All posts by Mixed Media Artist

I am a Mixed Media Artist, Tutor, Demonstrator, YouTuber & Designer. I love to make background papers with a Gel Plate, I work with Paints, Inks, Paste etc anything I find to play with really and I like to dabble with water colour techniques too. I see myself as a decorator really because I studied Interior Design and Soft Furnishings for Six Years, it was my passion. But I have found myself in this Mixed Media place and am loving the discovery of all the products and techniqes. Nothing gives me more pleasure when I am teaching than seeing the look on a persons face when they realise they can achieve more than they expected of themselves. But demonstrating is my favourite thing, no pressure, just me playing with my craft kit in front of people!
DT Samples - Claritystamp

Sometimes you have to use one Hobby to make you feel creative in another!

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Graphic Design!

I made this flyer sheet using a design I made on Procreate and some shadowing tools,

So, Graphic Design has always been my dream job. I just didn’t know it because I had never heard of Graphic Design when I was young. I mean lets face it, my first use of Technology was a Manual Type Writer, I taught myself to type 32 wpm without looking at the age of 13 and you know what, that got me some jobs in my future life – I still love using a typewriter by the way! My only form of design then had been at school in Technical Drawing, my favourite Subject, along with Art and Typing!

I moved on to an electric typewriter, they were very clever machines. I still have one but I did find them confusing! Then a VDU in the Air Force which was so impressive, we filled in information from paperwork/orders, receipts etc and the system told us what stock we had, when to order new stock, when we had issued an item and to who – just an amazing invention and machine to work on – I’m talking 1980 here. I wouldn’t have got that job if I didn’t already know how to type, I loved working in SCAF in the RAF. Everyone knows about these systems now, but in 1980 they were way ahead of their time. However there was never any form of design package on them. Not at that time anyway.

I have been working on Procreate for years. This is an Initial Drawing with some colouring in Black Lines because it looked too basic at first.

I sent my first SMS message to the Ascension Islands during the Falklands War in 1982. I wasn’t allowed to look at the special code the Sergeant put in before I sent it. He came into the Office, asked me to type a message and said watch what happens everyone. We all crowded round the machine and waited, we immediately got an answer to the question I typed in and sent. We were all amazed at the speed of the reply and wondered how they had got the message immediately like that! There weren’t any mobile phones, in those days, obviously.

Then I worked at Allied Dunbar in Special Services. We have just had a reunion in Swindon actually. Last week. It was great to stay with my mate Siobhan in Swindon, I lived and owned a flat in Swindon at one time, I was there for 9 years. It was great to see everyone else again too, we all had a great time together in that job. You couldn’t talk about what we did outside of the office, which helped to bring us all closer together. But it was also just a great bunch of people who worked hard, and played hard. A real mix of strong characters. We had some great nights out. Just as we did last week too, just like stepping back in time and all the conversations flowed just the same. I really enjoyed my weekend there.

I then made my Procreate design into a Brush so that I cold change the size of it and make repeat pattern without having to draw it over and over. It leans to the left a little but I can flip that – it looks better leaning to the right, maybe because I am right handed and I like that it isn’t perfect.
This is it flipped the other way and with a background colour which you can change in seconds with a new layer.

It was during my time at Allied Dunbar – Special Services that I discovered a very primitive version of Graphic Design. Well except I suppose the way it used to be done before computers might be classed as the most primitive way now – you know, pen and paper, paint and ink printing etc. but it still had to be designed first. How did they do it all then? Anyway I had to design some official leaflets that would be given to the public by the Insurance Company. So they did have to be perfect. I just couldn’t believe I was getting paid to mess about and juggle all the words onto these leaflets. If you changed one word on the package we used, the whole set of paragraph and words below that word would move down and ultimately put everything out of place again. You know those leaflets that fold into three and are double sided. Imagine slipping an extra and or some other tiny word in the middle of that!!! Why did I enjoy that part of the job???

Then on procreate I layered up my pattern in different sizes and added some Colour to the stamp and the background, this is what you use your stamp image for – funny how I ended up at my all time favourite Retro Look again!

So today there is graphic design packages all over the place. But for me, procreate is the best to get the project started in the first place. I feel last year I had a bit of a breakthrough in learning how to get the most out of it, but this year I had a much bigger breakthrough. I was moving forward very slowly because it does so much more than you can imagine. So I decided I will pay for some tutorials, but actually I found what I was looking for on YouTube. Suddenly I am turning every drawing into a stamp, which can then be made into a Brush. I have learnt properly how to work the symmetry tools and am now repeating patterns in all sorts of forms, just with one brush that I created. I have more!

Then I turn it into a book Cover – a Mug, a leaflet etc. I do love that I can manipulate my images on the site where I buy my Xmas Presents. I have used them for years designing Wrapping Papers initially. Not to sell though, they are too expensive unless you grab some in a sale.

When Barbara Gray announced the launch of Pinky Gray I was so excited. Barbara has produced some gorgeous post card prints on the old printing Machine that Dave bought. I would love to get my hands on that Machine and have a play, maybe one day.

But in the meantime, I can fuel my hobby of GelPlate Printing along side my love of making patterns from scratch. It is also a hobby of mine to get my designs printed on projects, which becomes very handy at Xmas time!!!

So I turned my design into a Mug, a Bag, Flyers, business cards etc. I love it when the kids drop an old Mug because it gives me chance to make some more!
I have done this one in a few colours. I am really chuffed with myself, from a Naff-ish doodle which I nearly ditched, to Mugs and Mouse Mats – I do really like this design. I am allowed to like my work sometimes I think. It’s not the initial image that is the end result its how you put a pattern and colours together.
And the exciting thing is, I am really getting to know how to play with those layers.

So, today I am well and truly back in the mood to get my Gel Plate out and play with the @Claritycraft BOW-WOB papers. I will never get bored of them or the lovely prints I keep getting over and over again. Today I am making a little video of me making DT Cards too.

I have just watched Barbara and Paul on Clarity Live TV – a day behind as usual! I love Linda Williams new BOW-WOB Designs with the Xmas theme. I will be making some wrapping paper on my Gel Plate with them, For personal use.

Anyway I have chatted enough – hope you enjoy my little Blog, please subscribe if you do and definitely leave a comment if you want a little chat back, I read all of them.

Bye for now

I will be back soon-ish!

Sam Crowe

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YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@Samshomecookeddesign