The field opposite the tower. The second day started with a 'show and tell' of the work from yesterday. It was a surprising amount of work. We then got on with experimenting with Tyvek. I wanted to show the group how to raise the surface of a Bondaweb based piece of work. As Bondweb is ironed, it is flat, and sometimes you need extra texture. Small strips of Tyvek or Tyvek beads can help.  Introducing Tyvek might not have been my best plan . . .   I also mentioned how to make corsages . .  and they were off!!!! Not in the direction I was planning!!    Two of yesterdays Hot Spot! samples.  My plan for today had been for the group to have a quick play with Tyvek and then get on with a considered, stitched sample using painted Bondaweb - Huh!!! Fat chance!!    Olivia making several corsages at once.    Pip going into mass production.            As you can see, they had great fun creating some gorgeous pieces.       Sophie even sewed h

 Iron-on interfacing colourwashed blue. This was then foiled all over with silver transfer foil and printed onto with one of my favourite wooden printing blocks. This can be done with the heavy pelmet Vilene (S133) if you want to make a box, or the softer Decovil 1 or Decovil light to make book covers or bags - gorgeous. I sell all three - www.nid-noi.com   Painted Bondaweb layered with torn newspaper, dot jewels and glitter.  I have a few weeks of calm looming - to write the book and start a new body of work. I am also making up some layered newspaper samples to have laser cut to my own designs to start making my new range of brooches and earrings. I love it when there is room in your brain for ideas to start slinking in. This tends to need time and space - all of which I have for while. I have plenty of things to catch up with, but there should also be time for play.  As most of you will know I think it is vital for any artist to play with their materials - it can lead

A rather lovely book cover decoration. Newspaper layered with painted Bondaweb decorated with glitter and die cut newspaper shapes bonded onto a book cover. Have just had a FAB three days teaching at Foredown Tower and Yes! it was using newspaper AGAIN!!! Are you fed up with it yet? I hope not, I am teaching a similar course at Art Van Go next week. This course was 'A new starting point'. Foredown Tower is a great place to teach - it is an old water tower that now houses one of the very few camera obscura left in the country. The camera is on the top floor of the building. The views all around the building are stunning. The teaching room is on the middle floor. Both these floors are accessed by an external metal staircase, very wide and very strong but not good for disabled access. It can be a bit annoying in wet weather but it kind of adds to the charm of the place.   The girls hard at it. I like teaching there so much I have booked the tower for s

We have had the first day of my new course Print, Paint, Stitch and Play! and things seem to have gone well so far. I love teaching in Bobby's studio, it is purpose built with plenty of space, power and water. We had a fab day painting Bondaweb and colourwashing newspaper. The group then worked through my tearing and layering process and this is what they have produced so far. They have already started stitching into the papers and tomorrow we will be printing onto them. We had a discussion tonight about how to spell Prettys or Pretties. Apparently the latter is correct but I like the former so that is the word I am going to use - I have no doubt a certain gentleman in the Portsmouth area will now be sitting with his head in his hands and shaking his head saying No! NO! As part of this process you need to be able to describe a piece you have layered up with gilding flake, sequins, glitter and all the other gorgeous sparkly bits we are using. So I have started c