Tuesday, December 1, 2009

From Tanya Mac re tonight



New team Treasury!!! Please click & Comment!


Well November whizzed by and despite my best efforts I couldn't take the time of work to schedule a team meeting!

So what do we do? Well I thought it might be an idea to take advantage of etsy's chat rooms tomorrow evening from 7pm. I realise everybody has work commitments, craft fairs to prepare for, never mind all the other preparations for Christmas so the chat room might just come in handy this December. You can stitch, sew, knit, paint, just do your thing and have a bit of craic while you're at it!

All members and followers of the blog are welcome - which is great since all our meetings have taken place in Dublin thus far and not everybody could make it. It would be a handy way to get to know each other, ask questions and exchange ideas. I hope you can make it!

Best Wishes,
Tanya

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Craft Fair yesterday and today in Urban Junction Blackrock :)






Book Bags, lavender hearts (hand printed fabric), handmade cards from recycled materials, a selection of my illustrated cards & gift tags...





Origami flowers made from hand printed paper, 3 Pacha Mama T-shirts & a selection of my mixed media paintings..




Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Thursday, September 24, 2009

And here they are..Finally!



Though my camera and attempted touch up don't do them justice at all! Still though, bright and sharp and plenty to choose from! :) I am happy..

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A hand printed mission







So...I finally found a use for this hand printed fabric I made in June. The leaves are Sycamore and Bay (from my garden) and of course a Lavender sprig, an abundance of which grows in my garden. I'm on a constant mission to discover high quality & not too complicated printing methods. These prints were done using transfer inks. They are one offs as unfortunately the herbs and foliage used were baked in the process leaving a gorgeous aroma in the print studio. Feathers produce excellent results and unlike fresh leaves can be used over and over.

Lino prints



So interesting effects! Some a bit more Arty than Artisan, but nonetheless a lovely organic feel to this process. You do need to select paper carefully or experiment as some will give better sharper results than others...but isn't that always the case?

LINO CUT



Ah the joys of lino cut! I haven't done this since college...strangely addictive though, like many other hand printing techniques, you become obsessed with the details. Printing inks are proving expensive though. The Art & Hobby shop sell them for €7.95 for a 250ml tube, Evans off Capel street do a better deal with a saving of 75c. Lets hope the results are exciting!

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Flower Power

Ok so I'm a bit of a flower child! Its true...I would love to have been around in the 60s for all that. Anyhow perhaps its fitting for the current projects I'm working on...natural and recycled...watch this space!

Friday, September 11, 2009

One of the most stunning albums I have ever heard....words escape me. Have a listen..

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Crafty young Thing!

 
Well after nearly blinding Tanya with the flash, my camera had a focusing issue and these are the only 2 halfway decent images...sorry Tanya! But you see I made a nice collage of you! :) Great work as usual! very inspirational and industrious artist.

http://www.musicme.com/Mose-Allison/albums/Mose-Allison-2-Fer-0888072240025.html?play=18


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A little flute jazz music

Just press play! Enjoy :)

Arts & Crafts with the kids


Well it appears my camera has given up on life! Which would explain the muddy pictures its producing not least of all the pretty mermaids in my Etsy shop have been dealt a huge injustice... Perhaps time for a replacement! Anyho the image above showcases the fruits of a 3 day workshop with Urban Junction in Blackrock. I designed and ran a 3 day arts & crafts program for kids aged 7-10 and it was a blast. They really do come out with the funniest of statements! The work was voluntary and the staff were thrilled with the projects, the results and the feedback as was I. I wasn't expecting the huge bouquet of flowers and the thankyou card signed by everyone. I was really touched and thought what a wonderful world if we were all paid in flowers! I hope to continue working on arts projects with children and will be involved in some very exciting projects with a youth service in Dun Laoghaire this October.

If anyone feels they have some time to offer to voluntary work, the UN have a website, the link is on this page. There is a huge variety of projects from all over the world. They are very interesting, great experience and all for a good cause.


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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Etsy debut - Mermaids


Well I have finally put my first piece up on Etsy! Entitled 'Mermaids' this is a cute piece, with very rich deep blues and greens and tiny silver fish. each has a little jewelled hair decoration and tiny gems and their waists. The shot was taken by the sea...of course! The mermaids are perched on a rock. I hope this is the first of many items in my shop and that buyers will like my little mixed media pieces. More to come :)


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Sunday, August 16, 2009


Pigs will Fly! Recent characters in indian ink. I love pigs, full of character and interesting shapes. I also have a thing for flight and the weird and wonderful!





Recent studies of the humble pigeon.


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T-Shirt designs



Check out my T-shirt designs on my online shop www.cafepress.com/pachamama
Most designs are hand illustrated old style in indian ink with a dip pen, combined with vector illustrations and photos I've taken on my travels, these are colourful and hopefully thought provoking! I plan to start hand screening limited edition eco friendly tees real soon.




Just 2 of many images (Compliments of Tarsila! :) Thankyou) of a recent print course in NCAD and my experimenting with screen printing techniques. The fern is cut with simple strokes with a scalpel from newsprint.

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Vector illustrations


Girl with coffee - simple shapes and colours give the impression of sunlight.







Phi Phi ferry - Inspired by the many boat trips taken while in Thailand

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