Took an intro to watercolor class where we learned about watercolor painting basics at the Botanical Gardens. For three Saturdays, I woke up early to go to the Botanical Gardens and learn with fellow students. It was great to be surrounded by so much natural beauty and get outside, but there were also practical realities such as dealing with the weather, finding a place to set your art supplies, and pesky ants. I was glad to get the intro and prove to myself that I could get up early on a Saturday. I plan to practice more with this medium which I feel is offers a opportunities to explore the line between control and letting go.
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I've been curious about needle felting for a while and finally had a chance to give it a try. I purchased a kit and following the instructions, I was able to create this little guy. It's supposed to be a dog, but to me, it looks more like a fox.
With needle felting, you take wool, roll it up and poke it with special needles to make the fibers mesh together. The more you poke it, the firmer it gets. I was surprised at the amount of "sculpture" like thinking I had to do when assembling this figure. The was analysis of proportion, size and shape in order to make everything come together in a cohesive and cute way. I followed the kit design for the most part, but I ended up creating my own heart design instead of their bib design from the kit. Ended up poking my finger a few times because I didn't use the provided finger cots. Plan to do more kits with the goal of going free form with my own designs. 2024 was a year of crochet for me. After saying that I'd like to try amigurumi, I finally committed to trying it out by making a stuffed reindeer and teddy bears. It was nice to finally scratch that itch and accomplish something that had been on my to-do list for ages. Making amigurumi gave me new insight into how the pieces are built and come together. However, because it requires counting of stitches and close attention, it wasn't a relaxing activity. I plan to continue trying new patterns in the coming year, but I've already started on a granny square blanket, my go-to project to give me that mindless, automated crochet activity to keep my hands busy. Different crochet projects for different purposes. Here's to more creativity and inspiration in the new year!  Made a plaster planter from a kit. It was my first time working with plaster of paris so I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. I mixed the plaster with cold water, poured it into a mold and then removed it from the mold once it was dry. It was pretty straightforward and easy to do. Much easier than trying to handbuild a piece from clay. I didn't like how easy it was to accidentally scrape the vessel, but overall I enjoyed the simple process. I decided to keep the design simple with just marks.
 I've been making a pom-pom garland to brighten up the room. It's time-intensive, but the final result is worth it.
I'm a bit late in posting these travel photos from my trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I visited during the off season in the fall so there weren't too many tourists around, making it easier to take photos. Unique architecture, delicious food and art galleries galore. It was a nice trip to get away for a bit for some rest and relaxation.
 Many years ago, my grandaunt made crochet blanket for us that we still use to this day. I've wanted to replicate it, but was never able to find out what stitch she used.
Fortunately, a relative found a stitch called the Suzette stitch that resembled the stitch on the blanket. I gave it a try and made a scarf using bulky weight yarn and think that I finally found what I was looking for.  It's been a while since I entered a drawing contest, but I did so earlier this year and won fourth place. I had forgotten how much work it was to draw and get files ready for submission. Hope to participate in more contests to come. Even if I don't win, it's important to get my work out there.
 In an attempt to continually learn and improve my skills/knowledge, I recently signed up for an annual subscription to the Interaction Design Foundation to take courses about UX/UI design.
I just started some intro classes and the content has been clearly organized. Hoping to complete at least 5 classes by the end of next year!  The library had a free craft kit for November consisting of a blank banner and some felt pieces. It's been ages since I worked with felt so it was fun to give a try again.
Decided to keep it simple and stick with autumn leaves and simple organic shapes. I like the look of depth from overlapping felt pieces on top of each other. Wish I had selected a brighter color for the "A" in "Thank". Another lesson learned is that I should have used a disappearing ink pen to mark up the felt. Because I used a regular marker, you can see outlines of the marks. Overall, it was a simple, fun activity. Makes me want to create a banner for the other seasons as well. |
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This blog will document and discuss my quest to stay creative. Archives
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