Tuesday 27 May 2008

Lots of Pics


What weather, yesterday, for a bank holiday Monday - it poured all day. Sunday was lovely and we went for a massive walk. We hope to move house next year (if the market collapse allows) and I’ve not taken on any teaching in 2009 to allow for this. Will still be doing lots of talks, though. We don’t plan to move far but we’d like a nicer, slightly smaller house. It was interesting to brainstorm the necessities and we discovered that our main one (apart from sufficient room to sleep and work) was to live near some good walks so that we didn’t have to get in the car to go for our exercise. We are lucky here to have good walking nearby and wouldn’t want to lose it. Having a food shop close by has moved to the bottom of the list now that Mr Tesco brings it in a van! On the other hand we don’t want to live in the depths of the country and be totally dependent on a car.


Having identified an area, we have been researching the walks and, as we keep getting lost, the coffee shops for unexpected lunch stops. So that’s what we did on Saturday and Sunday and now my legs really ache.

Yesterday we polished up Quiltwow (WoW is ready) and I did a lot of messy gesso, some for the next book but some was just for fun. My design to stitch book is getting quite full. Here’s a gesso and cast paper section - not a good photo as it is too shiny to show the detail.



Clive, having finished his OU studies, has enrolled on an Open College of the Arts Drawing course. He has excellent drawing skills (he used to be much better than me at things like figures and wild-life) but hasn’t done any for so long that he wanted to start all over again. He has had his first assessment back and was very encouraged. I do find that drawing needs to be done frequently to keep the hand and eye in trim. So, there we are in the evenings, like Darby and Joan with our sketch books on our knees. Mine has to share my lap with Stevens which makes for interesting impromptu lines and I can’t recommend a cat as a drawing board.

I didn’t post the pics from the Marlborough course so here are some of the goodies. They were a wonderful group and we had such a fun day. This is by Dale.





Here’s is Maggie Harris (The Other Maggie) using a design from her sketchbook.



Work in progress.



Are you fed up with Displacement Maps yet? Let me know because I have other ideas for later blogs. Here’s a goody. Fill a blank page with a colourful gradient using the fill tool.






Then displace this image with a displacement map. I used a photo of a poppy from our Sissinghurst day.




Duplicate three times in the Layer menu and then click on the top layer and go to Effects and Edges - Find all. Finally, reduce the opacity on the top layer.





Love that pale effect. Now play with the blend modes - this is Difference on the top layer only.



9 comments:

Marian said...

I really enjoy your blog Maggie & looking forward to trying the displacement maps in Photoshop elements.

I would be really interested to get feedback on Clives's drawing course because this is an area that I feel, no need, to improve. I looked at one correspondence course but was very disappointed and didn't complete the registration. If Clive has found one that he could recommend (even to a beginner) then I'd love to find the details out.

Marian

Susan D said...

I hope Clive is enjoying his OCA course. I did it a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, but didn't finish Drawing in Colour because of ill health. There is some of my work for the course on my blog if he wants to see what I did for future chapters of the course.

hippopip said...

No no no no I`m not fed up with displacement maps, I am not getting much sleep and I think the husband is about to leave home but the tutorials are great.I shall have to find time to finish all these wonder ideas that are coming out of paintshop.I must have a look at the OCA course it sounds interesting wish Clive all the best with it from me please

arlee said...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO i GOTTA load Photoshop!!! I want to SO badly do some of these bits!!!!!

artisbliss said...

Was your gesso and cast paper piece cast over stitching or what? It's great.

I hope you and Clive can find a great new place that suits you both and everything you need in a house.

Stitching with Schnauzer and Siamese said...

Hi Maggie
Thanks for the mention and photo- really enjoyed the work we did with you. I had totally forgotten I have photoshop elements, so will have to go and play.Good displacemnt activity on a rainy day.(sorry could not resist the pun)
Best Wishes
Maggie
(The other one, now known as ToM to all at Marlborough!!)

West Country Buddha said...

Hello Maggie - sorry I haven't commented in a while. I have been tuning in but have been caught up with mother-type-goings-on!! I love the idea of you and Clive sitting drawing together; it must be lovely to be able to share a passion like that. My DH, is not the least inclined to draw, but does smile benignly at me when I sit down to sketch. Then quite rapidly afterwards, he begins to get fidgity and paces up and down. From the beginning to the end of the process must be all of 5 minutes!!

Sonja said...

FYI - There is a feature in Paint Shop Pro Version 7 called Arithmetic that creates images a lot like the displacement maps. I'm glad I found it because it's a lot of fun!

Sonja

jackie said...

Thanks for reminding me about Displacement maps - I've already had some fun with them.