The Alpha Dog

A "Dog Alphabet" popped up someplace on the internet and it tickled my fancy. Had to get it onto a page in my journal. So much fun!

Inching Along

Oh, those French knots are so time-consuming--and I fell asleep with needle in hand last night. But, their beauty makes up for it all. It's a love/hate relationship...

Finishing Off

Along with the end of 2015 came the end of my somewhat-daily journal. I persuaded my husband to draw a little something while we sat in a doctor's waiting room. His choice of subject made me chuckle because when he was young he disliked dogs. And here we are now, many dogs later...

"Artully Inspired Life," 2

January's inspirational word for Joanne Sharpe's "Artfully Inspired Life" is "Light". This is the mantra page.

Very fun to do and gee, I didn't know I could do that!

"Artfully Inspired Life," 1

Knowing there would be some pretty big bumps in the road for 2016, I enrolled in Joanne Sharpe's "Artfully Inspired Life" that focuses on art journaling and lettering, besides signing up for "Expressing" at Sketchbook Skool. I need to have someone else organize the "fun" in art this year, while I work to finish some major pieces and face the medical challenges of a family member. Joanne takes one by the hand in such a cheerful and positive way. I do not worry about being artistically influenced in my textile work because Joanne's brand of "whimsical" does not coincide with my artistic vision. However, I will allow myself to be led and some "whimsical" will slip into this blog for awhile. I have wanted to play a bit with lettering for a long time, but, I didn't want to start from scratch. So Joanne has done the work for me and I'm happy to follow.  

This month's alphabet is wonky. Very fun--nice way to start the year.

Doodling with Darning, 3

More late-night darning.

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...