with oil pastels. I am still far from mastering the thing, and it is not really what I aim to anyway. For now, I am very happy making experiments with materials and techniques to create artworks that I like enough to display in my working room. So here are a few drawings made with Caran D'Ache oil pastels. You will notice some of them have been made on extra thick cardboard (recycled from my parents 'chickens organic food boxes!). The edges are a bit (sometimes a lot!) messy and waiting to be cut properly…. Yep, these last days I see dolls everywhere :) I am not sure exactly how it started but some time ago I grabbed bits of fabrics and started to cut a doll shape and woos! here I am making rag dolls every day!! So, my dolls are not really the regular neat kinda dolls. They are a bit wonky, some are definitely weird or even almost scary. Well, to sum it up, they have character and that's why they are so precious to my eyes. I am working on them keeping the primitive dolls characteristics in mind. I voluntarily stain them with a lovely coffee-vanilla-cinnamon decoction and then hop! in the warm oven to dry! It leaves them with some nice colours, a few stains or burns and a delicate coffee smell. Features are hand stitched and voluntary exaggerated like pinched nose, weird mouth or button eyes. Clothes don't have to be perfect, in fact, I like my dolls to be wearing clothes that have lived, with holes, patches …. Arms, legs they can have some, or not, no rules. I think I enjoy every part of making them (except maybe the neck stuffing!!). I don't plan anything ahead and work on each one from the first drawing made directly on the fabric. I love to see them develop slowly in my hands. A body, a face and bit by bit their character is taking shape and their names and stories pop in my head. It is creation and it is magical! My first doll, I called her Eve - very inspired isn't it? :) This is Dorothea, a coquettish little lady who has a crush for George Clooney! Meet Rose, pretty in her white dress :
A few days ago we found a lovely vintage Singer sewing machine in a charity shop. The cable was cut so we had no idea if it was really working or not. But it was quite cheap and I really wanted a new sewing machine for my free motion artworks. My machine is really not too old but I have recurring tensions problems, the screw holding the presser foot keeps unscrewing (how practical!) and I haven't been able to get a nice top stitch in ages…. So I have been looking at all the wonderful new models from all the prestigious brands….knowing perfectly they were completely out of my budget. And that's ok :) So when we found this little (but heavy! ) Singer, I was a bit undecided…Although I am not looking for a computerised or top notch sewing machine, this one looked really, really old! But my partner convinced me and we bought it. And wow! It was definitely a great idea! It is a Singer 185K. It was made in Scotland between 1958 and mid 1960. Once home he reconnected the cable and whizzzzz the fun began :) And the pedal melted under my foot :( Kinda weird and scary to see the machine sew on its own like a crazy…. But we unplugged it and luckily I had a spare Toyota pedal that we adapted to the Singer. What a mix! I can't believe how great it is to sew with it! The noise it makes is so smooth and lovely. It took me a few tweaking but the stitches are gorgeous!!! It is a straight stitch only so it will be great for my free motion work and for top stitching my other creations. Since I didn't have a darning foot for this particular model, I made a quick and cheap one with a paperclip for testing. It worked great and it is a real pleasure to work my freehand embroidery with it. Can't wait for my darning foot to arrive now :) Here is the picture of my first attempt working with it. Although it is September, the Summer feeling was still lingering in here….
Cookie on the beach and camera for me, a little swim for my little siren and her daddy. Happy and warm :) I am not sure why, but these last weeks I have been wanting to work on a smaller scale. I had bought brooch pins some times ago so I thought well, why not giving it a try! Working on a very small scale is somehow a little bit stressful, everything needs to be well thought of and designed before starting. But it is fun! And the results are so cute and lovely that it would be a shame not to give it a go! So i started with making a little english cottage, just like the ones I am walking by almost everyday. Then I worked on a little umbrella - still inspired by England ?? :-) I changed the shape of the brooch, appliquéd a green polka dot fabric and hand embroidered a few rain drops. And finally I have been making little angels. They are so lovely and charming! I am not sure it will be the shape I will keep, I might go for a brooch shaped more like the umbrella for this model too. I will have to try (which will be good to train and practice!) and decide what I like the best! Here they are : That's it for now :)
I still have plenty of ideas for new models but unfortunately I don't have plenty of time to create everyday… Wishing you a great and sunny weekend! Hi there, I haven't posted for a little while but I still have been busy creating more artworks for my Etsy shop :) I am also trying to expand a little bit the range of my products and I have been thinking for a while that bags could be a nice idea. It would still allow me to use my embroidery skills to decorate them, I would have the opportunity to play with fabric patterns and colours… So lately, I have been working on a few bags designs. I have concentrated my focus on little bags only. They can be used as new baby gift bags, Christmas stocking fillers etc. I just wanted to share with you some pictures of my finished little bags. The first batch was a mini tote bag design with appliqué. The appliqués have been made with the free embroidery technique. The second batch is made of mini drawstring bags. For these models, I focused on new baby gift bag. The blue one will be a gift for a little boy born not so long ago. It has his name hand embroidered on it. The second one I made is for little girls. This model is fully lined and the string casing has been sewn on the exterior of the bag. I have embroidered a little pink heart (free motion embroidery) on the front. Et voilà!
I am very happy with them and I am really considering starting to sell them online. The design possibilities are infinite and it is really great to make something nice and useful :) These last few days, I have been trying to create things a little bit different from what I usually do. Some time ago I had made a mobile with little felt birds. Remember ? I had enjoyed making it a lot (also there are some tricky parts..) and even more looking at it! And at that time, I had promised myself I would do more…. It took me some, hmm, months…. but I am finally coming with a nice idea for a new mobile : DRAGONS !!! I am still working on the prototype, my main concern being the wings. But otherwise, I am very happy with the way my little dragons are looking :) I have worked the two first one with felt and made also an attempt with a cute polka dots fabric. I really like the texture combination, so it will probably stay this way in my final project. They are cute, aren't they ?
It was some hard work and VERY time consuming but I finally finished it! Like usual, this little book was not supposed to be a toddler book in the beginning but only a needle book. But looking at my finished cover, ideas started to kick in… What if there was another page with a fish? a submarine? AN ISLAND!!! And Tadaaaa! a few pages later, here I am holding my first ever toddler felt book made by me :) And now, I can't wait to start stitching a new one :)
|
Marie CharroisFrench creative living in the United Kingdom. Click to set custom HTML
Categories |