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The untimely death of Caroline Frankenstein.
A broken hearted Alphonse Frankenstein dies in his son’s arms, after losing his wife, young son and adopted daughter.
Frankenstein’s monster perishes on a pyre of his own making.
A rather belated post to show the remaining embroideries for my Frankenstein book.
The murder of William Frankenstein
The death of Victor Frankenstein
The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza
The washed-up body of Henry Clerval, also murdered
Stitching furiously to meet the April deadline for my submission to Liverpool Book Art's Frankenstein exhibition. I'm working on a book that will open to reveal eight embroidered vignettes of the deaths of the characters in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I was inspired by the recurring motif in the story of using art to remember the dead, and Victorian society's morbid fascination with death. I hope to reflect the the themes of grief, remembrance and loss in my final book. In the meantime, I'm finding it strangely enjoyable embroidering dead people. Each to their own.
A new year's resolution to draw more plants has got off to a slow but enjoyable start, with a slight diversion into twigs...
Latest illustration in my Anglo-Swedish exchange of words collaboration with @eva.hejdstrom ... långtifrån, meaning ‘far from’ in Swedish.
Clearing out the garage over the festive break I came across a 1960's magazine which had been chewed by mice. As a spin-off from my recycling collage challenge, I decided to see how many different collages I could make from it. Some are in the square format as the recycling collages and others are in my sketchbook… amazing colours and typography. Very grateful to the mouse for giving me permission to chop up something I would otherwise have just filed away!
K is for Kip – a short sleep or nap. The latest rubber stamp illustration in my exchange of words collaboration with swedish artist Eva Hejdström.
wrapping paper and envelopes
swedish stamp, envelopes, a letter and a shopping list
an envelope, an old magazine and pattern from last year's calendar
A busy start to the year with work, so I'm a little behind with blog posts… I've been carrying on with making collages from paper rescued from each week's recycling box. It's turning into quite a mixed bag of a project so far...
Finally time for the festive holiday to start - looking forward to a couple of weeks off. Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2018!
Lots of envelopes at this time of year, so mainly patterned liners and postmarks
From an interior's catalogue and some offcuts of book pages from a papier mâché project
Paper culled from a free supermarket magazine
The ABC (Artists' Book Club) at UWE have a group project running this year to create books on the theme of 'found'. I've set myself a challenge to make at least one collage each week using only the paper I've salvaged from that week's recycling box. I'm not quite sure what form the book will take yet, but I'm enjoying playing around with collage and I'm surprised how different each one looks. My favourite thing about collage is the element of chance - I never know how the finished piece will work when I start working on it. Very liberating for a control freak...
The first collage in a weekly challenge I've set myself to make something each week with just the contents of the paper recycling box. The final collages will hopefully form a new book for an exhibition at UWE next year on the theme of 'Found'. A group project as part of the Artists' Book Club.
I'm about a third of the way through making the example books from 'Woven and Interlocking Book Structures' by Claire Van Vliet and Elizabeth Steiner. Elephant hide is my new favourite paper!
An embroidery in memory of a much loved aunt.
Wrapping paper back from the printers!
Also, some mini bullfinch cards.
I keep knocking around ideas for a book based on butterflies and/or moths. The latest pages in my sketchbook on this theme.
A very mixed bag of recent things I've been working on...
The latest rubber stamp illustration in my collaboration with Eva Hejdstrom, exchanging Swedish and English words. J is for jordnära, meaning close to nature.
The latest rubber stamp illustration in my collaboration with Eva Hejdstrom, exchanging Swedish and English words. I is for illumine, meaning to light up. Inspired by my early evening dark dog walks now the clocks have gone back.
Working on a new range of wrapping paper using rubber stamped patterns. Bit of a learning curve working out the repeat tiling, but it's amazing to see what patterns can be made with some really simple carved stamps (and the help of Photoshop!)
My small books are packaged up ready for their very own city breaks... they can be seen at the Small Publishers Fair at Conway Hall in London on 10-11 November, and then in Berlin (artbookberlin.de) on 17-19 November. They're better travelled than me.
The final project - book cover collage
An avian variation on an origami heart box
Sad to report that the wonderful five week PaperLove e-course with Rachel Hazell is now over. It's been a lot of fun, and a great excuse to make new things that otherwise would never have progressed beyond endless pondering. The final week's projects involved making an origami heart box (which turned into a, less romantic, bird) and a collage on a book cover using stamps, labels, books and ephemera from previous weeks. I really enjoyed working on this collage - like a jigsaw puzzle where you make your own pieces - and I'd like to make more of these in future.
Tiny 'trouser books' made with envelope backs
Multi-section book with embroidered cover
A slightly sinister shot of my book mobile
A bit more in my comfort zone this week with the e-course PaperLove's theme of 'book'. Starting with making single sheet 'trouser books' from envelope patterned papers (combined with last week's folded cover to make them more robust). Quite addictive once you get folding. Then moving onto a mobile of tiny map books (photographed on a particularly gloomy day)… not totally happy with the end result of this one so I may re-visit it at a later date. I like the idea, just not my execution. The larger project this week was making a multi-section book. I'd done this before so I wanted to use it as an opportunity to try a few new techniques: using deckle edged paper (cut with a clip point knife), embroidering bookcloth, leaving longer knot ties on the outside of the book, and also bringing the stitching over the top and bottom of the spine. Really pleased with how this one turned out, and I'm using it as a sketchbook already - hurray!
The latest rubber stamp illustration in my collaboration with Swedish artist Eva Hejdström: H is for Hovra (Swedish 'to float'). The orange is stamped with neon ink, but unfortunately looks very flat when photographed.
The latest rubber stamp illustration in my collaboration with Swedish artist Eva Hejdström: G is for Gluttony (the act or habit of eating too much or being greedy).
Collaged off-cuts of lettering practice
Snake concertina book to contain my messy lettering practice
Lettering practice
Concertina books of quotes
Little bit out of my comfort zone in week three of the PaperLove e-course. All about words. Pictures are really my thing, but I had fun finding patterns in letters, and also learning a new way to create a folded book cover to contain a concertina book. Really enjoying creating new work that's taking me in a different direction to my usual, well-trodden, path.
Collage map of my local dog walks.
Collage butterflies.
Making custom strips of tape with vintage papers and double sided tape.
Collaged strips of layered image of three humument painted pages.
A collaged box (made from greybeard and papier mache)
In my element with the second week of the PaperLove e-course - collage is one of my very favourite things in life. My studio is currently covered in snippets of paper, most of which I can't bear to throw away because they might just come in useful!