Friday 2 December 2011

No Longer November

No longer November...

Like many people, I find this is a very emotive time of year. Christmas is bearing down on us, and there is an overwhelming urge to prepare for the festival. However in my very small, grown-up family there is really not a lot to do.  I'm sure many of you will envy our quiet time. However somehow I still feel the pressure to get things done...

I am enjoying my sketchbook course. Here are another batch of pages.

The page above now shows the pickled onions in the jar  through the window cut out in the right hand page. I have tried to integrate the photographs into the background with mixed media and different techniques without getting over fussy.




Onion studies.


Here are another two pages using the idea of a cut out and integrating a photograph into the page - the bottle revealing the spotted paper above and the photograph below.


And here is my journal page for December - going for a frosty look, although we haven't had much of that so far this autumn.  The white writing is done with acrylic ink and a dip pen.  They are all December quotations.


Marvin the cat has recovered well from his dental treatment but now only has his canine teeth remaining.  He seems perfectly happy especially as he has to have his 'kitty bricks' soaked to soften them.  We are happy too (although a lot poorer).  Not only has he stopped slobbering over everything, he no longer greets us with his 'killer breath'.  I shall soon be able to remove the pieces of  fleece which  cover all his favourite sleeping spots.

The convalescent sleeps soundly.

Have a great weekend and see you soon



25 comments:

Crafting Queen said...

Lovely journal pages, great December page. Poor Marvin, hope he recovers well. :)

Marigold Jam said...

Glad to hear Marvin is doing OK. How much nicer his kisses will be now eh?!! Sketch book and journal are lovely too but you will note I put Marvin first! Sorry. Tom is now telling me in no uncertain terms that it is time for a little something to eat so better go and do his bidding.

Clare Wassermann said...

I have had your age open all afternoon - I keep going back over it and enlarging your pictures...truly wonderful...

Gina said...

Great sketchbook work Jill. I've been working on mine.. you've inspired me!

Unknown said...

You've inspired me too Jill. Lovely pages - I am really enjoying all your mixed media work and the cutouts.

Great to hear that Marvin is doing so well.

Kathryn Zbrzezny said...

Your calendar pages are gorgeous. Love your sketchbook art, too! Wow.... Kathy

sandra de said...

Love your sketches, and the art journal pages look very good indeed. good to hear kitty is recovering well.

ju-north said...

Such beautiful art work!

LAC EMP 2020 said...

Jill, I know what you mean about that compulsion to prepare for Christmas even when there are only the two of us! Busy making cards and stuff etc just like you. Lovely sketchbook pages and those pickled onions remind me of Christmas as Mum used to make us jars and jars of them from shallots we grew every year. Everybody had some as a present at this time of year. Enjoy December and glad that Marvin is on the mend.

Sandra Hall said...

Your pages are lovely Jill, very different in an arty way :) Your sketch book pages are great too, as always - great talent shines through.

Unknown said...

Very colourful pages beautiful x

McMGrad89 said...

Great technique of using the photos! I love the pages. Have fun filling in December's pages.

Unknown said...

Your onion studies have blown me away. You have caught their papery skins and beautiful shapes so well. I know what I am going to try painting next!

Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly) said...

My goodness these are gorgeous. I really like your calendar backgrounds and your drawings are wonderful.

Jenny Woolf said...

I like these images, they combine a freedom with precision, and have very nice colours.

Marvin the cat is an amazing colour, or did you enhance it ? most decorative!

menopausalmusing said...

Truly lovely work in that sketchbook. Loving the combination of photos and other mediums....

Glad to hear all is still well with Marvin. Somehow its a very good name for a ginger cat.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I love the colorful journal pages. And your calendar is just as colorful and beautiful. Very, very well done.

thekathrynwheel said...

I always love the arty look of your pages :-) Very beautiful. How did it get to December already?! This challenge seems to make life speed up somehow! So, another year almost over ... Didn't we do well? Maybe next year?! Kate x

Emma said...

Lovely page & sketchbook drawings.

Envious of your w/s with Gina; just watched a snippet of her dvd & I wish I'd seen her calming influence when I was struggling...alone, earlier this year ( actually, I had all you guys to help!)
Ooh, cat dentist, scary! Mine thought to have either heart disease or Thyroid but fine after a magic antibiotic shot. Enjoying watching the shaved circles on her legs - blood tests - grow slowly back black!(as you do!)

Caro said...

I like your drawings - there is so much to see in your pages.

Jackie said...

This post rang so many bells with me. I feel as though everyone is rushing about 'doing' christmas and we too have a small group for the day itself and then its usually quiet.
Then there's the cat...'killer breath', 'drooling', and being poorer. we've just been through all that. Our 'wild born' cat was out hunting the day of his op to remove three teeth to drain two absesses. He's great now but we nearly lost him as the toxins from the teeth affected his heart valve.
And I saw for the first time in your gallery your gorgeous butterfly books. Beautiful.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Beautiful pages, love your December background especially! Your sketchbook looks pretty amazing too! Glad Marvin is recovering ok!

Anna said...

Hi Jill, I'm new to your blog, via Gina's whi is a friend - we live in the same village. Gina got me into all this and I have a blog, Inky Fingers. Retirement has give me time to be creative again, I'm now a printmaker but dabble into various mediums!! I enjoyed your lovely sketchbook pages; hope Marvin is well again!

Sharne Gregory said...

It certainly does have a frosty feel to your pages. Love all your sketchbook work too!

Kimberly Gruber said...

I always love looking at your art. Your backgrounds are just amazing!