every-single-day

Getting to know you.

I love color and color mixing. I just bought a new palette of gouache and have been recreating the tools and methods with which I have been working. Pencil cases for figure drawing sessions, a smaller pencil case for everyday use, a new palette of paint. I am no longer going to use my much loved and well used Pelikan paint set (it is time to use grown up paints and tools and I am ready.

Moving into a new manner of approach can be daunting. I don't know some of these paints or pigments. My 'go to' colors are new new and improved. And although I have been hunting and gathering supplies I haven't been using them as much as I want to. So I sat down and began to be methodical.

When I first started to sew, I told myself to learn the 'right' way, then let go of it and do it my way. This is a fantastic approach in all endeavors. It allows you the learning curve that is needed in order to move into a new idea or thought process.

I learned the basics of color mixing in school. Color mixing was my nemesis in school. The teacher loved nothing better than to tell us what to do then leave the room and get tea for 45 minutes, leaving us to struggle without being able to ask questions.

But we were asked to take each new open tube of paint and to swipe it off the edge of a piece of watercolor, grouping all of the reds blues and yellows together. Then we were asked to apply each color to a page in gradation from pure color to as light as we could get it. This teaches a lot. It tells you where the color will go when watered down, it lets you know what to expect. It is a great start. Learn the 'right' way, then find your own voice.

So these are the new colors that I have at my disposal. I now have an idea of of what they will do in gradation, and their placement in my palette,

and what they look like straight out of the tube. The photos above are my current palette using most of Roz's suggestions and are mostly M. Graham Gouache.

This sample is my original palette from the Fashion Institute, which I have kept in a 3RB (3 ring binder) for the last 10 years. This set of samples is Winsor & Newton gouache and Luma watercolor dye (which I think is extinct- Dr. Martin is another brand name for this type of watercolor).

This is a sample that I made for my book, which can be found on page 17, though in much smaller format. This is thickened Procion MX dye on cloth.

And this is the color wheel that I created for my book, also Procion MX, also on cloth. I am pretty sure this is Golden Yellow, Mixing Red and Intense Blue.

I show all of this to reinforce what it takes to learn color and its use. These are the mediums I have chosen to use and I think this is a great way to inform myself as to how to use them and lto earn their idiosyncrasies.

I know that working in this manner may seem intense and protracted, but it is thorough. Besides, let your art know you are serious about getting to know all about it!

Just in case you haven't watched this: please do (the link is #6 in the Inspired to Quilt Video Series:Color Mixing with dye). It is worth it.

Here is another picture of Arrow. I lub 'im and his boxer paws.

And can I just say? A few weeks ago I got it in my head that Arrow needed a new bed for my sewing closet, I mean room. I wanted a pet store type soft walled item but decided that until I found myself in that type store, I would plug in his cat pad (6 Watts of kitty happiness) and create a bed with stuff I had around the apartment. This is his blanket, made years ago, placed over his kitty pad and wrapped around a dye bin (clean of course). This bed has such MOJO that Arrow has been loving it exclusive of the cat tree and sometimes even my LAP!!! And ARROW is a LAP CAT! It doesn't bother him one bit that it is too small. No sir.

The Importants and Niftiness.

No, the title of this post is not spelled improperly.

It is always a good thing when I delve deeply into working my journals. It means that I will have fodder for working in cloth and that I am staying actively engaged in my creative process. Nothing wrong with that.
As I have been posting, I am actively seeking new and improved journaling supplies, Roz Stendahl has helped and encouraged me in this. I went and bought a new set of gouache, cleaned out an old watercolor palette and created a new palette of gouache to travel with me. I made a pencil case to travel to figure drawing sessions. But really, who wants to carry a huge pencil case every day?
For years I had been using a plastic case that came with a set of pens bought from an office supply store. When it started to come apart, I asked my Man to tape it and he got fancy with some colorful duct tapes. But this week, I looked at the plastic case and saw a hole forming at the bottom of the case. This small case has been good to me. It carried three nice pens, tucks nicely into my purse and is neat and orderly.
So I recreated it in cloth.

I love to make and design bags (there are three links in this sentence-click, but please do come back).

And soon another free bag pattern of mine will be released at the Sewing Republic web site! I am very excited about that bag! I will blog about it when it happens.

So anyway. This small pencil case still fits three pens quite nicely, has a ribbon loop closure sewn into the side seams (I think the ribbon is thanks to Jeannie E VH). and has whipped stitch hand dyed edging. There are small tucks in the bottom of the pouch to allow for the depth of the pens.

So, anyway.

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in an artistic ponzi scheme where I make one piece of art, mail it to the person at the top of the list and replace my name with theirs... and it's complicated in detail. I sent a piece of art out, late (of course). I am supposed to get 36 pieces in response to this.

This is the one I sent out, I think it went to Hawaii and I don't know how long that takes.

These two pieces were one, when I originally made them. I cut them so that I could send out two postcards. Although I didn't need to send it out as a result of the exchange, I sent this postcard to the scheme's organizer. I bet she has already received it but I have not heard. But if you pop over to her site, you will see that she is quite busy, she just got a book deal, you see. I am so happy for her.

I know that two of the people I emailed to participate in this exchange are unable to participate so if you would like the details please leave a comment. I would love to get some art in exchange!

And because this is Thanksgiving weekend, I would like to give thanks to you good reader. Thank you for reading this blog, leaving comments, being my friend and supporting me in my creative pursuits. My virtual community has really been a support to me in the last year and I have to acknowledge that! Thanks to you.

Pencils; tamed.

With my focus on journaling and drawing, I decided to make a pencil case for all that I will need to carry back and forth to figure drawing sessions. I had the machine quilting samples for the International Quilt Fest: Quilt Scene article I wrote and went at it.

The bag is modeled after a bag I saw while shopping at this pen store (scroll down). I didn't put the small pocket in as you see in the inspiration, though I wish I had, it would carry a sharpener and eraser quite nicely. A mod in retrospect? hm.

I like how it becomes a pencil cup, though it is a little soft and wobbly, of course.

I did all of this between 7:30 and 9 yesterday morning. My parents visited me and we spent the day eating our way through just some of what Brooklyn has to offer.

It was a great day, but much too short. Don't we look well fed and happy?

We were tired of living in a house.

So we packed our bags and moved into a city apartment.

The title of this post refers to a favorite childhood book by the same name.

Last night I went to the Society of Illustrators Sketch and Jazz event. Event? It is a twice weekly gathering of people who draw figure models for 3 hours. There is a bar and a live jazz group, bass, sax and piano. The Society has been around for 105 years, it's filled with artwork from the Big'uns and is a great setting.

I went alone and had much flutterings and hesitation beforehand. Afterward, pure skipping and la-de-da happiness.

I came home to a little bulge of an envelope that I am thankful wasn't lost in the sending. The envelope was ripped and pudgy and exciting looking. It contained a lil LaFazio felted wool square among some samples of her fav threads (which I had asked for). It immediately got hung on my sewing room wall. The square doesn't have a name and I am lovingly calling it lil LaFazio.

My snapshots stink and do not do the lil wonder justice.

And have you seen my latest article in Cloth, Paper, Scissors?

CPS is hosting a Mother Earth Doll Challenge and used my doll image to promote it in their newsletter, are you going to participate?

The zone.

A famine, then a feast. That seems to be the way of life, I think.

Just before Houston, I decided it was time to make a larger piece, based on the recent painting of a Wester Tanager in my journal and I set out. I printed in a flurry, with no true thought in how to get the thing printed and made rules up as I went. I then needed to put the piece aside in order to prepare for my lecture and forums. When I came back, I made the retreat and then caught cold. But still I worked on the piece throughout.

Above is a photo of a ripping. I didn't like the placement of the machine drawn daisy, so out came the seam ripper. We are looking at the piece from the back. I decided to back this piece in flour sacks collected while still living in Flagstaff, AZ. Blue Bird Flour by Cortez Millling Co. Cloth flour sacks are not a rare occurence in the middle of our huge country. I have seen calico ones too. These sacks have been well used and have stains of authenticity on them. They even have crunchy bits of flour that are falling away with my dense machine quilting.

And here is a detail again. Can you tell I have been having fun?

Anybody home?

...and then I have been quilting up a storm and not only that but, oh wait.

Hi. How you are? Long time no see. Sorry about that. Yeah. I was away for a lil bit there and for no good reason. Or maybe there were many reasons.

I will slow down.

I did get a flu a couple of weeks ago, and it hung on, clawing, scratching and biting. I am still coughing. But it is getting better-thank goodness.

The above is a detail of the piece I am working on right now and it looks totally different now. In that photo, the organza layer is covering over the Western Tanager's face. The organza has since been cut away and the bird shows itself strikingly, proudly, vibrant even.
But it is not finished. I have not yet read the rules for a certain upcoming quilt show deadline, so a detail is all I will show right now.

With all this Recycled Journal watercolor stuff floating around in my mental space, I have been researching and looking into drawing, paint, and journaling web sites. Almost to the point where I need to tell myself to step away from the computer and focus on the three (!!!) teaching proposals I need to crank out.

But, when you have a cold, what better than to surf the web and find sites like this, or this.

Now I have been wanting a new paint palette ever since I saw Jane LaFazio working with M. Grahams watercolor paint last spring.

But a girl needs to draw the line somewhere! I have several lines competing for my attention, I would like a smaller paint box than I now carry and I want to start using better quality paint, which I have been finding out is M. Graham among others.

Where are these ideas coming from? Beside Jane that is? Roz.

Roz is putting all sorts of not-so-crazy ideas in my head. Her blog is super organized, categorized, she is humorous, she can draw and paint like nobodies bidnss and she is my new blog crush. Except that she also introduced me to Andrea Joseph's Sketchblog. And is laughing is your thing then perhaps you should fall in love with Oswald over at the Mistress of Longears' Flickr site (Jane turned me on to her).

So. I am on the mend, quilting a piece that is bigger than 12" square(!), researching paint selections and color choices, and wondering how you are too. Thanks for sticking with me folks. I loves yous like I loves Bird Toes. (everything is better with an S at the end of it!)

And Whoa! Hey, wait!

Here is a free project I made for The Sewing Republic . Just released and spankin' new! I couldn't talk about it while I created the pattern, but I can now! Go download your pattern today.