InkTorrents Graphics

As soon as I come back from the mountains, I longingly wait for the days when I get to make the drive back there again. During one of those waiting periods, I designed and made this book. I also play music. Thoughts of the mountains and music coupled together to make something new. This is the story of this book – “High Mountains and Flowing Water.”

An alpine lake at 9,290 feet (2,830 meters). A beautiful place for letting the mind wander.

My beloved musical instruments, along with the Kantele I picked up last year during our visit to Finland.

With the two in mind, I started designing the book cover. Once I had the measurements for the paintings, I started with the drawing of two old Chinese instruments – the dizi and the guqin. I was having a bit of trouble with the motif on the guqin. So I sketched another one at the bottom of the page, where I could erase and redraw to my heart’s content, until I was content.

A close-up. I used a few helper lines while drawing the curves on the guqin. I added a bit of shading in the sketch as a reminder for those areas when I started painting.

This was the first attempt. Honestly I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either. The dizi was fine, but I didn’t care for the rest. The branches were too dark, the ribbon was too prominent, and the guqin lost the lighting effects.

After a deep breath and the passing of another day, I restarted. This time I got want to wanted.

For the white motif, I used the white of the unpainted paper. Once the guqin was painted, I used a tiny brush to smooth out the lines and blend in the colors. I painted the two pictures together to keep the flow of the background from one into the other.

When stitching books, I have to pay attention to the tension of the stitch. As I was stitching the papers together for the book, I was being a bit heavy-handed. That resulted in my tearing the gentle watercolor paper at the needle hole.

I cut up those discarded papers to make this little black watercolor book as a smaller prototype for the larger one.

A couple of days later I was done with making the book. I added the red headband on the top and bottom of the spine. I thought it looked perfect with the black book and the blue paintings that I was about to add on the cover.

Trimming the painting to fit the cover insets took some careful work. Since I had painted the two together, I could feel the sky, the branches and the music flowing from one into the other.

Once More Unto The Trail

Another story that I shared previously about my hiking in the alpine high country.

During the time at home away from there, I thought of the mountains and the snow-melt waters playing and singing together as two souls in this intimate, yet vast landscape.

“High mountains and flowing water” refers to a deep unspoken bond between two souls. The name came long after, but I find it befitting what I have created.

What started as a longing for the mountains has now taken on a shape of its own. I will fill this book with what kind of paintings, I wonder. That story is yet to be told.

Until next time,
-Soma

P.S. After a long break from the computer and other activities, my shoulder is on the mend. Thank you so much for your well wishes.

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them. Hosts of linky parties – please grab a photo of you choice for your party. Thank you for hosting!

Simple 365 – Set 14

A set of Simple365 photos from a year of everyday black and white photos. Time had rolled into October during this set. That is the time I can finally head outside after spending long months at home.

That year though, it was different. So all the photos are from around the home. Things that remind me to be happy.

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

I created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. That way I can relive my journey through the year via black and white photos, like in an old photo album.

Right around that time, I hurt my right hand so badly that I could not hold a pencil for more than 2 minutes. The thought of permanently losing the ability to draw made me afraid enough to start drawing using my left hand. I could do the large shapes, but no detail work. Thankfully, after much time and effort, I got the use of my right hand back.

Many, many months later, The Dragon and His Boy became a painting. By that time I had started making my own books.

This was the very first 3″ x 4″ book I made. This shade of green spoke to me of old lands with tree and dragon lore. The first painting of the Dragon and his Boy is special. I painted it with the inks I got for my birthday.

This little boy can befriend dragons very easily. While everyone else thinks he has special powers of making dragons listen to him, he would tell you that it is he who listens to them. Dragons always have such fascinating stories to tell.

I am never short of ideas when it comes to dragons and trees. Add a dragon to a tree and I came up with The Dragon And The Tree painting along with a little budding story in my head.

Read how I painted this one here –

The Dragon And The Tree

There is a beautiful rugged park where I live. I love going there for long walks that are interspersed with short runs. My park visits have come to a halt for now due to severe allergies. In the fall and winter months though, I make the most of my time there. This magnificent oak tree has always greeted me.

We had a few major winter storms here. When I visited afterward, I was very sad to see the fallen tree. Around here in the parks, we usually keep the trees where they fall so wildlife and plants can continue to grow around it. There is some comfort in that knowledge. The sky was full of dramatic light that day, and I couldn’t help but take of a photo of this tree. Still beautiful, but in a different way.

At home, I spend my time working with things that I collect during my time outside. After extensive experiments with making pigments from flowers, I turned my focus onto things that have tannin in them.

Our backyard redwood tree sheds cones very readily. I started off with using them to make pigment. Eventually, the experiments turned toward finding out effects of pH and iron on tannin-based pigments.

I also made pigments from dye that I had previously made using walnut husks from our black walnut tree. So now I have five beakers full of tannin-based pigments in the works. I am keeping notes of each step. I love to play and tinker.

I am also making major progress on my Garden Path quilt. I finished sewing all the blocks together, but then got stuck trying to find the “just right” fabric for the rest of the quilt.

I love Morris Brown designs, and was delighted when I found out that they are available as fabrics. The whole quilt was inspired by visiting gardens in England and Scotland. I couldn’t think of a more fitting set of fabrics to finish off my quilt.

I got honeysuckle for the border, oak for the back, and poppy for the binding. The backing is pieced, the batting has arrived, and I am ready to put it all together.

This painting of the Girl and Her Cat is from a book that is solely about their journey through a world of trees and flowers. I really love how close they are sitting together under that large tree, admiring the bluebells.

Trees have always created a place of solitude and comfort for me. I can’t imagine my life without them. I am just a girl who really loves her trees (and mountains. Preferably together). I hope you get to spend a little time with them regularly as well.

-Soma

P.S. I hurt my shoulder. My replies to the comments and visiting you back might be a bit delayed due to that. I apologize.

High Mountains and Flowing Water

Little Stories – A Girl Who Loves Trees

Simple 365 – Set 14