One day, earlier this month, we decided to walk along a route that we haven’t been on since the beginning of spring. I found a few leaves on the asphalt that were already taking on fall colours. Of course I had to put a few in my pocket and bring them home. I painted one of them using Caran D’Ache Neocolor II pastels. The pastels are from a special edition Fall Colour set, which could not have been more perfect for this leaf. Afterwards, using watercolour, I painted cracked asphalt around it as the background.
I have been slowly buying a few good paintbrushes. I had always wanted to buy kolinsky. However, when it came to actually purchasing one, I could not make myself buy brushes made of “fur”. I felt that my paintings would be tainted forever. So I looked at different synthetic options and came across these Escoda Versatil brushes which are synthetic kolinsky. I can’t tell you how they compare with real kolinsky brushes, but I like these brushes very much.
Mine are round, short-handle brushes. They are well-balanced and feel very smooth on paper. I have successfully used them on hot- and cold-press watercolour paper, as well as mix-media paper. They retain their shapes very well and certainly hold enough paint for me to do long lines with ease. These brushes are also beautifully made. If you are looking into buying good watercolour brushes, I highly recommend them. Buy them from a proper source though, so you know you are getting the genuine article.
Since we vacation a lot in colder places, my husband recently requested a knitted hat. I opted for this easy Thank You hat pattern from Purl Bee. The pattern makes for a pretty long hat. However, since he wanted a shorter one, I reduced the length by about 2.5 inches. The pattern was extremely easy to follow. I was able to finish making the hat within just a couple of days despite intermittent knitting. It fitted him so well that I didn’t bother blocking the hat any more.
I also wrote the next two Lego Harry Potter quilt patterns, and will be sewing them this week. Make sure to come by next week to get the patterns.
Happy Crafting,
-Soma
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