DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

Dirt & Daffodils

4/16/2025

 
Picture
Done in sketchbook with Micron 01 pen and colored pencils. Quote by Margaret Atwood.
Picture
Graphite pencil sketch prior to inking and coloring--inspired by Kelly's book on Drawing Botanicals.
Picture
Still mid-way, showng Kelly's book.
Picture
Mid-way sketch after initial inking and coloring.

I'm still attempting to sneak in a bit of drawing in between my studies.  I'm trying to keep my hand in practice after so many months of having to focus on other things.

I thought it would be fun to show how things progressed from a 5-minute pencil sketch up through coloring.

Here's another daffodil quote:  "You normally have to be bashed about a bit by life to see the point of daffodils, sunsets, and uneventful nice days."  --Alain de Botton  
Couldn't we all use an "uneventful nice day" right about now?

Now Before the Eye Can Focus

4/14/2025

 
Picture
Good heavens, days are rolling past so quickly and I've had no creative time due to the meditation course I'm taking (which finishes in late June).  My "inner creative natives" are getting extremely restless so I snuck this quick drawing in today in my sketchbook, but now need to go back to studying.

It's from Kelly Barone's new book, Drawing Botanicals.  Her book comes fully illustrated with step-by-step drawings, and each has a link to a video for drawing that particular flower.  There must be 150+ flowers (each linked to it's own short video) in the book. They go from A-Z, from African Daisy to Zinnia.  I am highly recommending it, and you'd be supporting a working artist.   Click on the link above to order a copy.  (And don't go by my quick sketch above--you can do even better, I'm sure!

It's amazing how quickly one's skills can deteriorate when one doesn't use them.  I used to be far better with the colored pencils than I am now--can't wait to be putting in regular practice again later this summer.  Kelly is a watercolor artist extraordinaire--you will really enjoy looking at her full website HERE.  I dream of someday creating the subtle beauty she produces--I love her work.

I paired the sketch above with my favorite springtime poem by Lilja Rogers:  "First a howling blizzard woke us; then the rains came down to soak us.  Now, before the eye can focus--Crocus."  Every year in the spring this poem makes me laugh.  May it have the same effect on you.  I fell in love with it the first time I read it, decades ago.  Reciting it is a spring ritual for me.

Star Trails Over Kitt Peak (Tapestry In the Sky)

3/27/2025

 
Picture
Photo Credit goes to: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF//Aura/B.Tafreshi

How beautiful is this?  I just about fell off my chair when I saw it. 

Of course it has nothing to do with textiles (yet--it could be the inspiration for one, with permission of course) or meditation (overtly) or anything else I usually write about, but it has everything to do with creativity and beauty, both of which soothe the trouble soul. And everything to do with art. 
Doesn't it remind you of a certain 19th century painter's work?
We could all use this cosmic view right about now.  Enjoy. 
For a super-short video on the timed exposure, go HERE.
For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
--Vincent VanGogh

Magical Stars, Day 7

3/9/2025

 
PictureThe Magical Stars Project, Day 7 (a project from Sandhya Manne CZT in India, see previous posts for more info on this). Tangles: ICanToo, Gourdgeous, Shattuck, Orbs, and a few random lines. Microns 01 and 08 on a white Zendala tile. Colored pencils, white chalk pencil, white gellyroll pen.


Ah yes, Daylight Saving Time started last night and I got approximately 3 hours of sleep.  I probably should never have tried tanglng today, and this was the result.  Not my best, but it 'still counts as practice, so I'm happy.

And now for some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Two More Lovely Tapestries

3/7/2025

 
More from that amazing exhibit at the Clark Institute.
Picture
Neiges (The Snows), a tapestry which includes a poem. See below for more details and the translation of the poem.
Picture
Picture
Woman With Lute, from a painting by Henri Matisse, and adapted by Matisse for the medium of tapestry. You can see the original painting below and compare the two. I think this was my favorite piece in the exhibit!
Picture

And Day Six from the Project

3/3/2025

 
PictureWhite mandala tile, black Microns 01 and 08, watercolor, colored pencil, gold and white gellyroll pens, graphite. Tangles are: Elegans, Crescent Moon, Romanancy, Printemps, and Fragment E15.

Still thinking that less would be more with each of these...however, i am enjoying drawing and painting them.

And I am keeping my practice up, which is the important thing.

This is part of the Magical Stars project designed by Sandyha Manne, CZT (scroll back a few days to Day One for more info on the Project).

Mille Fleurs sauvages

3/3/2025

 
Another beauty from the Clark Institute Tapestry show:
Picture
Picture

Le Soleil et la Lune Tapestry

3/2/2025

 
Continuing to post tapestries from part of the exhibit at the Clark Institute recently.  Feast your eyes on this one (for info about the designer (alas, the dyers and the weaver are not identified), see the info card below).
Picture
And here is a closeup of just the Moon section:
Picture
Picture

Day Five in Color

3/2/2025

 
Picture
Tangles are: Phicops, Printemps, Crescent Moon, Fragments K12 and E4. Watercolor, Colored Pencil, White Gellyroll.
I'm still feeling like this is "way too much of a good thing," but despite how busy it is, I had fun drawing and painting it.  If you didn't catch the origin of this project, scroll back to the Day One post on February 23 and 24, in which I name the project creator, Sandhya Manne, CZT and how to find more information about it.
For quick contrast, here's a small picture of yesterday's tile BEFORE I added color:

Picture


I think the color did what I wanted--calmed down some of the way-too-busy effect by emphasizing some things and causing other things to recede.
This linework can be seen larger in yesterday's post. 

Magical Stars Day Five

3/1/2025

 
Picture

Here is the linework only for Day Five of the Magical Stars Project.  I am not enamored of this so far--too many patterns and too fussy looking.  I wonder if I can improve it with color tomorrow (making some things recede and others more prominent may tone it down).  I love doing this project but as I work my way through it I am certainly inclined to think that less is more--this is NOT an example of that idea.

Day Four of Magical Stars

2/28/2025

 
Picture
8 pointed star on a white zendala. Watercolor, colored pencil, gold and white gellyroll pen, white chalk pencil, black Microns 01 and 08. Tangles are: Henna Drum, Spoken, Zenith, Fragments (J14, W7, G16 and T7)

Le Matin Tapestry

2/28/2025

 
Picture
Picture
As you can see, this exhibit at The Clark is not built on the traditional, medieval-style tapestries one usually sees by Gobelin.  Instead it focuses on 20th century work.  I enjoyed this one both for the graphic design qualities and the words.  It even reminds me of a tarot card.  There was another one by the same designer but somehow I didn't get a photo of that.  I may have to go back.  (Not a problem.  I would love to go back.)

Glorious Tapestries!

2/27/2025

 
Yesterday I was at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, MA to see a mind-boggling exhibit of modern French tapestry from the Mobilier National in France.  I took lots of photos and thought I'd post one every day because they are truly remarkable.  If you are in the area and have a chance to go, go NOW before it closes in a bit less than a week.  I might just have to go again, and plenty of folks who've seen this exhibit have been twice.  They are just incredible, spanning the time between around 1940-ish (mostly just before or after the war) up to the 80s and I think even into this century.

Here is the first one, by Jean Lurcat, "The Forest."  Weaver unknown (a crime!), woven around 1950.  A closeup is also posted below.
Picture
Picture
Here is the promised closeup.  This tapestry is gigantic--so specs were given but I'm guessing it was around ten feet by 8 feet or so.  It covered an entire wall.  No small feat to do the weaving in one year, not to mention the pre-work of warping the loom, dyeing the wool yarns, etc.  A real stunner.  The more you look, the more you see.
Picture

Six Pointed with Color

2/27/2025

 
Picture
This is the same image as yesterday's post (Magical Stars, Day 2), but I added color with Generals Chalk Pencils. Interesting to see how color can change the dynamic of what is moved to the forefront and background, making certain things more distinct.

Six Pointed

2/26/2025

 
PictureMagical Stars Project (from Sandhya Manne, CZT), Day Two. Black Micron and graphite on a white Zendala tile. Tangles are: Diva Dance, Orbs, Flux, La Floro, Fragments N5 and B12, Pea-Fea.

There is, in fact, a six-pointed star here but I tangled right over some of it so it's hard to see.  This is the black and white version--just linework-- and I'll post the version after adding color and shading as soon as I'm done.

Who knows if I can keep up with this project (for details of what the project is, see the previous post) but so far it's been incredibly involving and very calming.  It's hard to think about anything else when drawing, just the repetitive line after line after line.  And given what is going on all around us, that's helpful.

Magical Stars Day Three

2/26/2025

 
Picture
Day Three of this project: 7 pointed star on a Zendala. Watercolor, Chalk pencils, graphite, black Microns 01 and 08. Tangles are: Corsace, Delys, Cirque, Diva Dance, Tipple, Orbs & Lines, Fragment D11.

Same Version in Color

2/24/2025

 
Picture
See yesterday's post for info about this piece. Materials used: White Zendala, watercolors, colored pencils, gold and white gellyroll pens. Tangles are: Hollis, Hamadox, Tipple, Florz, Mooka.
Yesterday's post showed the linework for this.  I drew it from the first video in Sandhya Manne's video series, Magical Stars.  Click on her name for the link to her website and more information.  I modified the drawing very slightly and also added colored pencil to my watercolors.  I love using both media in one piece--it's one of my favorite ways to color things.

I'm keeping in mind the following quote here:

“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy you will find your self.”                ― Austin Kleon. from Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Thank you, Sandhya, for offering your work to the rest of us to use for practice and learning!  At this (temporary) point in time when I don't have time for my own art, learning from folks like you is a treasure.

Also, that Kleon book I referenced above is terrific.

Strings Attached.

2/23/2025

 
PictureJust line work using a Micron 01 in Black on a white Zendala tile. No shading.
This is a "Magical Stars" string (the star) using most of the tangles suggested by Sandhya Manne, CZT, from India in her Magical Stars Project from a couple of years ago. 

I drew it this afternoon and made some (very) minor modifications to what she did.  I plan to add color tomorrow.

If this project interests you, google "Magical Stars" on youtube.

I'm not a major fan of continually doing only what other people have already done, rather than doing my own original tangle work.  But it has its uses.  Working from videos are about all I can manage just now, and Sandhya is yet another truly talented Zentangle® teacher.  Given that I'm totally preoccupied with this 10-month, unrelated-to-art teacher training--very intense--I have had to let any kind of drawing go.  And so, I am more and more out of practice.  To keep my hand in, videos are temporarily the way for me to go.  I can watch, emulate, not expend too much brain power, and stay in practice.

It seems I'm always saying this.  "No time to draw."  When this course ends in July, I hope I have managed to do enough "copy-drawing" via video in this interim to begin work on my own art without being irretrievably rusty. 

Learning from other artists is always a smart way to sharpen skills and keep training.  So thank you, Sandhya, and all the other teachers whose videos I've been using.  I plan to do more of these.  (Now, let's see if I can pull this plan off!)

Way Too Rusty.

2/2/2025

 
Picture
Before shading.
Picture
Post shading.
Yup, this is what comes of not having time to practice.  I am way, way too rusty.  This is the first tangle I've done since last year.  It's been far too long.

And likely to be longer; I've just finished the first semester of a ten-month course and the next one is starting right up, so I may be slow-as-molasses about posting until July.  (Does anyone even use molasses anymore?)

Second Tries

12/30/2024

 
Second Tries, squared!  I first did this tile last December I think, but didn't post it.  Today I gave it another try.

The reason this is "squared" is because I thought I was done, but then the more I looked at it I realized I wanted to shade it darker and also darken some lines, so I gave my second annual version of this tile a second try (= "second try squared") and like it even better now.

What fun to be tangling again after a long hiatus. 
Picture
Tangles are: Sandswirl and CalligraV. This is my 2nd try on this 2nd version of the tile.
Picture
Same tile before I added the heavier shading and heavier lines.

Ouch.

12/29/2024

 
Why my fingers hurt:
Picture
Wool, valdani thread, fusible interfacing, wooden or stone beads, and a fair amount of cursing at the end as my fingers got progressively more sore.
I just finished making 14 of these wooly pots for an upcoming event as give-aways.

Mind you, I have no idea how many people will attend, but I am all tapped out so only the first 14 will get gifts from me.

Every one of my fingers is sore.

But these sure are cute.

Rug hookers/punchers love these for dumping the little wool ends trimmed off as we hook.
I'll add some chocolates in each pot.

And now, back to other projects.
Happy New Year Everyone!

Learn Something New Every Day

11/24/2024

 
Picture
Herringbone border on a punched chairpad, 2024. Pattern is from the Oxford Rug Hooking School,using scrap yarns from my stash with a #9 regular Oxford Punch. See my previous post for why I decided to do this quick project and to contrast the finished piece with the way it looked without the border. It was great fun to learn how to do a herringbone border.

Textile Play

11/3/2024

 
Picture
A woolly pot I made this morning.  I'll use it to hold scrap yarns and wool that I trim off when I'm punching or rug hooking.  It worked up fast and was hugely fun to make.  I've got other uses for these cuties also so will make more for sure.  Instructions and even a short video HERE.
Wool, quarter-inch wooden beads, Valdani thread, fusible interfacing, and a charm.


Picture
A chair pad I just punched.  It's "in progress," because I'll be taking a class later this week to learn a special edge binding technique.  Punching doesn't require a binding, but this technique is decorative and I'm curious to learn it.

The pattern is an old one from the Oxford Rug Hooking School; it's not my style and I always thought I'd flip it over and draw my own design on the back to punch, but I needed to produce "something round" really fast for this class, so I opted for quickly completing this and have something with an edge to work on during class.  It's on monks cloth, using a #9 Oxford Punch needle and an assortment of rug yarn scraps, some of which are from other rug projects and some of which (the dark brown) I dyed myself way back in 2016.

Sleepy Maptangling

10/6/2024

 
Picture
Black Micron 01, graphite on a background of blotchy Ecoline watercolor inks.

Zzzzzz.  That's about all I can say at the moment.  Just zzzzzz...

Tangles are Sandswirl, Curtainz, and Florz, along with some orbs and random squiggles.  This one put me to sleep, which was one reason I decided to tangle.


Definitely qualifies as one of my Insomnia Tangles.

Foggy Day.

10/4/2024

 
Picture
So foggy out today, and that's also how I'm feeling on next-to-no-sleep.  The Tangle here is called "Beelight" and it's one I've never really gotten the hang of.  This is probably the best result I've ever had from it.  I've notice that I don't do well with "grid tangles" and prefer the more organic shapes.  Which is funny, since when I'm hooking a rug I often prefer geometric patterns based on grids with strong graphical elements.  I may never figure that one out!

Picture



This is the same tile before I tangled it.  Obviously this was taken in different light.  I've tried to adjust it as much as possible without hopelessly overexposing it.

Picture
Here's another photo from the junk journal.  I have a lot of blank pages left in this journal so won't be posting any more of it until I work in them.  In retrospect, while I totally enjoyed this day and experimenting was fun, I doubt I'll continue along in this vein as I'm more interested in drawing than I am in collaging or constructing a book.

‘When you’re experimenting you have to try so many things before you choose what you want, and you may go days getting nothing but exhaustion.’  --Fred Astaire

<<Previous

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

      If you enjoy reading this blog, input your email address here to get an every-other-month notice about checking for new posts.

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    Picture
    Certified, 2021
    Certified Unified Mindfulness Coach Level I, 2024
    Picture
    Certified ZentangleĀ® Teacher, 2013
    Picture
    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Beads
    Black Tiles
    Bookbinding
    Broken Wrist Tangles
    Clocks
    Colored Pencil
    Creative Inspiration
    Death
    Diva Challenge
    Drawing
    Dyeing Wool Or Yarn
    Fans
    Frederick Franck
    Gellyrolls
    Gesso
    Gratitangles2018
    Gratitangles2020
    Gray Tiles
    Ims
    Inktober
    Inktober 2018
    Inktober 2019
    Inktober2020
    Iphone App On Tangles
    Joey Challenge
    Knitted Knockers
    Knitting
    Knots
    Mandalas
    Map Tangling
    Marathon
    Meditation
    Neurographica
    No Fail No Learn
    Other Peoples Work
    Poetry
    Portrait
    Punch Hooking
    Punch Needle Embroidery
    Quilts And Other Art
    Rainbow Lead Pencil
    Renaissance Tiles
    Rug Hooking
    Scratch Art
    Sketchbook-skool
    String Thing Challenge
    #summertangles2018
    Tangles
    Tarot
    Tarot Rug Project
    Truly Miscellaneous
    Watercolor
    Weather
    Zenagain2018
    Zendala-dare
    Zenuari2019

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    SITES TO WATCH:

    Insight Meditation Society

    Oxford Rug Hooking School


    Zentangle:  The Official Site

    Green Mountain Rug Hooking

    Massachusetts Tarot Society


    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness