Little Book Of Thoughts

Girl and Her Cat hand bound book by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Hi Everyone!  If you are new here, you probably wouldn’t know about The Girl and Her cat.  A few years ago, I started painting and then writing little stories about an adventurous little girl who loves to travel and wander around with her little cat.  I made this book a few months ago for writing down little ideas and notes that randomly pop into my head.  Unlike other times, I actually remembered to take photos while making this book.  Let me share a few of them with you today, along with a few paintings of these two best friends, and a couple of sewing projects.

 


 

Month of July

 

July marks not only our anniversary, it is also a birthday month for my kitties.

 

Felt cat toys by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

I picked up these bright felt pieces to make a few toys for them.   They can see the bright colors really well.   There is a kind of stringy toy they love to play with, but is not sold in stores anymore.  That’s where mom enters the picture.

 

 

 

Hexagram Star quilt pattern by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

The oldtimers here know that I used to make quilts for my kitties all the time.  I recently completely rewrote one of my old retired patterns.  What better way to test it but make a kitty quilt.  The fabrics are pulled, and the pattern pieces are all cut and ready for sewing.  I am hoping to show you both the toys and the quilt block soon.

 


 

The Little Book Of Thoughts

 

Now on to the book which is also related to a birthday!

 

Girl and Her Cat hand bound book by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Stitching the pages together while paying attention to the tension.  Tension is important to make sure the binding is not too loose or too tight.

 

 

 

Girl and Her Cat drawing by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Once the pages were sewn together, I started working on the cover with a quick pencil sketch first.

 

 

 

Girl and Her Cat drawing by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 Tombow markers are not lightfast.  However, since I was going to print this out on thicker paper for the cover, I still opted for those markers for their vivid colors.

 

 

 

Girl and Her Cat hand bound book by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

This is what my desk looks like when I am binding books.  My husband thinks this photo looks like a pile of scrap and rubbish; you be the judge.

After a bit of measurement and math, I wanted to make sure that my measurements for the corner cloth pieces were correct.  I did this by cutting the pieces from paper first before cutting into fabric.

 

 

 

Girl and Her Cat hand bound book by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

I chose  a cream card stock to print the cover picture.   The card stock I had was of a light color.  So I used watercolor wash to tint them a little.  In retrospect, I should not have cut the paper to shape before printing. 

Painted paper curls in a little, so the paper kept on shifting as it went through the printer feeder.  Thank goodness I made extra.   After a few tries and fiddling with the printer, I got a good straight print of the cover.

 

 

 

Girl and Her Cat hand bound book by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

With all the pieces in place, I finished binding the book.  Promptly afterwards, I went through all my bits and pieces of paper full of ideas and copied them down in the book.   A few more notes have been added since then. 

The ideas are the little saplings.  Hopefully, I will be able to grow them over time.  That was the idea behind my drawing this picture.

 

 

Today happens to be this little cat’s birthday.  I am pretty sure they are outside somewhere in a cold country enjoying a little picnic together in the woods.   Here are some of my favorite moments of the two best friends spending time together.

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

 

 

 

If you want to see more paintings of their adventures, here are the three books I have  shared here so far –

Lost Pages

Wandering Pages

Distant Pages

 

They are the personification of happiness for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s post!

Until next time,
-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please consider paying a visit to some of them.

 

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Everyday Bullet Journals with Fluttering Spring Cherry Blossoms Cover in Teal Green @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Twirling and Fluttering

Everyday Bullet Journals with Fluttering Spring Cherry Blossoms Cover @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Hello everyone!  I have a lot to share with you today.   The trees around here are full of white blossoms.  The little flowers look so lovely when they twirl and flutter in the breeze.  I have been working on a couple of paintings of these flowers.  I also want to make a new quilt, so I wrote a quilt pattern as well.

 

 

Spring Blossoms in the rain in Napa @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

One day, when it rained and pollen was not so bad, I went outside to take a photo of this delicate flower holding onto a gentle raindrop.  It’s one of my favorite photos. 

 

 

Fluttering Spring Blossoms quilt pattern @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Fluttering Blossoms quilt pattern

 

Blossoms come in so many different colors.  Instead of the usual pink, I picked white for mine because of the white blossoms blooming around here.

 

 

Fluttering Spring Blossoms quilt pattern @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

After I finished the flower, I wrote the pattern for a single petal.

 

 

Fluttering Spring Blossoms quilt pattern @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

This is the design of little flowers and petals twirling and fluttering in the wind that I will be making into a quilt.

You can get this Fluttering Blossoms quilt pattern from my shop.  It includes both the flower and petal patterns.

 

 

 

Spring Blossoms in the rain in Napa @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

That rainy day, I took a photo of this flowering branch as well.  I love the contrasting green background created by the large tree that was behind it.

 

 

Fluttering Spring Cherry Blossoms drawings for everyday journals @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

It all started with a simple drawing of these dainty flowers in my sketchbook.   As usual, as time passed, I started to expand on the original drawing.  I couldn’t really decide on one, so I made two.

 

 

Dragonfly sketch @InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

Before I copied the drawings onto the papers that I would be using for the paintings,  I must have practiced at least 50-60 dragonfly wings.  In order for me to draw a continuous curve with the pen,  I had to find the correct angles of both the paper and my hand.  Those arrows on the paper are to remind myself of the start and end points.

 

 

Everyday Bullet Journals with Fluttering Spring Cherry Blossoms Cover @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Fluttering Blossoms everyday journals

 

Instead of going with traditional colors, I chose a couple of stylized color combinations.  I couldn’t say no to that vibrant red,  and teal is my favorite color.   Once I had the colors for the flowers, the colors for the dragonflies came naturally.

I named this one Fluttering Blossoms.

 

 

Everyday Bullet Journals with Fluttering Spring Cherry Blossoms Cover @ InkTorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Twirling Blossoms everyday journals

 

My husband recently requested a bullet journal.  He chose this drawing with the petals for his book cover.

This one is called Twirling Blossoms.

I drew and painted all four of them individually.  There were a couple of accidents which required me to restart.  I will refrain from mentioning the words that were uttered at those moments.

 

Here are the four everyday journals with the paintings on the cover.  Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

 

 

The journals are also available in my shop, as well as the quilt pattern.

 

Now I am off to make the journal for my husband.  I may end up making a bullet journal for myself as well.  I will share them when I finish.

 

A dear friend loves watching the spring blossoms and autumn leaves fluttering and twirling in the air.   It’s very peaceful to see him enjoying the simple and ephemeral moments of nature.  These little flowers always make me think of him.  I hope you like them!

 

Until next time,
-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please consider paying a visit to some of them.

 

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