The Girl And Her Cat

Hi Everyone! If you are new here, you probably wouldn’t know about The Girl and Her cat. A few years ago, I started painting and then writing little stories about an adventurous little girl who loves to travel and wander around with her little cat. I made this book a few months ago for writing down little ideas and notes that randomly pop into my head. Unlike other times, I actually remembered to take photos while making this book. Let me share a few of them with you today, along with a few paintings of these two best friends, and a couple of sewing projects.

Month of July

July marks not only our anniversary, it is also a birthday month for my kitties.

I picked up these bright felt pieces to make a few toys for them. They can see the bright colors really well. There is a kind of stringy toy they love to play with, but is not sold in stores anymore. That’s where mom enters the picture.

The oldtimers here know that I used to make quilts for my kitties all the time. I recently completely rewrote one of my old retired patterns. What better way to test it but make a kitty quilt. The fabrics are pulled, and the pattern pieces are all cut and ready for sewing. I am hoping to show you both the toys and the quilt block soon.

The Little Book Of Thoughts

Now on to the book which is also related to a birthday!

Stitching the pages together while paying attention to the tension. Tension is important to make sure the binding is not too loose or too tight.

Once the pages were sewn together, I started working on the cover with a quick pencil sketch first.

Tombow markers are not lightfast. However, since I was going to print this out on thicker paper for the cover, I still opted for those markers for their vivid colors.

This is what my desk looks like when I am binding books. My husband thinks this photo looks like a pile of scrap and rubbish; you be the judge.

After a bit of measurement and math, I wanted to make sure that my measurements for the corner cloth pieces were correct. I did this by cutting the pieces from paper first before cutting into fabric.

I chose a cream card stock to print the cover picture. The card stock I had was of a light color. So I used watercolor wash to tint them a little. In retrospect, I should not have cut the paper to shape before printing.

Painted paper curls in a little, so the paper kept on shifting as it went through the printer feeder. Thank goodness I made extra. After a few tries and fiddling with the printer, I got a good straight print of the cover.

With all the pieces in place, I finished binding the book. Promptly afterwards, I went through all my bits and pieces of paper full of ideas and copied them down in the book. A few more notes have been added since then.

The ideas are the little saplings. Hopefully, I will be able to grow them over time. That was the idea behind my drawing this picture.

Today happens to be this little cat’s birthday. I am pretty sure they are outside somewhere in a cold country enjoying a little picnic together in the woods. Here are some of my favorite moments of the two best friends spending time together.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

If you want to see more paintings of their adventures, here are the three books I have shared here so far –

Lost Pages

Wandering Pages

Distant Pages

They are the personification of happiness for me. I hope you enjoyed today’s post!

Until next time,
-Soma

Hand binding my sketchbooks

One of the recent finishes was me rebinding six of my sketchbooks. I don’t care for ring-bound or vinyl-covered books. Since I am a book binder, I got to work.

You know my weakness toward this moss-green colour. That sketchbook is still mostly new, but the blue-grey one is completely full.

It has my sketches, notes, and paint recipes, just to name a few. Some of the drawings, like this one of my beloved kitty, are very personal to me.

I absolutely LOVE these two colours. A lot of my paintings have a mix of them, often as backgrounds. The green sketchbook is new, the blue is a playground.

I try out new colours and techniques in the blue one. Seeing this painting reminds me of that wonderful December evening when I was painting it surrounded by my loved ones.

The original book came with a vinyl cover, which is not my favourite. It was also really hard to keep flat, making it difficult to draw or paint in it. The book was from a well-known company, but I was disappointed with the binding.

I started systematically disassembling the book with a pair of scissors and a knife. I find cloth-bound books to be very special. I bound this one with black cloth.

I took all the original stitches out and restitched the book. It stays completely flat now, while I draw or paint in it. My dear husband also loved the newly bound book. As the original book was a gift from him, it was good to see that smile on his face. I did talk to him before ripping the book apart!

At 9in x 12in, this is the largest book I have bound until today. Fabric used for book covers is specially lined. I made this book cloth at home using one of my favourite fabrics. I am actually looking forward to making more custom ones.

Pocket-sized cloth-bound books made by me are available in my shop

I use this sketchook for architecture drawings. I thought a book cover with clocks would be perfect, as stories often live on though architecture, making them timeless. This is a drawing that I couldn’t bring myself to touch for a while, but I think it’s time to continue the journey of this painting again.

My sketchbooks have been there for me through the happiest and saddest of my days. So, it’s no wonder that I want to wrap my ink-and-paper friends in lovely covers. My sketchbooks always seem to take me where I need to go instead of where I want to go. That is how The Girl and Her Cat came into my life.

Distant Pages

The two of them are now collecting a few more stories from the distant and enigmatic lands of The North before they head off on a new adventure. This particular blue book is one of my big favourites. I mixed mythology and my own travels to create brand-new stories.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

Angel of The Night

I was inspired to paint her from the story of mythological Hel. However, I always love a little twist. The Girl and Her Cat met this much-misunderstood gentle angel. They also learned that she is the one who sets the souls as stars in the sky. That way no one is ever truly forgotten.

The Benevolent One

This mighty dragon likes to help lost seamen. I think most dragons are quite benevolent. Not at all how the books describe them. How about you?

The Solitary Sentinel

Of all the paintings in this book, this one best embodies my short time in Svalbard. I love how they are amicably curious and not threatened by each others’ presence.

I love to travel to new places and experience the diversity of our planet.

In the words of Lord Byron –

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

A Page with all the paintings from the Distant Pages book