Work in Progress - Piggy

Here's my piggy in progress. It is going to be a business card holder for a BBQ business. I still have some filling out of parts to do and then a good sanding, followed by a good paint job.

29 Faces - 20

Her is Aunt Eugenia done in color pencil. She has quite the overbite.

29 Faces - 15 through 19

As mentioned previously, I am working on finishing my faces today because I'm on call for a baby birth. And they come when they want to. This will be the first challenge I've finished this year and that will make me feel great! So here we go...

#15 is Tucker, Scarecrow's son. I just love his bow tie and he looks like he's been having some fun in the field. Watercolor and permanent pen on smooth Bristol.

#16 RayRay hearts HumAns. His beanie is lit up because he's getting a call from his mom to get home for dinner.

The boys Spud, Finn, and Rudy. A different take on the Hear, See, Speak no Evil.

Pity a Go Go

Hey there! Yeah, I decided that I needed the weekend to get out of my pity party. I needed it. It's okay to go there at times but then you have to leave. It was great not doing anything but watch kick butt martial arts movies. Love Francis Ng in just about anything. Quite a talented actor that one. The mop was there to wipe up the drool. And then there was Andy Lau. He's good to and I really like Wu Jing. In between those movies were a few episodes of Keeping Up Appearances and The Vicar of Dibley.

I went for my walk around the park this morning and I'm raring to go. I will be finishing up my 29 Faces today because I'm co-coach on my friend's birthing team and she's about to pop. I am on call right now because the baby has packed her bags and is ready to make her debut. My thumb is doing much better now that storm fronts have cleared out. And I've got a piggy to work on. That will be my day today. Faces and a pig.

So go forth and conquer everyone! I know I shall.

Pictureless Post

For the past three months I've been having problems with my right thumb. I figured it was either tendinitis or arthritis. Well it got so bad I finally had to go to the clinic to have it checked out. It's arthritis. Figures. I cried. I finally figure out what I want to do with myself and I'm off to a great start and this. Several prescriptions sucking up money I don't have, the purchase of a thumb splint and I'm still here. I've also added some natural things to my diet. Ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, tart cherry juice, Glucosamine complex, Vit E-alpha, and topping it off with some exercise by knitting and working with clay.

Getting old sucks but I will not let this get me down. I will continue on making as many heads as I can before I can't use my hands at all. Who knows, they may find a cure by the time I reach 80. It's starting to feel better. The meds are kicking in and I have a lot of catching up to do. So stay tuned.

Work In Progress

Remember that empty dish soap bottle and pellets? Here's the next stage.

I think I like using the bottle as a base for a project. I'll have to do that again, once this little guy is done.

29 Faces - 14

Done with an ink pen.

I'm working hard on catching up but then life decides to happen. I will finish with 29 though.

29 Faces - 13

29 Faces - 12

I had this lady's pic in  my morgue (collection of people, animals, etc for ideas or research for art) for the longest time. I decided to do her portrait with pointillism ala Seurat. Not as grand as his but you get the picture. I should have counted the dots but I haven't done this kind of art in ages. At one point (no pun intended) I almost fell asleep. I think she turned out quite well. I may do it again.

29 Faces - 11

Color pencil.

29 Faces - 10

Sennelier pastels and Derwent pastel pencils.

29 Faces - 8 & 9

I used permanent pen, and watercolor washes.

Lent

Oh my! I heard that people are giving things up for Lent. I tried it a couple of times in the past- sometimes it failed, sometimes I succeeded. Now, I don't have much I want to give up but I saw a friend's post that she was going to be extra creative for 40 days. That, I liked a lot. So that's what I'm going to do. I will be extra creative and attempt to get 40 doll heads done by Easter. Yes... it's EPIC! Ha! But I'm a nut. Walnut this time.

And it's going to be interesting because of commissions and I'm co-birth labour partner to a friend who's due in a couple of weeks. Yay! I'm gonna be an auntie.

I will also take one hour a day to work on unfinished projects. I can find an hour.

You'll never guess what this is going to be.

Here is another one of my 29 Faces. I finally broke out the brand new Sennelier pastels that I've had for over 10 years.

I Has a Quilt Top!

I can cross a project off my list. Woo hoo! I finally have a quilt top done. After two years in the making, lots of appliqueing and I have it done. With my wonderful one inch purple zinger and mitered corners. Which took me awhile to remember how to do even with instructions. Yay me!

I did make a boo boo and cut part of the border. Good thing it's quite wide and can be trimmed all the way around. Never cut when you're tired!

Finding Balance

That's what I'm working on at the moment. Finding balance between commissions that have been coming my way and working on new doll/figure designs that I want to do. I am so grateful for the commissions because I know once they are done, I can cover bills and food. But there's still a part of me that wants to do new dolls in a totally different medium. At first fear of trying something new kept me from attempting new designs and when I was ready to do it, the commissions started pouring in. Now don't get me wrong, it's exciting to have one person who wants to commission projects from you on a regular basis and they actually pay when they're supposed to. That is so totally awesome but I need to not forget my passion with dolls.

The extra commissions have pushed me out of my box, along with doing 29 Faces. I have to catch up because that has been fun. Pulling out my art supplies to create a face. I wish I could find my crayons. It's truly a wonderful feeling. I am also in the process of retyping my latest edit of my mid-grade kid manuscript and then start with a query letter. Terrifying? Yes. But I will do it.

My goal for this week is to find balance for the next commission, my writing, and my new dolls. Work needs to be finished to put into shops. That quilt top is almost done. I believe the more I have to do, the better I feel. I still don't sit and think too long on things either. I just get up and do it. So stay tuned, and we'll see how this week goes.

29 Faces - 7

I really like this little lady. I used watercolor pencils along with Peerless colors and a bit of Koh-I-Noor opaque watercolors.

29 Faces - 5 & 6

Yep, when I realized that I could use these babes as part of my faces (I did finish them today), I was elated. They are a commission and will be delivered tomorrow.

Top of her skull.

I love his mustache.

Top of his skull.

29 Faces - 4

Here's my face for the challenge. I haven't done watercolor in awhile and I'm quite satisfied with what I got.

Working

Here's what I've been working on.

Voodoo Doll pins for St. Pat's Day and Easter.

My setup for my latest face for 29 Faces.

29 Faces - 3

I decided to try some after seeing Romare Bearden's Black Odyssey exhibit. This isn't as grand as his but a start. Of course I ran out of glue stick. Ha! Had to use real glue.

29 Faces - 2

Here is #2 face. I've named him Axel. He's a baby with a skull rattle. He's not too thrilled about the bonnet.

29 Faces - 1

I joined this challenge called 29 Faces. It was started during a Leap Year in which you make, draw, paint a face a day. Because I was sick, I am behind. Here's my first face.

I attempted to take my pencil and with one continuous line, draw a face. I didn't do too bad, seeing that the last time I did this was in undergrad. I only lifted three times. I'll try it again later. It's good practice.

New Socks

After four different tries, I started my second pair of socks. I'm using a finger weight yarn cannibalized from another pair of socks I started years ago. I was going to attempt a smaller needle and I'm glad I didn't. I'm still using a size 3 and will stick with that until I get better at  making socks. I would like to try a size 1 with the light sport weight I used with the blue pair. My tension is also getting better.

Two toesies! The markers help me remember the front for when I start to do the heels.

Here's the yarn again. I have a new follower but for some reason I can tell who you are. I will find out. Welcome! Thanks!

I'm Working!

Working on getting back on the creative wagon after being waylaid by a head cold. Good grief! Here are the things I've been working on the past couple of days.

I'm really going to get these masks done if it kills me. Hopefully, they won't. I was using some Rigid-Wrap and ran out. I went out, in an ice storm to get more but they didn't have that brand in a small package so I got Paris Craft Plaster Cast by Nicole. PCPC has bigger holes in it and doesn't smooth well like Rigid Wrap.
Once dried, I tried sanding the masks. PCPC would be great for kid's projects. So I had these masks and I was getting frustrated, yet refused to let Bad Wendy play with my head. I thought about putting a layer of crinkled up tissue paper over the masks with gesso. Loved it!

Not only did that process hide the imperfections of the PCPC strips, it made my skulls look like they have a paper thin layer of skin. Quite mummy like. I am so loving this because I wanted a little texture on the masks.

They are ready to be painted. Yay me!

I also got my Basket Bunners drawn to size and a pattern made.  The surrounding fabrics are what they will be made of. I forgot to take a pic of my latest voodoo doll pins that are in the works. See ya!

Oh, I also got a doll commission today.

Fabulous February

Okay... January is gone. I didn't finish much; read two of three books, and finished the fourth edit of my kid's book. The past couple of days I had a head cold so I wasn't much good for anything. I can actually breathe now, which is pretty amazing. Love that stuff, air. I have a new list and will get to it directly. But..... drum roll please.....

I has socks!

 I adjusted my pattern for four less stitches. I like a tighter fit around the foot and I think I'll continue to knit the leg until I run out of yarn. The second sock, of course, is better because I also worked on my tension. I've already started my second pair and I will be doing two at a time, toe up.