The Girl And Her Cat

Hello! Until I started writing, I didn’t realize how much I got done in these past few weeks. We were out and about, from the Columbia River Gorge to the coasts of Northern California. Walks around the neighborhood prompted some impromptu paintings. I finished making a few toys and blankets for the kitties, and also knitted up a couple of things for myself. Working toward another flower block for my wildflower block printing series and another watercolor book cover joined the list too. Last but not least, I painted this Girl and Her Cat book cover last Monday. It is going to be quite the show and tell today!

Fiber Works

My kitties love to play with these toys. They tend to see red and yellow very well on our light-colored carpet, which is why I picked those colors. I made these with fleece and filled them with catnip. They are also flat, so the kitties can easily carry them around in their mouths.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

I got a new sewing machine early this year. That was the perfect excuse to make more blankets for them. They love to sleep on them and it keeps the house tidy. I stitched two layers of fleece together with wavy lines as if I was quilting them.

I always hand stitch my bindings. So relaxing! With these new additions, along with the previous set of blankets, they are all set for now.

Knitting is another very calming activity for me. I particularly chose this pattern because it made me think of both architectural details as well as trees.

This one is my favourite set of mitts. The color of the yarn matches my kitty’s blue eyes. I am glad I got these done just in time for our travels.

Out And About

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

We traveled to the Columbia River Gorge for a few days. If there was ever a Rivendell (from Tolkien’s stories), this has to be the place. Despite the heavy rain, we walked around on the trails a lot. I also got to have my first snow of the season there and walked on it. These are just a few photos taken from my phone. I will write a proper, separate post on our visit there sometime.

Last Sunday we drove out to the coast of Northern California. We had a picnic lunch there and stopped at several places.

Our last stop was at this place where Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. We stayed there until it got dark. It was a really lovely day.

We went for a walk around our neighborhood and found these Ginkgo trees. I wanted to get a few leaves, but it got dark and we were both still recovering from being sick, so we decided to come home.

The next day we walked back over and I got my leaves. That afternoon I painted them in my nature journal. I only used a couple of colors and a small brush to paint on the details.

Little Stories – Little Dabbles

In this post I talked about being inspired by brush strokes in the Chinese and Japanese paintings, and about using that technique for painting the water around these leaves. I used a very similar technique to paint the details on the Ginkgo leaves too. I’m getting more familiar with the technique now. Practice makes perfect.

Upcoming Work

I finished drawing the flowers for my next block print in the wildflower series. I always practice a little on a small sample piece before diving into the large carving. Specially useful for all the curves I tend to have in my designs. With newly sharpened tools, I am all set for working on the large piece.

Once I finish, that print will join these – Fairy Lantern and Enduring Thistle. The journals are available in my shop.

I have been working on a book cover with this little owl. I was only going to test the colors on a test piece. Before I knew it, I ended up with this little one.

I need to make a watercolor book anyway, so I will incorporate him on the cover. The book signatures are all done and ready to be stitched. I will start working on them tomorrow.

Book Cover Art

Ever since I painted this picture on the cover of one of my hand bound books, I have been wanting to paint another one like this. It is a little daunting. If I make a mistake, I will have to bind the book again, as I had to do with this book because of a washi tape mishap.

I made this book a couple of years ago, I think. Since then, I have been wondering about what to draw on the cover. I wanted to incorporate the binding ribbons as a part of the cover art.

Then, last week, the idea literally popped into my head. In my sketchbook, I drew the Girl and Her Cat in an old library, leaning against a stone wall, reading. The ribbons became part of the stone wall. I copied the finished drawing on to the book cover and painted it.

Once I finished the front side, the back looked so bland. My husband suggested continuing the stone wall on the back. That was a brilliant idea.

My finished book. I could not be happier with it.

That wraps up everything I have been doing outside and inside and paints a good picture of my winter break. Kitty cuddles, weekend drives, reading by the fireplace and playing in my little atelier. I wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Until next time,
-Soma

The Ink Torrents Graphics shop remains open. I will continue to mail orders, as always. You can also purchase quilting patterns, which you can access immediately via Instant Download. I will also be available via email. Thank you for continuing to shop from my store, so I can support my favorite rescue organizations.

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

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 –