Hare's Dream

This painting was inspired by the imagery I was using in the 'Hare Dream' cushion. It's a narrative told from the hare's own perspective.
I wrote a short story to accompany this painting, which is scratched into the background. It doesn't matter that you can't really read it; it's just supposed to be evocative.

Pendants with regular chain

Here a a few new pendants with snake and cable chains. 

 

I'll just try a mixture of both and see what sells. 

New Rosary style pendants

  I've just made some new necklaces and really wanted to try using Rosary beads instead of regular chain. I like this black beaded one (is it better than using plain chain? More eye-catching perhaps? Probably it's down to personal choice. ) Anyway, I need to try something as I can't seem to sell the pendants. They are £10 each, which is reasonable I think- especially since making the actual pendant is really fiddly! I'll write a blog on how to do that at a later date. 

I've also got these turquoise and clear beads:

 

I quite like the clear beads, really not sure about the turquoise. I'll probably re-do those. 

'Tyto' - the end result!

Background scraped, ink flecks added and I think it's ready!

 'Tyto'

mixed media (oil pastel and lino ink).

Scraping away the lino ink

The scraping stage: I'll concentrate on the owl first ....
I use a tool that you buy to scrape away scraperboard (or scratch board). It's better if it's not too sharp, or you can tear the paper, so use a tool that is quite worn down.

Covering up the owl!

The scary (and messy) bit - covering the entire thing with black Lino ink! Even the light areas need covering, but I need to be able to see what I'm doing, so I won't use much ink here.
It's important not to allow the ink to dry as it will make the scraping less fluid- so I have to start the next stage straight away. . . .

Owl Painting step 2 - colour

Step 2 - oil pastel. It's important not to leave any gaps (as this will leave a black mark when it comes to scraping). The blue I've used here is ultramarine, unusual for me as I'm more drawn to Prussian blue - however, it won't make much difference in this case as I intend the background to be very dark. The owl is mostly white and yellow-grey. I usually use Pentel oil pastels, as they are firmer than a more expensive pastel (eg Sennelier) and hold onto the colour better once scraped.

Example of working method - oil pastel and lino ink painting

This is a step-by-step guide to creating a painting using oil pastel and lino ink and a scraper tool.

Long, thin owl painting- 'Tyto' - stage one: having already done some preliminary sketches I draw out the owl, keeping it quite basic; there's no point in getting too detailed here, as I'm going to completely cover it up. Also once I start scraping away I don't want to see too much pencil work showing through.

Me and 'Affinity '

 I painted 'Affinity ' last year and documented the making of it on my Facebook Vikki Yeates illustration page. 

I'll do this again with my next painting. 

Hare Dream design

I

The painting that I made into a transfer, then ironed onto the cushion cover.
I kept the design for this very simple, like a celtic stone carving. But once I'd finished I felt a bit unfulfilled and so I've taken it as a springboard to another more detailed painting, which I'll show at a later date.

Hare Dream cushions

I came up with the idea for these cushions when I painted my friend's dog Nenagh; she loves snuggling up on the sofa! Usually my animals are surrounded by plants and nature (http://vikkiyeates.daportfolio.com ), so I wasn't sure how to tackle this at first; but then I came up with the idea of designing my own William Morris inspired artwork to put onto the cushions, effectively bringing the outside inside! I really enjoyed the intricacy of the cushion designs so wanted to take the idea a stage further - hence 'Hare Dream' evolved.
Unfortunately I only have an A4 printer and they would look much better if I could make the print bigger. Or get smaller cushions maybe?