Wildflower Summer Class Continues

This week has been a good one with my wildflower summer class - lots of fun sketching ideas and the talent of the other ladies is just amazing.  So much to learn from Junelle and my classmates.

 I started working on a piece over the weekend that just popped on to my paper.  It really had nothing to do with the new class we had on Saturday!  And I'm the queen of wanting to finish things quickly, but I didn't finish this until last night!

It was strange how I picked up my pad and pencil and vegetables began to appear.  I started with the bell pepper, followed by the banana pepper, jalapenos, tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Then yesterday as I thought about making salsa I realized I had left out the garlic and added it!  This was really fun, but far off from the flowers and other ideas for class this week.

We get a new video class every Saturday and a mid-week mini class on Wednesdays (tomorrow) and I've not been very good about following the lessons. I've done most of them, but I've really had to fight doing what I wanted, rather than the suggested.  One of the girls in the class posted a picture as far off task as my veggies tonight ( chickens and a coop) and said, "Oh well, art happens!"  I loved that - and I'm using it from now on!

Today I was supposed to be working on a "market type scene" - there have been some wonderful ones posted on our class page and I did a preliminary sketch, but before I knew it I was sketching these pots!  I spent the rest of the day going back and forth between the pots I loved doing and the "farmer's market" I needed to do.  I finished both or at least most of the way, but the market picture is just merely ok and yet I want to keep working on the pots - just like I did the veggies - keep trying to make it better.  The pots are watercolors, where the veggies were acrylics so there's a much different  palate, but I just love them both and they were both so much fun.

I still have much to do with this weeks assignments and to be truthful I still have things to do from the first three weeks.  What I love about an online class is that you can go back long after the "class" is over and since people are always signing up you're never completely out of touch or feel like you're too far behind.

So here's my market picture - cute, but sure not as much fun as the pots or the veggies.  I did really enjoy adding the little "woolies" as they made me smile!  Love the woolies!  Wish I could learn to draw alpacas, maybe I will practice so I can add one to my pictures!

Until ........

Three Bags Full!

Many of you know that I've questioned my (our) decision to add alpacas to our life.  I/we have gone back and forth since they arrived, but I'm happy to say that Thursday, July 11, almost 5 months since they arrived I knew in my heart they were our boys and were staying!  Can't explain it, they're still feisty and nothing has really changed, I just knew!

With that in mind I decided I needed to figure out what I was going to do with my three bags of fiber, before I had six bags of fiber!  I know it's not until next May that more arrives, but the months are flying by and I know how easy it is to put things off so I made some plans.

When I was in Oregon I used a drum carder to make some beautiful batts of fiber, so I knew that was the next step so I headed off to my favorite little wool store in Navasoto, WC Mercantile and spent Friday afternoon with Stephanie.  She's the owner and she knows her equipment and fibers, so I had a fun and educational afternoon and four Saturdays of classes added to my schedule.

I started yesterday with a drop spindle class with her young teacher - Katie!  I had met Katie at the fiber show in Seguin and she's a 21 year old wonder!  She knows more about fiber and what to do with it and I was excited to take a class with her.  She's the one that taught me how to use my hand carders while standing in a booth at a show in about 15 minutes!!  That's a teacher. :)  This class was a prerequisite for the class next week - Intro to Your Spinning Wheel.  No I haven't bought one yet, but have two, yes two, picked out.  I will be using them both at the class next week to determine which will be headed to Brazos Hill Lane in the near future!

The third week is Art Yarn A_Z! Creative Spinning: From Dye-pot to Bobbin! with Diana North.
That's the big crazy yarn with all the goodies in it and I can't wait!  The entire thought of carding this fun batt and then spinning it into this amazing weird yarn makes my heart race!  This class will help me make my decision on my drum carder (type) and my first wheel, which I believe will be the Country Spinner.

And the 4th week is with Katie again - this class is "Beginning Fiber Prep!  Much of this I've learned at shearing or in Oregon, but I haven't washed fiber and I know I will learn much that will help me use my three bags full!

And so today I decided to play with fiber and needle felt myself a coffee cup sleeve - you know that cardboard sleeve they give you at Starbucks or Caribou to keep us from burning our fingers - well I've started using a reusable cup from Starbucks at home and needed a sleeve and didn''t have a ready supply so I made my own!  Now that was a gigantic run on sentence, but I'm leaving it.  After all, it's also how I talk!  haha

So, here's two pictures of my new sleeve  - I added black felt letters JAVA to the sleeve and forgot to take a picture before I felted the ends together!  This was quick and easy to make and it works great!  Going to make more of these - if you would like to have one, drop me a note or leave a comment.  We'll see what happens!

Be back soon - with fiber and spinning stories!

Wild Summer Art

I've been quiet on my blog because I've been so busy with an online art class.  Junelle Jacobson's Wildflower - Wild Art Summer and it is a blast.  Covering all of the things I love so much: watercolors, acrylics, flowers, faces and photography! And the talent in my fellow classmates is just amazing!

One thing I know for sure is that the more I learn, the more I know I need to learn.  This week has been with Alissa Millsap and her instruction on a girl and a dirt path.  My interpretation is this girl I sketched  with pencil in my sketchbook and then knowing I would never get her done again on WC paper, I just drew in the hills and the path and journaled!  But, I did learn so much from Alissa's videos and instructions that I can't wait to begin another girl following the instructions and on the proper paper - perhaps tomorrow.






We've done campers and tents!

 Flowers, even a girl with flowers in her hair, a flag with flowers on the fourth, followed by a cabin for a summer get away!

Girl first week - I think I've learned a thing or two since then!

But the best of all this is the joy found with the friendships with other artists from all over the world.  They are inspiring and encouraging and are making this six weeks a summer to remember!  But the big thanks goes to Junelle and Allisa for their hard work and desire to share their knowledge with those of us just beginning.

Next week we're working with photographs  Junelle had us take this week - can't wait to see what she's got planned!

Playing with Fiber

If you read or follow both of my blogs you will be seeing double!  This post fits the creative blog and the boys blog so I'm using it on both.  I've never done that, but as they say there's always a first time!

The boys were sheared in April and I have three bags full of their blanket fiber, plus two smaller bags from their legs and neck.  I just love saying three bags full - makes me think of that sweet nursery rhyme,  Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any wool,  but I digress.   On the third day of classes in Bend we will learn to assist our shearer, to sort, clean,to card,  and even needle felt some of the fiber. I don't want to get there and say I have three bags full but I've never touched it except to sort and put in bags, so today was the day to put my hands on it.

I pulled out some of the blanket fiber from Lefty's bag.  Pretty and white, but with lots of vegetative matter aka vm.  So I started by just pulling it a part with my hands, making it light and fluffy and pulling out little pieces of dried grass and twigs.

Starting fiber

Next, I used my hand carders.  They also make hand crank ones and electric ones (very, very expensive), but, for once, I decided to see if I liked doing the fiber myself or would I choose to send it to a mill for processing before I jump up in cost. I had so much fun today and saw how slow this process would be - fine for a little, but I see a hand crank carder in my future!

Hand Carders

 It took about 10-20 passes with the carders to get out vm I wanted out and even with that there are a few specks, but for the most part it's clean.

Trash after carding

When I was finished I had two small pieces of roving. This can now be used to spin directly from the roving or use for needle felting or other crafty things.   Pictures show how much I started with, how much vm came out of it, the carders and the finished product.  And it took about an hour or maybe more!

Roving - ready to spin or felt

And then there's what I have left of Lefty's blanket and remember I have two more bags from the other boys, plus all of the legs and neck bags and so you see why there is a hand crank carder in my future!

Lefty's blanket fiber left to card. This  does not
include the legs or neck!

The boys had lots of visitors this week and so more about that coming soon, with some fun pictures.  And I leave for Bend tomorrow!  Exciting time for me - haven't been away from home for 6 days in a long, long time!  I'll miss all of my boys and Bill will be doing alpaca duty while I'm gone!  The hottest week of the year!  Keep him in your prayers!

                           

Sunflower

I love to do so many things!  I love to sew, quilt, stamp, scrapbook, felt (needle not wet) the list just keeps on going and growing, but drawing/painting is still my first love.  I know I've said it many times that I just simply feel God's presence when I have a brush or a pencil in my hand. While I enjoy the other creative areas I do not have that same feeling.

This weekend I painted a sunflower, while a week or so ago it was a cupcake.  I used acrylic paint and watercolors on both on watercolor paper and they're small, probably only about 4x6" or less.  Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever paint on a large canvas,  not exactly a question because I have, but I love these little pieces and it's so enjoyable doing them.  It's a time and concentration thing too!  Much faster than a big piece. At the end I emailed a picture to my friend Becky and she gave me encouragement and  some suggestions and it was then soon completed to my satisfaction.

I used to send out my originals and sometimes I still do, but a friend (thanks Jennifer) suggested that I scan them and make note cards that way not just one person got to enjoy them, but many.  So that's what I've been doing with the ones I like the most.

Some of these have already gone out - I find that when I have the cards printed and ready to go I'm better at sending cards.  Some I use as note cards and I leave the inside blank, others that are birthday or thinking of you etc. I leave blank and then pull out my stamps for a sentiment. No reason to let those stamps sit idle!  Adding some paper layers makes them a little more handmade, without painting each one individually.  And, then . . .

I got busy Saturday, maybe Sunday and listed some of my stepping stones on Etsy - they will sell or they won't, but at least I'm being proactive.  It seems crazy to just keep painting and not do something with them.  I have a friend that has requested two bluebonnet stones and two sunflower stones and I will be starting them soon.  Special lady, so they must be special stones, but she's not in a rush so that's good.

This week I've been busy with visitors, packing for my trip to Oregon (it's summer and the nights are still in the high 30's - yes 30's) and getting my supplies ready for a new class.  I've signed up for Junelle Jacobson's newest sketching/mixed media class.  I took the Art of Wild Abandonment a couple of years ago and learned to loosen up some in my art.  It's an online class, but she makes you feel like you're sitting in the room.  She will ask a question and you will find yourself answering her, only to realize she's not there!  Fits right in with my craziness, no let's change that word and use eccentric.  I like it sooooo  much better.  This one is "Wild Art Summer Studio - Wildflowers" and I already know it will be fun.  We get a sneak peak into the studio this Saturday ( I will be in Oregon learning to be a great alpaca mom ) and the class starts the next week.  It will be for six fun filled weeks, but it's available for a year in case life gets in the way.  Last time we started with radishes can't wait to see what she surprises us with this time.

If you think you might be interested in checking out this class click on the link above and you'll find out all about it.  And you'll also have a chance to see some of her sheep photographs and get links to her Etsy shop and more.  She is an interesting, talented, sheep and God loving young woman - a pleasure to know.