Doodle Art

I belong to a drawing group and every fortnight we get together just to draw.

So last night it was doodle time for me, the first doodle double page spread was inspired by Indian type images. Originally I was drawings eyes, then a mask and somehow a veil (so that has become somewhat Arabian Nights looking). The opposite page I traced my hand and then added detail to the nails including nail jewellery.

The next two pages were inspired by The Golden Cockerell (a Russian folk story), these two pages didn't quite gel, but it was more about experimenting with colours and shapes more than anything else.

Laptop Make-over

Well my laptop was getting a little grimy and messy so I thought it was about time I changed its skin.

I've done another 'decopatched' job on my laptop - this time in blue.

I never Imagined ...

This was a scrapbook album that I was going to enter into the Basic Grey competition from the USA, but unfortunately it was not open to us (as in international).

The brief for the competition was entitled "I never imagined...."

So I thought of all the things I never imagined of myself say as a little girl; had no inkling I would ever even want to do the stuff I did. I did, however, used to play pretend haberdashery shops in a huge make believe city I had called Little Town with my brother (he would own other shops). That was the closest to matching craft and art store I had for eight years.

As for my overseas excursions, they were always bizarre and I think I was too young to really know the 'at risk' situations I would put myself through. But thanks to God's angels I survived.

So here are the pics.

Front cover:

The back cover.

PS: Photos of me were my niece's experimentation with sepia shots and styling.

More from this books can be found here: paulastenberg.blogspot.com/2008/11/paper-engineered-scrapbook-pages_17.html

Chaos - Do you really want to see my studio?

Okay I know many of you have seen people's studios and I've always been reluctant to show mine. Because it is always in a perpetual mess, total chaos, but my children have been sorting it out for me, labelling special cubby holes, putting all my inks together, powders together, glues, mediums, what have you.

The studio is also serving as a store room for when I shut down my shops, so there are often props etc lying around the place. Below is the entrance way from the hallway in our home, it's a cubby hole of various arts and craft books.

Here I have my plastic bags full of papers, stickers, etc all themed onto wooden rimu racks.

Another view with some of the props that came from my shop in Mt Eden.

Some of my toy theatres above. Do you like my walls, they are a bit in your face? I got them painted into red and turquoise, very vibrant, I wanted colour stimulation. My family was saying NOooooo, then they liked it.

More cubbyholes.

My ribbon rack and Rimu storage unit. And here's another one underneath.

A better view I think. Those are baskets full of fabric scraps, ribbons, wool, silk flowers, embroidered motifs, in fact anything soft.

More cubbyholes (didn't I say that before?), oh well, here's the heater too (it's autumn now).

And the work table, which I have not tidied up. I mean, who has a clear and tidy work table? No one right? So there you go just a glimpse into my working surroundings, chaotic to say the least.

No boundaries

Today I have been using up old stickers and sheets of plain newsprint which I had brayed ink onto.

The old stickers have been randomly stuck down, lots of hearts, hard core love taking a walk on the wild side sticker and a banner declaring no boundaries. They have been fairly nestled close together to create a group or unity on the page, rather than filling in space.

On the otherside is a card which has had some hot poker work done on it, some wax seals and then stamping.

On to both pages chalks were smudged in between a lashing of hair spray. Chalks were brown, grey and red.

Amazon

Demita a client of mine has given me (painted me) a wee small gift. It is so lovely of her.
She is an illustrator water colourist and mainly illustrates fairies, angels, mermaids and biblical scenes.

She has done a beautiful job. Anyway she has made me this work as being symbolic of the 'mythological' me as she calls it. It is an amazon. So she has made my head swell a bit (lol).
What really puzzled me was that I had spent the weekend learning all about amazon warrior women, and she had no idea I was researching the topic, and viola she makes me this.

If you are not in the know of what an amazonian is, don't worry I didn't know until a couple of years ago (Wonder Woman apparently was based off one of them). This was done completely from her imagination, with no pose from me .... can't quite see myself crouching that, ummm immodestly?? Her real attention to detail was the add on of my dimples under my eyes, errgh I hate those dimples.

But for those that like tid bits of information, here you go, these are just web references that I found in my research (these women are good for in comics):

Answers.com: Greek mythology. A member of a nation of women warriors reputed to have lived in Scythia, were around the Baltic Sea.

Ariosto's Orlando Furioso contains a country of warrior women, ruled by Queen Orontea; the epic describes an origin much like that in Greek myth, in that the women abandoned by a band of warriors and unfaithful lovers, rallied together to form a nation from which men were severely reduced, to prevent them from regaining power. [um, I'm brought up in the traditional conservative patriarchal family, so this is not me].

Columbia Encyclopaedia: The amazons had a matriarchal society, in which women fought and governed while men performed the household tasks. [Okay that is a bit too close to home – not the fighting but I've got a house husband].

Wordsmith Words: a tall, aggressive, strong willed woman [Okay not really tall, unless I have high shoes on and then yes; aggressive - no, but I don't back down if bullied and will stand up to men or women who may threaten me or diss me; strong willed - does that mean I like my own way and I'm always right? - ah then yes, LOL who am I kidding?].

Jules Verne: Atlantis Revisited (again)

One of my illustrators (Guy Horton aka Moskon of the not so famous Moskon Review) who illustrated this toy theatre (paid him $1,500) also does comics, and this is an example of his work below which I have also used to incorporate into the sunken city of Atlantis.

Here is his comic which he did while doing my Jules Verne 20K Leagues Under the Sea drawings.

What I have done is used some of his work (I did get his permission) like the Mermaid, the fish and the divers to add into my latest Atlantis scene (again artistic licence).

Atlantis Scene: Jule Verne 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Gradually getting the last of my toy theatres scenes finally finished. It takes me awhile as I need to have the inspiration and get up and go to start the altering of these scenes.

In the meantime enjoy what I've done (I'll have some other photos soon to put up) but these will do for now.

I'm not sure about the acetate background to the first panel, it kind of almost looks like the diver has a halo. I may yet re-alter that.

These images  below were before shots with the acetate not cut into.

Revisited Nautilus

I know I can't put these toy theatres down. So here I am again, at it, festooning the 'Inside the Nautilus' scene, yet once again. Here you may see that I've added a little lamp (and yes it will go on once I get the electrics sorted). Plus a top with another gramophone on top of it (he did like music right?).

So enjoy.