Brawn and Brains Inc. relax in front of the fan heater, gathering strength for the coming battle with Red Riding Hood, Grandma and the woodcutter.
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Brawn & Brains Inc
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Category Archives: art projects
Puppet Challenge – A Crumpled Creation
Here’s Greyfur the Kangaroo from Alan Marshall’s Australian fairytale Whispering in the Wind. I drew some sketches of her a while back as a beginning to my concept for a puppet for Clive Hicks-Jenkins’ Puppet Challenge.
Here’s another, later head portrait I did for Greyfur
I always imagined my Greyfur would have a moving mouth but also needed moving front arms so that she could pull things out of her magic pouch. It would also make sense for a kangaroo to have prominent hind legs. Since a marionette is beyond my technical skill without the investment of many hours of learning, I was a bit stumped as to what kind of puppet she might be. I love shadow puppets, but they’re not right for this character. Glove puppets generally work by concealing or omitting the legs… hmmm
My stumped feeling, along with my other work demands have made postponement the only thing I’ve come up with for this challenge. So during a recent stay with my parents-in-law in Camperdown in the school holidays, I decided a now-or-never approach might be best (especially as the first instalment of the Puppet Challenge had already been published on Clive’s site!) So I threw myself into a crumpled paper concept that had been lingering in my head for months but which I had never properly thought out.
crumpled paper – ready to begin!
I am always attracted to working with paper, especially if it’s not pure white and pristine. Paper is forgiving and fixable and as my approach has by choice a rough-finished aesthetic, many tearings and glueings would not matter. I have also always loved the floppy, rough expressive quality of an ordinary sock puppet, that comes to life in the hand of anyone, no matter how young. My vague thought was that the puppet would be a crumpled paper sock-puppet with personality rather than anything else.
Gail kindly lent me the use of her sun-filled studio and I set to work with no kind of method at all. 
The first thing I found was a kangaroo nose in a corner of the paper. I coloured it black below and then folded.
I painted her eyes as per the portrait.
made a couple of ears
Nose in a very rough shape. I could see this was going to be interesting to shape without any underlying structure. I didn’t want too much shape (the sock-puppet floppy roughness was what I was after) but I didn’t want total shapelessness either. She had to have a kangarooishness. A Greyfurness.
I glued on the eyes. I knew this would be the clincher in the end. The eyes are everything to me. They make or break any character I am creating.
Ears next. Greyfur has no brow. No ‘stop’ as the dog people would say, and this doesn’t work for her. I’ll need to find a way around this.
Attempting to add a separate brow. A new plane to change the direction of the puppet. In the meantime I noticed that she was getting too big for a glove puppet.
I added an internal strut from eye to eye to see if this would hold her head and eye position to keep her from flattening out.
The strut did work partly. Here it is holding the width of the head roughly in shape but she still had no brow and no narrowing muzzle. I’m aware that anything can be fixed with cutting or tearing and re-gluing, but it will all be pretty random, as I don’t have pattern making skills!
Still not the right shape. The eye shape and position was the biggest problem. At this point, Greyfur was pretty wet in a range of areas and needed to spend some time toasting in front of the fan heater, so I turned to the paws.
Here we go! Paper, glue, bits of paper towelling, adrenalin, cup of tea.
taking shape
Four claws. Looking ferocious.
Curl the paper and glue. stuff with a little paper wadding. Paint the nails.
The second paw I painted beforehand so that I could paint flat. I really love this distressed dry-brush effect on the paper. It is great for suggesting the fur on marsupials. Often the fur has black roots and grey tips so where the coat parts a downy darkness shows.
A finished paw from above. Although the outer claws and toes are longer than the middle ones which is not ideal, I like the overall effect.
Finished paw from the side. One thing I like about this is that it looks so Australian. The black-dipped toes are characteristic of our mammals but also suggestive of the look of trees after a bushfire, with burned branches at the top of partially charred trunks.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Well, I can’t show you a finished puppet, because we left for Melbourne when I got to that point. I’m not sure whether to try to finish this one or start again with a smaller one. I’ve also thought about how I would operate the puppet. I had some idea that I might need two hands to work it, one for the mouth and one to operate one or two paws, but it would be a little awkward.
However I could do this.
One hand could operate the mouth, and the paws could be operated by rods inside the pouch. They could be drawn down into her pouch to retrieve something, and a fishing line suspended above could draw out a silk handkerchief as a distraction, or indication of magic in operation whilst a new puppet is quickly brought onto the scene apparently pulled from the pouch. With the aid of a child’s imagination, this might work.
Cornish Rex (again)
The finished head – because he is three dimensional (or at least high relief) he looks different from different angles.
Cornish Wraps…
Cornish Rips…
Whatever, it’s Cornish again. And he’s made with crumpled brown paper sandwich bags. I think this medium could be a lot of fun to pursue in all sorts of directions. This is actually a ‘card’ for Dad’s birthday. A kind of weird card perhaps, but it comes with lots of love.
It wasn’t completely out of the blue. I started using a variation on this method a couple of weeks ago to produce a puppet for the Puppet Challenge. I’ll post on that as well. I love the feel and flexibility of the crumpled paper. It’s soft and flexible but has enough stiffness to have a bit of expression of its own that it contributes to the shapes you make.
So here’s how he was made.
After thoroughly crumpling and squishing a few brown paper bags until they began to soften in my hands, I started folding here and there until a face emerged (a bit like playing with blobs) and then added a daub of glue here and there to hold sections in place.
I started with the head. The corners of the paper lunch bag practically made the cat’s ears on their own.
The flat nose piece is (from memory) a separate piece glued on top of the architecture of the nose and upper jaw. I liked the way the edges of the bag where there is a fine zig-zag cut are reminiscent of the curly coat of the Cornish Rex. So I made use of it on the cat’s wrinkled brow.
He now has a neck, and mouth
A body begins to emerge
legs and tail – not particularly happy with these, but no time for second takes
The application of ink was a little rushed because I was due at Dad’s birthday lunch in a few minutes
I added the eyes. I wanted them to contrast with the rest in their bold blockiness, not crumpled at all. A Cornish Rex has huge, glossy eyes. I didn’t quite get the effect I wanted, but it had to do for now. He does look alert, I think.
Lastly, he had a quick toasting in front of the fan heater and then we had to leave for birthday celebrations. The hugs and kisses were added later with the waitresses’ black texta :-)
toasting by the fan heater
Happy (belated) Birthday Dad. xxxx
The writing/drawing process July 2014
At the start of the school holidays, I was invited by artist Rosalie Street to participate in a blog tour… which means answering some questions (below) and getting some other people to do the same next.
Here is Rosalie’s interview response. A visit to her blog to enjoy her lush canvases and delightful merchandise is well worth your while.
Gold Leaf – by Rosalie Street
The blog tour topic is The Writing/ Drawing Process. Since as yet, I have found little time to work on my writing projects and instead have been madly drawing, I’ll answer the questions in the context of my artwork.
The first bit (the questions)
1. What am I working on ?
Thunderstorm Dancing, a picture book by Katrina Germein
At the moment I am in the late stages of final art for a picture book by Katrina Germein to be published by Allen & Unwin. The book is called Thunderstorm Dancing and it has been over two years since I first starting mulling over the project.
As soon as I read the manuscript, I thought it would be both a great text and a very difficult text to illustrate. It has indeed proven difficult for me, but I also realise that I suffered from the internal pressure that comes from winning an award; this will be the first of my work to be published since that award and my inner self told me very sternly that it will have to be good. But I now move towards the completion of the book and I’m looking forward to seeing it in print.
An unused sketch for ‘Thunderstorm Dancing’
There have been many sketches made for this book. A decision on medium was elusive for a while. But it came along in the end, and I’ve really enjoyed the layering and scratching in PhotoShop combined with the earthy texture of the real paint and pencil on Litho paper.
A small fragment of one final illustration from Thunderstorm Dancing
Altered book art
Last year, while struggling to progress with the picture book, I almost accidentally began sketching in old books as a form of relaxation. I say almost accidentally, because I have admired altered book art and found poetry for quite some time, and had always intended to try it. But starting was not a deliberate step into something new. It was a gentle bit of play, while watching my children in their swimming lessons.
drybrush sketches in the bombing zone of the local swimming pool. Ink on vintage book page.
I began sketching them and other children. And I really loved the effect of the drawn image on the printed page. It also helped me with Thunderstorm Dancing, because I had decided early on that the family in the story would be at a beach house, and the main characters all in swimming cosies.
Altered book art continues to be one of my favourite activities, and I intend to do much more of it, and to explore new ways of using it in art projects.
52 Week Illustration Challenge
The 52 Week Illustration Challenge, dreamed up by Tania McCartney, was something I joined early this year. It requires participants to produce artwork to a given theme that changes each Wednesday, and then post them on the 52 Week Illustration Challenge FaceBook page.
52 Week Illustration Challenge: Week 14: simplicity.
This was a really enjoyable experiment with ink and watercolour
One of the things I loved about it was that the community of people involved were from varied backgrounds and were supportive and kind to one another. Since early this year the group has grown to over 2000 members, many being expert practising artists and the standard of work has I think, sadly frightened many of the less skilled artists away, but the mood of generosity remains. And it is surprisingly good to have a theme to work to each week… often themes that I find very unappealing until they lead me off into some fun experimentation.
I have deliberately kept this challenge as a low-profile task for myself. I never spend long on anything I do for The Challenge and never worry too much if the work is imperfect or not my best. This, along with blogging imperfect work, has been a really healthy learning experience, and a great way to keep producing lots of other work and exploring as an artist, as well as doing my book project.
Clive Hicks-Jenkins’ Puppet Challenge
This is an on-line exhibition organised and curated by Clive Hick-Jenkins along with Peter Slight. I’ve not done so well with this one. In contrast to the other challenge, I have allowed this to become larger than life and daunting. I also failed to come to a decision over subject and medium, although my lightbulb moment came today in the shower (they often do happen there) when I may be too late to make it. So I’m not sure if that counts as something I’m working on or not…
Appropriately perplexed looking sketch of Greyfur the kangaroo who was my original subject matter for the puppet challenge
Graphic design work
Periodically I take up graphic design work if it is not too time consuming. I enjoy this work very much, but too often lately I have had to decline offers of work due to the unfinished book and lack of time. Some of my favourite work is with the Australian Children’s Laureate support team who produce various publications and branding items every now and then. In this context I enjoy using other artists’ work and modifying it to use as part of a design. Ann James drew the magpie who became the Australian Children’s Laureate logo and I have used him in lots of ways.
The Australian Children’s Laureate logo in one of its formats
School children from around Australia made artwork that I used in silhouette for the pitch for Boori Monty Pryor’s Storykeepers documentary.
Family life
This project of course doesn’t belong down the bottom here. It’s a very big part of my life – too big to summarise here. So I’ll simply say that I keep myself busy with two much loved youngsters Arthur and Hugo, husband Scott, the dog Dexter and chickens Hilda, Emily, Poppy, Storm, Stella and Vita.
Vita – Queen of the Backyard
My own writing projects
This gets a wee mention at the bottom. In fact there are several projects I’m very keen to get on to, that are waiting in line for me to find a bit of space and time. I look forward to launching into them.
2. How does my work differ from others of this genre/ style?
Watch this space
3. Why do I draw/ paint what I do ?
Watch this space too
4. How does my drawing process work ?
Hmmmm…
I have taken waaaay too long answering the first question, so I’m going to split this up and post my answer to the other questions later. Cheerio for now!
More feathers
It’s been a feathery kind of day today. Starting sadly.
A small starling with a completely broken beak was in our back yard this morning, desperately trying to share the chickens’ breakfast but unable to pick up any food and clearly starving to death. I amazed myself by catching it, but it was obviously desperate to eat and too weak to fly far. Before I could take it to be euthanised, it escaped with extraordinary skill from a closed box on our front porch where it was wrapped in a towel, and it hasn’t been seen since. I feel very sad for it whenever I think of it.
Late this afternoon, I felt like doing a last minute non-blob feather picture for the Challenge and did the Blue-footed Booby (at bottom) which was only a partial success, but the partial success was enough to whet my appetite for another go and I followed up with the emu below who’s a little better perhaps. The glued on shreds of paper were an enjoyable new aspect for me that I’ll play with more in the future.
emu – indian ink, watercolour, white gouache and collage on book page
Blue-footed Booby – indian ink, watercolour, white gouache and collage on vintage book page
Last-day-of-the-holidays Doodles (experiments with blobs part 9)
Here are some final blob doodles to mark the end of the school holidays and back to work tomorrow (not to mention the piles of washing). I painted some more spiky blobs this time thinking that they might do well for some more birds, just for fun. The curvy spikes have served well in most cases as wings and beaks.
The colours did not work very beautifully on this one. But here is a little Carnivore Bird Thing finding his legs… or his dinner.
This is another Little Carnivore. I like his colours much better.
Little Duck Thing with Big Feet. (This blob is really very small.)
With all those babies, it’s only fitting to have a Mumsy kind of bird. This is a Mummy Trouserbird. She is waiting for her babies to catch up, but they are not very quick on their feet.
This is a Daddy Pyjamabird. He’s getting up for a midnight snack. (note: At night a Trouserbird is called Pyjamabird.)
This is a Trouserbird wearing a parachute.
This is a Preposterous Thing. what can I say? He is lucky to be anything, considering that not long ago, he was merely a blob.
This is a walrussy thing. He may be depressed due to the fact that his tusk is coming out of the wrong place and causes him discomfort.
Scribble Blobs (experiments with blobs part 7)
Just so that you know what those mysterious scribble blobs look like… here are a few.
One of them is caught in mid-mutation; turning into a poodle.
Not sure what I’ll do with that blob at the bottom of the page… Man! That’s what I call a tricky-messy-multi-scribble-blob.
Here’s Miss Poodle. She likes red.
She’s a digital sketch working from the scan at top. I like the effect of watercolour, but sometimes a quick doodle poodle is a good doodle poodle.
A few days ago I got around to joining Pinterest and have started to organise some of my work into boards. It is really quite a useful thing to be able to view a set of work at a glance. I’ve put some Thunderstorm Dancing fragments and working sketches on there too. Nice to bring it together and see what changes have occurred over 2 years!
Here I am if you want to visit me.
My altered Book art is there too. But there’s a lot in my cupboard! Only some of it is on Pinterest. I’ll update it over time.
Week 27: Snow (experiments with blobs part 6)
These first two are grey blobs with red crayons scribbles in the middle of them. I have found they are harder to turn into things. The red crayon scribble is quite distracting! Who would have thought?
Blue Booby Baby Blob Bird Playing in the Snow.
Ink, red crayon, felt tip, watercolour, white acrylic, digital layering.
Old Dog in the Snow.
Also ink, red crayon, felt tip, watercolour, white acrylic, digital layering.
Search and Rescue Dog in the Snow.
This one has no digital layering. Thought I’d see what the white acrylic paint could do with the snow all by itself. I also skipped the red crayon scribble. Instead, this time I did a grey ink background wash with a red watercolour blob in the middle The red watercolour blob was what suggested the shape of the dog character and the rest followed from there.
I didn’t think I’d come up with anything for the ‘snow’ theme actually. It isn’t something I have much experience with. But blobs are a good way to start when you don’t know where to start. Then, just add some warm winter woollies and snow.
Cloudy Days in Melbourne
Winter has finally arrived in Melbourne. And the 52 Week Illustration Challenge theme is clouds.
I didn’t have to do anything extra for the Challenge this week really. I am working with clouds all the time for Thunderstorm Dancing, and although I can’t post an entire image until the book is published, I did post a fragment of the spread I was working on, which features approaching storm clouds (below). Froth, spatter, roar and hum.
This spread was finished until my Beloved told me that the veranda perspective needed alteration… the same veranda that the Cat Called Thunder is trotting across. So I will finish it (again) today.
I’m not saying I relate to that cranky terrier up the top. Not at all. Nope. And I do appreciate the help with perspective.
I did find myself wandering off to do cloud blob doodles to cheer myself up though.
Monster cloud blobs…
Wolf cloud blobs, crossing raging rapids…
Bird cloud blobs… one of whom just might possibly be a vulture cloud blob… (Should that be who or whom?)
And lastly this rather bizarre Cloud Blob Doodle which in fact I had done a week or two ago as a variation on the blob improvisation idea. Wherever that photo was taken, it wasn’t Melbourne this week.
Judy Watson 