Posts

Showing posts with the label techniques

Knitting with Cotton Yarn

Image
My Thoughts and Review on Using Cotton versus. Wool Yarn... so far! After feeling becoming pretty confident with my knitting skills using wool yarn I decided it was time to try something new and take on a knitting project that calls for cotton yarn. After all, a girl can only work on one major project for so long before wanting to explore and conquer new challenges. This weeks particular project was in making two small dish clothes using a cotton yarn in Neptune Ombre. I chose these colours because they remind me of the mountains with greens being like the trees, blues representative of the sky and lakes, while white resembles the white peaks of snow covered mountains. First Impressions: At first glance, cotton yarn looks like any other typical skein sold until you give it a closer look and feel. As the cotton has a more stiffer feel and string like look to it which is best for more durable and house ware knits such as the dish cloths I've made (in the image below) because ...

Learning Pastels- Lesson #2

Image
Introducing Dabbing and Creating Clouds Well as intended I finally got the chance to learn a new technique for the month of learning pastels. This time it was experimenting making clouds and applying a dabbling technique to make them look light and fluffy (that same interesting term used in baking, now appears a part of clouds I wonder which came first...). Having it be a while since I first took a lesson in between experimenting on my own and learning techniques I was nervous about returning but decided that since growing as a pastel artist means being open to improving and taking on techniques it was time to learn more on how to expand on my own style. Feeling more comfortable using them on my own and less intimidated by the pastels it made sense to transition into another technique. My pastel hands were ready to take on another experience.  Morning sun, created March 22/2017, first attempt using dabbing effect to create clouds. An intimidating second-err-third step, ...

March's Plan for Learning Pastels

Image
A More Comprehension Observation and Plan on How I'm Tackling It:  Well guys, earlier on I mentioned that I'd come up with a loose plan to make March successful and one part was continuing to be open during this process of learning and experimenting with a new medium, much like I've been for baking and knitting. Although this time around I'm more prepared, with two months behind me of this challenge and entering into a third everything has been turning out great- I haven't given up yet, all baking has turned out delicious, the knitting has come along (I continue to learn and learned so much from this experience) and have even embraced imperfection. I still try my best but don't get too discouraged if it doesn't always turn out perfectly, I'm happy just to finish it or learn from it. The Plan: Step 1 (paired with above):  Pre-entering February I've been testing out my pastel prowess, doing different shapes and sizes, concepts and techniques. J...

March Madness with Pastels (and a possible future field trip!)

Image
Guess what?!? March has quickly approached and I can hardly believe it. All at once I'm nervous and excited, eager and anxious to get started. It's form of creativity is learning how to use pastels . I chose pastels as a medium for a few good reasons. Firstly, I have selected a mentor who works in that medium to help me learn a few techniques and tricks along the way. Secondly, they are easier to maneuver than paints or water colours and hopefully less mess to clean up. Still. Yikes! Although this was my chosen medium as with any of these experiments and experiences it's still new. So to prepare for the iminient month of March I've been amping up and doing some experimenting on my own. With supplies at hand I've been trying different abstract shapes and idea, shading, blending and smudging, rubbing, grunting and learning.  This is a messy craft! Which has helped me know how to plan out March when it arrives- as I write this it's a day away-. "The Spark...