IMAGE

Drawing challenge 173
Oh my heart...

I ask that you use your imagination here please! This will be a paper mixed with plantstuff sculpture when it is done. I've started out by doing a paper cast of a heart shape from a metal chocolate mold. Inside I've stashed some burning bush leaves (I do not know the proper name of this plant.) The paper used is Japanese hand made and embedded with flowers. I made a ring shape using a stem of a hedge that has really sharp spine needles and when they dry hard believe me they can draw blood. I've been using these for a few years now for bird beaks so have poked myself and drawn my own blood more often than I care to admit. I have to allow the stems with attached spines to dry and it takes months really. But I wanted to show you what a ring looks like, and what the stems/spines look like. Picked only two days ago they've gone from light green to brown already. As they age they will lighten up to a warmer brown color. I drew a thorn crown on a sheet of drawing paper to just kind of give a feel to the visual, but it got lost in the crowd of things on the page. My idea will be to do about 3 wrappings of spine stems and so the spines will be poking in all directions and I hope to be able to commandeer the spines to act as legs so that the paper heart will be kind of floating amidst spines. It's a kind of bleeding heart. A sculpture. Anyway, it's an image of an idea I have and in the end will take on its' own image I am sure. Thank you kindly to lovely Nadeschka for inviting me to play this week. It was fun. For more 'image' themes, click on the link to view. Blessings! N, x

Tools of the Trade...

So I dug out my tool kit from the last time I made a tiny Japanese stab binding book, and retraced my steps using what I found in the kit. I had to rediscover what I did and this time I am making notes so I don't have to think so much the next time I decide to make one of these little books with this type of binding. So here are the essential tools that really make for a success with this project:

You'll see 1] a hand drill with a bit holder that separates to allow the shank of a drill bit to enter and then be tightened into place. Notice what I have in place there. A sewing machine needle for leather as it has a very sharp and strong steel point on it. At least I think those sewing machine needles are made of steel. It's strong in any event, 2] a sewing machine needle all by itself so you can see what it looks like and see the scale, 3] an awl needle and holder. It's just like an X-acto blade holder that tightens up by screwing (turning) the handle. Instead of a flat blade, this holder has a round entry point that tightens up exactly the same way the hand held drill is designed to work. I love this awl and it is likely my favourite tool; well in the top 5 anyway, 4] a roll of linen thread which I'm showing just because of the beautiful colour of it, and, 5] two finished Japanese stab bound in the hemp pattern little books~one I made a year ago and this new one I just completed. His little beak wound up with the very tip at the exact point where the middle hole is placed. I'll have to be more careful about placement next time. The size of these books are 1 & 1/8" X 2 & 1/2" {3cm X 63mm}.

 The tools are used thus: I start by placing the needle end of the hand held drill where marked for a hole, and slowly start turning the handle and keeping the drill perpendicular to the hole. I just turn and turn slowly until the needle works its' way through to the other side. I have a heavy piece of plastic on the tabletop surface so the needle won't damage anything when it reaches the bottom side. Of course the stack of papers is held together FIRMLY with 3 strong clips. Once the hole is drilled through I reverse the direction of the drill to help pull the needle out. When the needle is out I then go in with the awl and just work my way through slowly and carefully, wiggling the awl back and forth to enlarge the hole all the way through. Then I enter from the bottom side of the hole and repeat with the awl. When it comes to sewing the binding it is done with a large needle by hand. If the needle won't go through the hole because there are already 2 or more threads through it, I clamp the needle shaft with a pair of sturdy pliers and push the needle until it is almost all the way through to the other side, and then bring the pliers around to the other side, and pull the needle through. It works like a charm. So that's my helpful hint section of this post! It's been a fun drawing challenge. See you soon I hope! Norma, x

A wee book in the making

Making another wee book.

This is the cover of a wee book. You can see it's a hummingbird, painted in watercolor and with acrylic ink details.

Moving in a bit closer, you can see that the paper is heavily textured and a pea-green (my opinion) shade of green. This paper particularly inspired me to join the drawing challenge for this week. It's my ode to spring.

I've not held a paintbrush for many months so am quite the rusty gal here, but if I repainted it I could put into good use, all that I learned from this effort. The paper is so textured (completely hand made by my beloved Canadian paper mill St. Armand in Montreal.) This selection used straw for the plant bits. So the paintbrush travels right over top of the straw and the straw picks up the color from the brush. It's a bit like riding a bucking bronco. It bleeds like there's no tomorrow as well. But I love it. I plan to make a wee Japanese bound (hemp pattern) book with art paper inside. So, this is a small art book let's say.

Thank you to Veronica for inviting me to participate in this drawing challenge. Bye for now, Norma, x

Folds

DC151: Folds

It's been way too long since I've visited you and boy have I missed you all. So, I'm jumping in here with my offering to the drawing challenge this week, hosted by a wonderful art friend, Carole Reid. She chose the theme folds and I do not have time to do anything new right now, but am showing a couple of photos that have a folded area somewhere. He has a ruffle of folded tissue on his hat.

Here is a handsome fella that I made in 2007 and I cannot change the settings for flickr. as the 'staff' have decided that the public should not be able to search for it. I don't know what to do. So for now, here's the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19394614@N00/399490728/in/photostream/

And another shot of his handsome self: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19394614@N00/399490726/in/photostream/

 Blowing kisses...Norma, x

Third Eye Medicine Pouch Necklace

dc#141: Inner Eye

I've managed to fashion together a necklace from which hangs a medicine pouch with a third eye or inner eye motif embroidered on the muted olive coloured linen fabric chosen for this design idea. That was a sentence.

For some time I've been dreaming of making pouches to be used in a jewelry genre. Oh I dream up lots of ideas and get inspired by things I see on line, but it was not until the talented and lovely Susan gave us in the drawing challenge this week, the theme "Inner Eye" that I sprung into action. It's one thing to think of an idea and another thing completely to actually DO the idea. I did have an end game in mind for this piece, but the doing of it led me down a number of paths and on quite the learning curve. Let me say that I pieced this together to show you, and give you an idea of my idea. I will be making another one, using the lessons I learned in making this first one. I'll describe this one though: a linen wrapped cotton rope that has been overwrapped with a gold cord; and fastening with a closed loop on one end, and a button (not attached here.) From this rope hangs freely, a pouch of pale olive linen with a floral french cotton print backing. This has been padded using quilting batting and a third eye or inner eye has been embroidered on the front. Japanese glass seed beads have been added for a decorative element, and to tame the puffy quilting batting. Like I said, this was a learning curve. The bag is pinned to the hanging cord to show you the idea. Closure choices include snaps, and buttonholes with buttons, etc. The pouch opens to the inside at the back and a piece of tumbled tiger eye stone has been placed in the bag to be worn when one needs their third eye to be energized by the tiger eye stone. It is said that if you place a tiger eye on your third eye chakra (which is indigo in colour, and between your eyes on your forehead) you will energize and empower this energy centre in your body. I like the idea anyway.
 

A few weeks ago I got a whole bag of tumbled tiger eye stones (there are 145 of them) that now sit in a brass singing bowl from India, on my meditation trunk and when I walk by them in the hallway, I sometimes just pick up one of them and place it on my third eye chakra, saying whatever comes to mind, and then tossing it back in the bowl of stones. I also got a bag of tumbled quartz crystals. Both of these bags of tumbled stones were say, $6.00 for all of them. One never knows what one is going to come across at Value Village (our local second hand store.) To see more "Inner Eye"s pop over to see Susan's blog where you will be linked to all of the players for this week. Thanks for dropping in! May you have singular wisdom and second sight from your third eye chakra. Namaste all!! Norma, xo

Nude with Blue Hair

dc140: nude

A quick collage of sorts with watercolor pencils and conte crayons. Done for the drawing challenge for this week, hosted by the lovely Patrice. See her spot for more offerings. You'll be delighted with what you see I promise! Thanks for dropping in today and hope to see you soon. I'm not much here these days it seems. I miss you all. Hugs, Norma, xo

Teabag paper is really strong . . .

. . . until it isn't!

dc138: Up Side Down

The pencil crayon drawing was going along swimmingly until the disaster hit. I won't bore you with details but notice the large holes/tears in the paper. This was a sign I figured, to stop. So here is my Up Side Down offering for the drawing challenge this week, hosted by the one and only Patrice! It is joy for me to be able to call her my friend.

Here he is Down Side Up...

Thanks so very much to dear Patrice for hosting this challenge! Drop in to see what she did for this challenge, and to see lots of other wonderful offerings. Everybody does such different things, it's always interesting. Thanks for dropping in today and I hope to see you again soon, with love, Norma