and now for something completely different

February 13, 2012

feb 13

The Sketchbook Challenge this month is Close Up. Look at something very closely, and show what you see.

I was thinking about secrets, and pink things and the brain seemed the most mysterious of all the private things the body holds. The brain carries who we are and most of our dreams and thoughts and learning. It keeps, or doesn't, the secrets we have, both ours and other people's. 

These are not the neurons that you think with, they are different brain cells. I saw an excellent poster of brain things, and these had a pleasing regularity to them. 

I would like to point out that the canard that we use only 10% of our brain is dead wrong. For a while, doctors only understood what 10% of it did. Which is a very different statement. As we learn more about brains, we understand what more different parts are doing. So – please, the next time someone suggests we use only 10% of our brains, set them straight!

moooon

February 12, 2012

feb 12

a moon over water, and a migraine

honestly, I should just post haiku for this month!

aurora

February 9, 2012

feb 9

Inspired by the Astornomy Picture of the Day today, I made a night sky and tossed an aurora across it. More aurora are forecast as the sun-spot cycle intensifies. Alice and I tried to look the other night, after a coronal ejection from the sun was expected to cause intense auroras that might have been visible, but there were clouds along the northern horizon and we couldn't see anything. We'll keep hoping. It is something I'd like to see again. 

Feb 8; downy

February 8, 2012

feb 8

My children will nod with weary agreement; I have an abiding affection for small, stupid jokes. For instance:

How do you get down off an elephant? You don't get down off an elephant, you get down off a duck! 

At which point one child asked "how do you get down off a duck?" and I could say "with a veeery small ladder." 

Which is a long way of saying that this feather looked like baby duck down, and it made me think of getting down off an elephant. 

………..

And then, to make today a joke filled extravaganza, I offer you a picture of my soft palette. Which is also fuzzy. 

soft palette

shelly

February 7, 2012

feb 7

Felt is not eactly the right material to demonstrate the hardness and shine of a shell, but I approve of the background, and will try something different on it. 

Anybody know any pink fish? 

February feather

February 6, 2012

feb 6

I know it looks like a leaf, but I was thinking feather when I was constructing it. I think felt, with its lack of grain and structure, is harder to make a feather from than something that is woven and can be unravelled in interesting and effective ways. But I could be wrong. 

The base for this is unsupported felt – I just started running the machine through some mixed layers of green until it started to solidify into actual fabric. I didn't stitch cobbling into the background, and I think maybe I should the next time. It adds coherence to the background, and is an opportunity for additional color and texture. 

leaf redux

February 5, 2012

feb 5

So I made the background from a dramatically different set of colors, both darker and farther away from the pinks of the leaf on the color wheel. The leaf is also a deeper color, but that isn't so noticable. I am very pleased with this one!

I like working with wool, a great deal. It takes steam, flattens when necessary, stitches easily, and has a nice hand. 

Kaboose and I went out today with a big gray mare who fidgets and worries. We walked everywhere the sun was shining, avoided the shadows because they were icy, and turned around any time the footing was vile. We were out for almost an hour, wandering around. The gray horse finally settled down, Kaboose was fine; we had a nice time. 

felted stitched leaf

February 4, 2012

feb 4

This one I worked in layers. For the base layer, I felted a fine layer of light pink over some green wool I'd fulled in the washing machine. I stitched a pebbled pattern onto it. The leaf started as a thin layer of darker pink wool felted without any backing in the felting machine. That gave me an airy, open fabric to work with. I cut out an oak leaf shape, and stitched that down onto the base. 

I have a critique for it: I think the leaf is a good beginning, but it could be even whispier. I like the stitching on the leaf, but the stitch colors could stand out more. Two layers attached with stitch makes a stronger statement than the previous circles. 

I'll try this again, with a thinner leaf, more contrast between the leaf and the veining colors, possibly more weight contrast in the thread used as well, and a background I like better. 

My best news today is that my sewing machine is home!!!! I am so pleased. While Timna's machine worked like a champ, I have spent the last long while improving my skills and rapport with my machine.