Natural Cycles – Mixed Media

| jofox9973

 

I’ve been thinking about a new start in life.  Given that I can’t teach anymore due to my medical issues I am looking into the possibility of working as a freelance artist or as a private tutor or perhaps even an art tutor which would be a dream job!!!.  This would be a whole new adventure.  So my plan is to try to get some contract work when I am well enough to work again.

This week’s art was done in early December.  It’s an extension of my thinking on the Tree of Life motif with the additional idea of natural cycles.

I began with some sketches on the back on envelopes which I “helpfully” threw out while tidying up!  So the earliest process image I have is of the main outline done in pencil…

I then went on to ink this outline and use my new learning on texture to fill it in.  Here it is part-way through inking…

 

Once the ink was complete I scanned the image into my PC, tidied up the scanning artifacts I tend to get from my scanner and balanced my levels. (This is the light and dark levels picked up by the scanner and translated to tones in the digital image.)

 

This is the finaly line art…

 

Once that was complete I toned the line art digitally to make a finished grey-scale, mixed-media design which looks like this…

 

 

Update:  Thanks for all your kind wishes with respect to the pain problems I’m having at the moment.  I started the new meds from the pain consultant yesterday.  I’m dealing with side-effects right now, but I expect them to settle down a week or two after the dose is put at the final level the Dr want’s me to take.  (This will take about 6 weeks since the old meds have be reduced slowly and the new ones introduced slowly.)  My pain is still pretty bad, but I am starting to get there.  I’m not allergic to the new medicine and, although there are side-effects, I can tolerate them, all of which is very positive indeed! It’s amazing how different I feel when I have some hope!  I’m also looking at getting carers in a few times a week to help with some of the normal day to day living things I can’t do at the moment.  This will start when my son goes back to Uni.

 

Anyway – I wish you all a very happy new year!!!!

25 thoughts on “Natural Cycles – Mixed Media”

  1. I hadn’t thought of that. I think it might work. It looks like I’m going to need to work from home once I’m well enough so that would be a workable option. Thx

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  3. Hang in there my friend, I know pain, as after terminal cancer I went through some terrible pain, I was prescribed ThC oil, and I’m grateful and pain-free.

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  6. Pingback: Breathe Deep, Seek Peace – Sailor Songs – Poetry from the deep..

  8. Hi, the poem is all done, would you like me to email you to read it before I post or just go for it. Thanks again I think it’s a good one.

    -Chris

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  10. Wonderful, thanks heaps. Not much money the poetry game so don’t worry about that aspect. Would you like to read it before I post it? It won’t be anything offensive but it would be great to have your blessing. Thanks for your time, all the best:)

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  12. Hi Jo, very impressed with your work, I hope you’re health issues improve with time. I was wondering if you would mind if I wrote some poetry inspired by your work for my blog? If you’re interested let me know, all the best.

    -Christo

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  13. Oh I know about the behaviour – I used to teach secondary science (11yr olds to 16yr olds) and A’level Biology and Physics (16 yr olds to 18 yr olds). When I was newly qualified I had one kid in Year 10 try to set fire to the lab! Fortunately I saw what he was doing and turned the gas off at the front of the lab where we had an emergency shut off valve. Good grief! He went straight to his Year Head and wasn’t allowed back until he could show the Head of Science he was safe.

    As a student myself I remember double art appearing on the timetable like a little santuary in the middle of the week. Definitely a destress lesson!

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  14. Teaching high school kids is a little different though LOL. Tou spend more time getting them to behave sometimes. On the other hand they did like double periods of art where they could just get creative. They told me it was their de-stress lesson. I miss it.

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  17. Thanks – I will let you know! How awesome to have been an art teacher! If I could go back and retrain (with a body that worked) I would choose to teach art!

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  18. I am still thinking about colouring it. I’m working on another ink design on the theme of the natural world and planning to try some watercolour on it in an understated way. If it comes together I might colour this drawing in the same way. It would be easy to apply colour digitally but somehow that still feels inauthentic to me. I would prefer to find a way to make the images I want traditionally.

    Wrt the review – Emily’s very welcome. It was a great read.

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  23. Oh do let me know how you go. I am in the same situation. Not sure how to teach with mobility issues now. Used to be a high school art teacher. I love your illustrations.

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  24. Thinking of you during this time of transition, Jo, and wishing you all the best for the best of outcomes in 2021. This is another of your striking mandala designs which encourages the eye to explore and meditate—are you intending to colorise it?

    On a different tack, thanks for your positive review of Emily’s book on Amazon—I’m glad you found it worthwhile, Jo, and hopefully of continued help to you and others during times when we feel bullied by circumstances and individuals.

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