Where was I?

This drawing is one of those that doesn't really mean anything. For me it is my mind, it does not know where it's heading .

I took a break from knitting, and kept on drawing and drawing, while nothing was really clear.

Sunday chores

It is ten minutes before noon. I have done none of those chores I was going to do this morning, and then relax and do what ever a lazy Sunday would require.

Instead I took my watercolor crayons and started doodling. and here is the result.

I have no imagination to do anything else, so I will set a new time limit for myself, and try to get my chores done by 1 pm. Well now, lets make it by 2 pm, then I could feel victorious, if I finish before 2.

Drawing and Daisy

The flowers were done with XP Paint application, and the yellow Daisy was done with Crochet hook, my hands, and thread application.

Some days, I could swear that I should be making some other stuff than solve jigsaw puzzles. Then I hear in the radio that solving puzzles and doing crossword puzzles keeps one's mind sharper than if I was just cleaning my home, doing dishes, going shopping (I have no money anyway) and having coffee or tea, or other type of drinks. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the above stuff, I am just saying that in addition to above stuff, one should do something else, too.

Where am I going with this. Oh, yes: in August, 2006, I placed an order for a subscription for the artist's magazine. Finally, after numerous calls to those people who are sending magazines, I received my first issue. I didn't receive the free gift, that was supposed to come. I'll give them until Monday, now that things seem to be moving over at that place. I want my freebie. I just don't remember what it is going to be.

Drawing

I did some crazy drawing again. This was done in several days, a little bit at a time.

No heads or tails

but this pet monster has both.

My blue Campanula socks are history. I dropped the needles too many times, losing the row where I was. It was frustrating to get back to the right place. I decided to try with bigger needles and different yarn.

Not much of anything else happening, other than socks, and Joyella.

YOU tell ME!

What the heck I'm doing!
Since I have so many nearly unused sketchbooks, my hubby cut one in half so I can easily carry it in my knitting bag.
I named the book as my "Art Journal". The colors are weird, because I was, once again botching my scribbling. I should have left the whole thing alone, but noo, I had to play with the water and Q-Tip. Oh, well, I can always make another official page, if I want.

The other picture is something else. I have no idea, so you tell me.

Blobs and Smudges

I watched the video, I mentioned yesterday, and started thinking that I should do some mindless art work. That is: no goal, just let the colors do their thing.

First I had to spend at least half an hour in my stash room looking for a suitable
art journal. Every sketch book had a drawing or two, or more, but none of them were the right size. Of course I have the right size sketch book, but it was not with the other ones. Searching, giving up, watching telly, back to searching, and there it was, in one of my bags (I have lots of bags), and it was not even in the last bag I looked in.

I also found, in the same bag, some nice watercolor crayons, and drawing pencils.
I took, from the cabinet, the oldest, most used oil pastels and happily dumped my books and colors on the table and started meditating (10 seconds), and telling myself
to relax and try something new.

The oil pastels were perfect for my aimless smudging on the clean page. I took one color at a time, colored until the paper on the crayon hit the surface, and from there one color at the time. I kept coloring and coloring, with no goal. It felt good. When I was ready to check the result I knew something was missing. I took a knitting needle and started scribbling with that on the thick oil pastel smudges.



I named my creation "Rain forest Waterfall". I have never been in a rain forest, other than in Montreal Botanic Garden, and that is indoors.

After that I was ready to watch some more telly. I think there was NCIS or House to be watched. My mind kept traveling in other areas, and getting restless, so I had to get back to the table, where my sketchbook still was open on the new just created page. Something was missing, but I didn't know what. I had to sit down,
and my fingers just went to open the watercolor crayon box.

I took my fancy watercolor crayons and made a blob in the middle of the paper. Then, with Q-tips I watered it down with black coffee (no sugar) and just smudged the blob.

Later that night I started adding stuff on the smudged blob, and now it's a Rock Flower.




Knitting? My hands were aching mega time, and Advil didn't help, so rest them fingers for a few days.

That is it for now, folks.

Art Journal

Every time I go to Janet's blog, I find something interesting, other than her beautiful drawings. This is what I found today:

Art Journal Video

I started one couple of weeks ago, but have not done anything on the pages since...what, at least over a week (Sept. 17Th). I've been knitting SOCKS. No wonder my fingers are aching. Oh, the last drawing isn't anything to write home about, but I am going to put it here anyway. Maybe someone will get inspired of the fact that they too may be able to draw something silly like this:


This is just a doodle, it's not drawing, it's moving the pen on the paper with no true goal.

The video is very inspiring, and perhaps I could really make myself to scribble something on the pages. Hmph, no excuse not to do anything, the journal is in my knitting bag.
This book does not have the spirals, but I am NOT going to go and buy a new journal. Yesterday, when I was looking for a knitting needle set, I came across a nice leather-cover journal, with spirals. That would work, I think, but the pages have lines. I don't think it really matters, does it, if I cover the pages with paint. The journal I have with me would not do, if I filled it up with stuff. I think I will keep this one for doodling.

It's just so sad when I get inspired I am not in a position to do anything. I have nice oil pastels and paints at home, not here at work. So, I will knit. Socks.

I joined a group that draws something every day, and I started well, and then stopped. I have not noticed that anyone was looking for me, though. Sometimes I wish I was invisible and I could travel with a beam (I've been watching a lot of New Generation, and the likes, shows lately, because Hubby has the station on Spike late afternoons). Where was I? Time traveling, I suppose. And while I was on that trip, I took a quiz

and they told me to go back to the future. Didn't do too well on that one.

My perspective is off

Sometimes I wonder if I see the world with distorted view. Just like in that Ocular migraine, you know when lights flash in your eyes, the objects of your affection are distorted, and then you feel a slight discomfort throughout your being. Just like yesterday: our company big shots came to meet the staff. All good and nice, chatting, eating mini quiches, bits of cheeses and crackers, and drinking sodas and water. When the staff left, not at once, though, every time the assistant smiled and thanked us. I wanted to say "for what?" All was during business hours.....How is that related to perspective? I am going to exercise my fifth (of whatever) amendment, and not speak, otherwise I will be in trouble.

Well, I am just in a nasty mood today, and might smooth my thoughts later on.

At one point in my amateurish artist life I was to draw stairs or walls or windows in perfect harmonious perspective. I sat on the stairs, staring at the walls, and
my pencil refused to move. It had an "on strike" sticker attached on the lead part.
I started sobbing. Went back to my classroom (yes, this was in one of my art classes). Yvonne Singer, who was our instructor, told me to sit down at my desk, and draw what ever I saw around me. I was able to draw my desk, stuff on it, and somehow the objects appeared in perfect harmony. I still remember how encouraging she was to all of us.

The pictures for today are from last night. I was getting tired, when I was doing the coloring for the blocks. However, I will leave it as is, to show that I am not perfect, after all. It really should be obvious, but that is another story. Maybe there is a quiz somewhere for that.
Of course I had to check, and found this:

and my result was this:

How quirkyalone are you?
Your score was 57. Somewhat quirkyalone (otherwise known as quirkytogether):
You are probably part of a mysterious group of people, the quirkytogethers. You share many of our quirky qualities, but you manage to find yourself, on a regular basis, in a coupled situation. Interesting.

Back from Retreat

There I walked and admired the early spring beauty. Those stairs took you down to another set of steps that led to the creek below.

Some of our local crocheters and knitters got together for the weekend in Canterbury Hills, Ontario. We had a fabulous time. We crocheted, knitted, cross stitched, and one young lady was even spinning and making her own yarn. We ate and chatted and had truly a fantastic time.

I made a square with crochet thread and painted a woman, deep in thoughts, with watercolor crayons, started knitting a sock, crocheted a freeform scrumble, and knitted something a little bit. I also wrote my morning pages on Saturday morning, but Sunday morning pages are done with invisible ink. At least I can't find anything on the paper. Well, I might write something tonight. I like planning things, but doing something about them is another story.

Right now I am going to just take it easy and relax.

Two ATC's

Today was a strange day. I made two cards.











It was strange, because I have been knitting all week, and had no intention of making anything else. However, I got off from my knitting and crocheted a few afghan squares for charity. Oh,
that was yesterday.

Our local crochet group had a meeting today. I was working on my freeform element pieces, fire and water. When I came home I finished them off and used some of the end clippings on one of the cards. The other card has the background paper from Janet.

It's still cold

It's winter, I suppose. Freezing cold wind slithers thru your sleeves, into your arms, making you shiver and hope that you could be somewhere warm, like in the kitchen baking bread.

Of course, if you have a bread maker, then you might still feel the coldness that you brought in from outside. It's amazing how long the cold stays with you, once you have been hit by it. It takes several minutes, blowing warm air into your hands, although the coldest part might be your face. I am just wondering how would you blow warm air into your face. Hairdryer could be handy. But, usually, the hairdryers are not in the kitchen. The fastest warming trick is hot water from the tap, unless pipes were burst due to freezing cold.

Now, if you insist opening the windows or the patio door, to let your lovely pets out, remember to wear woollen hat, mittens and a parka, that has some sort of fur, fake or not, trimming just to make you believe that the fur trimming would make the parka even warmer than it really is. If the parka has loose sleeves, make sure your oven is on, for the bread.

And to make matters worse, these two cards were finished this afternoon.

ATC in my mind

Little problem with my cards, they warp when I add something on the card, like felting or drawing that is covered with shiny coating.

I think I might be using the wrong kind of paper/cardboard.

Anyone has good suggestions, before I go insane. The one here, with all green, is OK, because I had it under pressure overnight.

All those other ones warp, even though they too were pressed, but not as long... Remember, I just started this new obsession. Hmm, last night I did nothing, because I was upset about the warping.

And another question, the one that is highest on the pile has beads glued on, how can I be sure they stay? Is there a magic glue that can be used? I covered the beads with Elmer's glue, which turns transparent when dries. Oh, there is so much to learn, isn't there?

Other than the cards, I dove to my yarn stash, and found many UFOs that I want to finish, for example, a fuchsia scarf. My favorite color NOT. It is amazing what levels I will go in starting new projects without finishing off the old ones. Many levels, I believe. How do I categorize the levels...oh, that would be another project, organized thinking.

It's 7 in the morning, so you must understand that half of my brain is still sleeping, or living the insane dream that I had last night.

More about ATC

I have been trying to figure out how to make my next ATC. There are so many beautiful and interesting cards that artists have made. Of course, me, the very humble one, thinks that me cannot produce anything creative and artistic. There are clouds of blockages over my head and some of them even squiggle into my mind and tell me that I am not good enough to make anything interesting. Yup. I am sure this is a common thought with some people, but it really doesn't make my ATC to develop into anything.

This is my second attempt, a flower basket, if you may, and I am sending it away.

Hubby made some transparent labels to attach on the back of the cards, and I am now all set to make some more.

ASK

ASK = Artist Survival Kit
I got this link from one of my many groups, as I was clearing my e-mails.

http://www.kerismith.com/ask.html
interesting stuff.

I am now thinking of making a few ATC's.
Made one already, and here it is:



The one with a castle and flower is from my friend Janet.
She sent me this ATC.