Who lives in a nest like this?

Exquisite.

Horsehair, moss, plant stalks & thistledown.

Cast adrift.

I fancied it would look good in black & white.

But also like this antique effect.

About 4 inches / 10 cm at the very widest point.

Fiona has been printing & ponders on the collective noun for nests over here. Any suggestions?

Woven Words...

 Things have been busy here but  this is one little experiment I tried a little while back…. Strands of old writings taken and woven into something new… hints of what has been that could have been discarded… textures mingled… random words… does it make sense? no. does it matter? no.
Just words & phrases tossed into a pool of pattern…. jumbled confusion? perhaps, but not unless you try & make sense of it.

I rarely throw roughs or scraps of paper away… at least not until they have been cut or torn & stuck or over written or stamped or collaged or…. something. And even then they get "filed" until much much later I find them bent & dog-eared beyond redemption. I was tearing this draft with the idea of making torn squares of text to collage onto other pieces. That will wait a while, cos I'm liking the effect of this!

Brush Textures

There's something satisfying about just playing 

with textures & layout without using words...

white on black always looks dramatic.... 

a little silver powder is dropped into wet paint on the top one...

 a single chinese or japanese calligraphy brush gives a variety 

of stroke widths depending how you use it..

as well as being visually pleasing, they also serve as inspiration 

for layouts to use with words at some future date...

Dreams... Wishes... Angels

I did these three 8x8 inch canvasses at the same time as the 'Forever Young' canvas...

dreams

chase those dreams, catch that star,

 always believe in who you truly are

wishes

there comes a time to act upon your dreams and

turn those wishes into reality

angels

guide you every day

may they always inspire you in every way

they can be found in my suziscribbles shop on etsy

The Story Of The Pencil

I came across an inspirational short story taken from Paulo Coelho’s book on short stories and reflections ‘Like the Flowing River’

I love working with pencil; 

even without words, or perhaps, especially without words...

The Story of The Pencil....

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point, he asked:

“Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?”

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:

“I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.”

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.

“But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!”

no... there's nothing 'normal' about the pencil as 

textures & patterns emerge... flowing from it's tip...

“That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on to them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.

"First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.

“Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

a different challenge on black paper,

but see what depths can be reached... 

“Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.

“Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.

"Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: It always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.”

and what results can be achieved...

if you keep sharp 

& pay attention to the spaces as well as what is already there

& allow the marks you make to unfold...

Pencil Warm-up

I have work to be done. Lettering for a couple of people & projects for myself... stuff to list on etsy (i've a stash of handmade paper cut, packed & photographed ready to go)... but i keep putting it off. Adamant that 'today was the day' (that was on tuesday) I dug out my calligraphy gear & set things up. But... no black gouache, which meant another root around. So, with the excuse that I needed to warm-up (after all i've done no real lettering for a few months... doesn't normally bother me, but...) I rummaged through my pencils...

I just picked one up & started to write the first thing that came to mind... i'd just posted about 'grey days' at spirit whispers, and the silhouettes of branches reminded me of pencil lettering. So I just continued the theme... picking up one pencil or the other with varying hardness... 2B, charcoal, 6B, 2H etc... more an exercise in procrastination to get my hand in than anything else...

I soon realised that my application of pressure was a bit haphazard and really could have done with my glasses on and the pencils really, really needed sharpening.... but i was enjoying the movement of pencil over paper, the forming of words, the build up of texture... just 'doing'.

Hmmm... what did I say to my students when i was teaching? "Always warm up, even if only for a few minutes, before you start writing". And so I did... next!

The idea of the "pressure & release" technique is to apply more pressure to the ends of straight strokes & the sides of curves. That's the simple explanation 'cos there are exceptions & variations etc etc. And it's supposed to be a gradual transition between hard & light pressure. It really does add another dimension to lettering.

One of the best ways to practice is to begin with lines(no pressure to get the right letterforms to begin with).... vertical... horizontal... diagonal... then curves... then move on to words when you're relaxed and more consistent. Also, a tip is to gradually increase the length of lines or size of letters.... going back to 'normal' size then seems much easier! (the last couple of words shown were a couple of inches or so).

So.... now, in theory at least, I am ready to get started.... just gotta go & find that box with my paint in!

Silver Strands...2

Another re-working.... here is what i wrote last time I can't really add anything about the words that mel wrote... they still move me....

This time though, they were for the gallery and the visual impact of the words was more important. When creating any piece of work, some of the questions to consider are "who is it for" "where is it to go?" "who will read it?" Calligraphy in a general art gallery is still relatively uncommon, and unless people are familiar with modern calligraphy, they do like to be able to read it... just capturing the sense of the words is not always enough.

I loved the pencil texture of last time, but silver gouache on canvas was my choice this time around. I kept the plaster 'rocks' as before, and splattered silver paint & powder to emulate the 'strands of light'.

The first and last phrases were with a draughtsman's ruling pen... the centre part was with a Mitchells broad edged steel nib. The brighter, silver lettering created a much stronger effect, which I softened with the lighter italic in the middle to balance with the silver & grey in the background. Some glossy black added to the shimmering reflection of light.

Silver strands thread light downwards...

Into the heart of darkness...

Winds with the ebb and flow of time...

To send our hearts and minds

once more into these weavings...

Of magic and the old ways to bind and connect

our hearts once more with She who knows

Melanie Leavey

Cheers mel x

Silver Strands

24 x 36 inches

mixed media on canvas

£175 plus postage

Inspired by pine trees...

Yvonne, of 'The Organic Writer' is hosting July's Festival of the Trees and asked for art submissions.... well, i did have a plan to do something new, but havn't put pen or brush to paper all month! This piece was done some years ago, but it remains one of my favourites, both for the words & aesthetically

 20 x 10 inches

NFS

I know a pine tree that leans over near a sea. At midday it bestows upon the tired body a shade measured like our life, and in the evening the wind blowing through its needles begins a curious song as though of the souls that made an end of death, just at the moment when they begin to become skin & lips again. One night I stayed awake all night under this tree. At dawn I was brand new as though I had been freshly quarried.
George Seferis - Greek poet, essayist & diplomat, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 1963

Both the background & the lettering is done in watercolour on Saunders Waterford Not, 190gsm. I used Brause nibs for this... not my favourites, but they were new & I had to give them a go! Brause nibs are less flexible than Mitchell's, which is useful if you prefer to press quite firmly as you write, or on paper that is too textured for the Mitchell nibs.

The various shades were used randomly in the lettering, to echo the varying colours seen in nature.

I had tested brush strokes on a separate piece of paper before doing the 'pine' & I couldn't let the resulting texture go to waste! So... thinking of a pine wood & imagining the feeling, I wrote random words & phrases across the strip of brush-marks to make a work-shop sampler. In the past I have taught workshops aimed at trying out an array of papers that aren't necessarily deemed 'suitable' for calligraphy.

I therefore used a range of pens & pencils in a variety of styles to show how they worked with this paper, at the same time trying to keep the whole thing harmonious & feeling of pine forests. Notes about what I used are jotted along the bottom. 

 This process of using gestural marks to evoke a feeling or a sense of nature, then generating the words to suit, is one that I frequently use. A few folds later and some handmade paper, gives a little booklet that serves as a record... much more likely to be kept & looked at than 'another' scrap of paper on the pile (ok, make that several piles) that I can't bear to throw away!

This simple paper scrap also led on to workshops encouraging creativity for calligraphers, but using nature as inspiration can work for everyone. I don't teach the 'try out papers' workshops anymore... I sold my paper stock to Tina of paperinc.co.uk & I think she does, if any uk calligraphy groups are interested (plus, she has some lovely papers suitable for calligraphy for sale!)

Chocolate Canvasses!

Sorry folks... they're not real chocolate, just in case you were thinking you could break a piece off whenever you fancy... But they are gorgeous, rich, chocolate-y colours! I've had a few goes at photographing them, but have not managed to to capture the depth of colour yet... I will keep trying!!

friends are the family we choose for ourselves

8 x 8 inches

20 x 20 cm

sold

lovers do not finally meet... they knew each other all along

12 x 12 inches

30 x30 cm

SOLD

I've used a combination of dark chocolate, milk chocolate & praline colours throughout... the 'drizzles of chocolate' are raised, reminiscent of the textures you see in the luxury chocolate shops.

believe in the power of your dreams

16 x 12 inches

40.5 x 30 cm
sold

the magical meeting of two souls

love

9 x 12 inches

22.5 x 30 cm
sold

I'm going to try a few chocolatiers... i think this series would complement their stock for any who are looking to extend their range of gift ideas. I used to have my own shop, and canvasses along these lines sold well...

everything happens for a reason

12 x 16 inches

30 x 40.5 cm
sold

I know they will sell in a retail setting, and working on a batch of the same colour at a time means I can offer a wholesale price for the lot... I just need to convince a few retailers to buy rather than want sale or return! I've got one lined up to see next week, so fingers crossed...

to love and be loved

is the greatest happiness

9 x 12 inches

22.5.5 x 30 cm
sold

These are all sold, but I can paint something similar for you if you wish

 Just email suziscribbles @ gmail.com

20 x 8 inches

51 x 20 cm
sold

I've used gloss paint for the background of these two which has a gorgeous wet-look. The drizzles contrast nicely. I need to have another go at the photographs in better light though!

15.75 x 15.75 inches

40 x 40 cm
sold

Sisters Of The Red Moon

we have met before, you and i

somewhen, somewhere.

in time out of time, the space between,

the space where the veil thins and the mist floats across

moonlit oceans.


in the swirling chaos of now,

tendrils of light flicker in the darkness.

reminders of a lost tribe,

of ancient ways where blood was holy

and wisdom shared.

reaching across the chasm of time.

over expanse of space and the shackles of fate

there is hope that in the dreaming

of this and other things, we shall meet again.

somewhen, somewhere.

By Melanie Leavey

Mmm, I love creating textures... with lettering or with paint & I found these words so inspiring. Layers of blacks & reds with some bronze powder....

This piece is 56 x 76 cm on cotton rag paper, which with all the layers, was quite challenging to write on! I've written more fully about the process & my thoughts on the words here, at Spirit Whispers...  

If you are interested in purchasing, please get in touch....

Inspiration comes from doing....

I was checking out some of the links on the Crafty Individuals website today... there are some great blogs there if you enjoy rubber stamping. Imagine my delight when I found a couple of cards using my lettering! One at Jo Blogs and another at Paper Paradise. Oh, and then I found this... Eclectic Art... Isabelle has used quite a few of my designs in her art. I couldn't resist looking back over her posts, I was getting quite excited! It's not often that i get to see what other people do with them, and I still get that butterflies in the stomach feeling whenever I see something of 'mine'... even though hardly anyone knows it was me!

I've just submitted some more lettering for Crafty Individuals on a 'seaside' theme.... obviously i can't show you yet, as i don't know what they will choose to use, but I included some background textural lettering as well as some quotations in calligraphy. Here are a couple of teasers....

  

I love just writing and creating textures, black ink on white paper..... a few pages of random words and phrases, blocks of text in different styles and weight. By keeping it simple to start off with, there is no pressure to be clever or creative... it's a good warm up exercise at any time, especially if you have no 'big idea' to be working on. But as I write, words & phrases call out to be played with, certain combinations vie for my attention.... before long, inspired by words of the sea I have more than enough ideas to work on.

I had to restrain myself for a while and stick to relatively simple, clear stamp designs.... but from this I have loads of ideas to work up into larger pieces of work. It proves the point that "inspiration comes from doing" and this applies to any form of art or creativity. If you ever find yourself 'stuck' for an idea, or for what to do for the next stage, take the pressure off yourself by going back to basics... do something simple & play around with it for a while until something suggests itself.... something always does if you are content to 'just do' something... instead of desperately trying to conjure up a fully fledged idea or solution.