The final week of #makeartthatsells with @Lilla Rogers - The Gift Market

© Gabriella Buckingham

I thoroughly enjoyed making this piece for the last week of the #makeartthatsells course.  I've never taken my painted images and layered them like this in Photoshop. I thought there must be a way to make layers semi transparent and discovered how through Googling.  It's very simple to do in the layers palette.  This week I didn't have the turmoil of will it be picked? will Lilla like it? Hooray.

That I like it and feel I have progressed is enough. I've learned patience and to enjoy the moment. I realise this is obvious but you can get so caught up in what others think of you and it's a real problem for artists  - sometimes.  Listening to Tracy Emin talk on Radio 4 this week I was struck by her self belief - incredibly strong, which is why she is where she is.


© Gabriella Buckingham

The final thing ended up looking almost oriental, we were asked to do something 'lush' with florals and our collections.  I really enjoyed drawing a beautiful face for a change.. this one was just done from my head but I used my own hand for a model there (with improved nail).

© Gabriella Buckingham

Bit tricky! I just leaned on my left elbow and drew and painted it in my brown paper sketch book.

Without talking specifically about the brief too much we were asked to create artwork for a decorative zip lock pouch.  I seem to have accumulated some lovely old china and from time to time I go to crystal healing so I have a few colourful shiny things about and some vintage jewellery. We were also allowed to use any elements of past weeks if that was appropriate.


© Gabriella Buckingham[/caption]

These scribbles show you how I start my ideas off! Ha!


thumb nail sketches... © Gabriella Buckingham[/caption]

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© Gabriella Buckingham

© Gabriella Buckingham - tiny rough sketches




Acrylic and pencil © Gabriella Buckingham

This is a small mock-up I did on blue to show how it might look manufactured

© Gabriella Buckingham

Today I remade the artwork as a potential notebook. I printed it and put it together to photograph:


© Gabriella Buckingham

I've made some lovely new Facebook artist friends throughout the world from taking part in this course and it's been wonderful. A big thank you to Lilla Rogers and Beth Kempton who have worked so hard to make this course so informative and fun. Thank you to Tammie Bennett for a mention in her blog about the course last week, you can read all about her gorgeous design this week here.

I am looking forward to the October Part B very much and in the meantime am going to keep making art with the aim of discovering what kind of artist I truly am. Moobaacluck may get a dose of spice!

If you've seen the five pieces I've made you'll know they are all quite different.. at least when you look at them at first. I am going to do some serious self-examination over the coming months but really the only answer is to make art. Theorising is all very well but it's a visceral experience, you have to DO it. Your best work gives you joy and a certain excitement at revealing it. If you don't feel that you know it's not the best you could do.. maybe it is that day because that's what you came up with. If however you feel a mild disappointment or  get stuck you need to go away for hours and look afresh, either make changes or begin again. You know you've learned something when the next thing makes you giddy with happiness.