The Girl and Her Cat stories - treasure hunting in the rain together watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

Little Stories – Travels And Tales

The Girl and Her Cat stories - treasure hunting in the rain together watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

I had to take a break from post writing for much longer than I had anticipated.   Need of a change of air took me to Yellowstone for a few days, and then to the Eastern Sierra mountains.  Back at home, I have been painting and binding books with new inspirations from recent travels, as well as making tiny arts in my old bullet journal.  I also have another art supply experiment to share today. So here we go.

 

 


 

A few photos from Yellowstone

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

 

 

 

Yellowstone was profoundly overwhelming.   I was hoping for late spring snow, and mother nature listened.  It snowed there every day during our stay.  The landscape transformed with mist and smoke from every part of the ground when the sun came out after the snowstorms.

 

 

Upper Geyser Basin Yellowstone photo by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

The storms also gave me this beautiful contrasting dark sky. During an early evening walk we heard a loud noise and saw an ever-increasing plume behind us. Not sure which geyser went off, as there are many in that area.

 

 


 

Off to Tioga Pass

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

 

 

 

Then we went off to my favorite Sierra mountains.  The trails were still closed due to snow.  We took it slow with walking around a few new and old areas, and simply reading while listening to the rain.  

 

 

Alpenglow on mountains Tioga Pass Yosemite photo by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

Even though it was warm in the valley, it got cold in the mountains with oncoming nightfall.  I was glad to have packed my winter jacket as we waited for the mountains to take on the colors of Alpenglow.  I really missed these mountains.  Now I am back home until the weather cools off again, and I can breathe freely outside with pollen-free air.

 

 


 

Outside the Lines – Gesso and Watercolor ground

 

Outside the Lines is a series where I share my experience with new art supplies.   This time it’s watercolor on Liquitex gesso and watercolor on QOR watercolor-ground. 

I converted my last year’s bullet journal into an art journal.  That’s when I thought of using gesso and watercolor-ground to cover up the writings.  To see how they each perform, I covered two discarded paintings with gesso and wc-ground each.

 

Watercolor on gesso and watercolor ground by QoR by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

Gesso on the left, Wc-ground on the right, both after 3 coats

 

I needed to apply multiple thin coats in order for the paper to not warp.

Gesso covered and sealed off the darker under-painting and writing much better.   Wc-ground didn’t perform very well with the coverage even after three coats.  When used to cover up writing, it picked up the ink color and got tinted by it.   It’s a bit more wet than gesso, so the paper warps more too.  

At the end, I ended up applying gesso first, then wc-ground over that.  

 

 

Watercolor on watercolor ground by QoR by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Watercolor on wc-ground lifted off completely, even after a full night of drying, showing the white surface underneath.   That’s fine with mistakes, but it made it very hard for me to layer colors.  The colors simply lifted off or moved around, which made them very muddy.   When not layering though, it worked well enough.  I couldn’t get any definition on small things like the girl or the cat.

 

 

Watercolor on gesso by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

I sanded down the gesso paper just a little to get a smooth surface.  Watercolor on gesso lifted off too, but much less with some drying time in between each layer.  Watercolors tend to slide on gesso, but I could layer on colors with caution.   In the large areas, I could keep the subtle colors with ease.  The girl was a little better here, but I had to use pencil for the cat.

 

 

Watercolor on gesso and watercolor ground by QoR by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Overall I liked gesso better, even with its limitations.   The colors stick on it more with proper drying time.  The covering and sealing up is much better too.  Both of these qualities were lacking on wc-ground.  Additionally, since I have to use gesso to cover the writing/work first anyway,  I might as well stick to that for my converted bullet journal.

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat stories - Watching sunset while camping by the lake at the mountains painting on watercolor paper by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Here is the same painting on watercolor paper.

 

 


 

Art Journal

 

Art Journal from bullet journal by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

Ever since school, I have always used a planner.   Last year I hand made this book for my planning.   Instead of discarding it, I converted this bullet journal to an art journal.  I am mostly using Tombow dual brush pens for colors and various pens for drawings.  I am covering up the previous dates and writings with darker marker,  bits and pieces of discarded paintings,  darker washi tape,  printing and drawing paper, and now occasionally with gesso.

 

 

Bullet Journal converted art journal by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

I only work on it for 15-20 minutes before bedtime.  Sometimes I draw one day and color it the next day.   I am filling the pages with random small drawings, paintings, writings of my own, and occasional quotes.  It has been really wonderful for calming my mind before sleep.

 

 


 

Little watercolor cards

 

As part of my art study, I started painting these little watercolor cards more regularly.  A lot of times it takes a while to get what is in my head down on paper.

 

Alpine Gentian flowers in the Easter Sierra Tioga Pass Yosemite watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

Tiny Alpine Gentian flowers grow in the meadows at the Sierra mountains – a reminder of cool weather and the gorgeous outdoors.

 

 

Eastern Sierra hot springs watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

A Hot spring – somewhere in the mountains that is in my head.

 

 

The butterfly Effect watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

My friends came up with a couple of beautiful names.  Fluttering by Kim and All Aflutter by Dixie.   The Butterfly Effect is what I came up with afterwards, after reading more about it.

 

 

Oak and butterfly sword scabbard watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

I really love the art of sword and archery disciplines.  This little painting of a scabbard took close to two days to draw and paint.   According to me, scabbards are blessed by dragons and imbued with special powers.  The butterflies light the dark path and the oak leaves warn the carrier of this scabbard of nearby dangers.  

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat stories - treasure hunting in the rain together watercolor painting by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat – she wants him to get under the umbrella. He needs to go into the hedge to find the thing they came here for.  “Also, cats don’t get sick from a little rain” was his answer.

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat stories - Watching sunset while camping by the lake at the mountains painting on watercolor paper by Soma Acharya InkTorrents Graphics @ InkTorrents.com

 

 

With increased study load,  I am forcing myself to take more breaks so I don’t repeat another crash.   I hope these photos, art and the stories brought you much joy and respite.   I will wrap up here with these four lines I wrote along with this painting –

 

Life is wonderful in my boots,

Exploring from roots to shoots.

Into the mountains, here I go,

Finding myself, no friend nor foe.

 

Until next time,
-Soma

 

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

 

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Muir Woods Redwood Forest Milkmaid wildflower by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

Little Stories – Winter Tales

Muir Woods Trillium Flower by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

Hello Everyone!  We are having a very wet spring up here in Northern California.  Perfect for  hitting the trails amongst the redwood trees and visiting bookstores.   I also have been renovating the house with my husband, sewing quilts,  playing and making things in my atelier with paper and paint, not to mention spending a LOT of time with the kitties.  Let me share some of these winter tales with you.

 

 


 

Painting The Walls

 

Current state of my atelier

 

All the walls of our lovely house are covered with panels and wallpaper.  My husband and I have started removing all of those wall coverings.  Then there’s repairing and patching the walls, and finally, priming and painting.  We are currently working on my room.   I have everything set up so I can continue to work without disruption.  I can’t wait to show you around once it’s all done.

 

 


 

Sewing Garden Path Quilt-top

 

 

The Garden Path quilt-top is FINISHED!!  I just need to add borders to it and then it will be ready for quilting.  I designed and wrote the patterns for the flower blocks and created the layout.  I am happy to say that it looks exactly as I had envisioned it.

 

 


 

Hitting The Redwood Trails

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

 

 

 

We were away a lot last year.  My little kitties tend to miss us a lot when we are away.  So this year, I skipped the trip to the redwood forests 300 miles north of us and stayed home.  However, I am lucky to live only an hour away from Muir Woods, which is also a redwood forest.   I had not been there during this time of year before.  

We usually end up hiking anywhere between 5-7 miles.  The trails are moderately challenging with uphill climbs.  They are also full of roots which makes it hard to navigate.  During the February hike, I twisted my left foot pretty badly.  It is better now.  At least, it’s well enough for me to be able to go on another trail hike last Sunday with adequate caution.  With all the rain this year, the creeks are flowing beautifully.   Milkmaids are usually the first wildflowers to bloom in the woods.   Last Sunday I found Trilliums starting to bloom along the lower parts of the trail as well.   It really is magical in the forest.

 

 


 

…and The Bookstore

 

Home Library Stack of books photo by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

I also went to the bookstore an inordinate number of times and added on to an already tottering pile of books in the home library.  Barnes and Noble hosts a book drive during the holidays.  We have been participating for over a decade.  Every year, we browse through the children’s section and purchase a stack of new books, which then gets distributed to underprivileged children.  It is a huge part of my winter break.

 

 


 

Playing Music

 

Chinese Dizi flute by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

My husband always gives me a few art supplies for my birthdays.  Along with a book on how to draw swords, I also got a  Chinese flute called Dizi this year.  The flute is made of bamboo, which resonates with a very beautiful sound.

 

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

 

 

I am very happy to welcome it to my music instrument family.  In case you are wondering, I have never played a flute before.   I mostly play the violin and the piano.  I occasionally tinker with the guitar if a song calls for it.   I am excited about learning how to play a wind instrument.  First of all, I need to get used to making a consistent sound without feeling dizzy!

 

 

Tavish the maine coon sleeping in a violin case by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

Bamboo is very prone to cracking, so the flute is bunking with my violin.  The case has a hygrometer in it, so I can monitor the humidity.    Tavish also loves to bunk in there.  Here is a picture of  him sleeping inside my violin case. He not only sleeps but also snores while I play the violin only a couple of feet away from him.   No idea how he does it; the violin at close quarters is very LOUD. 

 

 


 

Making Gifts

 

Redwoods National and State Park pen drawing by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

 

I drew this little scene from a very favorite road of ours up north at the Redwood NP.  It is super twisty and narrow, and often a tight fit for cars through pairs of redwood trees on the road.  I used this drawing as a cover for a book that I made for my husband as his birthday gift.  I will save that story for another day.

 


 

 

Designing And Binding Books

 
 

Hand Bound books by Soma Acharya, Ink Torrents Graphics, inktorrents.com

 

 I mix my own adhesive for the binding.  I made so many books that I ran out of  the adhesive that I had made.  I experimented with and improved upon processes as I made these books.   I also painted and block printed new book covers.   I can’t wait to share them with you over the next few weeks.  Some will be available in my shop with new cover art, as well as new binding styles and paper.

 


 

 

The Girl And Her Cat Books

 

 

Spending time together

 

I have been steadily working on the Girl and Her Cat stories.  This girl, by the way, was very happy with her decision to stay home with her kitties.

As much as I love wildflowers, I, for one, is not looking forward to spring as it limits my time outside and fresh air completely due to severe allergies.   So, needless to say winter is a happy time for me and it was a good break.  Today’s post was more of a sampling platter.  I hope to share details over the next few weeks.   Thanks so much, everyone, for staying with me and a hearty welcome to my new visitors.  I hope to continue to bring more inspiration and write posts that make you smile.

Until next time,
-Soma

 

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

 

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