TAST 2010 - BUTTONHOLED DOUBLE CHAIN

WHERE CREEPIES CRAWL

AND SLITHERIES SLIME!!!!!



When you visit the tutorial for Take a Stitch Tuesday's 34th week, you'll see an example of a nice border.  But beware!  You can take this interesting stitch to other places.  I used a piece of wool felt for the background and let my needle go with perles , #3-#8, or two strands of floss. 

I'm thinking Halloween, but see what others are doing here .

LESSON ONE - LA FAZIO CLASS

 In preparation for Day One, I assembled the supplies I had on hand.  These included tubes of watercolor paints over 15 years old and a simple plastic pallet with dried gobs of color.  There is no place in my house with good natural light except in my laundry room studio, and it is presently too cluttered to work in.  I could have tidied, of course, but then I'd've had to move and find places for all the WIP's sprawled across my tables and dangling from the clothesline then go looking for them when I was ready to resume work on them.  I finally decided on the kitchen/diningroom table.  It's big and under a good lighting fixture.  DH's side is littered with medical and banking stuff, but my side is clear.  I like to keep it that way in case I ever have to eat there.  Doesn't everybody dine off their laps in the den watching the news?

I download, print and read the lesson several times.  Indeed I read it correctly; we are to draw then paint real pieces of fruit.  When I'm through cringing, I look for fruit.  I have one apple and two bananas.
That'll work. But the rest of my supplies haven't arrived yet.  Hallelujah,  I'll have to wait until tomorrow!

Next day Joggles comes through with their usual efficiency,  promptness, and TLC in shipping.  A block of hot pressed, 140 wt paper and a Niji waterbrush arrive in the morning mail. I create a pleasant arrangement of apple and bananas. Today I draw and paint fruit -- as soon as I'm loose enough to work.  Nervous tension should dissipate once I get started.  Except I have a little more than stress to contend with.  If you recall from my last post I'm talking drawing angst.
My upper arms go from drum tight to jelly as I try to get down to business.  I can't possibly draw in this physical condition.  I'm a wuss, a scaredy cat.  I'm chicken excrement.

I thought I would operate in lurk and learn mode.  I would read the discussion forums but not participate -- and certainly not show my work.  Reading through the intros I was surprised there were others who shared my trepidation but were willing to lay timidness aside in order to learn.  Today I will draw and paint fruit...

Teacher!  Teacher!  My husband ate my homework.  Today I will draw and paint fruit.  An apple and one banana make an awkward composition, but today I drew and painted fruit.  My linework is unsteady,  testament to my genuine skittishness.  A fellow student posted in the forum that she'd shown her work to lots of people, all of whom said they could tell it was fruit.  That's all I could ask from this exercise.  My fruit doesn't look good enough to eat, but that's okay.  It made a dent in my mental block.  The next day I drew and painted an acorn squash.

Our class, Jane LaFazio's Sketchbook and Watercolors Journal Style, is quite large so Jane has opened a Flickr pool if you'd like to see our efforts.

SKETCHING WITH JANE LA FAZIO

I don't know how to draw!  There, I've said it.  I feel like a book club member who confesses she's illiterate.  I never learned to draw.  I know it is an acquired skill that takes careful observation, patience and practice, lots and lots of practice.  I don't think I ever wanted to learn (well, there were early issues, but we won't be visiting them), never really thought I needed to learn to draw.   I scribbled when I had to and got it over with as quickly as I could.

I began this blog as a journal of my creative endeavors.  I took a Joggles class from Sharon Boggan called Studio Journals: A Designers Workhorse.  As with any Sharon B enterprise, I highly recommend it.  I'm actually still working through the course and have several art journals going and new interests in mixed media and paper arts.  Cutting to the chase, these working art journals contain scribblescrawlies where there should be nice sketches.  No one will ever see them, but I'd like them to look more, more...  artful.

When Joggles published their fall class schedule I discovered this:
Sketchbook & Watercolor:  Journal Style with Jane LaFazio.

Be inspired to record your life, a special trip, or your daily adventures in a loose, quick journal style format. Jane will guide you through basic drawing, inking and a straight forward intuitive approach to painting with watercolor.

You’ll start with simple objects and progress to vignettes then vistas to draw and paint, and journal your thoughts and impressions on journal size watercolor paper. She’ll encourage you to take a little time to just sit and absorb the beauty around you, sketching and journaling your thoughts impressions right onto the same page.

This 6 lesson class is geared for beginners, but all levels are welcome. Everyone has their own drawing style, just like handwriting, and Jane will help you see and then record that on paper in a friendly, positive and creative way.

Guess who marked her calendar for the October 14 starting date???
I took an earlier class from Jane and have been following her blog ever since.  She is not only an excellent teacher, she is a gifted and versatile artist.  There was no reason for me to have misgivings about the class (except maybe draw-ing!!!!).  Every time Jane posted a lovely watercolor sketch with mention that she was preparing for the class I would gasp, then despair, for that is exactly the style I'd like to learn and I have serious doubts about my capability to do so.  A few days before Oct 14 I made the decision to register.  My shaky finger hovered over the confirm button quite a while before pushing -- a leap of faith moment.