Well...

I have been working on my cross stitch, I have gotten to the point where I started the circle. I have also messed up said circle because I miss counted not once but twice and so it is a little...wobbly. Pathetically I am too lazy to pull it out of the frame and take a picture so I think I will just wait till it is finished for a final photo.

Even though things have been pretty busy at work, it wasn't nearly as bad as last year. Black Friday felt like another one day sale as the whole opening at 6pm Thanksgiving night took away the frenzy of it. I wasn't complaining.

I am a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas, as an adult it has lost it's magic with me with all the ill tempered people and the gimme gimme gimme. We still haven't put our tree up and I just can't bring myself to care. The two things I like are the decorations others put on their houses and the fact I can get a bag of mixed nuts still in their shell :D

So my next update probably won't be till after Christmas. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Last Little One

Finished it in record time of two weeks. This will be my last Pokemon piece for awhile. I really need to get the last three ironed and mounted to cardboard so that I can possibly put all four up for sell. I could put them up on the wall in a room where no one would see them but I think they would be happier with someone else :)

Two Weeks Already?!

It really feels like time is flying for me. I had to double check the calendar this morning to see if it really was time for me to make another progress post. Maybe two weeks is to often?

Maybe I will have the center finished in the next two weeks and I can start the circle. Something tells me I'm not going to like the circle :D

Just Keep Stitching...

Finally made it to the skull. I really wanted to do the skull, I feel like it is the half way point for the middle :D I have found that the large black areas around the white parts are the most mind numbing. It makes it feel hopeless in reaching the end. Now I try to switch back and forth from white and black to break it up a bit, seems to be working so far :)

Small Project Done

Finally finished this little guy. The pattern for it is here: Pattern. I felt the sky needed a little more orange then what was in the pattern :D

That whole "done in a month" got blown right out of the water with work picking up and me working almost obsessively on my bigger cross stitch piece. Now that November is here I will practically be living at work -.-

Which brings me to a sad realization, there is no way I can draw a dinosaur a day in November. This coming week I am working a full forty hours and I want to keep up my pace I have set for the cross stitch piece. I know this whole month is going to be like that; if I can I might try one or two dinos but I promise nothing.

On that note, I go to cross stitch so I can take a progress shot and post it too :)

Wordless Wednesday

New Q Snap And Petite Frame Holder

After serious consideration (Because I do not go into any purchase without careful thought) I bought the Q Snap a few months ago and the frame holder just a few weeks ago. I have to say they are both VERY good investments. The Q Snap is easier to hold then a hoop but of course you will still get hand cramps and fatigue. My hands are abused enough as is at work so I looked into the lap frames. There is the petite one which is the one I bought, the Z arm for more distance adjust-ability, and of course the floor frame that the base sits on the floor.

This petite frame is the best thing EVER. I can sit here and cross stitch all day long if I wanted to with no hand fatigue. Best $50 spent on Amazon! Also I can position it so that I will sit up straight and not slouch my back and hurt it. I probably could talk this thing up all day long but to end it here, if you are a serious cross stitch/embroidery fiend, get a lap frame.

So supposedly next month is Dinovember. This sounds awesome and fun but I really don't want to go and buy plastic dinos so I am seriously contemplating doing my own little dino drawing a day thing as my way of "participating". I even have a new dinosaur drawing book I stumbled upon!

Two Weeks Later

I had totally meant to post this last week, but things just, happened and I never got around to it.

If nothing else, I love that this blog sort of forces me to make progress shots because sometimes it amazes me to see how much gets done. I developed a system the past two weeks that if I can keep it up, I can get a good bit stitched each week and just might get this bugger done at a decent time :D

Sadly I can't wait to finish it so I can A. take a break and B. start a cross stitch kit because I miss having 30 different thread colors to keep up with. Besides the kit I have is an ocelot and who doesn't like those little cuties?!

Oh! A co-worker totally asked me to draw a tattoo for them! *fist pump* Incentive to let my pencils see the light!!

Slow Progress

Not much really going on and without realizing it, two months have gone by. I haven't drawn a single thing in that time and have no ambition to do so either, makes me a little sad. I have been cross stitching however if a bit slow. With work picking back up and the boxes coming in doubling in size and weight, my hands and wrists are sore.

So here is my progress so far, which isn't far at all :P

This is the image that the piece is going to look like when finished:

My husband loves the anime "Bodacious Space Pirates", and this is the logo for the ship in the show. It was going to be a Christmas present but it isn't going to get finished in time so he said he could settle for Birthday :)

Dyed Fabric and More

I dyed three different pieces of Aida cloth and as simple as it is, I had a lot of fun. Each piece was left in the dye bath at different lengths of time because I wanted to see the difference, but I really wish I had left the third one in even longer as it came out spotty in a few places. Crossing my fingers the pattern I put on it will cover most of it up :D

Finished another little Pokemon cross stitch. I like these simple little guys because so far I finish them within a month and easy to switch to if I need a break from another project.

We decided to pick all the onions that were left in the garden because they were either sitting on top or we noticed some looked like something was after them, so we hauled them all up. (didn't want them to get rot) Most will go to good homes and the rest will help me make soups, salads, and whatever anyone fancies. They made the whole house smell oddly like chili :D

I think I am going to go and make myself work on a drawing today, haven't really been doing a lot of that :(

Growing Monsters

We definitely did a garden again this year and tried some new veggies this time. Apparently they were very happy plants because what they grew for us are the biggest ones we have ever seen.

The squash..

The cucumbers..

And the biggest of them all, the monstrous zucchini!

We were trying to let it go for as long as possible but I guess it was just too tempting for the husband to not pick. :D

FR Dragon

This is Two, my Tundra dragon. He is wearing a scarf because what if they just need that little bit extra to stay warm? Probably shouldn't have used a red mat board for this one but oh well :D
-Finally- used my Derwent coloursoft pencils, I didn't think they were going to be THAT soft.

Second Biscornu

My second biscornu and last for awhile. I made myself mad on this one as the pattern some how came out not centered on one side.

Right now I am working on a small dragon drawing, if we're lucky it will be done by tomorrow ^_^

Biscornu!

Didn't think I was going to finish it today but I did :) Even though doing the whip stitches to put it together hurt my fingers, it was still a fun process. After learning that I do need so much space between the edge of my fabric and the back stitches, I will probably make another little guy some time in the future.

It's even being used right now to hold a needle :D

Finished Pieces

Got a few things done finally and since I have this entire week off (not my choice) maybe I'll get some other things accomplished.

Drew these up for a co-worker. She has the blessed/cursed part on her wrist but the artist messed it up and she wants to have it redone to cover up the crappy job. She told me her idea for the theater masks and I offered to draw it. She was torn on which way she wanted it done :D

I had been working on this little guy when I was getting sick of the bigger piece. Sometimes I just needed a break from the serpent but I still wanted to cross stitch. This Flareon is for sale and will be available once I open my Etsy store :)

The best for last! The Serpent is finally finished!! So glad I got it done within three months. I already know what my next big piece is but I won't be starting it for another month as I need a break and I still need the right color cloth for it.

Right now I am working on a biscornu. It is going to be a small one for myself but it will be an interesting change of pace when I go to put it together.

Don't Know What To Put Here, Sorry

My wrist got really sore this weekend so I am taking a break from cross stitching this week and figured I would do an update on here.

From the looks of it, I will have this done waaay before November! I am hoping to finish it by the end of June so that I can start on the husband's request which he wants done by Christmas.

Some beautiful tulips made it out this spring that we had planted in the fall. We were surprised at some of the colors we got.

We expanded our garden this year to twice as long and had no trouble filling it! The two I really hope come out well are the carrots and the red butter crunch lettuce, yummy!!

Also I recently got my first tattoo! A bit sad what my first had to be but this way my fur baby is with me forever.

I took a copy of his actually paw print with me and that was used for it. I will most likely do this for all my pups when they pass, they are my children :)

Since I won't be cross stitching myself to death this week, I will be working on drawings. I have a tattoo design to make for a co-worker, and I really want to draw a dragon. I'm getting the dragon itch again.

One Down, Three To Go

"Eye of the Stormfly"
3.5 in x 2.5 in
Prisma Colored pencil on mat board

So I finally finished this piece and I couldn't be happier. This is a terrible picture taken of it, I will probably scan it later this week to get a better quality image of it. I am debating whether to spray it was gloss or matte fixative.
I already have the next eye lined up but I still want to finish my three other unfinished pieces of art. I think I am going to work on the dragonfly cat.

Back on Track

I am hoping I am back on track now after teetering the past few months, not being mentally able to work on art. Before spring is my worst; I have to wean off my winter meds, cabin fever is running rampant, and you can't do anything yet cause it is still too damn cold.

Now though I have been working on art a little here and there till I start to get the feel for it. Right now my big deal is that I am disappointed in myself for letting so many decent drawings go unfinished. So my goal at the moment is to finish them and I am surprised which one I went back to first.

Even though it is so small, it is taking me so long because there is so much detail in the piece. I have never done something like it before.

If I loved HTTYD art before, my respect for it has escalated tremendously since working on this piece. Getting closer to the dragon has really shown the attention and love that went into making these dragons and my heart almost aches with envy. The creators are so lucky to be part of something so fantastic.

It was suggested to me to spray my "Eye of Toothless" piece with gloss fixative simply because they thought it would look better glossy.

Glossed

Before Gloss

I was shocked to see the difference it made, I really had no idea the fixative could improve the way it looked.

Of course I am also working on a cross stitch piece which happens to be the largest one I have ever taken on.

15in x 18in and it's going to have somewhere around 36,800 stitches. I have a rough guesstimate that it will take me till the end of the year to finish it :D

Decisions Decisions...

I can't decide if I am done yet or not. Do I want to add half stitches to fill it in or leave it alone? The thread color I would use is slightly lighter then the color of the fabric. Help! :D

Over Due Tiger Done

I finally finished the back stitch on this after putting it off for a long time. I really dislike doing them, I see why they are needed but it is such a pain. So I have made sure my next cross-stitch doesn't have any back stitching.

My dad picked up these beautiful strawberries at the store:

Yum yum! Oooo who is that watching?!

Aww, just one of the cutest faces ever!

Wordless Wednesday

Titles, Who Needs Them

Today I say no to titles because my brain is still dysfunctional from the cold I have finally shaken off for the most part. :)

So I found this interesting product of my wanderings of the wide web called a smudge guard. Being left handed I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and useful because I do get ink/pencil all over the side of my hand when I write/draw. (When laying down color pencil I do use scratch paper to keep from smudging.) When I saw the price I laughed out loud because there is no way I would pay that much for something so simple.

I figured it is something that doesn't need to be perfect or eye appealing so I got a sock that betrayed me, (I bought them a month ago and already my toe was poking through it!) scissors, needle and thread and went to work.

Seen here having it's identity crisis, is my smudge guard so far. Still have the side to cut down a bit and pull together along with securing the edges from future fraying. Not pretty, but it will work :)

Wordless Wednesday

Play Time, What a Fun Time

I found this ink in the stuff my Dad had brought with him that had been my Nana's. So for a few months now I have been thinking about using it but the opportunity didn't really present it's self. I got antsy about wanting to use mineral spirits with the bruynzeel pencils but didn't want to work on something in-depth.
After the usual over thinking I do, I just said what the hell and slapped some color on paper and called it a day. Buuut...I have to do something with that don't I?! LIGHT BULB; the ink! Though nothing interesting was produced, I did finally get to play with it all.

I have a very unsteady hand with a brush, which is why I avoid as much as possible. It was nice seeing how the ink applied and I like the way just one lay down looks, I just might play with it more later. I feel kind of bad for using it though, as later I found out this ink is from the 1970's! My Nana only paid $0.90 for it, and now a day it's almost $10!

Now on to more 'serious' things :)

Wordless Wednesday

Cat Eyes

Well I am glad to discover that the Bruynzeel design pencils blend well with Prismacolor pencils. Now I want to see what they look like with mineral spirits!

I think I just may do a red feline next, I've had an idea for one on the back burner for awhile.

Hmm, Can't Decide!

I started this small piece that is focused on a cats very green eyes. As I was about to color the fur I stopped, grey pencil in hand. I realized, why grey when I can do deep purple or deep red!

So I ask you which should it be?? Purple or red my friends, I am letting you decide!

Wordless Wednesday

The Bruynzeel design Colored Pencils

First off, Happy New Year! I hope most are in slightly warmer temperatures then I am tonight in the below zero range. I know there is a ways to go but I really can't wait till mid-spring! Mostly just so I can play in the garden :)

I got around to finishing my piece that I used my new pencils on and wanted to share my thoughts; trying to be as thorough as I could think of.
Since the Bruynzeel design colored pencils are new to me, I wanted to do a review on them. With Prismacolor premier colored pencils being the only other brand I have used, I will be using them for comparison. (I am not counting the Derwent water color pencils or watersoluble pencils into this since I use those with water). When first picking up one of the Bruynzeel pencils, I noticed they felt slightly heavier then a Prismacolor.

First thing I did was make a compare sheet for them. Most of them did not share the same names and I had to sort of eye ball them to get the closest colors. Yet even some of the ones that do seem way off like the light green, so I found another Prismacolor color that was closer.

The Bruynzeel pencils have a very creamy feel and lay down to them. You can see too that the colors are very vibrant. Layering is very smooth and many can go on one another. They also sharpen very well and I do not see any problems of cracking or breaking off of the core in the process; they seem very sturdy.

On the drawing I used them on, the goal was to only use the Bruynzeel pencils. This didn't work out when it came to the golden yellow parts and the nose. Since I couldn't replicate the desired color with the Bruynzeel, I used Prismacolor on those parts. I did not mix the two brands together.

"Shinx"
4in. x 6in.
Colored Pencil on Drawing paper

The light blue and cobalt blue were the most used in this with a little white, black, and havana brown. I loved that it was easy to sharpen them to a fine point so that I could make thin, solid lines. I think the only 'problem' I had was working around the fact that I didn't have extra blues to make shading easier. I am a little spoiled on that with my Prismacolor pencils since I have almost the entire set.

I wouldn't recommend these for a beginner to colored pencils, I did have to work them out a little bit to get the right feel for layering and shading. Also they are a little higher in price and this may be discouraging. (What convinced me to buy them was that they were on sale AND free shipping was offered at the time).
I enjoyed using these pencils and am currently considering whether I want to buy a few more of them or not. Unfortunately they are harder to come by here in the States and I have only seen them online and by a small number of sellers at that. Next I want to try mineral spirits on them, then see if maybe they mix well with the Prismacolors.

If I forgot anything and you have questions, please feel free to ask!

Bruynzeel-sakura website: Site