Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

Leaves And Butterflies

Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Hello Everyone! I have been spending a lot of time outside during the winter break, walking amongst the trees near and far and spending time with my camera. I find quite a bit solace and peace there. That in turn prompted me to work on a little project, and then to prepare something I could share with you.

 

 

 

Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

About ten years ago, I made an embroidery blanket for our kitty Charlie.   Very soon afterwards, it became one of his favourites.  Now, a decade later, it has become a bit threadbare.  During this break, I made a new one for him using the same layout and colors.  It is pretty much an exact replica of his original blanket.

 

 

 

Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

The only difference between the two is the binding.  Instead of using a blanket stitch again, I used this bramble fabric to bind this one.

 

 

 

Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Download Autumn Leaves

 

I also polished up the leaf drawings I had made for the blanket.  Now they are available in my shop completely free for you to download. 

They are line arts of generous size.  You can resize them to your need and use them for so many projects – scrapbooking, greeting cards, applique, and embroidery, just to name a few.  You can also choose to spend time together colouring them.  

 

 

 

Autumn Leaves Line art clip art @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

these pocket journals handmade by me  are available in my shop

 

I traced the leaves in the nature journal and painted the trio.  I just love those warm colours.  I would very much like to see them made in different shades of green and yellow as new leaves.

 

 

 

Book Drive at Barnes And Noble @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

Every December, my husband and I purchase a set of books at our local Barnes and Noble book store for their yearly book drive for underprivileged children.  Hopefully these books from last December provided the little ones some much-needed escape.

 

Without going too much into my childhood, let’s just say I was glad to have the stars and books as my two constant companions growing up.  I dreamed about escaping to distant worlds whilst lying under the stars.  At other times, I dove into books to shut out the world outside, often wishing I was made of ink and paper.  They are still my escape, my world, my friends and family.

 

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat with Death watercolour painting @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

 

A few months ago,  I finished painting a little blue book about the Girl and Her Cat and about stories themselves.   There are some stories that are so heartbreaking, they would make Death cry.  Seems like we are living through one of those times yet again.  Sitting on his robe, the Girl and Her Cat listen to him and comfort him.

 

 

 

The Girl and Her Cat and butterflies watercolour painting @ inktorrents.com by Soma Acharya

 

I flat out refuse to read a book where there is no hope.  Not every story has a happily ever after, but there is no living without hope.  After the Girl and Her Cat travelled to the end of the world to see Death, the two of them found something beautiful in the midst of the surrounding darkness.

 

When the war started, the constant thought in my head was how to get books / ebooks to the children who are so afraid and have lost their childhood.  I kept on looking daily until I came across this page on BBC.   I followed the link on Little Toller Books website and promptly donated.  You can find out more about this amazing endeavour at the links above.

 

Our cat Charlie is now dreaming on his new autumn leaves blanket, the leaves I drew from a few I found on the wayside.  Fragile things like leaves and butterflies spark simple childlike joy and hope, and become part of our art and stories.  I hope you will find the Autumn Leaves download helpful and make something beautiful with them.  We need that now more than ever.

 

See you on Wandering Camera linky party on March 31st.

 

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.  Also linking up with Meadow Mist Designs this month.

 

 

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Fabric block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

Flight Of The Tree And A Giveaway

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

Hello Everyone!  All Hallows Eve for me is the time when fantastical things can happen.  All you have to do is stretch your imagination a little.  I love decking our house with a myriad autumnal and magical decorations.  My husband and I carve pumpkins and happily dole out candy to all who stop by, children and adults alike.  This year however, I had been feeling very lackadaisical about my favourite day.

Carol’s announcement of the Ghastly Ghouls blog hop was exactly what I needed.  I love her blog hops, she makes them fun.

 

 

 

The Idea

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

I have been doing block prints on paper for a while.  Printing on fabric would be new to me.  This was just the occasion for trying that out.

 

The Raven was certainly going to be a central part of the picture, but the context was not quite clear to me at first.  Visiting a favourite spot, a grove of oak trees, sparked an idea.   What if, on All Hallows Eve, for that one night, the spirits of the trees are set free as birds!  They get to spread their wings and fly across the world.

 

Who else but the adventurous Girl and her Cat would venture into the woods to witness such a magical moment, perhaps even talk to the raven spirit of this ancient tree.

 

Then, one Sunday, the idea materialised into a drawing.

 

 

The Making

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

 

I find block carving extremely calming.   Just like the Girl and her Cat, with my kitty right beside me, I ventured into the world of bringing the spirit of a tree to life.

 

 

The Printing

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

This is the part where I stepped into the unknown territory.  The new Speedball fabric ink I got kept drying out on me, causing very blotchy prints.   After a few test prints, I gave up and went back to my favourite ink which tends to stay wet longer.   That way I could mix a couple of inks to get the right colour and pull a few prints with ease.

 

 

The Not So Magical Moments

 

Of course, there had to be a few hiccups.  Two of my sweet kitties got sick at the same time, both needing a lot of TLC.  Tight on schedule, but I made it.

My iron decided to stop working at 10:30 at night, right before I started ironing the fabric pieces for printing.  My dear husband mended the cable while I got everything else ready.

 

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

I had to wash the old Speedball ink off the block before I could restart with the new ink.  That caused the block to bend, making it impossible for me to apply ink properly.  After several unsuccessful test prints, I had to call it a night.  I set the block under LOTS of books to try and make it flat again and went to bed.

 

 

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

These are the test prints.   With the slight changes I made on every print, I saw improvements. That was extremely encouraging.  I wanted to do a few colour fastness and wash tests, but I ran out of time.   The bottom three I saved for a later day for that purpose.

 

 

The Joy of Success

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

 

Next day, much to my delight, I was able to very successfully pull a few prints by applying all the modifications I figured out the night before. 

 

 

Fabric lino block printing @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

I set them to dry on the laundry drying rack.   The texture of the canvas fabric gave it a tapestry style look which I really love!

 

 

The Finish

 

Fabric lino block printing on canvas @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

With the prints almost dry, I started working on my finished project.   Using one of the prints, I made a  bag with pockets.  The canvas fabric is stiff enough, but I still used interfacing to give it a sturdier body.

 

 

 

Here are a couple of photos of the inside and the back of the bag.  Please click on them to see the larger phtos.

 

 

A Giveaway

 

Fabric lino block printing on canvas @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

 

As I was making the bag, I thought it would make the perfect giveaway for this festive event.  It’s a 11″ x 9″ sturdy bag made of canvas fabrics with three generously sized inside pockets.   I can think of so many things to use this bag for.   (Bag contents not included)

 

My giveaways are for those who subscribe to my blog via email. This is where I share my photos and work in context and communicate with you directly.  Thank you for reading and for all the wonderful comments!

 

The giveaway has now ended.

 

 

 

Just Let Me Quilt

 

I love taking part in Carol’s Halloween blog hops, and I am so glad that I got to participate this year again.  She keeps the event fun  and open, which lets me try out new ideas for my project.  She also makes fantastic quilts and patterns, specially Halloween themed ones.  Make sure to visit her website see her beautiful works.

I am sharing this day with these wonderful ladies –

 

Creatin’ in the Sticks

Inflorescence

Samelia’s Mum

Songbird Designs

 

The Girl And Her Cat witnessing Flight of the Tree has become one my favourite Halloween stories.   I love those magical moments!

Happy Halloween Hopping!

-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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