sewing saturday

It's been a week of hand sewing because of my back issues. I suspect rotary cutting is antagonizing it. But... along with the EPP hexie project being done at night, I did a little paper piecing.
By a little I mean 3' finished blocks...

One was from the internet free, and this one is from my software Sew Precise.
A while back I painted 4 pieces in neutrals to remind me of living in the west. Note I went back and drew on mesa's along the bottom of this one.

I took white strips and painted black aspen bark and they are just lying on it at the moment. I wanted to give the piece more ooomph so out came the scrap bag of cherrywood hand dyed strips and two different paper pieced blocks. These little flying geese finish at 3".
Of course I can't decide which way to face them, to insert some color, to go around the painted piece first.

this design part takes most of my time. I think I'll make a whole separate piece with the star blocks, making some more to go with them. I'll have to figure out what to do with the geese, as I want them somehow on this piece.
I learned, I love the cherrywood colors even though they are not bright. I hate using them piecemeal like this though, as they are in gradient strips, I feel I should be using them on string projects in order of color.

paint party Friday

Welcome to paint party Friday!  I am still drawing or painting every day, increasing my skills, learning about supplies, learning by doing and by tutorial. I now have several brands of paints, papers and application techniques to experiment with.
I tried using my florescent KOI paints to do another water lily, but used the other paints and tombow markers as well.

The thing I noticed this week is that a cropped image can greatly improve composition.Now how will I use that when creating the original work? I do not usually sketch first.

I do most of my drawing and painting at the kitchen table, next to my computer. I use whatever is handy to sketch on,

I'm inspired by views I see like my coleus

to try to capture perspective. I do not like the simple coloring on the leaves but do like the overall sketch being somewhat in perspective.

I loved this simple sunflower I saw last weekend, so did a VERY simple one using tombow markers and my waterpen to soften it. I liked drawing a simple blue line around it, then dragging the color outwards to settle it on the page

I don't know why but I just love this little flower painting in person. It's soft but recognizable, and not overworked.

I saw an image on someone's blog of clouds and wanted to capture the line dividing clouds from sky. They were golden. I got a bit too much color from the florescent yellow of my KOI set, but generally I liked making it. I'd say the finished piece looks more like surf though.

as artists we can lead the viewer to see what we see, but I am not always in control of the finished product!

I followed a tutorial, kind of, by Shayda Campbell this week, to make a little card for my friend. Shayda was talking about the Victorian language of flowers, I was trying out the tombow markers, how quickly they stain, which colors blend with water even after drawing.

the backs of the little cards/paintings. Top left is overlying stamps using tombow avacado green marker, little bird used tombow marker in bright blue and orange, message done with black pigma 05 and a stamp

A youtube tutorial (AmberK Creatives https://www.youtube) on how to draw whimsical houses with watercolor markers led to this. I used what I had, bright tombow markers not Arteeza, but I learned a lot about dragging color, creating depth, shading and mixing on the paper. I like the "fluid" square paper I'm trying this time. Very stable, able to lift color easily with no pilling, nice weight, easy to use paint, marker, pencil on.

I loved putting in lines of color along the sides and pulling color out with waterbrush. I went in with staedtler gray markre and pencil for texture, and might leave the window box flowers... not sure. I wanted to create a balcony over the door but not sure how.

One afternoon I wanted to create my own little simple whimsical house, in honor of my two friends moving into new homes this month... After being done, I went in with pencil to create roof slats but don't think it works. I liked the stained class window, and the little word on the mail box, as well as the stone chimney and curved roofline.

completely done with tombow markers and waterpen, then staedtler marker at the end for definition, and white gel pen for highlights in windows.
So what did I learn? how the marker colors can move on paper, how to sketch more in perspective, how child like my style is. DH helped with that. I whined about being childish in style, and he said it was like a child's illustrated book, maybe because of the bright colors. That made me feel better.

I know bright colors make me happy, but I also like realistic colors too. Well, there's room for all.
linking to these parties

Pink Saturday!
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/
Create, Bake, Grow & Gather Link Party

I Like Thursday #154

Welcome to this week's list of likes! I like porch sitting in the summer, with a cold glass of tea and a good book. I'm reading the diary of Frances Burney  written in 1780's. Fascinating account of living at the English court with (mad) King George and Queen Charlotte.

We went to an outdoor quilt show in Lyons CO and saw some mighty fine quilts... til it started pouring rain, then I went into the shop to "look around" lol.

This week's cow is courtesy of Barbara Beasley's exhibit upstairs. Terrific detail work done in fabric.

We had lunch at a cafe while listening to live music, and rain pattering on a plastic roof. This sign (unattended cars will be painted by local elementary school kids) made me chuckle. We made sure to move it before looking around the little town.

We'll have to go here next time!

I loved this tree but don't know what variety it is, do you?

wonder what the story was here? Cute!

The town is known for it's sandstone. I liked the patchwork sidewalks.

I am almost finished with my Christmas hexie table runner... I have decided to applique it to this center, and leave the edges hexie shaped after quilting with gold thread. The top fabrics were runner's up.

Love using my harvest of vege in dinners. We have been picking the small purple, and small white eggplants and even got a zucchini (fairly small too). We used turkey sausage after removing the pork casings, and added in onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes. Simmer. Make an alfredo sauce for just before serving on pasta or brown rice.

We were out for an evening walk, and passed a neighbor who has a garden. The husband was watering it with a hose, and asked if we were hot... LOL
then he offered for us to take the peaches once they are ripe, growing along his fence line.
It was a good sharing moment.

I am sketching and painting each day, and will show all of the pretties tomorrow on Paint Party Friday. I'll show whatever I was able to sew on Sewing Saturday.

and I loved this version of say a little prayer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyRMD0ZXW68
In fact, while it was playing one morning, I looked over at DH in the kitchen, doing everyday things to get ready for work,.... and smiled.
He smiled too.....so we danced.
eventually Milo came over wagging his tail, and stood between us as we danced.
We are a wee family of three and it's good.
Milo's Moments

I like napping in front of an open screen door, with light on me! I can hear all the critters, able to leap up with no notice, to bark and warn Mama!
I like my new indestructible chicken the pawrents came home with...

Before and after

It is indestructible! I take at least a week to chew something off, and even when it's all chewed up like the one on the right, it's the nightime go-to toy of choice to get daddy to chase me around the coffee table for, heh heh. I'm always the faster one! If he turns around, so do I so he's always behind me. If he slows down to be in front I slow down more so he catches up. I could go to the Olympics with this skill!

I almost chewed the skin off my latest ring toy, Mama laughs and calls me foo-man-chew (or something that sounds like that) when I carry it around.

I liked going with my peeps to the mountains last weekend. At the table I liked Daddy to hand feed me my kibble, one at a time, not like a dog with his face in the bowl! And here's a hint to all you nervous dogs, if you get your pawrent to do that, you know they won't leave while you're face down in a bowl!

Now, sit! Stay! Please leave a comment so the Mama is happy, and visit her friends who kept lists of likes too!

new this week:
please welcome:   http://www.piecefulthoughts.com
http://spiralj2.blogspot.com/
maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com 
https://julierosequilts.blogspot.com/   
Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer

http://littlepenguinquilts 

https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/ 

craftscaviescontras    
http://homesewnbyus 

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 
http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com     
https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/ 
https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/  

Linking to these parties
viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/
http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/

 http://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/

rosie and the boys nature pics   
Thankful Thursdays pet parade

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/

The Week Ahead... mid august 2019

our garden harvest

Welcome to this week's happy homemaker post!

we set the fountain back up

 The Weather in Aurora
It's summer... in the 90's, chance of rain (pretty much daily) with some part of the day blue skies, some part densely cloudy, some part dry, some part rain. I've been told, it's usually slightly cooler in August, by a few degrees. This bush flowered last week, attracting hundreds of bees and insects, as well as humming birds!

is it Russian Sage?

To Do
the harvest is rolling in here with ripe bell peppers, eggplants, and miracles! a ripening zucchini.
The above pic is two peppers, one with blossom end rot, grrrr, an eggplant and a neighbor brought over his zucchini (he likes to grow vege but not eat them). More about them later in "eating"
sort through the week's art supply purchases
back to the library to return one overdue book (went yesterday but they hadn't sent notice)
mail some things (meaning a dreaded trip to Post Office)
return to chiro for my back? (I'm afraid so)
clear off the kitchen table? (as if...)
Call two friends to catch up, this week. 
Do what I can to sort and clean,  with my recovering weak back
Have you noticed there are daily to do's and there are major goals to work towards... How do you keep moving forward with things?

smell the fresh basil???

eating
we made a lovely fresh pasta sauce with three purple eggplants this week. Onions, peppers, garlic, sliced eggplant, tomato sauce all saute on stovetop over angel hair. VERY good.
I harvested another handful of lima beans, and cooked them in filtered water in the microwave with a bit of salt. There were not a lot of them, but we three shared them and they were incredibly sweet! No butter, just the fresh just picked beans. SO sweet
This week, the white eggplant are about large enough to pick, so I hope to make a casserole with them, turkey sausage, a white cheese sauce and some chopped tomatoes. I plan to slice the zuke my neighbor gave us, and put olive oil and panko crumbs on the circles, and bake them.
(Milo says he expects to get more dog food, oy)

reading
I'm reading the next teahouse series book at night, and listening to Clockmaker's daughter on disc in the studio. Pugmom suggested a new to me author, C J Box and I got his first book on disc to listen to in studio after finishing the Kate Morton book.
I read 8 magazines last week, because I was sidelined with my back, and it felt good to hand them off to neighbors after enjoying the pretty pictures and articles.

watching
We watched the first season of Pitching In (BBC comedy on ACORN) and enjoyed it a lot. The lead was the father actor from Gavin and Stacy, one of our all time favorite shows.
I'm watching Master Chef, and big brother now and then but it's confusing and annoying.
I am having a great romp watching Bachelor in Paradise! More marriages have come from that than the bachelor franchise.
We have moved on to watching a new to us Irish comedy , Joy. So cute! It's going to be fun.
We have to skip around with seasons on youtube but we're trying to watch "Time Team" still
Songland is returning soon, and I can't wait for This is Us as well as my other shows to return

I am still searching youtube online for painting tutorials and TED talks

Making
We went on some car trips this weekend, so I sewed on an old hexie Christmas project, and now want to just finish it. I was going to piece in some hexies to the center but I'm not sure... maybe applique it. I think it would be cute with hexies in white and metallic gold in center, and just quilt it with gold threads.

My neighbor invited me over to meet her college aged daughter who also draws and paints, for a lesson in shading. I had a nice afternoon comparing art and learning more about technique.

I talked to a friend in SC this week, and one of our discussions was about our mutual retirement and recent moves, and what we have for goals artistically. We both want to prepare hand work to take to do while watching TV at night, as we both have a lot to make but tend to not do it if it's not prepped.
Make more art!
I would like to finish some older projects, to paint on fabric more, to get some art projects done to show my group next week. My back spasm has gotten in the way of making last week, so I hope to try again this week.

I'd like to paint a version of this!

That's about it for now. I write a list of things I've liked for the week, on Thursdays, and a paint party post on Fridays. No fiction writing for the summer, but it's in my heart to do soon, as is beading.

I hope to call two long distance friends this week. I called three last week, and talking with good friends raised my spirits so much. Distance doesn't matter when you share your lives with someone!
I also had a call from a neighbor who came over for a visit, and we laughed and talked while enjoying the garden from the porch. It's the relationships in life that make it special, and it's the love we share that makes it meaningful.
Why are we here? Not to fight or hurt others for sure.

Linking to
Esther's blog Wednesdays 
Midweek makers wednesdays
all seasons
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
Our World Tuesday
happy homemaker monday

paint party Friday

I merged two tutorials to paint this. It looks vibrant in person but I can't make the image match the true rich colors. I watched one tute on painting water lillies, and one on painting overlapping petals.

"Summer Chorus"

I wanted to try out the new to me paints, so I put blobs of color on the sketchbook, then drew faces under them. I wanted to try to make some female and some male... how to do that? If you can't tell, the yellow flowers are guys, slightly square jawlines, heavier features and an adams apple.
It makes me laugh, and what more can you ask of your art?

again, very washed out colors in this image

As you may remember, Milo tried to eat my free sheet of "good" paper from the art store, but I decided there was enough left to try out the paint on. I tried blending by dragging the color next to each other while wet. I liked the way it blended, but may still use the cheaper paper to learn on.

It looks like geodes to me. I used the new brush, and again, it's okay but a challenge to control. I'll continue to use my waterbrush and KOI paints along with the new ones.

"There's a bunny in the Garden"

one of the shards became this little painting, and know what? I might tear paper in the future as I like the odd shape to paint!
the back of that one...

Thanks Milo, for your help
I was chatting with a new friend, and she said her daughter loves to draw. I asked if she would teach me some things about shading and perspective. I went over Thursday for a lesson, and learned a bit about how Brianna works. She approached drawing with more planning and intent than I do. She sees shapes in each object, and enjoys drawing animals at the zoo. she has all the best art supplies, and takes a lot of time on each picture.

both of us drawing the same lily

I acknowledged the value of that but that is not my jam. Nope. I prefer faster, looser, approach and often like to just start painting, then turn it into something. When it's a goal oriented piece like this lily from my friend Joann's blog http://teatimegardening.blogspot.com/

I wanted to learn more about illustration, shading, and drawing, so no color on this one. It was harder to draw than to paint, in my opinion. The image isn't great but I like it in person. It's recognizable as a lily and the bee looks like a bee. When you create any artwork, it's up to you to make decisions about what to include in your composition, and what to leave out.

 I decided I will likely develop a style, not truly realistic, but representational. I'll continue to learn from anyone willing to teach me.

Linking to these fun parties!:
http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/

https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/