Tag: Creative process

Ephemeral Gecko

If you’ve been following these posts you’ve maybe wondered about the name. So I’ll let you into a little secret… Ephemeral Gecko resulted from pairs …

Ephemeral Gecko

TWELVTY-ONE: yellow-ish

Mixy presents TWELVTY 2024, a year-long color exploration through watercolor and mixed media.

In my year full of color, I usually begin with Yellow, then trip clockwise around this color wheel a month and a color at a time.

What’s happening in TWELVTY 2024?

I dug out this lovely little square watercolour sketchbook from my stash.

It has about 30 pages, just right for 2 spreads per month/per colour. 

I like to break the ice by noodling some sort of title on the front cover, I can go back and add more as and when the whims of fate decide.

My “This Color: This Month” rule has loosey-goosey-ed up as I’m in Color/Month 1 and we’re well into February.

Also I don’t think it’s ‘finished’, so I’m open to adding some more bits in the future.

Already the whole thing feels way more relaxed!!

Up to now Yellow has been a vivid array of sunflower, egg yolk and banana yellow, this time I’m looking at the subtler edges of what I call YELLOWISH, with ochre, Naples yellow, gold and cream. 

That’s the plan today, watch this space to see if I can keep this far out from my loudest-colored-comfort-zone! 

BIG bold yellows from yester year!

+ Contrast!

I also relaxed the just one colour  aspect this time. This time I’m experimenting with each color being accompanied with flashes of something from way over the other side of the color wheel.

Here’s how I kicked off this year’s 12 color project!

Yellow-ish Page 1

This watercolour paper is handmade and heavily textured, it takes wet media like a dream.

  • Starting out with water soluble markers (Tombow, Ecoline) 
  • Then water soluble pastels (Neocolor II), then water to blend
  • Followed by gouache (white, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre).
  • For a bit of darker contrast I used a fountain pen with a mix of black ink and water.
  • Water soluble pencil, then some collage pieces.
  • Finally highlighting squiggles in gold & yellow marker pen.

More updates soon!

Be first to see where this project leads me next by signing up to my monthly newsletter.

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

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TWELVE years since TWELVTY!

Well, can we have a big “YIKES” to acknowledge that 12 years have elapsed since my very first 12 colours in 12 months project?!?!

I had to double check my numbers, but it’s for real. TWELVE years indeed!

What is TWELVTY?

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, 2012 was a tough year for me…

my home life had been turned upside down, and creativity kept me afloat.

At the time I’d recently discovered fibre artist Marlene Glickman

Her piece “Day by Day” appealed to every part of my colour-hungry soul.

Making color and design decisions is sometimes difficult so I challenge myself to use only one color from the color wheel each month during my daily design exercises. A box sits on my worktable containing all the supplies I collected at the beginning of the month in one color.

From this I choose bits and pieces creating a 5″ x 5″ design/collage/drawing. The small format offers me the chance to explore a design and decide whether or not to enlarge it or expand on an idea. I also keep a journal for sketches, fabric swatches and working out future ideas and larger pieces. 

Marlene Glickman 1948-2023

A Year Full of Colour

On Marlene’s advice, I decided to dedicate a sketchbook to single colour experiments, with one colour each month for a year. This is how it turned out (excuse the wonky video – this was new to me!)

the original 12 colors in 12 months art journal from 2012

Over the years I revisited this idea, and reimaging the monthly format. For a few years I ran a year long class sharing my process and guiding other creatives in their own 12 colour projects.

3d mixed media sculpture of a color wheel

TWELVTY 2024

I can’t let this 12 year marker go uncelebrated, so this year I’ve got a new twist on the old idea in mind. Catch this month’s studio newsletter to see what I’ve been making, and find out how this year will be a wee bit different!

Is this something you’d like to join in with?
Comment below to LMK, I’ve got so many ideas to share!

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Unfashionably late to the new year!

Mixy, the London-based mixed media & textile artist, took a relaxed approach to starting 2024, sharing a flip through her Book of Days series. She’s brimming with plans for the year and invites followers to join her newsletter for updates. Follow her creative journey on her blog, Instagram, and website MadebyMixy.com.

I took such a relaxed approach to beginning 2024 that it’s already February before my first post of the year!

Let’s kick off with a little flip through from the end of last summer in my always-a-bit-behind series from the Book of Days.

If you enjoyed this, check out the rest of the series here 🙂

I’m full of plans and ideas for 2024
join my newsletter to find out more – Feb’s mail goes out this week 🙂

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Art Journal Serendipity

It’s said the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything…

So it came as no surprise to me when I noticed more than two years had passed since I wrote:

“When it comes to making a book like this, keep in mind that progress isn’t linear.

It’s more like a dance back and forth through the pages.”

The book I’m describing is an art journal I made from scrap paper, for the purpose of demonstrating how I make my art.

I documented the steps as I filled the pages, videoed my progress, made notes… 

..and then a lot of life happened, time passed, and suddenly it’s now. 

Time is so slippery!

My disorganised, wabi-sabi approach to art making became the way I made this book, and together they evolved in their own time. At long last, I’m happy to say it’s all done and ready to go!

This is how the art journal came out:

If you’ve signed up for my newsletter, then my Art Journal Serendipity ebook will be arriving in your inbox very soon!

It’s not too late — sign up below by the end of December & I’ll send it to you direct!

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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My gift to you, and a confession.

Can we talk about imposter syndrome? …

Imposter syndrome is very real.

I have a confession to make: When I made this book I didn’t love it. Some parts of some pages made me happy, but as a whole I wasn’t especially excited about it.

I recorded much of the process of making the pages, and while I edited the videos I wasn’t at all sure what I was trying to achieve by sharing them.

So much so, I left this project unfinished for over TWO years! 

But letting time pass lets us see things through fresh eyes. I still don’t love every single bit, but that’s not so important to me now.

Why I am I telling you all this? 

Because maybe there’s a project you’ve let sit because you weren’t sure what direction it needed to go in next.

Because maybe you look at other peoples art and think ‘it’s different for them, they know what they’re doing, they have a plan…’ when in reality we are all winging it.

These pages belong to a book I made from scratch. 
They’re filled with messy paint, scribbles and experiments, vulnerability and love.  I made this book for YOU. 

There’s a full length flip through in my Youtube, and you can find out how I did it all in my ebook *Art Journal Serendipity*. All you need do is sign up for my newsletter by 27 December and it’s all yours!

Thank you to everyone for your support through the year, it means more than you could know.

For your free copy of my eBook Art Journal Serendipity sign up for my newsletter below by the launch date 27 December 2023

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Art Journal Serendipity

As a gift to everyone who supported my art this year…

As a gift to everyone who supported my art this year…

This is more than just an art journal flip through: this one comes with a full back-story!

I documented the whole process of making this book, from selecting the paper for the pages to the layering of the pages, then I bundled this all together in an illustrated eBook with over 50 minutes of footage in little bite sized videos! For YOU!

It’s not the paper, the paint or the pens; it isn’t only the inks or the collage. What makes a project like this so much fun is trusting the magic of serendipity

For your free copy of my eBook Art Journal Serendipity sign up for my newsletter below by the launch date 27 December 2023

Hi – I’m Mixy!

This is Mixy 🙂

I’m a mixed media & textile artist from London, UK.

I love to share what I’m making, and I hope it brings some inspiration to your creative time.

You can see what I’m making on this blog, and in these places too

Join Me!

Get monthly-ish Studio Musings Newsletter.

u003cemu003eYou can use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.u003c/emu003e

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The tides of creativity return

Hot on the heels of last week’s flip through from the Book of Days, I bring you Part Five

I often talk about the tidal quality of creativity.

There are times when the ideas and energy to dive into their exploration is abundant.

Other times we feel beached and deserted with all that wants to be made, written and invented all the way over there on the horizon.

Following this analogy, I’m welcoming the inspiration back after a long spell of nothing but metaphorical driftwood and dry seashells to play with.

Hot on the heels of last week’s flip through from the Book of Days, I bring you Part Five:

Be first to see these flip thru vids + find out more about the ideas behind the art in my monthly-ish studio musings newsletter 🙂

You’ll get an email to confirm you signed up and are human. Sorry, only humans (and their cats) can join. Check your spam folder cos sometimes the good stuff gets swept in there by mistake. Also check with your cat.

Studio Musings Relaunch!

Brand new flip thru + 2 exciting secret projects to be revealed this weekend! Are you signed up?

It seems like forever since I last dropped by with a studio musings newsletter, so this weekend I’m relaunching with some exciting news!!

To celebrate the re-launch of my studio musings

You’ll be first to see the next installment in the Book of Days flip thru series 🙂

Plus read about TWO secret projects I’m dizzy with excitement to launch later this summer!

Yikes!

Are you a newsletter subscriber? If not, scroll on down to the end of this post to add your email.

Can’t remember? it’s been a while since I dropped by your inbox! Send me a message or reply to this post and I can see if you’re on the list 😉

You’ll get an email to confirm you signed up and are human. Sorry, only humans (and their cats) can join. Check your spam folder cos sometimes the good stuff gets swept in there by mistake. Also check with your cat.

some of what fell down the back of the sofa in my mind

In July 2020 I began this enormous sketchbook, with a new double page spread every week. I posted a few flip throughs in the first year, and although the project is still merrily trotting along at a spread a week, I fell out of the habit of posting updates.

Today I set myself the task to root about behind the metaphorical sofa in my mind and show you some of what’s been going on in my world of art making. Beginning with a flip through of the enormous sketchbook.

This brings us to page 73, although in real time I’ve already clocked up >100 pages, so I’ve more to show you yet. *Watch this space!*

On top of this, it’s been a reeeallly long time since I posted a studio musings newsletter, apologies for radio silence, this is on the list to be revived in the next few days!

You’ll get an email to confirm you signed up and are human. Sorry, only humans (and their cats) can join. Check your spam folder cos sometimes the good stuff gets swept in there by mistake. Also check with your cat.

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