woyww - from desk to garden

Lockdown has certainly inspired me to get into the garden and tidy up.  

Happy to see the Solanato tomatoes and chillies coming along nicely and inspired me to plant lettuce, radish and rocket.  

Time will tell if it was all for naught.

Hubby now interested in growing mushrooms, which led to a dark corner section

 of the garden being weeded and prepared for the mushroom spores.  

Little action on my desk this week as gardening has taken up all my time. Feel like I have run a marathon and completed a pilates class in one setting.  Can barely lift a paint brush.

Have a good week.  

woyww - To mask or not to mask

Needless to say I never got around to making a face mask.  

Even before I had made any move to rummage around the sewing drawer quite a lot of controversy arose on the web about whether you can use HEPA vacuum bags safely. 

It all became too hard and too confusing.  

Instead I bought a lapel pin

and a second one to warn off family members 

who keep interrupting me while crafting.

Finally to all the WOYWW's  a painting I did many years ago.   

Wishing you all Happy Easter in the year we won't forget in a hurry.

woyww - doodles and the steps to making handmade watercolours.

Todays desk includes a bit of doodling I started while trying a few of the handmade watercolours.  Top right corner is the new palette which contains all the colours made so far.  The lovely palette of gold and silver watercolours are called "Pearl Colors" made by Coliro.  Lots of different brands for sale but these were a good price in Australia.  

To the left of my desk you will find a mask and a vacuum bag.  Whenever I crush/grind rocks suitable for mulling into watercolour I always wear a mask to ensure I am not inhaling rock dust.  Masks have to be the N95 filtration grade just like the ones recommended for COVID 19.  I had planned to make my own and searched where I could find the filtration fabric.  Guess what it was in the storeroom.  The vacuum cleaner bags are guaranteed to filter out 99.5% of airborne particles.  Look for the term HEAP on the bag or box to see if they are suitable.  

May try to make my own mask as youTube offers a squillion different ways.  

But, then again I could get distracted and do something else like "stay home".

A few too many photos showing steps to making watercolour from rocks. Stop now if it's not your thing. But, a few WOYWW did show some interest!

1. Find ochre rocks.

2. Smash them with a hammer while wearing appropriate face mask.

3. Grind small pebbles in a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency.

4. Mix ground rock powder with water and stir.

5. Filter the water mix through coffee filters. 

6. Let sediment on the coffee filter dry.

7.  Grind sediment and mix in water and filter again (x3 then I got bored).

8. When you have an extra fine pigment powder it is ready to mull. Or you could buy pigment powder from a manufacturer and start here!

9. Mull pigment powder with a binder. I use gum arabic, honey, glycerin, oil of clove and distilled water.

Apologies for the long post but if anyone shows some interest I can't help sharing the love.

Stay safe and keep crafting.

woyww - a bit of this and that

My obsession with making my own w/c paints continues.  There is something quite soothing as you move the glass muller over the pigment and binder in a continuous motion.  This is a mix of a grey rock I had pulverised and some cerulean blue pigment.

Second colour is a pulverised rock picked up by a friend in Tumut, NSW.  Yes, I have friends and family now looking around and picking up interesting rocks. 

A chart I made with the home made w/c and the original rocks.  

Hopefully, this gives an indication of the colours when painted.

Photo of our Star Gem Magnolia with a bonus bee.  I should get around to painting this in the next few weeks.  

No beach photo today as our beaches are officially closed.  You may have seen photos of the hordes descending on our popular beaches over a sunny few days.  Words fail me.

Makes me happy to be an introvert who seeks out quieter places.

Stay safe and stay home crafting dear woyww.

woyww - let go of plans

Last weeks plan came to nothing as the exhibition is cancelled until further notice.  

Not a problem, all I did was rummage through old paintings and started to add touch ups.  

So today you have a photo of my desk.  The painting is somewhere between "should I keep working?" or "should of stopped 2 hours ago."

So I went for a walk ......... a good choice hardly anyone else around.  

Stay safe dear woyww's and let's give thanks for health workers.

woyww - a rose and a plan

Single rose painted relatively quickly for me.  Posted 

to a wonderful aunt as a small thank you.

Can't show my desk as I have plans to enter a few paintings in an exhibition.   

The plan is happening in my head rather than my desk.  

Which means there is not a lot to show this week.

Have a safe woyww week.

woyww - rocks and water

My painting of Malabar headlands while standing on the rocks is now at the framer and no longer on my desk.  But, I know woyww is easy going.  Using Daniel Smith granulating watercolours provided interesting effects on the rocks.  Very happy to have used my own handmade red and yellow ochre watercolours in the foreground rock.  Still working on getting the watery painted effects.

Enjoy your week as you peek at everyones desk.