November 5 -- a whole different direction

I had my list for today that included assembling the hardware parts/ready made frames for the first few collages, papering the last three blank canvases, papering the last three plaster cloth guys, and then sewing in the evening.  It was very do-able...except I ended up sleeping for part of the afternoon.  I think it was partly due to overdoing it last night, the lawn guys picking up the leaves and stirring up all of those allergens, and my new medication.  I didn't even realize I had been sleeping.

So a few hours ago I was going to start on the framing but I felt the pull to paper the collages first.  I put the tacks+mono filament line on the backs of the 3 blanks (I like to hang them up to dry).  I put a sheet of neutral paper on this smaller canvas with no problems.

Then I took that canvas into the studio and when I looked at the guy that has the orange lines that have been giving me trouble I felt/heard a very strong "this is not for now...maybe later" and when I get something that strong I follow it.  I realize how hokey this sounds, but this is a very real thing that happens when I am working on stuff.

The "very wet" canvas starting out.

So I took that guy out and slathered on some matte medium and tore up a sheet of paper and started to lay first piece on when I got an incredibly strong "wet" suggestion.  That guy is made from a lot of torn circle-y pieces of black Unryu paper and I figured the "wet" meant that he would need a lot of matte medium to be able to glue down the papers.  I kept everything very wet as I worked.  The feeling/suggestion/direction kept getting more insistent with the "wet -- very wet" thing.  I kept covering the collage and felt like I was sent back into the studio for different paper -- I went through the pile of papers kept getting drawn to the marbled ones.  I have never used those in collages, only for covering parts of plaster cloth guys.  I tried to choose something else but the "very wet" was persistent and so was the "need" to choose the very blue/copper marbled paper and a sort of matching blue Unryu paper.  Okay -- I'm not going to argue.

The marbled blue/copper paper.

Bringing in the green papers -- both of them are two-sided.

The ridiculous green paper -- I think I bought this with the thought that it would be good for contrast in trees and leaves and groundcovers.

I tore the paper and laid it into a very wet swipe of matte medium then I tore a piece or two of the Unryu paper and covered over the marbled paper...it is all a very wet canvas at this point...and still the "very wet" kept up.  I was pushed to get more marbled paper (this time the green one called "forest") and a cover up piece of pale green...but I was also very drawn to the really ridiculous green Unryu paper that I have never used yet.  I did fight this -- at first.  I had to give in and use one piece of it.  Still the "very wet" thing is nearly overwhelming.  I have no clue what it is about or what orientation it goes in, but here is the result of the layers of papering.  I am so curious to see what it looks like when it dries.

"Very wet" -- can't wait to see how it dries!

As soon as I hung up the "very wet" collage I knew I was done with collage for tonight because I felt this sort of whoosh -- like the feeling when you have been laying down and you sit up really fast...or when you have been bending over at the waist to tie your shoes and you stand back up too quickly.  And then the pain hit.  Man.  Neck muscles I didn't even know I had, the muscles in my right arm pit and shoulder and my ribs on the right side.  I think I have been overdoing the large, sweeping motions.  Like all of the paint roller-ing yesterday, and lifting the cat girl from the floor to the table several times, and the applying matte medium last night and today.  I am sure I am okay.  It just feels like my arm wants to be folded up against me like a wing and my hand wants to rest on my left collar bone...and wearing a binder of some sort to keep all of that area compressed together.

Sewing was also on my list so I guess that is what I will be doing -- if anything -- when I plant myself in front of tv for the night.  It's all good...I need to get the sewing done, too...and I know my limits there.

Here are the things I have to choose from to work on...oh, and the totally-dry-now cat girl.  Here skirt doesn't look exactly like what I had in mind but I think it will be fine.  I have some new ideas forming for it.

Pile o' sewing...including the newest snake who is only a bunch of stripes right now.

Cat girl and the way all of the layers of green paint ended up.  I don't even want to think about the mess from last night -- mixing all of those colors -- ha ha ha.

Day 343 - 365/2014

Day Three Hundred Forty-Three

I had errands to do today.  Long term every day pain wears you out really quickly...not an excuse, just an explanation.  I did manage to finally ship out the Animal People collages to Art-o-mat...yay.  Other than that, all I have to show for today is a pair of stitched pieces of fabric which will most likely be legs (or arms).

365/2013 - Day 324

a little bit of progress

Okay.  I went to Joann's Fabrics and got some felt pieces for the little guy's claws.  I really like his foot/claw but I need to keep working on his hand/claw.

The colors of the felt pieces are pretty intense, but the colors in this photo are pretty off...LOL.

I opened up the end of his foot again and took out the felt from yesterday.

THIS is what I had in mind -- I like this much better.

I am shortening his arms and opening up/fanning out the fabric and adding claws.

But I am not happy with this hand/claw yet.

It's getting there, but it needs more work...shorter arms I think...different look for the claws.

365/2013 - Day 322

working on hand sewn projects

Geez...the lengths I go to in order to avoid what I really ought to be working on...tsk, tsk.

Tonight I was playing around with the idea of the creature in a suit thing.  I also grabbed a spare set of glass taxidermy leopard eyes (yes, I did just happen to have these laying around) to see if they'd go into the felted mask I started last week during Jan Waller's felting demo at Second Thursday.

I tried using batting to make an arm, hand, and fingers.  Then I cut a piece of old pajamas material and sewed a sort of sleeve with a cuff around the arm.   

I used the black thread when I was sewing the fingers and thumb so that I could see what I was doing.  When I try it for real I will use a thread that matches the batting more.

Not too bad for a first attempt.

 

Now, the eyes and mask...

the leopard eyes and mask "before"

First I used some sidewalk chalk to mark the spot where I wanted to make the hole into the felt for the eye.

The initial first cut, the hole is pretty small.  I kept trying to work my finger and then my thumb into the hole to widen it slowly.

Next I started to stitch it open a bit as I turned the edges in...it was sort of making a little bit of a shelf.

I kept working it and finally got the eye to slip in -- at first I kept getting it just right and then the glass would * POP * right through and fall into the inside of the mask...that made me more than a little bit nuts.

            

Then I found I could set the eye in and sort of tighten the felt around it...I don't know if I was actually doing anything at this point, but it sort of seemed like it was helping so I kept at it for a while.

Here you see the inside of the mask, the hole for the eye (slightly smaller on the inside) and the celadon color is the inside of the glass taxidermy leopard eye...resting on a sort of ledge of felt.

I think I have the eye positioned how I want it...kind of snug in between the felt layers, but still not totally secure yet.

How the inside of the mask looked after all of my stitching around and behind then back around on top of the eye. 

The eye feels pretty secure -- I think I ended up making a little pocket of sorts for it. 

So that's where I am tonight.  The deadline for the probable goal for the lion-creature-guy is still a little ways off.  I know I will finish him in plenty of time.

365/2013 - Day 309

working on the robot guy

Today I have been working on what I am calling the robot guy.  I am still not sure I will finish him so I won't say what my end goal is...but I started work on him today at Joan's house this morning with Joan and Leann.

I explained what I was hoping to do, Joan (and Leann) offered verbal assistance, walking me through the steps.

Many steps later I had the pieces hand sewn and stacked together --

Joan offered to run the side seams for me on her sewing machine -- it really did only take about two minutes for Joan to do that. 

Back at home again I plugged away tonight on sewing the bottom edges of the head and the monitor/body, attaching the head to the body, and sewing down the edge all around the screen area.  

This part took up a lot of tonight's work time, but I think it was well worth the effort.

I feel very confident that everything is securely in place so far, plus I think the edge around the screen looks much more polished and finished now.  I know it doesn't look like it, but the head is quite securely attached, too...I want to embellish it now and make it more decorative.

I need to choose the fabric for his arms and legs and figure out how I want to do his hands and feet.  I will be adding beads to his antennae, too.

365/2013 - Day 308

buying some fabric

This morning I participated in a research survey thing that had to do with SUVs...giving my opinions on various design aspects (climbing in and out of 5 different vehicles several times each -- oof...I am achy and tired) and it took nearly two hours, but I was compensated $100 cash for my time.  COOL -- let's go fabric shopping!

I don't sew a lot, so I don't have a very large selection of fabrics when I do want to sew something.  I didn't need anything fancy or expensive and thankfully, Joann Fabrics took that totally out of my hands by offering such a large assortment of those fabric quarter packs.  Man -- I was in that store for close to 45 minutes...and I didn't even look at ANY bolts of fabric.  (This is one of the many reasons I do not sew...too many choices/fabrics/accessories.)

I treated myself to nineteen packs of fabric in a pretty wide range of colors and patterns.  I had two projects in mind (that I even took with me to help with the selections) but I also couldn't resist a few of the packs "just because"...but I truly reined myself in.  I put back about a third of the packs I initially put into my cart.  I also had it in my head that I wanted a package of batting...but hopefully something flatter than the batting I got a while back...and I found a small package that didn't need to be measured/cut at the desk.  I figure I will use it eventually.  And after playing around with the colors/fabrics/ideas when I got home, I am really glad I got the batting because (even though I probably won't be using it "correctly") I think I can achieve my end goal with it.

I made this guy's head last night before I went to bed, and I started a second one -- but I need some bigger buttons for the second one (which was the OTHER thing I wanted from Joann Fabrics but couldn't remember).

I'm not going to say what this guy is hopefully going to be for (in case it doesn't work out or I don't get him done in time), but I am putting yesterday's spikey guy on hold for a bit.

After playing around with the fabric packs I came up with this combo.  He is going to be a little robot guy with some distortion on his monitor.  I haven't totally worked out his arms and legs and other embellishments yet.

I will be working on him tonight (I think) but I wanted to post this blog entry now in case I get distracted or nod off or something.  I also want to work on one of the smaller collages I started a long time ago (on a repurposed canvas) but that might not happen.

365/2013 - Day 220

sewing again

Patti (the new manager of the Northville Art House Store) asked me if I would make some Tookies to sell in the Store.  Today we had a meeting and I showed her the sorts of things I had available to work with.  I also showed Patti an early version of a Tooklet with a pocket on his back.  Patti told me the date she'd ideally like to have them by and I told her I'd go ahead and make some and see if she likes any of them.

When I started going through my materials tonight I found that I have a couple of Tooklets in progress.  Tonight I fooled around with one and I like how it is going so far.

An in-progress Tooklet and a spike that will serve as a tail.

Adding an arm (after smooshing the head down a bit).

Not done yet, but I like him so far.

I like his tail!