Couldn't resist sharing this one

Haven't quite worked out how to get the actual video on my blog yet but thought this one was amazing, could work well with stitch!

Chapter 3, part 1 creating a slip design, digital manipulation

it took me quite a while to choose which flower to concentrate on. i wanted to choose a flower that would have been found in 17th century embroidery so i took lots of photographs of pansies, daisies etc. i quite liked the idea of the pansy with its potential for faces but went for the tulip! above was my inspiration, a bunch of variegated tulips, i kept them until they began to smell rather nasty (still have them but not in water!) until....
they looked like this. i wanted to use the full range of shape.
firstly i concentrated on this one which was a beautiful delicate lilac pink colour, and took various pictures of it in its various stages of decay.
i wanted to work with light coming through the petals where i could.
Using 'Photoshop elements 7' the above is a fairly simple manipulation which gives it an art nouveau look. changeing the lighting, then the hue and finally giving it drawn outlines.
above is similar to the first but changing it to black and white.
haven't got a clue what i did with this but i did use the distort to make the top edge more parrot tulip like!
above giving it a neon glow
above what i call the punk version rendered into black and white with added drawn lines
a solarised and distorted 'parrot'
as you can see i love the solarise function which makes colours zing! the above one is looking into a tulip head
the above and below are again solarised with distorted edges and different ranges of lighting.

above is the same tulip in a growing state of decay. i based the next 3 manipulations on this one.
above using twirl, expansion and solarise
the next 2 above and below i have altered the lighting and then the hue/saturation and finally i distorted the sepals and stamen.

above solarise again and extra distortion
i then based one on the above of the same tulip
using shrink wrap! and pinch
finally for this post i used the above one to achieve the lower image
using hue/saturation with a speckled draw. i did scan some of the petals but it was a complete disaster, however as you will see in the next post i took a photograph of the petals...... see part 2

Chapter 3, part 2

this is a continuation of chapter 3 manipulating digital images. to recap i have chosen to concentrate on tulip/s. the above shows one tulip's petals after they have fallen and i photographed them laid in a circle.
the following 3 show how it can be manipulated using 'Photoshop Elements 7' i am still a novice but am getting to grips with changing colour and form and i tend to do things and then can't remember what i have done!! but i know the top one i have used a 'pinch' button.
above using glow edges and distort.
above changing the hue/saturation and twirl. i could have gone on for ages but thought i had better stop and work on some drawing/painting.
before i chose which flower to concentrate on i took myself into the garden with my watercolours and looked at various flowers we have growing. this was a perfect time of year to start this study, although the UK is suffering from an early spring so i got the end of the tulips. in fact the last bunch in the shop! #1 shows our abundance of dandelions, we must be quite rare in the gardening world in that we actually like dandelions and daisies growing on our lawn! and after about 10 years here we finally had our first daisy and now some speedwell!
#2 shows Spanish bluebells and lizieanthus but i was keen to choose a flower that would have been encountered in 17th century embroidery so i eventually chose tulips which i love. i got rather carried away hence there are so many!!
#3 basic water colour washes on A3 paper
#4 as #3
#5 as 3 and 4 but a bit more wishy washy
#6 i then moved onto chalk in my A5 sketchpad
the next 2 although not numbered are worked on an A4 black papered sketchbook. i love the way the chalks really come alive on black.

#8 back to A3 using a mixture of Markal oil sticks and chalks
#9 using a brush pen (A5)
#10 i sacrificed one tulip and got out the favourite spray paint!
#11 i worked with the tulips through the whole of their life!! so the rest are based on 'dead' tulips! #11 watercolour
#12 and #13 watercolour although #13 worked with a stick and brush.

#14 and 15 are back to chalk (A5)
the above one i used a white chinagraph crayon to draw with. its amazing how a dead dried tulip can look like a courgette flower! i know i have concentrated on the whole flower but i just loved the shapes they made!

Chapter 3 Part 3 extra one

#7 A3 the final decorated paper based on tulips. watercolour, acrylic ink, chalk using various torn paper masks.

Chapter 3 Part 3 in reverse order!

this is just an interim report and in reverse order! it will eventually over the next few days consist of 3 posts so when my tutor sees them she can read through from start to finish without having to go backwards. at least that's my wonderful plan!!! so for those of you (if any) are reading this one first Chapter 3 is all about choosing a flower with the intention of developing a 'slip' design. not the kind of slip you put on pots but a small textile motif made to be applied to another textile. i have chosen tulips.
#16 above shows my bunch of tulips towards the end of their life. the outlines have been drawn with a kebab stick and/or a brush and aqua wax and once dry i have applied water colour washes.
#17 detail of #16!
#18 i have used an actual petal as a mask with chalk to produce a random pattern
#19 more aqua wax
#20 detail of #16
Part 3 of the chapter has asked for decorated papers based on the chosen flower. there are many stripes and striations in tulips, especially the older they get and more dried up the petals are. so many of my papers are stripey!
#1 A4 piece of tracing paper coloured with acrylic ink with strips of torn tissue stuck down. it crinkles beautifully when dry.
#2 using aqua wax drawn with the kebab stick, then acrylic ink, fabric paint and chalk applied.
#3 A3 stripes of watery watercolour with fabric paint and varnish applied with a roller to give a squidgy appearance!
#4 and the next one down. i have used my by now dead tulips as masks and sprayed the paper. i have left it very plain as i can see it has potential for applying 'slips' to.

#5 A3 i cut a stencil from one of the aqua wax drawings and randomly stencilled using fabric paints, white gesso and water colour.
#6 A3 not sure about this one. again i used the tulips as random masks and sprayed the background. i then took some dead petals as masks with chalk and finger smudged them. however i think they look more like bananas than petals! it might be useful! and of course i have got to the end of this and realised i have left one off!! well planed that one