Simple Things

I created the two pieces shown above using a favorite technique of mine (layered printing) and a favorite material (corrugated board). The images  this, this and this came from my favorite website the Graphics Fairy. I have been wanting to use some old, yellowing tracing papers I have had for ages. Since tracing paper is thin, I used a regular printer paper as backing to help it pass through the printer. I used small pieces of masking tape to attach the tracing paper to the printing paper (see below)

For the first layer, I printed a handwriting image on the paper. I passed the same paper again to print the second image (woman) on top of the first layer. (Mind you, you can do this on PSE very easily, but, I wanted to do it the oldfashioned way.) The stencils were done with white gesso. I stitched the printed paper onto a piece of corrugated paper.  Because the paper is translucent, one can actually see the ridges of the board underneath the paper. I don't know what I will do with it--maybe use it as a cover for a coptic stitched journal.

See below for another take on the same technique.

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Zodiac Art Series: Aries

Finished the third one in the Zodiac Art Series last one. The other finished pieces are here and here.

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A Mandala for the Earth

The theme for this week's I am the Diva: Certified Zentangle Teacher is
Earth Day also called Amanda Day by Laura's son Chewie :). I thought I would do my tangle art with minimum of foot print, using impermanent organic materials. I was not breaking any new ground, just borrowing from the Tamil practice of kolam drawing. I did not have the materials that are typically used in Tamilnadu. So, I improvised. I drew the mandala using  rice flour, turmeric and pink vermilion (kumkum) powder on a bamboo cutting board. Because the powders I used were finely ground and smooth (unlike those used in typical kolam drawing), they did not lend to smooth and intricate line drawing. But, I was not aiming for perfection. After it was completed, I gathered the powders and mingled them with the mud in the backyard.

I washed the bamboo board and put it away.

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Zodiac Series: Virgo

Just finished the second piece in the new series combining art, astronomy and astrology using mixed media techniques. The first one is Pisces  which I completed last weekend. So, just ten more to go! The next pair will be Aries/Libra. At some point, they will be in my Etsy shop. Meanwhile, you can check here for updates. More views of Virgo below:

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Zodiac Series: Pisces

The Zodiac Art has been long in the making. For a while, I had wanted to create art that combined my longstanding interest in astrology and my love for mixed media. In my mind's eye, I had a clear idea of the elements and the materials that would go into making this art--it would be a combination of text and symbols, paper and fabric. What was challenging was creating a cosmic whole out of several disparate elements. The first try was almost a year ago and looked like this . I liked it but not much. So, it sat there waiting for the "aha" moment while I moved on to other projects. Then, a month ago as I stood outside watching the night sky where a full moon and a bright Venus were casting an ethereal glow out of the constellation of Taurus with the magnificent Jupiter twinkling from Aries, it suddenly gelled. I recognized what was missing in the earlier piece and what I needed to add. I came up with a totally new combination of visual elements while keeping the textual element the same. The results are what you see here.  The substrate is a painted canvas on which I layered two sheets of unryu paper in contrasting colors of midnight blue and white. The text which describes and delineates the sign in relation to other signs occupying various houses was printed on the top layer. The zodiac sign medallion was hand painted on a piece of silk and mounted on a rigid interfacing. (I started with Pisces because that is my sign.) Finally, I embroidered the actual constellation of Pisces on top of the text.  I used Swarovski crystals to show the stars of the constellation. 

Now, all that I have to do is create eleven more of them! These will be in my Etsy shop soon. 

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Shisha (Mirror) Embroidery

Wallhanging with applique and mirror work (personal collection)

One of the most distinctive features of Indian embroidery is the shisha (mirror) technique. It is a technique in which a small, flat and round piece of mirror is encased on a fabric using a series of chain stitches. This extremely popular technique is used on all fabrics and all types of clothing (sari, tunic), accessories (bags), linen (pillow covers, bed covers) and so on. The trick to this techniques the tightly woven chain stitches that keep the mirror from slipping out of the casing. It is really quite easy and a fun technique and pieces of mirror strategically placed can enliven a piece of embroidery very beautifully (like in the picture above). Below are few more examples of this mirror work:

Gujarati Bedcover (personal collection)

Yarn wrapped box with mirror work on the cover (my Etsy)

A cool bag for my ipad (personal collection)

Mixed media canvas art with mirrorwork (my Etsy)

Sling bag (personal collection)

If you are interested in learning this technique, here is a link to a very clear and detailed tutorial.

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Week as Art

Wow...Very excited to be selected for the CreateMixedMedia's Week as Art feature. It is such an honor!  (Thank you Tonia.) As you can see below, I used my favorite materials, burlap, vinyl chalk cloth and my latest discovery Pentel's Wet Erase Chalk marker. If you go to my Etsy shop, you will see how I upcycle burlap.

Thanks for visiting.