Art, Crafts and Creativity

Mili

I have always enjoyed art, but tend to lose motivation to find the time to make art and have a bad habit of getting enthusiastic for a short while and then getting too busy and ignoring my creative side. As an adult it's easy to compare my amateur abilities to accomplished artists and feel discouraged. However with the ever increasing 'art' abilities of AI I am determined to get back into art as a hobby. I find it relaxing and it feels great to create something human.

So I am starting this thread for all the accomplished and hobby artists and crafty shipmates to share about their projects and techniques and inspire each other to keep being creative when life gets busy.

My latest pursuit is water colour painting. I haven't really used water colours since school and began with some lessons on activities to teach children that I can use at work and add to my professional development hours. The course came with all the paints, brushes and some paper so I am continuing improving my skills and having fun using Youtube tutorials. I plan to get creative and paint some more original paintings once my skills improve and I get the courage to be more experimental. Today I painted a simple cat and poppies and had a go at a landscape.

Boogie

Thank you @Mili

And an interesting thread where we can't easily share images.

I've started drawing with biro. I find it freeing as I can't rub out so have to draw freely and loosely.

Eigon

I've just finished knitting a lace pattern shawl - the most complicated thing I've ever tried, so I'm very pleased with it, with all its imperfections. Now I've unearthed a rag rug project that has been at the back of a cupboard for 20 years, which came to light when I moved house. It's two seat covers for chairs, so quite small, and already half finished - shouldn't take too long!

la vie en rouge

I am a major sewing spree, making an outfit for a Wild West themed fancy dress party. I can't see myself as a cowgirl so I am going full Ma Ingalls.

I have already made a prairie bonnet using some leftover navy blue gabardine (I made the version with the ruffles), and have dismembered an old bedsheet to make an apron. Now I'm moving onto the frock, hopefully making something I can wear again after. I have some very pretty floral fabric, only downside is that it's quite thin and transparent so I'm going to have to line it. Another bedsheet shall be dismembered for the purpose. I'm going to base it on a vintage blouse pattern from my Mum's collection, and add a layered skirt onto it. This is going to involve gathering a LOT of fabric, but I can't think of another way of enfrockifying the pattern. If I have the time and haven't lost the will to live by then, I might finish the ensemble with a frilly faux collar and cuffs.

Aravis

I returned to acrylic painting nearly three years ago (after a 25 year gap) and started painting portraits of trees around Cardiff. It has been a surprisingly fascinating project. I do sometimes paint other things but there is enough variety in the trees. I think about people when I paint (often cases from work) which gives the trees character.

agingjb

I have in the past tried many media. Currently I am using oil pastels on grey paper.

Graven Image

My late husband was a professional artist, and both of my sons are artists. I do not so great watercolor journals.. So my encouragement is if you enjoy doing something, if it gives you pleasure and you are not great at it, do it anyway. There is never a need to compare what you enjoy to others.