Little Stories – Playful Pieces

Ink sketches with fude pen by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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 Kana Syllabary by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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.

 

 

 

Charlie's 18th birthday card - cat watercolor painting by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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.

 

 

 

French link handmade book by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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. 

 

 

 

Handmade books and journals by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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

 

 

Fairy Lanterns Northern California Yellow Wildflower Art @ inktorrents.com by Soma

 

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.

 

 

 

Ink sketches with fude pen by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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.

 

 

 

Oaks in autumn at Yosemite photo by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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 Girl and Her Cat watercolor painting by Soma @ InkTorrents.com

 

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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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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