100 days & beyond…

as one project ends another begins. see the full flip through of my 100 day project + where to see what I’m making now!

The 2020 #100dayproject
junk journal

Last week saw the last day of the 100 day project which has kept me busy since early April.

Every day for 3½ months I added more to this little junk journal: more doodles, collage, patterns and thoughts. Even these little paper animals who live tucked right in the middle at page 50!

Beginning just a week or two into the covid lockdown, this project and the daily ritual of posting on IG really helped me by providing an anchor to the reality of the day, one single constant amid the overwhelm, and kept me from drifting off in the confusion.

For a long while I was quite set on the idea of carrying on beyond the 100 days, especially as I’d overshot in the making of the junk journal and still have lots of *prepped pages.

But as the 100th day loomed I was already getting giddy on ideas for what’s coming next. It’s a much bigger project, and something that will keep me busy for much more than 100 days this time!

*so there will be a junk journal part two at some point in the future!

For now, here’s the full flip through of the 100 page book.

Junk Journaling: April – July 2020


 

In other news, my monthly-ish newsletter has resumed!

After a short hiatus, my spring/summer studio musings went out last week {Sign up below & I’ll send it to you!}

The next one goes out in August: where you’ll be first to see the latest about my gigantic new project + how I’m getting on with some new mixed media techniques I’m about to dive into. 😀

 


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

3/4 of a junk journal

To celebrate 3/4 thru the 2020 #100dayproject, here’s a quick whizz through the next 25 pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

The 2020 #100dayproject
is 3/4 done!

To celebrate the 3/4 point, here’s the next 25 page skip through the pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

You can see the first 25 pages here & part two here 🙂

 

I am having the most fun making this!

This daily exercise has stretched my creative muscles & become the scaffolding of my days these last few weeks.

The project began a week or two into lockdown, and it’s been the one consistent part to my days while everything else is in flux.

I come and go to this book through the day – adding a bit and leaving it while the paint dries to get on with something else.

I wind down in the evening by adding bits of collage here and there, shuffling through my stash of painted papers to find just the right bit for just the right space.

It’s like a meditation of sorts.

And as day 100 looms I’m thinking I’ll likely carry this on past that point. In such wildly uncertain times it’s wonderful to have something to anchor my attention to. Let’s see!

Meanwhile, I’ll be back with Part four in a few weeks time 🙂

 

So join me, will you?

 

I’m @mixygregory over on Instagram, and for the course of these 100 (or so) days I’m posting daily updates with the tags

#100daysbymixy and/or #100pagesbymixy

(because being consistent was never my strongest skill.)

 

 


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

25 more days of junk journaling

To celebrate the halfway mark in the 2020 #100dayproject, here’s a quick whizz through the next 25 pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

The 2020 #100dayproject
is over half way through!

To celebrate the halfway point, here’s the next 25 page skip through the pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

You can see the first 25 pages here 🙂

 

I am having the most fun making this!

I think the key to the 100 day project for me is to always be ahead of the game. Previously I’d find myself chasing my tail to get something done and posted every day. It got progressively less fun day by day!

That’s the reason I chose to make a junk journal for my 2020 project.

Every page is made from already started artbits of dyed book pages, painted papers, oddments and scraps from around my studio.

So my foundations were solid this time.

And I’ve been adding to the pages ahead of time. As I find more things to add, or have left over paint to use up, I find a space in these pages and add a little bit more. When I’m stuck for ideas I pick up this little book and doodle a bit.

The one part for me that I keep to a strict daily practice is to number and date today’s page and post it to Instagram.

A side benefit is it’s a daily reminder what today’s date is – which right now is the only way I know!

So join me, will you?

 

I’m @mixygregory over on Instagram, and for the course of these 100 (or so) days I’m posting daily updates with the tags

#100daysbymixy and/or #100pagesbymixy

(because being consistent was never my strongest skill.)

 

 


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

25 days of junk journaling

To celebrate the Day 25 milestone in the 2020 #100dayproject, here’s a quick whizz through my first 25 pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

The 2020 #100dayproject
is a quarter of the way through!

To celebrate the Day 25 milestone, here’s a quick skip through the first 25 pages in this ever evolving junk journal.

 

I am having the most fun making this!

I’m finding use for all those bits of collage leftovers, the snippets and scraps, dyed and painted papers. All my odd in between bits of day are spent doodling in corners, outlining edges and shapes, filling spaces with stripes and spots, scribbles and squiggles.

Although I knew I’d made a few extra pages (because just in case) for the book (also because, it turns out they are a lot of fun to make too) …..aaaand I know I get carried away when I get enthralled in the making zone….

….But it turns out I’ve got closer to 200 than 100 pages to fill. Let’s see how it goes, but I might just keep going after the 100 days are up!

So join me, will you?

 

I’m @mixygregory over on Instagram, and for the course of these 100 (or so) days I’m posting daily updates with the tags

#100daysbymixy and/or #100pagesbymixy

(because being consistent was never my strongest skill.)

 

 


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

100 days of junk journaling

The 2020 #100dayproject begins Tuesday 7th April. This year I plan to do something a bit different.

The 2020 #100dayproject begins Tuesday 7th April.

I’ve taken part in this for the last 3 years. 2019 was the first time I achieved 100 consecutive daily posts on Instagram, of my daily art journal doodles.

This year I plan to do something a bit different.

100 creative acts in 100 days is no small undertaking.

Given that 2020 has the added factor being, so far, upside-down and spectacularly unpredictable, I’m factoring in a little more leeway to my 100 day project.

This year I’m going to explore 100 days of

Junk Journaling

As almost all the pages start out with something going on – some color or pattern – so I’ve got an easy starting point each day. On days that are full to bursting I can just add a few little doodles, a swipe of paint or some collaged bits. When studio time is more spacious I can be more inventive in the ways I can play.


So in readiness I gathered together an assortment of paper to use – scrap paper, painted, printed & dyed papers, book pages, maps, graph paper, tracing paper, envelopes and paper bags.

I like working fairly small, so I’ve made my pages no bigger than 6 inches square.

There’s a mix thick and thin, flimsy and heavyweight paper with torn and cut edges. (I kept hold of the offcuts to make collages with as I go through.)

I bound the pages into signatures of 5-6 sheets, plenty enough to make a spread every day + a couple of spare signatures for just in case.

The little 10-12 page booklets are a manageable size to work in, I figure I’ll find a way to bind them all together into a big chunky book when it’s finished. As is my way, I’m making this all up as I go along 😉

If you’re interested see how I made these bundles of book pages, take a peak at my process here:

So join me, will you? I’m @mixygregory over on Instagram, and for the next 100 days I’ll be posting daily updates with the tag #100daysbymixy


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

more page hopping

So I’m back to my art journal. Flipping back and forth, adding little bits here and there…

Finding a place in this new, weirder version of reality where it feels like all the adults have gone out, and we don’t know when they’ll be back. If they’ll be back. If it was all a big illusion all the time…

[optional move: fall down that rabbit hole then have to take another nap]

OR, try to get a foothold in what used to be normal.

Okay

So I’m back to my art journal.

Flipping back and forth, adding little bits here and there. Not quite every day, but that’s what I’m aiming towards right now, to build a bit of structure back into my days.

Here’s what this new (temporary?) normal if looking like in my studio.

How are you doing?

If you’re just keeping home, keeping sane and washing your hands more than you used to, you’re doing well.

I’ll be back with the next color in my year full of color next week. Meanwhile, take good care my friends. X


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.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

awol, presumed doodling.

I’ve been off line for a while, playing in the analogue world of paints and glue and little bits of torn up paper. Recharging & recombobulating. Playing with things like this.

I’ve been off line for a while, playing in the analogue world of paint and scribbles and little bits of torn up paper. Recharging & recombobulating. Playing with things like this.

This book lived on my desk through the first half of this year. Over the weeks and months it grew fat and messy with ‘while I’m waiting’ doodles, with mopped up paint spills, scraps of stuff, with the words and ideas that were orbiting my mind.

 

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6254.jpg

When it was all done, I made this quick flip thro vid:

 And when I say quick, I know it’s super quick.  So here’s a more leisurely stroll through some of the pages, and some of the ideas that keep rolling back into my art.

 

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6257.jpg

Stories unfold from the words I’m listening to in audio books and podcasts, and the characters evolve from magazine pages, advertisements and found paper.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6256.jpg

Lines of text set against rows or polkadots, knitted together with scribbly handwriting. Faces in the spaces.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6291.jpg

Backgrounds from maps: borrow the contour lines, take them off wandering into new places.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6294.jpg

Cut out shapes from scrap paper.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6255.jpg

Add eyes and whiskers: see them come to life.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6303.jpg
“Meow”

Writing down the words I heard and want to remember later.
I leave notes and messages for me-in-the-future scattered through my art.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6288.jpg

“There’s a reason why we get the ideas we get.”
(so it’s important to put them someplace safe until they’re ready to use)

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6266.jpg

Then there’s the found poetry from song lyrics, Inertia blue zero freeze.
(idk)

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6285.jpg

Dotted lines around the edges make me happy:  as any small child will tell you, they’re really fun to do. Especially in time to music.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6263.jpg

Texture in sticky thick paint, like tree branches or arteries, reminds me art is alive and part of nature. And vice versa.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6261.jpg

Messing about with perspective with angles and lines. Inventing new people.
Anything’s possible in a book.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6284.jpg

These words were pinned to my wall of ideas, making space for new things, now they’re rehomed in the book. Keep things you love in sight, always. 

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6260.jpg

Negative space: white paint dampens the cacophony of color.

Opportunity is everywhere. It really is.

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6259.jpg

Case in point, I collect cards at art fairs, copying shapes, giving this gal a sister. 

AJ1-2018-MadeByMixy_6299.jpg

Copying faces, shapes and tricky things like hands. 

Dropped in here and there amid all the noise and color takes the pressure off.

How they look isn’t important when they merge in with all this stuff.

IMG_6292.jpg

 

Keep playing, keep making it up as you go along. That’s really all there is.


 

My next project is a weeny little sketchbook for the Tiny Book Collaboration

tinySketchbookCollaboration_5965.jpg

 


If you’d like to be first to see what I’m making and doing, hop aboard my mailing list right here

 

art is everywhere…

…but you knew that, right?

I’ve been looking at some of my old sketchbooks. Back in 2011 I did a textile art workshop. The topic for our designs was grids.

The week before I’d been to the Kniting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally – I came home with bags of new goodies to play with, and a camera full of ideas.

I was really struck by these images of the frondy leaves against the metal framework of the glass roof. Grids!! These were the grids I focussed on at the workshop…

…which quickly evolved into these…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

You can see the real frondiness of the cut out pages come to life here…

The magic of this sketchbook, even 5 years on, I still get new ideas rush at me as I flick through the pages.

Do you look back through old art journals and sketchbooks? Do they keep sparking new ideas even years later? Next time you’ve got a few minutes spare and they’re ready to hand, open one up somewhere in the middle and see if it stirs some long forgotten inspiration. Seeds of thoughts you planted way-back-when. They might yet grow into something beautiful!

 


Would you like to get sporadic updates on my thinkings and doings delivered right to your inbox? Hop onto my email list right here.

(and I’ll send you my ebook A Year full of Color as a thank you for joining)

Your email is utterly safe to me. It will be wrapped up snug in a fluffy blanket & nestled with a puppy until the spring arrives. I will bring it tea and a bun if it wakes up.

 

Playing 

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

IMG_7227

don’t stop  😉

New Season – New Art Journal

Maybe it’s a throw back to school days, for me September has never lost that New-Beginning-y feel.

penngregory_autumnAJ10001.jpg

This bit of year where the edges of summer and fall meet up, crossover a little, shimmy back and forth for a week or two before chillier times set in for proper.

I love all the seasons, but I most enjoy the beginning part of each one.

All the first-in-a-long-whiles  — the little things, the details — I revel in these. Now is the season of crunchy leaves, soup, socks, dark evenings with candlelight and blankets, all of it has novelty value for the first few weeks.

As the season turned I came to the end of my art journal that I played in through the summer, so last week – to coincide with the Equinox – I began this new book.

I also began I new way of documenting – by time lapse photo.  I reckon by the end of this book I’ll have perfected the recording and editing, it’s a learning curve, which I’ll share with you here.

Here’s the makings of this first page: “Wandering Doodles”

Enjoy! 🙂

%d bloggers like this: