Yes! We have a winner in the 'Name That Painting, Win An Art Book' Competition. I did the sneaky thing and posted it off early last week so it would arrive this week to its destination and surprise the winner completely!
And the winner of this wonderful 'Drawing Class' by Barrington Barber book is.....
ComradeCamper
Yes! Out of the seventeen entries for the title of my untitled painting, the one that made it onto the back of the new and improved - not to mention, finished - painting, is 'Canyon of the Giants'.
I received the e-mail today that ComradeCamper received the very large and heavy book in the mail yesterday and is absolutely over the moon about the quality of it. And the best thing she loves about the book is that it's and Australian book and not American; so it's something she can't find in her own country. ComradeCamper looks forward to learning how to draw in the 12 lessons 'Drawing Class' by Barrington Barber has advertised on the front.
Okay... the 'Name That Painting - Win An Art Book' Competition has been figured out, finished and I've posted off the book! I just haven't told anyone who the winner is. Yep, I'm leaving everyone except the postal service in suspense! Nice touch isn't it?
So, you may be wondering what I'm getting up to now. Well, I've been knitting away in the lounge lately on my new project of a blanket for Winter. This year, I'm not doing scarves. This year, I'm knitting big squares from 100g of 8ply wool and stitching them together into a massive blanket to use in Winter. So, I thought to start early. It ought to be good once I've finished it and gotten it all done. I'm onto the last bit of the second square and I'll be starting the third one (of a different colour) soon. Each square will be in a different stitch each time. So, they'll all feel different from each other... pretty cool, eh?
Yay! The painting has been completed! With two weeks or so to spare too! I put on the finishing touches yesterday afternoon and signed it! So, how's that for getting it before the deadline. I have seen it change a lot since I put it back up on the easel and with fresher and new colours introduced as well, it's looking lovely.
Now, all I need to do is pick out a name from the list of 17 that have been offered up by all of you who have entered this competition. And from those 17, I've found two that I love. The two are:
'Canyon of the Giants'
'On the Edge of Forever'
Now, the two who put in those titles know who they are. And I'm going to keep my decision a secret until the last day. You can make up your own mind about who is going to win. And until 31st, January, 2010, here's the photos of what the painting looked like before and after I finished it below.
I just thought to give you guys an update on this little competition I started last year; and let you know that I haven't forgotten about the painting or that there's that lovely prize of that brilliant 12 Lesson drawing book up for grabs if I choose the name you've entered as the suggested title of this painting.
Now, I haven't got an up-to-date photo of it; and have done this on purpose, so that you can all have a look at the finished product once I've drawn the name and the winner from the list of 17 people who jumped in and had a look, gave in their title and then have been wondering if they're going to win.
I have been working on the un-named painting over the last month or so and it has improved markedly. So, when I do put the photo of it up when it's finished, it will look complete and fresh. And I will put up a photo of what it looked like before and after its completion so you can see what I did to improve it.
Well, we have around 20 days left of the competition to go until I put the finishing touches on the painting and sign it with its chosen name written on the back. I wish you all luck in whoever is the winner.
Hello to all you crafty people again! And welcome to a new year of knitting, craft and anything you can make, paint and construct with your hands. So... what have you all been up to? Me? I've been to Brunswick Heads, NSW. It's just south of the border (it sounds like I've been to Mexico, but really, I've been to the ocean) and had a great time reading, blogging my holidays, getting sunburnt (nope that wasn't planned... normally isn't is it?) and eating mudcrab sandwiches.
I've also been planning a massive project that may take up a good part of my year. Last year, I knitted four scarves. And I gave them all to wonderful people. One of them went to my Birthday Buddy, one went to my Mum, then my niece got one and finally my brother's girlfriend, Katrina received one for Christmas.
This year, I'm planning to knit a large blanket to cover the back of the lounge. You see, I have a lounge cover that's seen better days. It's got huge holes in it where I normally sit. Now, I'll be keeping the cover, and putting a thick blanket that I'm using on the back now to cover the seats. However, I thought to cover the back, it would look just lovely to fold a hand-knitted checkered blanket. I've started on the first square and am 3/4 through it with a Moss Stitch; after casting on 61 stitches. Once I have enough squares done up in different colours and stitches (but the same ply 8 wool), I'll be stitching them all into a big square/rectangle and then doing a blanket stitch around the outside of it. I'll keep you guys up-to-date with how it's doing from time to time as it'll take a while to finish it.
So, what project - big or small - are you planning this year? Until my next post, keep knitting and keep creating.
Over the Christmas Holidays, I'll be away at the coast; which means my knitting will be here at home. But I'll also be looking around at craft ideas to share when I return next year for more fun and games here.
While I'm away, feel free to come in and share what craft ideas you've been getting into through the comments section at the bottom of this post. I'll give them a try and post them up giving you full credit for giving me the idea.
So, wherever you are in the world this Holiday Season - and however you celebrate - I wish you all a very happy time with your family and a safe and prosperous New Year. And I do look forward to seeing you all here again next year with more crafty fun things to get our hands busy with. Until my next post, keep knitting and keep creating.
I saw on 'Better Homes & Gardens' last Friday night how to make this necklace with paper, glue and spray-on varnish. Now, if you're not careful, you'll end up with a blister on one of your thumbs or fingers; so please do take the precaution and wear a band-aid on your thumbs (and don't do what I did and work for hours on end and find that you can't use your dominant hand the next day because your thumb is killing you..:S ).
First thing's first: gather together some paper. Old wrapping paper (something with a bit of substance, not the metallic stuff) and old stationery you've got hanging around with about three sheets left (and you don't know what to do with) is perfect for this project. You'll need a ruler, pencil, scissors, a glue stick and a large table and a bowl as well. Make sure you have a long good-quality wood skewers.
Mark out along the paper with the ruler length-wise isosceles triangles that will fit end to end on the paper then cut them out until you have long lengths of triangles. The wider the base, the longer your paper bead will be; the thinner the base, the smaller and more dense. Then, take up your skewers and - starting at the widest part of your triangle of paper - roll it onto the skewer, then run the glue stick along the rest of the paper until it's coated and then roll the rest of the paper up onto the skewer until it's finished; then start on the next one on the same stick. You can fit up to around 5 beads on one skewer (depending on the size of your beads).
After you've finished around 8 or so skewers, take them outside with the spray-on varnish and (if you've got a box big enough for them, use the box) poke the pointed end into the ground and spray each skewer at close range and leave them alone for about 10 minutes in the sun for them to dry. Then, you can start again. And the result? Well, I made a necklace for my niece out my mine. Isn't it gorgeous?
Yep! I'm at it again with the knitting needles! This time I'm getting together a scarf for my brother's girlfriend, Kat. Seeing she wears a lot of green, I've found a variegated green 8 ply wool and am doing a Moss Stitch.
Using size 8 needles, I've cast on 29 stitches with closed cast-on (this means when I cast on the next stitch, I push the needle between the first and second stitch so there's no loops when I look at it after casting on; so it's nice and tight). Then, I've garter stitched the first row and then K1 P1 each row until the end of the scarf - which is as long as you like it.
For the tassels, I'm going to pick out a nice emerald green or olive green wool and buy some glass beads to attach to the long thread that hanging off the end; just to make them look that much more special.
Once it's finished, I'll take a lovely photo of it before wrapping it and 
placing it under the tree for the big day! Now, I've told you what I'm making for somebody special this Christmas Season. Are you making anyone anything special? Leave a comment and let us all know. Until my next post, keep knitting and keep creating!
14th, December, 2009 - It's been a while since I wrote this post. However, I've finished the scarf and am now 
ready to wrap it for my Katrina for Christmas! So, here are the photos! And isn't it gorgeous? The colour for the tassels took a little while longer to find than the beads - which I found at a fabric shop in Logan Central where I get all the beads and accessories for my craft ideas. I hope Katrina loves this scarf as much I did making it!
I also hope you enjoy having a go at it too! Until next year's project and fun bigger things I'll be getting into, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a creative new year!
I have had my share of paintings - good and bad - however, I've found that some of them just aren't finished. A lot of them haven't even been signed. So, while cleaning up the office one day recently, I put away the signed and finished ones and left the unfinished ones that looked rushed. And in the last two weeks, I began working on the first of many which are going to be fixed up and finished to how they were meant to look like. First though, I'm making sure I'm going to take a before photo so you can all see how they look before and after the fixing up.
This first one is un-named. So, I'm running a competition. Whoever can name this painting will be getting a book on art sent out to them. I'll make the draw once I've finished and signed it and taken another photo of the painting for all to see. You have to be in this to win this. This is an international competition. And I found the perfect book! Here it is! If you'd like this book at the end of January next year, enter this competition to name the painting at the top of this post! Just leave your suggested name in the comments here on 'A Natural Background' and you can enter as many times as you like.
At the end of January 2010, I will be putting up the name of the winner in a new post with a photo of the completed painting. I'll be needing the winner to post an e-mail address I can contact them on for their mailing address to send them the book! Good Luck!
Each month at the Logan Art Gallery, there's a raffle drawn and the winner collects a box of goodies ranging from books, chocolate, wine and arty gear and lollies too! For the last goodness knows how many years, I've entered this raffle every month; however I've never won it.
So, it came as a great surprise when I opened my PO Box last week and found a letter addressed to me on Logan City Council stationery; and I had won this very raffle! Woohoo! And have a look at the box! Lots of goodies for me to get my teeth into and have fun with!
Well, until the next time I'm doing something arty... and I get a chance to photograph it, keep knitting and keep creating!
Yes! We have a winner in the 'Name That Painting, Win An Art Book' Competition. I did the sneaky thing and posted it off early last week so it would arrive this week to its destination and surprise the winner completely! 
