26 January 2016

Double Crochet Drawstring Bag


I am not sure how to give titles to these blog posts since I have crocheted too many bags and have never really named them. Nonetheless, I feel it is necessary to post it here in my online diary than just adding it to my Ravelry notebook which is I have actually not updated for some time now.


Materials:
  • Mercerized cotton thread size 8 in various shades
  • Steel crochet hook size 9

Pattern:
I attempted to write a pattern but decided to just draw it. Here it goes:


Notes:
  1. The number of chains on first row depends on desired width of bag which is in my case 75 chains and is approximately 11 inches.
  2. Change color where desired.
  3. Number of rows depends on desired height of bag
  4. Use any string and desired length for the bag string. Slip it in alternate posts on last row and tie securely on one corner at the bottom of the bag.

24 January 2016

Watercolor: Simple Flowers and Leaves


I've looked into my photo archives and realized I had been playing with watercolors for several years now though not consistently. But it does show that with practice comes progress. It is inspiring to see a lot of artists share their techniques so I would like to do the same though I am doing this mostly just as a hobby. Obviously because it makes me happy!

Florals are in these days but I found it quite rare to see florals without leaves. So I decided to dedicate a few days to create simple watercolor flowers using a limited warm palette. In this case, I have used student-grade quality paints which is good enough for practice. Below I have listed the name of the colors found on the tubes though they can be replaced with any other colors that are quite similar. For instance, the red from the Pentel set can be replaced with alizarin crimson from artists quality sets. Vermillion and purple red were mixed then watered down to produce a light shade of pink. The strokes are quite simple to duplicate since there are mostly composed of just dots and lines using a wet-on-dry technique.


Color Palette for Flowers:
  • Vermillion
  • Red
  • Purple Red
  • Prussian Blue

On the other hand, the color palette I have used for the leaves is broader since I thought an ochre mixed with green would give a more organic leaf shade. Plus, yellow ochre has always been a basic in my palette even when I am using other type of media. I found it easier to do the leaves and actually painted them first. The same wet-on-dry technique was used. The darker details of the leaves (simple leaf variegation) were added after the first layer of lighter color has dried. Below is the list of colors.


Color Palette for Leaves:
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Ultramarine
  • Deep Green
  • Yellow Green
  • Yellow Ochre


Materials used:
  • Watercolor by Pentel Arts
  • Soft sketch book by Monologue
  • Synthetic round brush size 0

22 January 2016

Watercolor Woods


Paintings and pictures are supposed to talk on their own. However, whenever I paint the woods, it is not just my paints and my paper. It reminds me of my Dad. It is one memory that does not fade away so quickly. And that is something I am grateful about.

So many years ago when I was almost just a toddler, he took the paint brush which he seldom does. I would say seldom because life took over and decided that art does not really feed the family. He then told me that I could paint the woods. So he took some masking tapes and placed them vertically on the paper. Ever so lightly and effortlessly, he brushed some color over the paper. The woods emerged. Bewildered, I took the lesson to heart. Now, I still do.


A video would have been easier to show how it is done. Nonetheless, here are some more techniques done to complete the artwork:
  • First wash is composed of the lightest brown shade.
  • Leaves are created by flicking the wet round brush.
  • Additional shading on the tree trunks is done after the masking tapes are removed.
  • Smaller white elements are painted using white gouache where white paper is hard to recover.

Materials used:
  • 300 GSM Aquafine watercolor paper by Daler Rowney (cut into 4"X4" size)
  • Permanent white extra fine gouache by Pebeo
  • Koi watercolor field sketch kit by Sakura
  • Synthetic round brush sizes 0 and 6