Thursday 6 June 2013

WIPs

Another doll portrait. I am using gouache paint on a background done with layers of brusho soluble ink. It is not waterproof when it dries I have discovered, so the colour is mixing with the gouache and making it grey. I am doing thicker and thicker splodges to try to stop this and I think I have just about covered it in enough paint to start adding the face detail-once it has dried. This doll is the one that I sent off all that time ago for the ADO travelling doll project. She took so long to come back to me, and I was so fed up with the whole process that I didn't even feel like sharing her on here at the time. However, it was an interesting thing to take part in, and all the artists did a lovely job in adding to her. I love the felt face added by Laurence of Feltoohlala. Her dolls are beautiful.
 The second thing I have been doing is crocheting a small rug made from cut up t-shirt yarn. I sorted out my t-shirt drawer the other day, and the ones I decided to get rid of were cut into yarn then crocheted and voila! A stretchy cosy rug which all the cats love. Lily wouldn't get off of it so I had to delay finishing it. It is now on the floor though, and being used by all. I had this idea filed away in my mind since seeing it somewhere a while ago. I didn't then read up on it, just started. It was only on my second to last t-shirt, that I realised that if you stretch the strips of t-shirt as you go, then the edges curl up and you get a better yarn. You cut it in a roughly centimetre strip starting at the bottom but not using the hem and working your way up to the armholes. It is quite a therapeutic process, but messy as you get lots of little flecks of frayed t-shirt. I don't think the rug will shed too much though as the crocheting encases the edges quite well.
Well, nearly Friday! This week has been quite a good one. We had a hunt around the school for Mr Rabbit, who had gone off with the pirates. We had parents in to join in with our phonics sessions, and I got the morning out of class as an extra as there was a spare supply around, a rare occurrence and much appreciated! He was a lovely man too, and did all sorts of good things including some yoga at story time!

3 comments:

Anairam said...

That is quite a rug - must have taken quite a bit of time crocheting it! (Even with a big hook ...) I am doing something for my art course in a couple of weeks with dolls - ones I made a looooong time ago. I will send you the link when I do it - it is going to be an installation piece!
PS I have just had a look at the amazing Russian faces you painted last year in your journal - they are absolutely stunning, Sarah!

Sarah said...

Thanks Anairam. I look forward to seeing what you are doing with the dolls. Actually the rug was pretty quick-as it was a big hook and the t-shirt yarn is chunky. It is quite nice to work with as it is stretchy and the rug fabric is stretchy too.

jabblog said...

Crocheting your old t-shirts is a clever idea - lovely and soft for the cats and easily washed and dried.