New Pottery Nook and Pots

It seems like an age where I have loaded some photos of pottery...... that is probably because of two reasons - first the Canberra Potters Society took down their old kiln shed and rebuilt it. Consequently there was not firing done in the kilns for 3 months - which is a long time!! And secondly with our trip to Tassie I decided not to do pottery in term 4 as I would be there only a little of the time.

BUT

Phil has bought me a sparkling brand new pottery wheel which we have put on the balcony and I have had lots of fun the past 2 days throwing pots...... Oh it was great to be playing with clay again and looking over the comings and goings of the bird life and people from my little vantage point.

Here are a few photos of the pottery nook on the balcony and what fun I had the last couple of days

My pottery nook at the end of the balcony overlooking
the bird life and people in the street below.

Some of my tools of the trade!

The pots I threw Sunday and Monday - pretty cool huh??
The lidded vessels are really cute - should be lovely glazed
and the bowls are nesting bowls designed to sit inside eachother

Think I might need to buy a couple more shelves
if I keep producing at this rate

Here are a few pottery pieces from term 3 classes..... they came up really well I think, and were fired in the new kiln - so the colours are great!

Porcelain Jewelery boxes
These are made in one piece on the wheel then cut
at the leather hard stage - very tricky to do......!!!
The bracelet is my present to me..... love it!


Tagine number 1 - I really like the shape of this
And I love the lid -funny thing though that this is a garden ornament because the glaze has melted the lid to the pot - never mind - it is a cute garden ornament!!

Tagine Number 2 - Shiga Red and Leech Green glazes
I am going to make more of these as I love the form and I really like
how the glazes work together


Matching bowl - like these handles and the way the
Leech Green glazes breaks over the edges of the pot.....

Thanks for your visit - and I look forward to putting up more in the near future - now I have my own wheel - it will be just great!! Love my new wheel!

Love Carol

Feeling rather neglectful

I have neglected this blog for about a month - but I have more pots to show you and I will get Phil to take a pic of my pottery nook..... on the balcony.... with me on the wheel. Would you believe it rained cats and dogs today when I was trying to throw pots - how bizarre.... over an inch of rain today. Can't complain though....... I just covered the wheel up and then got back to it later.

Anyway - stay tuned I am going to upload some pics very soon.... and sorry for my slackness

Love
Carol

We are back from Tassie

Hi everyone

We are back from Tassie and I have been painting up a storm - some with shells and others without ...... Please enjoy!!

I loved these gumnuts - they were succonded from a golf course....... thanks Swansea!!

I loved these barnacles on the pippi shell and the delicate gumleaves

How are these Autumn tones in the shells and these mussels are really pink and true to life too!


Never seen one of these before - the nuts were nestled in the brach and bright red topped - just like a rose

I did heaps more and had lots of fun!!

Love
C

We are official!!

Yep we are now a registered business name - Scribbly Gums Art

Now all we have to do is get an ABN, register for GST and get the website up and running... not much really :)

Anyway - we have a name and we have a sign on a gate!!!!

Love Carol

It's a lovely day

Tree Planting with Mum and Dad
Here we are planting a 'Summer Beauty' with Mum and Dad

When I was a small child I would wander around and say to every one - 'it's a lovely day' - so I thought I would share a few special photos of the happenings at Scribbly Gums with Mum and Dad last weekend.

Relaxing after lunch watching Phil put together the egrets for the 'billabong'

The egrets in their new home!!

Have a great week everyone

Love Carol

Coastal Trip to Eden

What is it about the sea and the vast ocean that draws us back regularly??? I love the way the sea smells, the sand on my feet and the sound of the waves.

This time I have had a bit of fun with the seashells - staying away from those pale pastel shades and aiming for the blue black of the mussels.... what fun they were to paint.

These are the shells I was speaking of .....
they certainly don't fade into the background
I rather like their boldness!!

The other one - couldn't help but pop in some flora!

This was rather fun to paint - I loved its structural form and the surprising colours in the leaves and stems - it is a lucadendran (sp?) and it was a challenge to pick a flower as it was planted near the office. Finally we went for a walk at night - I keep telling Phil that it is for the sake of Art (or science) ..... he doesn't buy it - but it does come along for my night snatchings!!


There was this wonderful Callistimen (bottlebrush) and instead of the tube of flowers it had a round form the size of a golf ball. I had to add the grevillia pods on the right - I love those curly bits!


Lillies are lovely in their form but difficult to paint as white on white is a challenge. This has scanned more yellow than the painting is in real like - but you get the feel of it none the less.


This is a little camellia I have outside my craft room which comes back with flowers each year even if I neglect it! It is the one which we all know - but it was challenging to keep to the pink and not make it too exciting!

I added also a few I have done recently..... Please enjoy - and note that these are copyright. I will be adding another step by step later this month!

Love Carol

Our new sign

We are official .... our new sign......

We took Jessica (DD) and Jason out to see Scribbly Gums today and we installed our new sign that Phil got for his birthday off me!! It goes so well and I am really happy with the way it looks - thankfully so is Phil.

Jason and Phil putting up the sign


Finishing touches

Carlos and Megan (neighbours) also stopped by and wanted to know where the sign came from so they could also buy one ..... looks like it is a winner!

Thanks For looking
Carol

Gum Blossom Step by Step

Well everyone I thought it was time that I added another step by step to this blog.... the principles are the same as the simple tulip but this step by step is a bit more involved. If you haven't done the tulip step by step I would recommend that you do that one first to get he techniques right. It also explains things in much more depth than I have done here.

You are very welcome to print these instructions and pictures out - they are not copywrite. I want you to enjoy the process and have fun.

This gorgeous gum tree is a few houses away from me and provides colour at this time of the year. I have a passion about gum trees and their blossoms and this particular tree has those great blue green leaves and burgundy stems, with pink blossoms - it blooms in September through til the end of November.

Gather your supplies - gm leaves and blossoms, pencils, eraser, 2B lead pencil for drawing, felt tip pen, tissues, number 4 round brush, water and a watercolour paper pad - I use a 300gsm so I don't have to stretch the paper (yes I am lazy).

The colours I have used are basic ones that I always seem to use, in order left to right:

• Derwent Deep Cadmium
  
• Derwent Deep Vermillion
• Faber Castell Light Carmine
• Faber Castell Burnt Carmine
• Derwent Grass Green
  
• Derwent Olive Green
• Faber Castell Chrome Green Opaque
  
• Derwent Prussian Blue

You may have to remove a few flowers and buds to make it easier to draw and paint.
Otherwise the design is too complex and with be confusing to look at.
We are aiming for balance.

Carefully draw the gum leaves and blossoms with the 2B lead pencil

With the Burnt Carmine start to draw in the laves, making the
pencil lines and shading heavier where needed.
Colour the cups of the blossoms,
add the stamens
and put in the unopened gumnuts

Add the Olive Green and leave large areas uncoloured
where the light hits the leaves.
Add the green to the nuts

Use Prussian Blue to deepen areas and add the 'blueness' to the leaves

Now add the Chrome Green Opaque
to add depth of colour to the leaves

Use the Light Carmine to colour in the blooms - making the colour
much darker where they come out of the gumnut
to very light near the edges

With the Deep Vermillion strenthen the colour

Use the Grass Green around the gumnuts and add the Deep Cadmium
around the gum blossoms in a circular motion.

With a wet brush (Round number 4) start to work the paint.
Leave the white areas and re wet and dab on a tissue frequently.
Don't over work the paint or it will become muddied.

Work carefully with the gum blossom, keeping the light areas light
Little circular motions are best.
Do the yellow areas last after the pinks have dried well

Once you have finished wetting the paint this is what it looks like.
You may need to deepen the darker areas - just wait until he paint is dry first.

Once the paint is dry outline the painting if you wish.
I use a permanent Statelier 0.6
If you are outlining the painting try to be a bit
'loose' when you do the blossoms as they look a bit
contrived if your pen work is too formal.

Sign your work and enjoy

Love
Carol

Wonderful Magnolias

Okay I know that many of us love these trees - in Canberra they are spectacular at this time of the year and I always think the flowers remind me of ballerina skirts for some reason.

So I was delighted to find that Jess (DD) is living in a house with a couple of these magnificent trees in her yard. I want to grow some at Scribbly Gums but I haven't planted any as yet, of course.

I think they might be a favourite to paint for the future they are so amazing, velvet leaves, wonderful colours, interesting bark, knobbly stems and fuzzy buds. Unfortunately they fade and go limp very quickly and I really only had just over 24 hours to paint these three. But I hope you'll agree they are just gorgeous!!


Thanks for looking at my paintings.... I hope you enjoyed them.

Please leave a comment so I know you have visited.

Lots of love
Carol

A few watercolours to share

A couple of weeks ago we went to the beautiful Narooma and like always, a few of the bits of native flora 'found their way into my pocket' as we walked around the beach and countryside.

The coastal banksias are always pretty magnificient and I had a great time drinking wine and painting a few of the native coastal banksias....


Here is the early wattle and a unusual seed cluster I have never seen before......


Aren't grevillias sensational. A little night snatch found this gorgeous specimen, the colours are honestly true to life, and I couldn't resist it. Phil tends to drink his beer while I go and pick a sample (or 6) after dark.... the joys and dangers of needing to paint from real life! I tell him it is all in the name of science - Phil smiles but I don't think I fool him! He is very patient with me!!

Thanks for looking...... I will be popping in soon with a step by step as the first one was so popular...... thanks for your support, it means so much!

Love
Carol

PS
For those I send Christmas cards to I have painted the flower for the front which I will get printed soon..... I cannot believe that these wonderful flowers grow in outside gardens - unreal!!!!! They certainly don't in cold Canberra!!