More drawing supplies! I admit it, I'm addicted

 I just bought another of Johanna Basford's books. This time it's 'World of Flowers'. Inky Wonderlands is under it in the photo.

I decided I needed a new sketch book for all the Angela Kennedy classes I'm going to do. They're not so much classes as examples to try. I did buy one of her classes on etsy which I want to find time for. I'm going to do some decoupage with her name and one of the drawings for the sketch book cover. I have some nice scrapbook paper for the background.

 Since I've learned so much from Tam's Kaleidoscope classes I dug out the case I keep my paints in to find my gesso and medium. Sad to say both had gone bad so I had to buy new. The medium is in the photo. I still need to get some gesso. I also found I had water color pencils, surprise to me :), so I bought a pack of water color brushes. Christa Forest used them in her class. This women is freakin' amazing!!!!!! I love watching her work. I don't have the patience to learn to draw and paint like her but it is such a pleasure to watch her.

I found a YouTube video on using color pencil on fabric and a tip was to use Loc-Tite mounting putty to erase. Well, I  never knew you could erase these pencils from fabric so I bought a package to try. Results: after smooshing a piece up I tried erasing some purple pencil from fabric. It did remove most of the pencil. Maybe if I kept at it, it all would be gone. Not so good on paper, though. It didn't work at all. I got out my Pentel Hi-Polymer eraser and it took it right off the paper. BTW, it didn't work on the fabric which was just white cotton

 The 2 spiral bound books in the background I found in my paint box. Forgot I had bought them ages ago. Just packed them away since I really wasn't doing much drawing then. They're pretty old (copyright1988). I'm always on the look out at used book sales for any craft books so I guess that's why I bought them.

I did forget to add the new 0.5 pencils, the Pentel clicky erasers and Fiskars pencil sharpener I bought. I like to use the smaller lead pencils when drawing Johanna's inky creations but I still like my old Berol Turquoise with 4H lead for Angela's girls. I bought the pencil, 2 lead refills, the sharpener needed for them, and my big set of Prisma pencils when an old stationary store went out of business. Jack and I went overboard buying up various pens, pencils, rulers, paper, and other things at 50% to 75% off. I got a 60 pencil set for under $25.

 I'm also finishing up the August free embroidery and 'The Fall Stall' pattern. I spent a few hours this afternoon sorting thru doll patterns I started then put away so I have 2 of those I really want to work on. Finally finishing the new seahorse pattern made me want to make dolls again. As always I'm juggling way too many projects but I find it keeps me from getting bored. It also helps to put something away for a while then go back to it. It gives you a fresh eye to see what you really should change. 

Don't forget to come back for the free August embroidery!

Yay!!! Inky Wonderlands came!!!

 

Ever since I took Johanna's online classes last year I've been wanting to buy a copy of this book. I found a like new copy on ebay so I bought it! It came last week but with walking dogs and the extreme heat I just haven't had the desire for drawing. The sketch book is from last year. It's not like I really need another hobby but this is something to just enjoy and inspire my embroidery designs.

I'm trying to finish up another large design.  I'm almost done with the quilting but then I have a lot more to do. I'm updating the Fall Stall design I gave for free in 2019, adding a lot more to it to make it worth buying. Now it will be a quilted wall hanging with even more embellishments! I'm doing all the quilting by hand so it's taken longer than I wanted but after sewing one bit by machine I ended up picking it all out and doing it by hand.

 The free August embroidery has be designed and traced just need to find make the time to do it.

Hope you all have got your covid shots, if not take care of your self and those around you.

 

 

 

 

Too busy to think some days, how about you?

How busy are you? Here are some of the craft things I’m doing when I’m not doing the regular house chores, mowing grass, gardening, and helping the husband with whatever he’s working on.

I’m working on some new patterns. One is for a cloth animal that took me forever to find fabric I liked and even now I’m wishing for something else. That means it will get set aside while I move on to the other big project. It’s a new series of tatting patterns like my seasons series.

I was going thru some patterns I designed even before the original ones printed by Handy Hands. I need to see if she is still printing the book. If not it reverts back to me and I can sell it the way it was originally designed. As for this new pattern, I have to remake some of the samples simply because the threads for some are no longer being made. I’ve got 2 more to do, then comes deciding what I’ll put them on. I haven’t tatted in probably over 2 years. I moved on to other hobbies and just lost interest until I came across these old designs. If it didn’t take so long to tat I’d have even more patterns. You know I even designed a bunch of jewelry patterns but never did anything with them because I was afraid someone else may have already designed something similar. That's the problem with tatting.

When I’m not working on those items I’m working on a book with over 20 patterns. I’m not ready to reveal what they will be for since I haven’t decided whether I’ll sell it myself or try to get a contract with a publisher. It’s so hard to give up control and let a publisher take over.

Oh, and I don’t want to forget all the embroidery and quilting I’ve started (and not finished) in various containers in my sewing room. All I seem to finish are the monthly freebies I put here on my blog.

 So what’s this all about you ask? I recently added some more hobbies. I took some free weeklong art classes called Kaleidoscope 2021 free taster classes put together by Tamara Laporte. I thought some of them would help me with designing new doll faces and working with colored pencils. I enjoyed the classes so much I went out and bought water colors (which I haven’t used since I was a child) and a large box of sketching supplies. Now I’m looking for more classes. Here’s some pictures of results of 2 of the classes.

 

Of course instead of just drawing Tam’s dog and painting it, I turned it into an embroidery, too. I really liked the class of the girl with the bird on her shoulder. Angela Kennedy was the teacher. She has artwork on etsy and I just found here Facebook site called 100 days of hair, and yes I'm going to do them even when I know I'm over stressed with making stuff now. Last year it was Johanna Basford and now it’s learning how to use watercolors after drawing.

 

When I started Johanna’s free classes last year I bought a sketch book and some good erasers but after these classes I went out and spent (for me) a lot on art supplies. Now I’m stressing over whether I’ll really use them, should I return them, or should I just keep them. I mean did I have to have the large sketching kit? No, I could have bought a small one for half the price. Will I ever use the all the charcoals in it? I’m beginning to realize that I most likely won’t. It was the little case it all came in that “called” to me. I love those sorts of things. At least I did get the small watercolor case since I knew I may not use it very often.

After reading what I just wrote, it has made me realize the case will be going back and I’ll get the smaller set of just pencils and a new pack of blending  stumps. The art classes are supposed to be a calming fun hobby but if buying supplies I may not use is making me stressed it’s not working. I’m not good with spending large amounts on craft supplies any more. I have SOOOOOOOOOO much I’ve bought and never used.

 There’s all the supplies for microscope jewelry that I really wanted to make but it seemed like every time I got them out Mom would call. By the time I got off the phone I lost my muse so I’d put it all away again. Well, I can’t blame Mom anymore since she’s gone, now it’s the husband. I just know if he saw me trying to solder there’d be all kinds of “helpful” hints and he’d take over. Another hobby I used to love was making fur bears using old fur coats and new fake fur. I still have a large box (the kind Chewy deliveries come in) filled with coats, fur, eyes, silk thread for the noses, books, and lots of magazines. I got so tired of the fur sticking to me, the dogs, and getting all over the house I just gave up making bears out of fur. I need to sort everything so I can sell it all on ebay. At least I didn’t go too overboard with scrapbooking supplies. I realized early on it just wasn’t for me. Then there are all the doll size chairs and the pumpkins and the feathers and the fabric. I’m thinking I no longer want to a part of the ‘she who dies with the most craft supplies wins’. What’s the point of having so much stuff that instead of being inspired you feel overwhelmed? Guess that means I’ll be adding to the piles of sell, donate, toss. Now to make the time to take pics for ebay.

BTW, if you going to Tam’s site, willowing.org you’ll see more classes for Kaleidoscope 2021. It will be in August. Of course these you have to pay for. Tam does beautiful fantasy style artwork. Her drawings make me want to make them in cloth, not just draw them.

The next embroidery will be up soon :)