All sixes and sevens...

SIXES and SEVENS
drawing challenge no. 187

Our host this week for the drawing challenge is the lovely Nadine! It's been far too long since I've been able to play here and so I am particularly happy to join in. And, as usual, I wondered what I might possibly come up with. My mind blank, teetering on the edge of the abyss of panic, my heart beginning to race a little, my logic reaching for possibilities, I go to bed discouraged in my own ability to ever make anything interesting, truly creative, original, nice and in particular something that others might like, again. This happens every time. But absolutely every time, the panic is followed by a kernel of an idea. It grows. I relax. I find BELIEF again that maybe I can think of something original and that I love and that others might like. I relax more deeply. The muse enters into things. I begin to trust. I relax quite a lot now. The muse and me are working together on something. That something for this drawing challenge is a little book. SURPRISE!

And so it grew. My ideas always grow. Too big for a challenge and done in one week, actually. I'm always full of "this is going to be...or, when this is finished it will..." And so again with this week's challenge.

But here is my little book. The feeling I get when faced with signing up for a new challenge repeats itself every time. As outlined briefly above, I doubt, worry, panic, relax a little, allow an idea to enter, relax a little more, allow the muse in, relax a lot, and get down to work. That is my personal experience of being all sixes and sevens. It's not comfortable. It is always worth it. And as always, I won't be able to complete my project for the deadline but will show you what I do have done, and describe the rest.

I believe in things unseen. Miracles, magic, ghosts, favors granted from the divine, synchronicities, quantum physics, prayer, an intelligent universe. I believe. But my belief is not always comfortable and at times quite the opposite. My ego who very much wants to control things and is very incompetent and some say, run by the devil himself, just has to have a say in things. The devil might whisper "prove it" and I say back "I don't have to, for I believe." These are general musings I realize, but so is my drawing challenge offering this week.

As I sit and think of things 'universe' I think of stars first, so I made a small book of 65 lb. recycled art paper inside and my beloved Saint Armand paper for the cover, using a Japanese stab binding in the shape of STAR. The first page of the book shows a very small drawing of a field at dusk with the nighttime stars beginning to twinkle. At the bottom, a quote cut from an old recycled bible: for we walk by faith, not by sight. This is from 2 Corinthians 5:7. The meaning for me is that I don't have to see things to believe in them. I believe I have a muse that will never leave me or fail me. I'll leave it at that.

Lincoln said: "To believe in the things you can see and touch is no belief at all; but to believe in the unseen is a triumph and a blessing."

Now we come to the part where I won't be able to complete the whole art idea by the deadline for this week. My little book is meant to be written in, drawn in, or whatever one desires. It will snug into a little pocket which really will be a pendant pouch on a rope, worn as a necklace. The pouch will be woven (I have a table loom I call Saint Agnes) from textured wool and strips of paper rope I make from bible pages (shifu Japanese paper rope.) It's gonna be great I tell ya! Famous last words.

I like the idea of affirmations and one could write these in the little book necklace to refer to, remember, quote to one's self (might come in handy at the dentist's office) and I like the idea of the card no. 17 of the Major Arcana in the Tarot. Card no. 17 is STAR. This might have special meaning for some. As I worked on this small book, the meaning of it grew as it grew into being between my fingers and needles et al. I see this piece as a 'prayer book' of sorts. For it has a bible quote and is illustrated ever so slightly. So it can be that for some, too. Okay so what does this thing look like for heaven's sake! Here is the cover. Shown beside a dime for scale, and threading instructions for drama (HA!):

Here is the front page illustration. Pencil crayon, ink. I haven't done any art for months so I'm critical of this but it does give a nice idea:

Drop by to visit Nadine who will direct you to the visuals for all of the folk playing along this week. You will see all different kinds of wonderful offerings here. Nice to see you again! Cheers, Norma, x

p.s. just ignore the blue colored chunk in the middle of the blog. I can't get rid of it.

Drawing faces...argggggh!

What is on my workdesk on this Wednesday? Faces! YUK! For those of you out there who think you can't draw? Neither can I! But I am learning. I sat in front of the computer screen this morning watching youtube and trying my best to draw a face on used tea bag paper.


This sheet of five faces was the result and I wish they would not all look like deer stuck in the headlights. It's a learning process. There is something I like about each one of these faces. But overall YUK. The next batch will be so much better and that is what keeps me going. I know I am very slowly learning.


What I learned today was the colors I like so I did a color key. Looks as though I like: light black, black, white, grey, burnt umber, berry, peach and olive green so I am going with that. I also learned that I like a soft fuzzy edge (hints of this in attempt no. one at the top left). Now I am going to try a thin vine charcoal for my next attempt.


These faces are meant to be used for my current art project which is 6 inch cloth artdoll prims with removeable wings.

Thanks for popping in! *smiles* Norma

Week Five: Brown (Summer of Color)

Donkey (well yes he is a rabbit but his nickname is Donkey) keeps watch. He keeps finding golden round things and has started to collect them. He has two sections of his warren set aside to house them (he is thinking BIG and he is one of my favorite friends because of this trait of his) and so far he has about eleven golden round things. Where do they come from? It is a puzzle.
Week five of the Summer of Color asked us to use brown. I immediately thought of earth. So an underground habitat came to mind for me.

Flying Pink Horse

Week three of the Summer of Color gave us the color pink! My story unfolds as we see a flying pink horse with gold hoofs passing by a group of houses. One of the houses, the bright yellow one, has a golden door. I wonder who lives there?

More blue birds...

The second week of The Summer of Color hosted by Kristin featured the color green with a hint of citron.
I started with the color citron to make yellowish-greeny flowers and then went from there. A green tree and the birds just came on their own. They happened to be blue so maybe I am thinking they will be related to the first blue bird. We shall see. When I was coloring in the blue of the eggs I got carried away and forgot I was working on tea bag paper which is fragile and so when I pressed too hard the paper broke through and I am not kidding I felt like I had just broken a real birds egg. The feeling is awful. So in the nest are two eggs and a broken egg. Such is life.
All of the birds seem interested in one direction and what are they noticing? Do they hear something? Smell something? Imagine something? We shall see!
Of course you know I am leaving a part of each picture unfinished in case I want to tie in a theme as I go along, or at the completion of the ten pictures.
Hope you are all having fun with this event, *smiles* Norma
P.S. I wonder what those gold round things are coming from the tree? Or are they coming from the sky? It is a puzzle.

Thanks for dropping in!

Blue Bird

The first week of The Summer of Color event hosted by Kristen has begun with the first color assigned being BLUE. I am working on used tea bag paper and have left some wiggle room for additions to my drawing in the event a story unfolds (of course it will!!!) and I might want to add an element or two later.


She sits on a branch looking out...dreaming...


There will be ten drawings in all to fill a skirt hanger. The next color is GREEN! So let's see where that takes this bird.

Thanks for dropping by! *smiles* Norma

On my art table...

Sometimes you just have to go for it. I am no artist. No training. No anything...except a box of watercolors, a stash of pencil crayons which I love, some pencils, a needed eraser, and a whole lot of hoping. I copy from books. You know how that goes~it is impossible to get what someone else got in the first place. But you know what? I love my work. I hate it too but try to turn the hate into something positive...rename the feeling...like 'dislike' it. I am working on a watercolor (pencil crayon) face for a paper artdoll that I am doing. Here is my art table set up on my bathroom vanity (I live in a small studio apartment), and here is the beginning of a face. The eyes go one way, the nose one way, the lips the other; but so do faces, really.
Well, just wanted to pop in to show you what I am doing these days. *smiles* Norma