Random mark making and tracing

Random marks made with a black graphite block (Derwent XL Graphite 6), imaged smudged, then selectively traced twice. Marks added with a fine black felt pen. Tracings then laid one over the other and repositioned.

Now cropped, top tracing repositioned and all turned through 90*.

Then cropped again and all turned through a further 180*. 

And it all came from this random sweep of the hand with a graphite block, a sheet of tracing paper and a black felt pen.    

Back home tomorrow ... and access to more art materials ... but with many lovely images of a Scottish autumn in the snow.

Stitching along a hedge

This is my current focused hand stitch piece - I always have one that I work on usually for relaxation in the evenings or on holiday (as now). It features a length of hedge near my home in Wiltshire. The colours across the whole piece represent the changing seasons.

This small section represents summer and the time of maximum growth.

This is proving surprisingly challenging. There is a need to maintain colour cohesion over the whole piece whilst at the same time staying true to the main theme of colour change.

Then there is the sense that growth climaxes through spring into early summer then diminishes towards winter when branches are largely bare. I’m finding this effect difficult to achieve whilst at the same time achieving a balanced piece overall.

So ... much may yet change. I’m keeping scissors and unpicker tool handy!