Sewn Collage Photoshop Brushes

 Now that my darling daughter has gone off to New Zealand I have been able to use her room to get some of my old collage materials out. Lord, some of them haven't seen the light of day for years. Tons of stuff, lots to be thrown out but lots to be re-aquainted with. At the same time I have been thinking about the idea of machine stitching on paper but without any real purpose in mind. I put a few pieces together, just randomly grabbing things from the pile. The first piece - a square of fabric, a piece of gessoed paper and a couple of scraps of coloured photocopies. The piece below, more coloured photocopy but scribbled into with pen.

 This I scribbled with thread and then added pen. I thought the added pen would be overkill and nearly didn't add it but it does work. That's the thing with physical and not virtual stuff; make a mistake and it's not generally erasable. I've become spoilt and more than likely, lazy, from always working in digital media, being able to delete layers and erase bits.

 Another photocopy and then a page from a book done years and years ago.

 So I did all these little pieces and dragged some canvases out and played around with various different combinations but, while I liked them well enough, they didn't really grab me, you know? I kept thinking  - so what! Little thought then goes trotting across the back of my mind . . . . so I go and scan them in, turn them into photoshop brushes ( simple tutorial here ) and BINGO! Now I like them! Here they all are on one page in my favourite combination of grey and cream . . .  kind of spooky aren't they?

Then it was play time trying them out  . . . . . this one below almost looks like a print of some kind.
 

 This Cathedral one is the best piece I've done for a while, you know that feeling when something just comes together . . .  I fiddled with the underneath for ages and then the last few elements just fell into place one right after the other. Sweet. Now, back to that pile of papers . . .  I must have a purge.