Digital Art for Inspiration

What do you do when you can't sleep at night?

Me?....... I have a PLAYTIME on my computer.

Last night I produced some weird and wonderful digital art which I will share with you here.

I would love to use them as inspiration for fibre arts. 

I can see quilts in them.

Patchwork - Crazy Quilting - Mosaic - Collage - Embroidery - Canvas Work - Colourwash

Announcement of My Special Project

...Announcement of my Special Project...

Many of my visitors here will already know that I have a passion for crochet.

Some of you may also know that I am a member of the International Free Form Crochet Guild.

A link to the Guild is in the right hand column over there > > > > >

Instead of having individual swaps etc (which gets difficult for such a large group to track and coordinate) each year we have one major group challenge which can take many months of planning and creating.

A theme is suggested and voted on. Then members have between 6 - 10 months to design and create their piece interpreting the theme however they are inspired.

Any media may be used but the piece must contain some crochet or knit.

The theme for this year was:  Music & Art 

This meant many things to the members. For some it was an individual piece of music, or a musician that inspired them to create their entry for the challenge. For others it was a painting or an artist that inspired them.

The photo entries are collected and arranged to create a book and an online show.

For the second year running I have been the volunteer who creates the book.

And, because of the fabulous number of members who enter this challenge, this is not a job that can be done overnight. It takes many, many weeks of coordinating, collaboration and Photoshop work to achieve this.

Because we are a "non-profit-making" group, all the profits from the sale of the book goes to the charity (or charities) that the group members have chosen to help for the year of the challenge.

This year the profits will be divided equally between:

Doctors Without Borders

&

Soul of Somanya

The release of the book (publish date) was 1st July, and no member was to post photos of their entry until after this date, so that everyone could see all the entries at the same time. 

The SECRET was so difficult to keep at times, as us crafty lot are a sharing lot too, and it goes against our nature not to "show-&-tell".

But I thank everyone for keeping the SECRET going so well.

Here is the book.

You can click it to go and preview ALL the pages onsite.

Cover photography and design by Cyra Lewis.

All entry photographs are the copyright of the individual artists.

If you would like to see the book I created for the challenge last year here is a direct link to that one.

 The theme for 2011 was: Mythologies, Stories & Fairy Tales

And now the process begins again for the 2013 Challenge.

What fun!

Crazy Quilt Ideas

Progress on the Crazy Quilt that I am making to do my TAST stitching on.

I have eventually found the blue/teal colour that I was looking for, and I was in such a hurry to photograph it that I haven't even washed or ironed it yet.

I have played with arrangement ideas and colour schemes in my digital program and come up with the following ideas that I am happy to continue with refining until I get the modern/contemporary look for my traditionally stitched CQ blocks.

12 blocks in 4 x 4 arrangement joined edge to edge around a large square in centre for extra embellishments.

The centre could also be another CQ block or applique focal point.

Same arrangement of 12 blocks 4 x 4, but with sashing between blocks, and a black border on centre square and black binding around whole wall hanging.

Almost the same as above, but with a solid black square centre piece. Plenty of scope for TAST embroidery on that black square.

3 x 5 arrangement around a large central rectangle. I rather like the wide black border too.

Now this is more what I am looking for and I'm starting to feel that I'm getting somewhere with the designing.

Change the orientation and add WELCOME to the middle (I might not really add this to the final work), and my wall hanging is just right for the wall in my entrance hall that is right opposite the front door.

So much for my earlier thoughts that I definitely wanted a square wall hanging.

The blue/teal coloured areas in any of my designs above could also be made up of CQ strips and blocks in similar colours, tones and shades to that lovely fabric I have found. 

No more prevarication, digital or otherwise.

I'm ready for the needle and thread.