Slow Stitching - No. 014 - Layers and the Moon

Week 14 of the Slow Stitching challenge with K3N Cloth Tales.

The prompt was layers and the moon with the lunar eclipse coming soon. It was geared to experiencing stitching through several layers of fabric and how the stitching starts giving it structure and weight.

I chose an owl for my animal.  I started with a 4.25" square of deep purple linen, then a striped layer for horizon line, then my yellow full moon and topped with  my Owl. This is a smaller version of this one I created for Inktober.

I stitched the horizon layer to the linen in several lines of stitching. Then I stitched the moon with running stitch in circles, then I stitched my Owl on with black thread. I added yellow accents with felt eyes, beak and feet. I used the stem stitch for the branch is sitting on in brown thread. I added stars to the night sky and voila another square done.

Art Project - Inktober 2023

#9

I decided to participate in the Inktober 2023 challenge.  They published a daily prompt list which I did not have time to follow.

I have been inclined to try this medium for a while and when the I was made aware that there was a Flickr Group I could join, I did.

I have some permanent fine tip markers. I used 90lb watercolor paper for my first few pieces because that is what I had on hand.  I pulled out what supplies I had and got started. 

#1

I used a Ultra Fine Point Sharpie marker for this piece on the light weight watercolor paper.

I was always inclined to want to paint afterwards which why I used watercolor paper.

I laid out my wavy river lines then marked up the vertical and horizontal lines on either side.

I added dimension with the color.

I knew I had tools I had used in the 1980s for calligraphy so I pulled those out. Turns out I had Speedball holders and quite a few calligraphy nibs most of which had a reservoir. I had picked up a small metal box of dip nibs recently so I pulled those out and cleaned them.   There were a couple of straight dip nibs so I put one in a holder and tried it out.  I did have several bottles of Daley Rowney FW Acrylic Inks in my stash as well.

#2

This is my next piece which was a straight steel dip pen nib and DR FW Purple Lake acrylic ink.

I was able to achieve quite fine lines, tiny dots and marks. Filling in the darker spaces was a bit challenging and the paper was not smooth enough.

The watercolor paper tended to lose bits of paper fiber that would get stuck in the nib.

Composition quickly becomes a challenge and I was just making marks at this point.  I had check out a few videos on line.

#3

This one used blue acrylic ink. 

I used smooth 110lb white card stock I use for card making for this piece.  That worked better with next to no issues with the paper surface.

Still using the Macleans Best Ever No.2 steel dip nib and a black dip pen holder. 

It was not a very good composition.    I chose just a small corner that I thought worked out pretty well.

#4

The pen and nib were getting more comfortable and I dug more colors to play with.

This is a dark green in the same brand as before and the red is a calligraphy ink.

The grasses I managed to make some very thin and other a bit thicker.

The composition when drawing something actual instead of abstract worked out better.

#5

Here the drawing was a bit challenging.  I did make a light pencil to start with which I erased once the piece was dry.

More new colors was kind of fun.  

I was wanting to fill a shape with patterns - not realistic but artsy.

Other than the wing I am happy with this one.

After doing some checking on line for direction on a good nib for a dip pen I decided to visit my local art supply store - Delta Art and Drafting Supplies.  

The Zebra G nib was recommended on line so I purchased one of those at under $3. I was looking for a black ink which I could then watercolor on top. 

The Daler Rowney FW Acrylic ink was recommended on sale about $7. I had to leave it dry completely before watercoloring over it.

Now, I wanted a paper I could use.  After considering that I am a beginner and a $70 pad of paper was out of the question I settled on a Canson pad for fluid mixed media.  The pad was also on sale for just about $9.  I went home with supplies for about twenty dollars which I hoped would help advance my art pursuits.

I also found on line a video that recommended a container of alcohol to clean your nib as you were drawing. I chose an old film container as it seals tight.  I use put in enough to the depth of my nib.

I selected one of the dip pen holders I had in my stash.  I have no idea when I acquired this vintage Eagle Pencil Company - made in Canada holder.  It has been well used but still in good shape. 

That is the Zebra G Nib installed ready to go.

#6

Here's my first piece with the new tools and supplies.  The paper is very nice.  

I divided the page into 4 pieces with score lines which would make a manageable amount of space to fill.

I looked at several owl line drawings on line and composed one of my own using aspects of the ones I had found.

I am happy with this drawing.

And here it is watercolored.

I painted a light wash over the whole piece then added color to the owl.

I love the yellow eyes and dark wings.  Of course, the color is just out of my head.

I mixed all my colors mostly and used some black gouache to darken some of my colors.

#7

Here's my next composition.  I drew a meadow with a tree, flowers and a little mushroom.  The original was rectangular but with more flowers on the right hand side so I just cropped it to square.  I had to lose a bit of the tree to keep the mushroom which of course was necessary.

It was then painted. Again an overall light wash so I don't have a white background. Blue to the top and green to the bottom.

#8

Here's just an abstract where I drew lines then filled in the spaces with pattern.

I found this one quite dark as all the patterns are quite heavy.

It has been fun to work on these projects, learn something new, be inspired to draw and get the right tools and supplies to have some success at it.

I will make more projects and look forward to Inktober in 2024.

You will find number 9 at the top of the post. This is a smaller version of the owl for the Macro Monday challenge I do every week.  The theme was spooky but the limitations are that the piece photographed can only be 3 inches.  I scaled down my first one which was about 4 inches tall down to 3 inches.  I did not capture the ink drawing before I painted it.  I was on a deadline and missed a step.  That is how it goes.  Then photographed the painting with dramatic light and I think it did Spooky really well.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a walk yesterday with extra layers on just to get out of the house and see something other 4 walls and give my leg some exercise.

There are a lot of leaves on the ground and they make a lovely sound when I walked through them. 

There were big snowflakes falling for a few minutes.  In my neighbourhood we don't have snow on the ground yet.  I am surrounded by many areas that do have snow on the grassy areas.

I took this shot from very near the ground to have some good depth of field. 

Love the few snowflakes captured at the same time.

This is "Frank the Owl".  He is a multicolored glass figurine from Piers 1. He was rescued by my sister from the trash and donated to me. 

I love his big blue eyes.  He is very cute and has no chips or damage of any kind.  Thank you sister. His body is multi - colored glass with orange feet and beak.

I love glass despite that at times it is hard to photograph.

The navy yarn arrived with my sister from my Mom's house.  This is what I will assemble my new afghan when the squares are complete.  

I checked my old files this morning. Wow, I did a lot of crocheting in my twenties. Many were given away as gifts. I have 2 which stayed with me.

I have documented what yarn I used but not the size of the crochet hook or the pattern.  I will have to get started and do some sample squares to get them to 6.00 inches.  

Thanks to my sister again I have had 3 meals of turkey dinner.  Turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts and dressing with garden fresh carrots. 

It was very good and another thank you to my sister.

On my walk yesterday I stopped at the recycle center and rescued these 3 books from a box.  I will quarantine them for a couple of weeks.

I have been reading a lot being at home so much so I need a regular injection of new ones.  I think our libraries are open but I have not been visiting them.

Winter has come very quickly to our area.  These flowers were still around.  The first is Pink Yarrow, the middle is a dried Echinacea or Cone Flower and there were still roses and buds.

 

"String" is the challenge for Flickr Macro Monday today.  The photo on the left is one of a few I took for the challenge.  It is a clay button with a jute bow.

You can check my Photostream SMDPics to see which photo I submitted. 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #101  and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #262.

Christmas Thank Yous

As per tradition I used paper from one of my gifts to make my thank you cards.

It was great to add these owls to my cards.  I chose burgundy, green and brown as my card bases.   I did have to go around the scotch tape which meant different shapes of decorative paper.

I made a large greeting which I printed on ivory card stock then punched out with the large 2" circle punch.

I used a coordinating ink color to smudge the edge of the greeting.










I really appreciated the gifts I received.  The best was spending time with family for a full day on Christmas day.

Our gift exchange for adults was a bunch of consumable gifts.  I got beef jerky and smoked cheese.  I swapped out the bottle of red wine for mulled spices.

The Zoo - Pandas

A trip south to see the Giant Pandas at the Calgary Zoo was on my road trip list for this summer.

I managed to get there on the last day of summer weather - Sept 11th. It snowed the next day.

The 4 pandas Er Shun and Da Mao, and her two cubs, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue will be staying in Calgary for 5 years.

There was only one who was active during my visit.  Check out the last photo in the mosaic.  Do you think it wants to see anybody?  Don't think so!

I fortunate that kids were back in school and my visit was during the day so the crowd was small.

My niece came with me so I had a great guide to making the most of my limited time there.

It was great and I expect to visit again before they leave.





The Butterfly House was another must.  The species seem to bit limited in this house and I found the same at the Botanic Gardens earlier this summer.

Of course the Blue Morpho is the hit of the house. I managed one with its wings spread. The other is one which had just emerged in the chrysalis house.

This black and orange one on the left is the Hecale Longwing and the one on the right is the Dark Evening Brown.  I was concerned it had lost a lot of wing but its wings are very squarish.

In the Canadian Wilds area I found the Whooping Crane and the Great Grey Owl.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #101.

Framed Art Canvas - Owl

I created this piece of art of my niece and god daughter who celebrates a birthday this week. 

The canvas was created by another niece who produces this wonderful pour art. Xyla Creations.  I purchased this piece back in May as it had the perfect colors for my god daughter.

I added the black frame. 

I created the tree trunk and branches from ripped black card stock. 

I added the circle moon cut from copper metallic card stock.

I added the brass owl pendant in front of the moon with his feet on the branch. 

I added the sentiment with vellum tucked into the bottom of the art with out being adhered.

I used glue dots to attach all the pieces only to find a day later all the pieces had fallen down.  Attaching stuff to acrylic paint has been a challenge before.  I resorted to tiny black brads but I really did not want to make holes in the wonderful canvas. 

The owl is a piece of jewelry so I gave my god daughter the matching chain in case somewhere along the line she wants to wear it.

I was able to deliver it in person and spend a day with her.  It was a wonderful time.

Lunch out is always a nice thing.

R2Go All Occasion Stack Kit - Set 05

I cut the flowers from black card stock.

I selected designer paper and coordinating card stock for the base.  It was cut to leave a small border.  I adhered the DSP to the card front.

I then aligned the flower and and stem onto the card front. Once happy, I adhered the flower then the stem and trimmed it to the edge of the card.

I made a hole in the center of the flower with a push pin.  I placed the flower sequin then the handmade flower by Prima onto the tiny black brad and placed the prongs through the hole and press them apart on the inside of the card.

 This set features black and white printed elements.  The images were downloaded from Pixabay. They were printed onto white card stock then they were punched with a 2" circle punch.

I chose designer paper which would coordinated with the elements and then cards in black, white or kraft.

Once the desinger paper was adhered to the card front I wrapped a piece of black knitting ribbon around the card front and knotted it.

The element is created when the white circle is adhered to the black Stampin Up Deco Label die cut.  The label is then adhered over the ribbon with 3D foam tape.

 This card features a large metallic copper diecut daisy done with the Sizzix Daisy #4 die.

I chose designer paper and card stock combinations that worked well together.  The DSP is cut to leave a small border then adhered to the card front.

I tack the copper daisy lightly with adhesive.  This time because I have no greeting I swung the stem to the center.  I used a push pin to create a hole in the center of the flower.  I placed the teal and copper flowers onto the tiny copper brad and pressed it through the hole I made. Spread the prongs on the inside.

Check the kit tab for availability.

Card Club Kit - Set 3 - Card 4

I just loved this designer paper - WeR Memory Keepers - Wildflower - Botanical. I spent way too much time finding the right image for this card but I am happy with this owl available from Pixabay.

I printed the owl in Early Espresso onto vellum and clear embossed it.  I trimmed the vellum to 3.75 x 5.00 inches.  I tacked the vellum in place leaving a small border. 

I cut a slit in the fold and ran the dark brown seam binding through and brought it around to the front.  I placed some double sided tape between the vellum and designer paper where it will be hidden by the ribbon. I knotted the ribbon and trimmed the ends.

I placed the leaf onto the ribbon and used a push pin to create a hole through the card front.  I pushed the tiny brad through a hole in the leaf, and captured it under the brad.  This works to keep the leaf and the vellum secure.

Cards to the Gallery

I chose a nice red poppy for a this card.  The phot was trimmed to 3.75x3.75.

The white layer was color printed with a smoky slate frame and flourish.  This was adhered to the front of a green card.

The photo was adhered to card front aligned in the frame.












I chose a brown owl photo trimmed handled the same way as the poppy and placed onto a turquoise card.

The last owl sold last week so it was time to add another.

Recent Snapshots - Zoo

I took a visit to our local zoo to see if I could supplement my collection of bird photos.  Last time I was there the exhibit was being worked on. 

I managed a decent photo of the Kooburra despite the narrowness of the bars of it's cage.  They did not laugh while I was there but posed quite nicely.

The exhibit is called Arctic Shores and houses 2 type of seals - Harbors Seals and Northern Fur Seals.

They were swimming and have a great time with those of us looking in.  

I love the color of the water and the bubbles they create with their rapid movements.

This is a Barred Owl.  There were a couple in the enclosure and they sat quiet as we the humans admired them from a distance.

I can imagine in his native environment he would be very hard to spot.  Nature is a wonderful thing.

It had rained most of the morning which delayed my plans for a visit.  As you can see the sun did appear occasionally between a very cloudy sky. 

The rain held off for which I was grateful.

This is the one winged bald eagle named Zeus who lives at the zoo.  Of course, it could not be released.

I love it's eyes which are quite piercing. 

I did not watch it feeding but I heard comments from others around who did.

I got a great photo of Lucy the Elephant as she was taking her walkabout the grounds. 

Of course, she had 2 attendants who accompanied her but I was glad not to have them or the row of people taking photo across from me. 

They had just given her a drink and a bit of a spray down from the water hose.   

Nice to see her out and about instead of on concrete.

This Brown Hawker Dragonfly was very cooperative.  It sat there for quite a while so I just kept taking photos from different angles.  Maybe it was having a nap.

I had not see a brown one before.

Excellent opportunity.

Here is a mosaic of three of the animals I photographed at the Zoo. 

The top right hand is a Red Tailed Hawk.  I missed the shot which had him with his wings spread and the red tail very visible.

Sharing with
Through my Lens #106 hosted by Mersad.

Art Framed - Warm Owl

I framed one of my paper pieced owls which I created for the 2017 calendar.

I had to trim the art work a bit to keep the ratio of the shiny pale gold frame.  I found a piece of dark brown card stock onto which I mounted the art.  I then selected a piece of warm buttery yellow art paper to create the back ground layer. 
Mounting the art piece with googly eyes created a spacing issue inside the frame.  After trying several things with no success, I added 4 punched suns in the four corners of the brown square.  These were mounted with 3D foam tape in the same thickness as the eyes. 

The piece was then inserted into the frame as usual.  It seems to work quite well. 

The owl calendar has been popular this year so I hope the framed owl will also be popular.  It would work in several areas of decorating as well as a focal point in a space for one who just loved it!