…. that I can’t stay far away from a riot of colour for long….
Just to show you……
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Tag Archives: design
Wordless Wednesday
Image
100 Steps
Circumstances mean this is a day later than planned. The photographs have been ready for a while as they are another from the series that was featured both last week and the week before.
This time, however, it is a question of ‘eyes down’. All these marks were made within 100 steps. I can see many possibilities in these marks. I hope you will join in, leave a note below if you do. Details are here.
Related posts:
http://lucidgypsy.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/100-steps-for-chittle-chattle
100 Steps
I’m really enjoying this series, I mentioned it earlier when I illustrated how such a walk had been used (I haven’t told you about that one, yet). The photograph was taken during a walk in the snow which began at our local canal. I’ve mentioned it before, and this 100 steps is actually the same area that I wrote about here. The comparison with the scene just two months ago is quite interesting.
The last walk began at the canal bridge. Work was going on to drain an area so that a new pipeline could be installed. Well, work is continuing, but at the time of taking these pictures the workmen were hampered by the cold temperatures
By way of introduction, this photograph is taken from the old bridge (no longer open to motorised traffic) and is of the canal in the opposite direction to the way we were intending to walk. You can see the snow lying, obviously, and the frozen water. There is now a solid barrier on both sides of the area in which they are working, and the ice extended beyond, surrounding the dredger and other boats that were there…
Now we start the walk! This is step 0! The barrier grid is still there, and the ice is clearly seen.
Just two steps, though, and what a difference! Water was (and is) still being pumped out causing ripples and unexpected water movement.
The ducks were pleased about this, and those ripples are duly recorded in one of my sketchbooks for use at a later date.
I think of these mallards as being quite colourful ducks, but in this environment they are almost perfectly camouflaged, that surprised me,
The edge of the canal showed signs of ice as we moved along, but it was the reflections and patterns created in the water that interested me here.
So too here. The uprights of the trees, band of snow and interesting reflections are something I will use in the not too distant future. I like the interest in the foreground too, I would like to have brought this piece home with me, but the seeds are better in their natural environment than on my desk ready for drawing….
This brought us to the basin, and almost the end of 100 steps, do you remember this?
I wonder if it has moved since I photographed it last time!
There are just a couple more photographs I’d like to include today. To show that they aren’t really part of the journey I’ve included them in a little gallery with captions. They were actually of areas that featured in the 100 steps of the following week, but I won’t be devoting a post specifically to that part of the walk this time.
More lovely texture. I might go back and draw this at some point.
On the other side of the bank this gorse was showing a welcome splash of sunshine yellow, but you had to look hard to see it.
Don’t forget that if you click on a picture in the gallery you will open a slideshow with captions. I hope you have enjoyed coming with me. I’d love it if you took part too. You might like to visit the related posts below for inspiration. 100 steps isn’t far, why not try it? Details here, and please link back to this week’s post, then I can come and visit.
Related posts
http://newpillowbook.wordpress.com/
http://lucidgypsy.wordpress.com/
100 Steps
It’s cold, very cold, and more snow is forecast. I need cheering up, so I’m looking back at a lovely day last year when I taught in Worthing in W Sussex. We all poured out onto the streets to do our ’100′, this part of my collection.
Shingle foreground and light sparkling on the water. Strong horizontal lines, you will see several variations on this.
Most of these pictures were taken from one spot! It’s surprising what you can see when you turn full circle.
The groynes always add extra interest. I would like to have gone nearer, but they were outside 100 steps
Lots of colours in the sea when you study this picture
The clouds create extra interest
A closeup of the shingle. Just one little plant, and I found it!
The pole isn’t straight! I wasn’t drunk……
A glimpse of the pier via the zoom
Turn 180 deg and this is what you see
Another cloud formation
On the opposite side of the road this wall took my eye, colours, texture, patterning.
The 100th step ended beside this beautiful flower head. It reminded me of a plant in my mother’s garden
The captions are on the photographs. If you click above you will see a slideshow with the comments displayed.
Thanks for taking 100 steps with me. If you would like to join in full details are here, leave a comment below and I’ll come and visit.
January Small Stones #9
The most satisfying moment of today.
The last stitch!
I love my iPad!
I’m not sure how long I’ve had my iPad. It isn’t the latest one, and I didn’t queue for it when it was released. In fact I didn’t buy it expecting to use it at all! It was bought to encourage another family member to use the internet. As that didn’t work I resorted to using it myself.
It took a while to find my favourite uses, a while to find appropriate apps, but I want to assure you that I don’t use it to play games! So, why do I love it?
I love it because the camera (which isn’t the best) is so accessible.
However, it can be used for on the spot snapping and viewing, which means that it is possible to record and audition several different combinations and layouts before making a final decision.
Much easier than waiting to go to the computer.
And the result?
It only needs mounting now, and then it’s ready for sale.
Oh, and I love using the WordPress app too. 
Today’s 100
Did you take the walk with me last week? You wil remember that I said I had more! The place is the same, but futher down the canal. Just a few steps, but more inspiration. Some of the pictures fit perfectly into the current Weekly Photo Challenge too, but I wanted to keep them for this post.
So, you will have gathered that I’m looking for stitching patterns, colour combinations and design elements. I won’t go through them in quite the same way as before, so refer to that post if you don’t understand what I mean, but maybe you can already see some machine embroidery being inspired by the water in the above picture
It was impossible to take this shot without the sun interfering. However, it introduces another element that might not have otherwise been considered. A sheer fabric can change an underlying element in just this way. A new inspiration?
And this marks the point of the end of this 100. The blue boat that featured last week is just out of sight. However, by just standing still there is much to see.
This pair of swans is resident in these waters. They hatch their young on the far bank each year, they are very curious, and always come to say ‘Hi’.
Don’t let them distract, though, look at the refelections too!
More sheers for the magical effect on the far bank?
The picture above and the one below were taken by just spinning round 180 deg (actually, I don’t do spinning, it was a little slower than that).
We are so blessed to live with such a beautiful resource on our doorstep.
Incidently, we took a walk to the bridge yesterday. Evidence of work shown last week is still there, it is being cleared this week, but the barrier has been removed and everything is getting back to ‘normal’
Thanks for coming on the 100 with me. I hope you will join in. Chris and Barbara did last week, and show that you don’t have to go far to ‘indulge’. Full details are here.
Today’s 100
I’ve been thinking a lot about design. I have an exhibition coming up, and, of course, lots of teaching, so I’m always on the look out for ways of showing things. We’ve had a very wet few days, no floods, but there is a fair bit of water around on our local (within walking distance) nature reserve, and also along the canal. I went for a walk along the latter today, and have to say it was a very informative walk. I managed to count out 4 separate sections of 100, so I have some ‘in the bag’ for future posts. I’m looking at them with a view to using them in textiles, but you may be able to use them for other crafts too.
My alternative title for this post would be ‘behind bars’, and that doesn’t signify that I’ve misbehaved, the reason will become obvious quite soon. This first picture shows the road bridge at the start of my walk. The path to the right is currently blocked as there is a lot of work going on. It was difficult to take a picture of the whole area, so you will have to put it together bit by bit. All those pipes are connected to pumps which are removing the water from under the bridge. Note the angular lines, the perspective of the bridge, all of these are easy to translate into a design.
Now you can see the level of the water a little more clearly. Sludgy colours, browns, green, greys and a touch of blue with mustard at the bottom. The strong lines lend themselves to patchwork. The colours could be interpreted in the same technique, with artistic licence you could move them around a little, but it would all work.
When this barrier was inflated I’m presuming that the engineers hadn’t expected so much rain. You can see that the water level on the left is very close to the top. The blue is temporary, but a bit of a blot on the landscape. it is however, a contrast to the copper which is just in vision, also on the left.
This above, and the previous two pictures, are all elements of the same photograph. Blue greys, blue, silver, cool colours warmed with a flash of copper and yellow.
Greens, yellow, gold, copper and blue. The reflections suggest stitching, maybe some seeding, running stitches….. And look closely. Reflections. Different shades and tones. Just what an artist needs!
The water from under the bridge is being pumped back into the canal. Every now and then it pushes out a little burst which causes lovely ripples in the water. These would be wonderful reproduced in machine stitches. Analagous colours, hilighted with silver.
And there is that copper again! The blue/green of the plant on the right is a good foil for that. More stitching patterns in the water. Do you get a feel of what I am doing?
The ducks are just there for good measure! This is really a colour study. Find threads of the same shades and wrap them around a card. It’s a permanent keepsake while the day is fresh in the memory. You can even try to wrap a proportionate amount, but this isn’t easy.
This view shows a strong foreground. This could be portrayed with applique or hand stitching. The patches of light in the sky are echoed in the reflections, the copper on the right is also on the left in the bottom corner. Strong verticals at the top are echoes of the foreground. There are some really strong design elements here.
Horizontal and vertical lines. Reflections, foreground, contrast, analagous, break the picture down and you can almost make it fit into any format. I love the strong uprights at the top and the echoes of them reflected in the water. The grass at the bottom just helps to soften the edge.
And here endeth the first 100! You can see the bridge on the left in the middle, and the puddles show how wet it was overnight. Fortunately one of the householders is well prepared. The boat is there for all eventualities – rain or shine! I hope you enjoyed the stroll with me. It’s surprising what you can see if you actually look, and even if this 100 doesn’t result in a work of art many of the elements will remain with me and be present in others. I hope you will take part and go on a walk of 100 steps. You don’t need to break it down in the way that I have, just show us what you find. More details are here, but don’t forget to return and leave your link for this week here in the comments below.
Enjoy you walk, and I look forward to coming with you……
What’s cooking?
So, what did you do at 2am this morning?
Well, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t go to bed until after midnight, but I had a recipe going round and round in my head, and I knew that it would carry on like that unless I did something about it. All was still and quiet, so I could concentrate, and that’s what I did.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that – and quite a lot of the other, you know the sort of thing I mean. By 3.15 it was all bottled, and now we just have to wait.
Now you didn’t expect it to be edible, did you? It’s a wait and see recipe, so that’s the cooking part. It won’t be opened until my dyeing course which happens in just 10 days. It will be quite exciting to see what has happened.
That’s all I have time for now, you see the milk is just about to boil over…….
……… and I need that for my calico!
