A Souvenir

I do my best to control my collections (such as my fabric stash) and to avoid collecting anything else. However, once in a while I'll pick up a small souvenir. It was Paris, after all, even if my Eiffel Tower key chain was made in China. And it was fun to draw in my daily journal. Nice memories are attached to that silly trinket.

Doodling with Darning, 2

The darning is getting wilder and looser. And then French knots came to the party to add a splash!

Solutions

Ha! Did it--I solved a problem in my on-going endeavor to clean up, toss out, or fix and repair. I have a large 2-hole notebook for my textile sketchbook. My original intention was to attach fabric to drawing paper made for notebooks, using the holes of the paper. Hmmmf. 
                      Here's my first page-->

The paper has shredded. Not one of my greater ideas.


Eventually, grosgrain ribbon for the holes came to mind as a solution, but simmered on the back burner until yesterday. 
<--The latest page. A much improved system. 

Now to get all the previous pages fixed...

Rodin and the Daily

My visit to the Rodin Museum in Paris appeared in my daily journal. I would have liked to sit and sketch for hours in the sculpture garden, but it was cold and raining. I only got started on a drawing in another sketchbook. So here I worked from a photo I took. The hands, the hands... 

The St. Augustine quote reminded me of the benefits of traveling to another place, even in the dead of winter: "The world is a book, and those who don't travel read only a page."

Doodling with Darning, 1

The piece I took to Paris has some new additions. I've been wanting to play with the weave technique of darning to see what can be done with it. Pushing it, pulling it, distorting it, playing with space. More stitching fun ahead...

Holiday Spirit

Yes, I've got a bit of that holiday spirit. We sketched a nutcracker at Sketch Club. However, if you have to break nuts with your teeth, I don't see how you can smile much. Ho-ho-ho!

Out & About, 15

Back from a lovely trip in Paris (despite the cold) and trying to get back in the saddle. Sketching while out and about before the trip.

Donuts

Just foolin' around in my old planner sketchbook for Sketch Club. My friend put a plate of donuts in front of me. I resisted by sketching them. Hmmpf. Now I wish I had eaten one, or two or three...she always makes tasty food.

I decided to practice lettering, trying different combinations of cursive and print, upper and lower case. Kind of fun with the watercolors.

Restaurant Life

Sitting in a restaurant in Tunis, I had time to sketch some clients. 

My wild lines are looking like lava lamps these days...