Look!
It’s finished!
This is what I have been working on for the last couple of weeks. A geisha! Who knew I had it in me? Not me, that’s for sure!
You see, the piece started off as a Valentine’s project! A Valentine’s project I’d thought about for months at that… planned in some detail, gathered stuff for, and thought I knew inside out.
Shame nobody told my muse. She had other ideas.
Just goes to show you never really know where your inspiration will take you. You just have to go with the flow and hope for the best.
So this is how I did it:
I started off by collaging a large canvas with newspaper.
Newspaper that was perfect for the project I had in mind. Newspaper we found under the lino (which we found under the fitted carpet) when we did up our bedroom the other year. Newspaper from the year Alan was born. Newspaper that had this lovely story about a local couple celebrating their 81st wedding anniversary.
The stuff Valentine’s craft dreams are made of.
But no no, muse, I’m not bitter. You just go ahead and change it for a geisha any time you like. You know best.
Anyway…
I then added a layer of tissue paper that I had crumpled up a bit first to make the yummy ridges you see above. When that was dry, I slapped down texture paste that I pressed sequin waste into on part of the canvas.
I let it all dry naturally while I went off and played at being a housewife for a bit.
Next up…colour. I layered water soluble crayons, stamps, ink and acrylics willy nilly till I got an effect I liked. I also painted some book pages bronze and cut them out with a heart punch. It’s a shame the bronze doesn’t come out very well in the pictures. I glued them down on one side of the canvas and outlined them with blue oil pastel. I stuck some gold mesh I found in my card making supplies on top.
Ok. So by now the muse was practically hitting me over the head with the idea I should make a geisha instead of what I had planned, so I looked up some pics online for inspiration and drew one up. I coloured her in with water soluble crayons, water colour pencils, ink, acrylics and graphite pencil. I then outlined her with the same blue oil pastel I had used for the hearts.
And there you have it! One geisha a la Carin.
It looks fabulous!! Hope you are having a good week:)
~Anne
Oh Carin… your canvas is BEAUTIFUL… just love all that yummy texture… how wonderful to incorporate the newspaper as well into your layers… your Geisha is fabulous… she looks amazing…
Hugs
Jenny x
Thank you so much Jenny, your enthusiasm is always so sweet! But watch this space… I’m still considering some “minor” changes lol.
Thank you Anne. You too 🙂
Sometimes it’s best to just listen to your muse! Your geisha is beautiful!! Thanks for sharing your process with us. I always enjoy seeing how others create.
Beautiful.
x Fiona
Åh vad fint! Vad duktig du är!
ha en underbar dag!
Thanks Fiona!
Tack så jättemycket! Och jättetrevligt att se dig här!
LOVE.
Thanks Janet 🙂
Have a good weekend.
🙂
Men Carin! Vad fint! Det blev ju jättebra. 🙂 Ha en härlig helg. Kram
Tackar och bockar! Du också, kram
I don’t know what you had in mind to begin with but I love the way it turned out. Beautiful!
Oh my gosh Carin, I LOVE this!!! I love the geisha! I love that you went with it and followed your muse. You had me laughing! That has happened to me countless times, I take my time finding just the right combo of papers with just the right words to show in the background, then along the way it all gets covered up as I do something completely different than the fabulous idea that I started with! That’s something I love though, not knowing where or what plans the art has, and just being led by it. When I fight it to try to stick to the original plan I just get frustrated and struggle with it, and the piece ends up sitting around until I finally give in! You think I’d learn by now, but I still do that at times, lol! Great post and great piece!! Oh and GREAT textures my fellow texture junkie! 🙂
xoE
Thank you Melisa!
I love it too Esther. I love the fluidity of it all. I only see the original idea as the starting point. But sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder how the heck the muse can make such a big leap lol. xoxo