Dec 19, 2016

Sketchbook Project - Week 50

WEEK FIFTY!! I can't believe the end of this project is right around the corner.  I'm excited to reflect about the benefits and challenges of a project like this, but I'll save that until the very end.

This week, greens dominated my palette again.  The sunset was stunning in person and this painting does it no justice at all.  I had fun with bleeding watercolors in the fungus painting.  And it's been a while since I've painted food, and since I'm on a green kick, the bell pepper was a no-brainer.  Enjoy!

Watercolor
Gouache
Acrylic
Left: Colored Pencil                        Right: Micron Pen
Watercolor
Acrylic
 
 See the whole project here.

Sketchbook Project - Week 49

Running a little behind on blogging, but not on sketching!  Check out these pages from week 49.  Plenty of color and pattern experimenting. Plus, I saw some sheep and just HAD to add them!  Enjoy!

Watercolor
Left: Watercolor + Gouache               Right: Colored Pencil
Gouache

Watercolor
Both: Watercolor


See all Sketchbook Posts here.

Dec 5, 2016

Needle Felted Holiday Gift Pouch DIY

Hey friends! I've got a quick and easy tutorial today to help you personalize your gifting this holiday season. You can use this technique to add any design--I chose a snowflake for mine.

Here's what you'll need:
-Cotton drawstring bag
-Felting needle
-Small foam pad (make sure it fits inside your pouch)
-Small amount of wool (I've chosen the brightest blue shown for my snowflake)
-Pencil
-Ruler or straight edge
 Use your straight edge and pencil to make your main branches of the snowflake.  You can also just eyeball your felting and skip this step if you're confident in your line-making skills.
 Once all your lines are drawn, slide your felting pad into the pouch. 
 Make sure your design is centered over the felting pad.

 We'll be working with small amounts of wool at a time.  Pull off little chunks as you go.

 I like to "measure" my wool pieces by holding them next to the line I'm about to felt.  Keep in mind that it's easier to add wool than tear off extra or take it away.

Anchor the end of the wool piece with a few pokes of your felting needle and follow the length of the snowflake line. 

Tip: If you felt down a piece of wool but decide that you'd like to move (or remove) it, you can easily pull it back out--no worries.
 Once all your branches are felted, it's time to add the smaller branches.  Add a "v" shape to the end of each branch.
 Next add a larger "v" on each branch closer to the center.

 When making the adjacent lines, connect them where they meet in the middle.

 Continue to connect each "v" all around the snowflake, creating a beautiful diamond pattern in the center.

 Now is the time to tuck in stray fibers and clean up any super fuzzy lines.

 Carefully lift your snowflake design from the foam pad and remove the pad from the pouch.
You're finished! You can gently iron your design or leave it a bit fluffy.

Now stuff your gift pouch full of goodies and share some joy! Let me know if you give this diy a try, and have fun!

Sketchbook Project - Week 48

This week felt like a complete creative rut for me. I spent so much energy during the last month or so prepping for craft shows, I think my creative juices went on vacation! I wish I could go, too.  But alas, two more shows over the next two weekends will keep my fingers busy.  Hopefully some creativity decides to visit me soon!

See previous weeks here.

Acrylic
Watercolor
Watercolor and Micron Pen
Left: Watercoor and Micron Pen                             Right: Watercolor
Watercolor and Micron Pen