Category Archives: arts & craft

Closing In

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The Hibiscus is the last drawing in the course. I’m not excited about it. I did it a year ago in the so you think you can’t draw but half the size. I am planning on completing it and scouting out some new reference photos to go forward.

New Office

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Offices come and go. I haven’t had a door in six or seven years. I’m acting supervisor for the next couple of months. It may shake down into something more permanent. For the time being, I have a private office near the break room. No one is even in the cubes right out side. I brought in a bunch of art that I’ve worked on in the last year. Bought a two dock iHome, verilx and flower calendar and some cat office supplies. Almost as nice as my home office now.

Flowers 101 with Sandra Angelo

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(don’t zoom in on the pictures, they don’t improve upon closer examination)

I ordered Sandra Angelo’s Flowers 101 Home Study Course from Northlight Books in December. They were running a special. Flowers are my favorite subject and I have been wanting to get better with Graphite and Value. I didn’t know she was doing it but Sandra selected 20 people to do on-line tutoring for the class via Facebook.

I’m not crazy about some of the flowers we are drawing copying but it seems to be working as a process of learning to draw. The 30 minute lessons take me at least 2 hours.  I’ve been using Derwent pencils and am curious to try others. I ordered her drawing supplies and they should be here in a couple of days.

I had major problems with the orchid and i’m still not happy with my efforts. I did get some Strathmore Windpower smooth bristol and quartered it to work on. Paper really makes a difference. I’m amazed at how differently graphite goes down and lifts on it.

Viking Knit Craft Day with Cheryl

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Cheryl came over at 1 pm. Paul made baked brie, carnita and nanaimo bars for us. Made a big length of single & double viking knit and fashioned a couple of bracelets each.

  • 24 gauge copper wire for the knit section.
  • 18 gauge copper wire for the stringing.
  • 16 gauge copper wire for the clasps

10 Baby Owls

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Finished a new hat for Nik Wallish in a couple of days. I think I got the yarn and pattern for him before he was born. He has just about out grown the tomato. Mailed it off today with the owl photo so his parents will know what it is supposed to be which is a little more abstract than I had hoped. I’m trying another one with the correct size yarn. There will be one row of 6 owls on it.

The pattern is Owl Tuque, modified heavily for the yarn I had. I increased to have 9 stitch seed stitches between owls for the first set, and decreased to 8 (so the seed stitch matched up) Two alternating rounds of owls. Two seed stitch rows before starting decreasing every other row.

EYES!

The pattern called for buttons but I don’t believe they should go on baby wear (choking hazard) I bought safety eyes but the looked like they might impale the baby head. I bought felt and cut it out with a could of sized of hole punches. But the felt fell apart when I tried sewing it on. So I went with embroidered eyes and beaks.

 

Pomegranate Prints

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I working on print making and pen and ink line work right now. Last Sunday was my 6th in a row loading Colorado Pharmacy Inventory files. There is only one more this year and with that behind me I’m hoping for more time to make pretty things.  I’m going to try multiple colors for this one. I’ve completed the black outline block. Made some test prints. I’m going to carve blocks for the leaves and fruit separately. So I printed a copy on cartridge paper and then put it down on a fresh block and burnished to get the image transfered on. I’m not sure how I did with the registration.

Readycut Daphodil

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Found an image in my Silhouette Studio that looks like it would be good practice for cutting and printing. I used Dick Blick Readycut which is very easy to carve and feels rubbery. It made 4 proof prints. The first (top right) was using my speedball press. 8.5 x 11 paper was too big for it. The second (top left) was my first ever hand print. Third (bottom left) water color paper. Fourth (bottom left) is bristol.