Progress with the Chicken Scratch Sampler

Like ever so often these days I’m progressing in baby steps. I did some more chicken scratch, getting bolder this time about changing it. I tried spiral trellis stitch, the new stitch explorer challenge, but I did something wrong and will try again before I have results to show.

I also made some progress with my linocut plate, but I’m far from done. I even haven’t done a tryout pront because I’m not happy with it yet anyway.

If you haven’t done so already, please check out Sharon’s roundup of the chicken scratch results and the stitch explorer flickr group. IIt is amazing how much you can learn from all these creative people.
Also, a big fat thank you to every participant, you all are a true inspiration!

From my Sketchbook: Playing with Browns

A bad cold kept me from doing much at all this week. I don’t want to neclect you completely, so I’m offering a peek into one of my sketchbooks. It is a sketchbook made from Himalaya paper, that is similar to other east-Asian papers, takes up liquid like tissue paper. I like it for quick sketching because it doesn’t really allow slowness. I was sketching an onion, playing with different colourways.

onion, done in sepia

onion in sepia and light ochre

onion, done in sepia and burnt terra di Sienna

realistic onion; done in Sepia, light ochre and burnt terra di Sienna

Chicken Scratch – This Week’s Progress

This week, I kept stitching my chicken scratch sampler, this is what I got done. I know, it is not much, it was a hard week ath work

After this and the troubles at work I went to a fabric shop with end of winter special sale. This is what I brought home, they are all expensive wool or wool/silk costume fabrics which feel so great. I probably won’t find time to use them this months but I chicken scratch really made me think about grids so I will use them some day. I know my stash will be getting out of control if I continue like this, but at least I contended myself with 60 cm of each instead of going for full meters.