books

Hi Everyone! Little Stories are posts where I share unrelated odds and ends from my life and my atelier. This one is full of playful little pieces. Whenever I need a little push, I work on teeny tiny things. They not only help me get going again, they also often spark new ideas. These little pieces that I worked on earlier are setting the stage for my winter break.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

I always keep a stack of small pieces of inexpensive watercolor paper on my desk. I paint simple things on those papers whenever I need to warm up before working on something larger. Sometimes I also use them to try out new art supplies that I have purchased, but haven’t used yet. There is never any pressure with these practice pieces.

Over the break, I plan to work with these new art supplies a bit more in-depth, and then share the results with you.

Japanese Syllabary

I was very fastidious about making good sweeping curves while drawing these flash cards of Japanese syllabary. After 142 cards, I not only learned the characters well, they also provided good practice for drawing curves with a pen.

I will continue to work on my Japanese studies over the break. This will include a trip to the Japanese store so we can start making authentic Japanese food at home. I love to explore authentic cuisines from different countries, which is always a highlight of our travels.

Our sweet Charlie turned 19 last Saturday

He LOVES cheesecake. So for his birthdays, he gets a special treat – a very sizable portion of cheesecake. My husband and he have a very special bond. He was looking up at my husband to sit with him while he savored his birthday treat.

Although he is a perpetual kitten, I painted this dignified version of him in the library for his 18th birthday last year. I am really quite excited about the new painting I am working on, featuring him celebrating his 19th birthday.

Although I love binding books with decorative stitches on the spine, I unfortunately don’t get to make these decorative books often. That is another thing I want to work on over the break. I already have a bunch of pages prepped to be bound in different styles. When I make these books, I like to color coordinate everything.

I sometimes zone out while making books. That’s how I ended up binding these books all together, but they are lacking cover art. That’s next for this stack of little journals.

Handmade journals are available in my shop

New book covers will undoubtedly include some block carvings. My head is teeming with new ideas and some of them are already penciled into my sketchbooks. Time to sharpen those carving tools. Keep an eye out for journals with new cover designs in the shop.

A tree and a travelling woman. I was really not in the mood to do much that day. So I grabbed a few scrap pieces of paper and started drawing with a new $10 fude fountain pen. Changing the angle of the nib of a fude fountain pen changes the line thickness. I miss these impromptu drawings. I would like to sit by the fireplace and do more of these as well.

Most importantly, before March shuts me indoors again, I plan to take many walks outside with my beloved camera. I took this photo during our last visit to the mountains. I can’t wait to go snowshoeing there among the trees and the stones.

The time has come for me to go on my winter break. I look forward to donning my favourite woolens and exploring the peaceful, sleepy world outside. Inside the home, long hours of video game playing with my husband has become a tradition. Ink and paper adventures also await me, along with the prospect of warm beverages, fireside reading, and kitty cuddles.

Thank you so much for being here with me and for your lovely and encouraging words. I will be back around February / March with a lot to share as well as new The Girl and Her Cat stories.

Wishing you a safe and magical holiday season. I hope you find a few playful pieces to unwind with during this time as well.

See you then,
-Soma

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

P.S. The Ink Torrents Graphics shop remains open. I will continue to fulfill orders, as always. I will also be available via email. Thank you for continuing to shop from my store.

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Hi Everyone! Little Stories are posts I write every now and then where I share odds and ends that I work on or things that happen around me. This time I want to share a few finishes consisting of knitting, sewing and this impromptu little owl book I made. I love to keep my hands busy by working on projects like these, mostly after dinner.

Previously I wrote about an exchange that Mary and I did. She made me an amazing artist apron ( you can see it here ) and I knitted her a couple of sets of hats and mitts. Since Mary and I both love autumn colours, I had fun shopping as if I was buying the yarns for myself.

I used the patterns Westward Hat and Westward Mitts by Rebecca Woelber for this set. The cable part of this design required my full attention. I mostly worked on this one while my husband was playing a video game and I was “helping”.

For this set, I paired Prim hat by Andrea Mowry with Staghorn Mitts by Pamala Jane Patterns. Both were quick knits and easy cables too. They are not beginner patterns, but very well written. If you are a generally a confident knitter, and want to try cable knitting, both of these are very good patterns. Once you get used to the cable patterns, they don’t require so much attention either.

It was so wonderful to make them for a friend, and I am happy to hear that she got to use them a lot during the colder months.

During the time I was knitting for Mary, I decided to donate my serger. The lady who was fostering our kitten was delighted to hear that I would donate the serger to the Rescue. She lives an hour away, and halfway along the way is a JoAnn fabric store. I wanted to remake this blanket for our kitty Charlie ( You can read about it and download the leaves file for free here ), so my husband and I made a quick pit stop to pick up some fleece.

I had to pick up some extra fleece for a few more kitty blankets, of course. I cut the pieces in half to make them double-layered. I like both the slow process of binding by hand, and also the look of hand binding. Instead of matching bindings, I decided to use contrasting colours and designs. They had to have an autumn and winter theme to them as those are my favourite seasons. I specially love the wispy and wintry tree branches of the binding on the top blanket.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

Now they are all ready for my little kitties when the weather turns cold around here. These would make cosy and quick baby blankets too.

One of the original Fairy Lantern flower prints is going to a new home soon, as are a few of the everyday journals, which is always exciting! They are available in the shop.

Most of my work is thought through and planned ahead. This little owl book, however, was a complete exception to that and was certainly not on the list. At the end of one day, I was so mentally exhausted that I needed a feel-good project. I had a little 2″ x 3″ book made from before that needed a cover. I pulled out washi tape, some scrap pieces of book binding boards, paper, micron pen, glue and scissors, and set to work.

I didn’t even feel like drawing anything new. I have always had a soft spot for owls. I traced the owl from one of my old marker paintings, copied it on the cover and inked it with micron pen. I love designs by Morris Brown, and I got this washi tape from Jet Pens recently. After affixing the front and back covers to the book, I attached the spine board with a strip of the wide washi tape. I added some scrap washi tape triangles to the corners and the book was done. It took me a total of around 30 minutes and it certainly uplifted my spirit quite a lot. Paper, pen, glue and tape – ingredients for utter happiness.

These after hours projects have a calming effect on me. While I work on them, I mentally prepare for the next day too. Do any of you do anything special to wind down? I would love to know.

-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay them a visit. Also linking up with Favorite Finish Linky Party @ Meadow Mist Designs.

Little Stories – Playful Pieces

Little Stories – After Hours