WOYWW 400

Quite a milestone in the life of What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday...  week 400... that's a lot of desks!So, Julia, much loved Head Desker - we salute and thank you for having the patience to keep going this long!  We have made lifelong friends because of you, given and received support in good times and bad, and - just possibly - enabled one or two deskers to buy more stuff!!  (I hold my hands up!)

 I had a fantastic time at the Powertex workshop last weekend (full report and LOTS of pictures in this post here )   these are the pieces laid out drying on Sunday after I added some "finishing" touches (there may be more of those to come yet!)

This (Tuesday) evening I have been making a birthday card for a friend which needs to get in the post to arrive for the weekend...

my journal underneath has some stencil work (texture paste) over a Bistre background (I used some to add some colour to the edges of the plaques from the workshop)

(Bistres are like brushos or infusions)


In case you don't have time to read the whole post on the workshop, this is the finished project (unless I add more colour, there is some debate as to whether I added too much white paint dry brushing and it needs to be darker and more grungy!)

So, happy 400th WOYWW and have fun desk hopping again today!

Powertex Workshop with Allison Turner and the Girls!

Yesterday was my long awaited (really long awaited, we booked it months ago!) Day Workshop with Allison Turner in Long Eaton, Nottingham.  We were doing a Powertex Tryptych on fence panels.

A very early start (after a traumatic Friday night but never mind that!) saw me leaving for the train to London St Pancras at 6.30 to meet Lin.
Luckily the trains ran on time and Chris met us at the station to take us to Allison's studio.  Sadly Emma and Lin R were unable to make this one - we missed you both - but Sam, Lin, Chris Lesley and I had a good old natter..

So, Powertex and fence posts... This is the kind of Powertex project I have been wanting to do ever since we first saw it at the Glasgow SECC the other year...  The Angel (here) was amazing... but this... oh boy.

 first step (after tea and coffee!) was to paint the fence panels with gesso

they're about 2 foot long to get an idea..

 Sam struggling with the concept of pink gloves... think she abandoned them early on...
I persevered with mine only because I didn't think I'd get my hands clean before the train home!

 Chris struggling with the coarse texture of the fence panels, really wanted to sand it smooth...

Once the gesso was dryish, came some stencilling with structure paste - we used the Powertex one, but any firm modelling paste would do..






hard to see the white on white, but it's there.

once the stencilled paste was dry, came some more texture, (3d flexx mixed powertex liquid) , the drippier the better.. but you mix it to the consistency you want. Not too wet or it will fall back in on itself (think very heavy pancake batter)

as you can hopefully see, were working across all 3 at once, for the flow.













Then we add colour (Bister spray)

 Chris's looked amazing already - she got some superb stringy drips with hers

 my spraying leaves a lot to be desired! I have a love/hate with spray bottles (just ask my rug!)

Just before lunch, we added some more texture, from a large choice (Allison supplied chipboard ones, we took a variety of different embellieshments, Lesley had some Grungeboard numbers and letters... and stuck them on to dry

 Lunch time was birthday present opening time, both Lin and Chris had birthdays this week (and Emma on Monday coming)
so there were cards and gifts and of course, cake!

 more texture added, with some of our own and Allison's embellishments, torn cardboard...

those of you who've worked with Powertex know how messy it is, so to keep taking a glove off and trying to get it back on again for lots of step by step pictures was tricky!

 but I do, just for you... and my record of course!

Lesley (sitting) Sam and Lin, hard at work..

  

 I clambered over some chairs behind Lesley to get a different angle on the day!  Sam's boards looking fab.

 Emma wanted in progress pics, so we sent her one of Sam taking a WIP of her own boards..

and that seems to be where the photos from the actual workshop end...

we added Bister sprays and lots of other colour sprays too, there is a good squirt of Sunshine Yellow (perfect pearls)

blame the spray colours and the trying to get it dry enough (the thick areas of the 3d Flexx mix take a while to dry, even with a heat gun) for there being no more....

 back at home however, I unpacked the boards which had survived the journey (apart from some balls!)  and it dried more fully overnight


Time for some finishing touches this morning

 Dry brushing... Had my Ivory Powertex bottle been opened since I bought it, I could have used that, instead I used firstly gesso, then White Snowflake Fresco as the gesso wasn't pronounced enough..


anyhow, several layers of dry brushing over the raised areas and the texture on the wood grain...

 then to add a bit more colour..


which doesn't quite show up..

I used Treasure Gold, in ruby, emerald and white fire... you can't really buff it though over the coarse texture so you'll have to take my word for it, that it is there

 out into the hall to get some photos of them all side by side..

 and some close ups

 the flower in the corner is from a piece of lace flower trim I got super cheap in The Works...

three together squished into the paste mix under the key...

 loving the clumps of stone art balls in the drips too... these balls kept falling off and I lost some more on the way home, but not too many.

the dry brushing has brought out the stencilling (here on the butterflies)


What a great workshop - lovely to see Sam, Lin, Lesley and Chris again, Allison we thank you once again for your tutorship and your time.  Emma and Lin R, hope you can make the next one!

Now to find somewhere to hang them (and somehow to hang them...!)

WOYWW 365

Can't quite believe it's time to write another WOYWW post... it only seems a couple of days since the last one.  What with the Bank Holiday weekend I kind of missed that yesterday was the day scheduled for Julia's surgery until I saw Jan's post on facebook whilst I was eating my lunch at work on Tuesday, and ever since then I have been thinking about her and wishing her well, I know we all have. **

Find the link for this week's desks at Jan's blog here

I have received some ATC's from the anniversary swap - my swap is coming from Bridget sending from the other side of the globe so obviously that is still on the way, but I did receive one from Annie and Jo (Wipso and Twiglet) and also from Jill, who was my partner, and who sent me back one.. and they are all gorgeous:

 Annie's beautifully stitched scene came with a lovely poem too.. Jo's flowers are simply stunning.  thank you both so much - especially as I didn't have any to send you back.

and this is Jill's - love the little bee, and the wall is so textured.  

I mentioned last week that I was going to a Powertex workshop, and it was absolutely fantastic - I wrote about it in the previous post but this is the standing Angel we made - 

 Powertex is a fabric stiffening liquid, you get very very messy but it is fabulous fun!

the painting of the dried fabric is very subtle, meant to be - just some dry brushing with a shimmery paint - a bluey-green and gold.  I may add a little more, I am letting it sit on the window sill for a while and will see what I think 

She measures about 20 inches tall













**  Edit.  Jan has heard from Julia's husband to say that Julia's operation went well and she is now in HDU recovering.  Lots of love and hugs to Julia, what a relief. Now lovely lady, you can get better; fully and soon I hope  xx

Powertex Workshop - Angel

Yesterday was my first ever Powertex workshop - and my second play with this fabulous fabric sculpturing medium.  We - Sam, Emma, Lin R, Chris and Lesley - sadly our great friend Lin was poorly and had to cancel - attended a workshop with Allison Turner of Allison Turner Designs in Stapleford, Nottingham.  An early start, but so worth it.

 catch up and then time to get started, it's quite a packed workshop to allow for drying time!

from the right, standing at the window, Sam, Lin, Chris, tutor Allison, Emma and Lesley nearest

 fix your chosen head to the stand with a loo roll stuffed with tin foil and held in place

 wire frame wings

 first layer of fabric Powertex'd

 quick walk round the table to see  how everyone else is doing
Chris and Lin hadn't used Powertex before.. the mess was a bit scary for them!

it's easier to stand up to work...(and at home I tell you it's not easy on the floor!!)

 my angel, fully draped, time to get her dry enough to paint (train home leaves at 4.50...)

 this is Chris's

 got a bit lost going round the table now...

Emma's

 this is Sam's (sorry Sam)

 and Lin's

 Allison demonstrating how to apply the gold paint layer of drybrushing, which I had to do at home

 had to take these photos halfway down the stairs!
love her dangles, even though they got a bit stuck together in the bag on the train home

I've done some more dry brushing on her this morning and think she's finished now...

 back view

 wings

 front

 side

now to find somewhere for her to stand, at the moment she's sideways on the windowsill (the wings hit the window if she faces the room..)


it was a great day, with great company; if you like getting messy this would be right up your street!