Moon – The Art of Cobwebs

InkTober 3rd 2017

InkTober caused me a moment today. I began with an idea in mind and started to draw it …. kind of liked it … but not enough. So I scrapped it and decided on something different instead. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

Its like knitting … and getting eight rows in then realising that you made a mistake on row 2 so having to pull it all back and re-knit. grrrr!

So anyhoo ... this is what I ended up painting….

… but .. that’s not everything …

The photo above was taken with the desk lamp as lighting, but the next photo is taken with the flash on the camera … and it shows you what the photo above can’t…. that I broke open the Kuretake, Gansai Tambi Starry paints (watercolours) – for just the one colour – White Gold, – so that I could use a teeny tiny bit around the edges of the moon, and onto the clouds. And this next photo, taken with the flash, shows you the difference that this one colour can make …

It just gives the moon and clouds a more magical feeling. Slightly more depth. And … well, I just had-ta! lol.

The apparent ‘bend’ on the left hand side of the painting, isn’t a wonky bit of water-colour paper, it’s actually how the paper dried. I’ll bury it between the pages of a book, weighted down by a couple of book, and it will then magically become flat again.

The pens used to create this bit of Inktober Art are by Kuretake, apart from one Sakura Gelly Roll Ink Pen, in white, which I used to add some ‘moon shine’ hi-lights to the trees and parts of the landscape.Pen

So far I’m quite enjoying InkTober . . . it’s a bit like doodling, only trying a bit harder. But I can see me getting tired of black a bit quickly. But that might just be me wishing to break out and crack open the bottles of blue and brown ink which sit on the side of my desk. I wonder if that would be against the rules. I mean to say … it’s still ink, isn’t it? I could rather go for a nice inky denim blue drawing. Or a fabulous vintage looking brown bit of fun!

Ahhh .. I’ll be good as long as I can .. then I’ll break the rules and be naughty. lol.

Thank you for coming for a visit and sharing your coffee moment with me. I just LOVE seeing you here. Blog land has turned out to be one of the nicest places on the web. I’m not sure what I expected when I began The Cobweborium Emporium – certainly not being part of such a great community of bloggers who are truly amazing, and so very talented! Cooks, Knitters, Writers, Bakers, Farmers, Artists in a variety of forms, and .. well just genuinely nice people. I’m SO glad that I began this blog, for without it I wouldn’t ever have even known that you existed. And that thought alone is SO painful to my heart, because I love knowing you. Truly.

Thank you for being exactly who you are. For who you are is . . . perfect. I tried you on and you fit perfectly, and I love you for it.

Have a truly great day out there! Sending squidges ~ as always …

I love you to the Moon and back!

It’s true. I do. I really do. Cross my heart, and pinky finger promise.

I wanted to make a card which was fun, but sweet. Not sickly sweet, and certainly not cute, but something which had a nod towards the inner child of a ‘bloke’. A man of years, but still a boy inside.

So I decided that the ‘Love you to the Moon and back’ sentiment sounded perfect … but instead of making the card a more serious ‘love you’, I made one which suggested a rocket …. going forth to the Moon, landing …. collecting moon and star-dust …. and then returning to Earth, spreading sparkly Moon dust as it flew through the atmosphere.

I began by hand painting the background on some watercolour paper, using a combination of purples, blues and white from my Kuretake watercolours. Once dry I embossed all around the edge with silver Tonic powder, which was meant to look like star-dust and moon dust.

I threw a few pinches of embossing powders over the painted background and then heated them slowly and gently so that they melted onto the watercolour background, and looked like twinkly stars in the sky.

Apart from the ‘happy birthday‘ sentiment (bottom right of the card), the stamps I used are from Altenew. But the happy birthday sentiment ….well that came from my ‘sentiment stamps draw’. I cannot remember who the maker was. I just knew that I wanted swirly writing, which might look like the trail of a rocket as it swooshed and swooped and looped the loop through the heavens, and that stamp fitted the bill perfectly.

The Moon is stamped using two stamps, and two different coloured inks, and then using an embossing pen I ‘coloured’ in some areas and then embossed it in Tonic Silver powder.

I used the embossing pen to add a Moon dust trail to the ‘happy birthday’ sentiment. The words themselves were stamped and firstly embossed in black, then stamped over again, but this time I stamped slightly ‘off’ from the first stamp so that just tiny bits of the black (meant to look like a sooty residue) peeped from behind the silver.

I have no idea if space ships leave a sooty trail behind them, but the idea was ticklish to me so I went with it. I loved the silver over the top of it because it kind of pushed the sentiment into the whole picture. Instead of it standing out and shouting, it was just there …. part of the whole moon dust/star shine thing.

And that, as I am want to say, … is all there was to it!

I trust you are well and that nothing is wonky in your world. Although … having said that I know that some of you are having a bit of a ‘wonky’ time at the moment. Please know that I think of you often, and each time I do, I push a prayer out of my heart and head, and send it heaven bound, asking for help to be given to you.

There are some of you who are missing family members, and I know how difficult that can be to deal with the trauma of losing someone. My thoughts are with you, and I send you my love.

One of our blogging friends suffered a stroke just a few weeks ago, while she was off on her holibobs with her husband. There was no warning, nothing odd going on, when suddenly… out of the blue… a stroke happened while she was sat there in the car. Thankfully she wasn’t driving the car at the time.

I know that there are some blogging friends who suffer with depression, for whatever reason(s), and having a family member who suffers with this, I know only too well how difficult life and times can be because of that.

And there are more … lots of people, who have worries of one sort of another. A difficult time. Some difficulty that they are experiencing. Please know that I’m thinking about you. About you all. I may not know you personally, but I know you by heart. By the words you type on your keypad. And because of that I’ve come to care.

You … reading right now. I care about you. I may not always comment on your blog(s), but it’s not because I don’t care. Sometimes I just run out of words. Sometimes I think how grand or brilliant you are. Sometimes I sit here on my side of the computer and smile, giggle, laugh. And sometimes I cry.

But then … there are those of you who are SO amazingly talented that I just sit here wondering how I can possibly tell you how brilliant you are without sounding like I want to stalk you; or those of you who I want to kiss all over the face, leaving visible lipstick marks, for making me laugh like a drain.

Y’know … you’re all uniquely, amazingly, incredibly wonderful. I’m SO so glad that I began blogging, for I’ve found a world of the most fascinating, beautiful people who I never knew existed. Crumbs …. how did I ever get along without you all? My life is so busy now, keeping up with you, sharing your days, getting to know you, your families, your ‘stuff’. I have no idea what on earth I did before blogging. I must have had hours wasted, doing nothing at all!

Blogging really is a magical thing.

So … thank you. Thank you for being the most amazing person. Thank you for keeping me reading, entertained, teaching me, and giving me something truly extraordinary. What would I do without you.? [shakes head while smiling to self]. I’d be terribly bored, that’s for sure!

I am so very blessed. Thank you. Each and every one of you.

Have an incredible day. Be good to yourself…. and to everyone else you meet.

Much love from me in my corner to you in yours. ~

It’s Only a Paper Moon ~ an ATC painted for World Watercolour Month

Hello again! Happy Sunday. I hope that I find you in full health and ready for a bright day filled with some smiles and a little love wherever you happen to be.

I’m still dedicated to the World Watercolour Month Challenge, (as you can see) and I’m here with another little ATC moonlight painting, only this time it’s shining over the sea.

Before I began I knew I wanted to paint:- a moon, the sea and a wee little sail boat/dinghy bobbing on the ocean. So I had a plan.

As I painted, the fabulous song from ‘Paper Moon’ came back to me and I ended up singing to myself. It seemed like the perfect title to use for this post, so I did use it. As you can see! lol.

Not sure if many of you remember ‘Paper Moon’ – both the film and the made for TV programme. It starred Ryan and Tatum O-Neale, and even though I was just a little child, I can remember how much I loved watching it. I’d never seen anyone doing any of the things this father and daughter team did … and it totally fascinated me. It didn’t encourage me to try to do things like they did, I just found them both so lovable and funny and loved their love for each other.

Ry “It’s Only a Paper Moon” . . . an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth

The above photograph was taken with just the over-head lights to light it. So it just looks like a moon looking out over the sea, painted using regular water-colour paints.

‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ . . . an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth

However … when you add more lighting, the moon begins to glow. This is down to me using some Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry water-colour paints, in ‘White Gold’ for the moon, and ‘Blue Gold’ for the glow off the lamp which is hanging on the mast of the little boat bobbing on the ocean.

A tiny section of the painting: ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ . . . an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth, *painted by Cobwebs of The Cobweborium Emporium.*

The above close up of the boat shows that the boat is actually sailing away from you in the painting. You’re looking at the back of the boat nearest to you. It also shows the little lamp which has been hung up on the mast of the little sailboat.

Finally, I placed a mount around the painted (and dried) ATC of ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ in order to frame the painting properly and draw the eye into it.

I really enjoyed painting this one. It was lots of fun and such a happy subject matter. Loved it.

And … because I have the song ‘Paper Moon’ buzzing around my brain now, I felt it was only proper to share (as good friends do) so I visited You Tube and got the song just for you. See how much I care about you? 🙂 It’s only 2minutes and 37seconds long. You can thank me later. 😊

Well … all that’s left for me to say now is … and that’s all there was to it! 🤣 LOL

Have a truly blessed rest of your Sunday. Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee with me. It means more than you’ll ever know, so thank you.

Sending love, from me here in my corner, to you there in yours ~

Lunar C ~ an ATC/ACEO – painted for World Watercolour Month

Can you hear dogs howling? Are there rappings at your window? Do you see strange shapes, female like, travelling past the moon with only a broom as transport? Do you have bats in your belfry?

Throughout history, the occurrence of the full moon has been linked to all sorts of strange behaviors. It’s said that some police officers believe that a full moon leads to more crimes being committed.

Me personally? I think it’s all rubbish. The only thing that happens during a full moon is that I can see better in the dark, and I don’t reckon that’s because I ate all my carrots either!

Lunar C. … an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth – lit with the dullest of table lamps – so that it lights the photograph but doesn’t over light it. It leaves it a little dark and moody.

I was sort of vacant of thought, gazing at the moon through the window and this gave me an idea to paint a [bit of fun] night sky with silhouettes on the ground in ATC size. So I did.

However not only did I use regular water colours, I also used a tiny bit of a different type of water-colours, called Gansai Tambi Starry water-colour – in White Gold. I used this for the moon and a little on some of the stars, as I wanted the moon to GLOW.

Lunar C. … an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth – This photograph is taken with a bright desk lamp – so it shows the moon being a little brighter than the last photo.

The Gansai Tambi Pearl and Starry colours have mica mixed in with the water colours and can give you a truly lovely glow to parts of your paintings which you want to draw attention to.

Lunar C. … an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth. This photo taken with the same brighter lamp – but I’ve put a mount around the ATC to frame it better.

I’ve been using these types of ‘twinkly’ water colours for a while now…. I found my very first set years and years ago, packaged up as ‘children’s paints’ and I bought them for just £1.49 from a shop here in the UK, called The Works. You can see a little ATC here (click and the link will open up in a new tab) on which I first used those mica paints to paint with.

But the paints I used for brightening the moon in this painting was part of a boxed set of 6, made by Kuretake.

I LOVE Kuretake products. The company was sited not too far from where I used to live, and every year they would have a monster sale and invite crafters to come and buy. I must have kept that company going for years! I spent so much money with them, and learnt so many amazing techniques from their fabulous staff, to do with paints and pens. They are very much a company who I highly recommend. BUT … although I know you can buy from that well-known TV Craft Channel (Create and Craft), I urge you to shop around before investing your money there, as I’ve bought some Kuretake products for half the price that they’re selling them on C&C, AND – I’ve got FREE postage on top too! So do please shop around if you decide to buy any of the Kuretake items. The company itself is truly brilliant. Their customer service and the products are perfection. —> Link to Kuretake website HERE.<— (You can buy direct from them on that website too – check-out the sales items!)

This last photo was taken with the flash on as it’s the brightest light I had on a dark evening a couple of nights ago. I so wanted to show you how the light plays with the Gansai Tambi Starry water-colours and makes something so simple become something quite stunning….

Lunar C. … an ATC for #WorldWatercolorMonth.

… and … what you see in the photograph isn’t the true story. That moon looks like MAGIC! So magical that it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck!

The only thing I would change about this tiny ATC (2.5″x3.5″) is … that I wish I’d have gently dotted stars into the scene, instead of dragging my fingernail over the bristles of the damp brush to get the ‘splots’. I totally forgot that I was working small-sized and because of that I should have dotted the stars in individually using a tiny brush or dotter. tsk tsk. By the time I’d got to that part, I couldn’t change the dots as it would have spoilt the sky … so I left it as is. But to be honest .. in real life, the dots aren’t as ‘in your face’ as they appear on the photo’s. It’s my own fault for being away with the fairies as I was painting. lol

The next full moon, here in the UK, isn’t until the 7th August 2017 – so make a note and … don’t forget to howl at the moon! (Google will be your friend if you want to know when the next full moon is where you live).

Thank you SO much for coming and sharing a coffee with me. It’s so fabulous to spend time with you. If you fancy a wee chat, then please leave a comment in the comments box below and I promise I’ll reply the very next visit I make to the blog here. (and I come here regularly – so you won’t have to wait long! 😉 )

Before we part … I need you to know that I receive no incentive, payment or encouragement from Kuretake, or any other company, when I recommend products to you. I speak to you as a fellow crafter, with many years experience. I research and buy all my own supplies – and if money would allow I’d buy even more supplies just so that I could share them with you and share the results I get from using them.

Of course, if Kuretake, or any other craft product company, happen to be reading my blog and would like to share some of their products with me so that I can share [honestly] the results I get from using them, with you – then I’d be more than happy to do that. (but the chances are very slim that any craft company will be reading my blog so I won’t hold my breath!) 🙂

Have a truly brilliant Saturday. I hope the weather is just right for you – not too warm that you’re uncomfortable, and not too cold so that you require a hot water bottle for your feet! May your day end with you looking back over the hours, and smiling a satisfied, contented smile.

Be kind to yourself, . . . and each other.

Much love ~