Finally back to the sketchbook

 Finally I've found the time to get back to my sketch books.  Firstly I tried a another collage, this time wanting to create something that I could use to practice using an acrylic glazing technique.  I don't think I quite made it, but here it is, such as it is.  I still haven't added the acrylic glaze, but I don't think a paler colour will add much to the finished look.

This is an older piece that I added some smaller circles to.  I believe they add to the design.  The darker corners have also been added.  They are from the same collaged painted paper towel as the larger area at the middle of the bottom.

Then I played a bit with a couple of the Thermofax screens I bought from Brandy Mazlowski.  The backgrounds had been painted some time ago.  I'm much happier with the second picture, but still feel that something is missing.  I'll go back to it again later.

Then I started dealing with some of the flowers and leaves that I've had in my flower press for the last few weeks.  The first picture shows some Alberta Roses that have bee firmly glued down with gel medium, but I have no idea what the flowers in the middle one are.  All of these pages require more work, but I have to wait until the gel medium dries before tackling that.

Finally, this is also natural leaves dried and glued down with gel medium, but I've been able to do a little more with the pages.  Firstly I used a Thremofax screen and gold Lumiere paint to put down the fainter image.  Them I made the stems with Inktense pencil and wet it, so that the gel medium wouldn't liquify it.  The leaves are from the mature American Elm that towers over my house and yard.  At one point they were a gorgeous gold colour, something that rarely occurs.  So I dried them hoping that the colour would remain true, but, of course, it didn't.  These, too, were glued down with gel medium.  Once that was dry I used a little gold oil pastel in the corners of the border, and then a mixture of  acrylic glazing medium and  Quinacridone Gold fluid acrylic, to add a little colour to the background.  I don't think it shows well in the picture. Again I'm not sure whether this needs a little more or not.  I'll have to think about it.