Solar Eclipse

So in Europe, there was a solar eclipse on equinox day, the official start of spring. It was like 68% at peak where I live. Can there be a more special start of the season?

I spend that morning in the garden watching. I had eclipse glasses, but most of the time I just felt the curious icyness of the air and the weird, cold light. Also, I  felt inspired to put my feelings on paper, The first is supposed to show the peak, the second the moment before the sun is fully back. Sorry they are probably not astronomically correct, I didn’t want to stare at the sun too much.

I wish I could paint the light of that morning but I guess that’s quite beyond my skill.

Sketch and Knitting

I just keep doing what I do…

This time, I’m knitting no socks but a fingerless mitts/scharf set. The are “Merletto” pattern from ravelry.com. The scharf is an improvised bias knit triangle with the merletto pattern. Maybe more on that when it’s finished. I want something that keeps me warm but is not looking like i’m wrapping myself for deepest winter.

Last weekend would have been sketch crawl. I had family visiting and was exhausted from a hard week at work, so I didn’t make it there. I did a little sketch anyway. It is a charcoal sketch illuminated with watercolours. I realized again how much I love natural chacoal. I will have to do more of that.

Embroidery and Sketches

This is a little bit of embroidery I started some time ago when I was researching sacred geometry, and geometry in general a bit. It’s two intertwined Triskeles. It is done in shadow work using 3 strands of Anchor embroidery floss on orange poly organza. I did it using this method.

I finished it this weekend. No idea what to do with it, I guess it goes back into the bits and pieces box for now.

I know there’s too little fiber content on my blog these days, but hey, stitching takes time. Sometimes too much time for me. Also, I’m in good health now and want to go out more. This weekend’s outing took me to an exhibition of life insects. I did a sketch of a big spider and a scorpion. They were done both on sunday, I was just kinda confused about the date.

They were done in watercolours with my trusted pentel waterbrush without a preliminary drawing. And no I still don’t have black in my fpaintbox. Seems I’m learning to do without it.

Sketchcrawl of July

I feel better, but still sort of worn out. So I take the chance to post some more stuff I didn’t get round to before my vacation. There was another sketchcrawl in july. We went to Olympia Park, the weather was very sunny and hot.

I tried to sketch this duck, but when I got to filling in the colours I ran out of bread crumbs and it waddled away.

Next I tried my luck with some geese, they were not as likely to run but the things they can do with their long necks defied my sketching abillities.

There was a little funfair in place, and I went on to sketch the ferris weel – again no success, it looks like something done at kindergarden. Too many moving parts and complex perspectives for me.

The last sketch os a part of Fernsehturm (TV broadcasting tower). Like always with buildings, I miscalculated its size so it didn’t fit my paper, otherwise I’m content with this one.

I finished the day with a delicious thai lunch from one of the food stalls at the fun fair, the others continued but I had to leave to prepare a few things for my upcoming vacation. It was a great day with my sketching buddies, although my results are less than stellar.

Pinus strobus sketch

What the title says. Again done on a short break while inline skating. I do feel I’m getting better.

I’ve Been to Metalfest Austria

Yes, a 4-Day metal festival! There was lots of rain and temperatures < 10 degree celsius, but we met very nice people with a pavilion, camping chairs and a fire, so it didn’t matter. Thank you guys and girls if you read this!

I saw lots of bands, I especially liked Vader, Bolt Thrower, Testament and Behemoth. Korpiklaani were good fun.

Ah it was so good, almost like being young again. The week at work was close to torture, I haven’t been that tired for a long time, but never mind. This sure won’t be my last festival.

Sadly, I had problems with my cam, so there aren’t that many pics to chose from.

Well, the pineapple on the second page contained something very tasty and very alcoholic. After drinking from it I dragged out my sketchbook and sketched that beer. The pineapple is a guest sketch by our neighbor and pineapple donator. Was the only occasion on the festival I was crazy enough to sketch.

The photographer on the stage is the very guy who supplied the pineapple and sketch. Check out www.apesmetal.com for his work.

Another one of our photographer neighbors. I hope you guys don’t mind, but if you want me to take these pics down just say so.

These are Six Feet Under, I think. They did a very good show, and it’s one of the few acceptable band photos I’ve got.

Sketchcrawl, we did it!

So me and two other sketchers met and had a good time. It was the first really warm weekend of the year, so we sketched in a little park, the Hofgarten. After that we went to a little courtyard and continued there but what I did there was too pathetic to show. I so need more practice! We finished the day at a very good tai restaurant. We didn’t get much done because we all had to leave early, but it was a fun day and we hope to repeat that soon.

I know 15th of April will be soon, I should get going on the assisi challenge. I already bought thread if that counts a little bit lol.

I also couldn’t keep my beloved camera in the pocket on this day, but more on that on other occasions. Here are some photographs I took today in the garden, and with those I wish you a happy spring festival, no matter if you call it easter or something else. Celebrate Life!

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

sketchcrawl

Recently I read about sketchcrawl. The idea is that people arround the globe meet in their hometown (or where they happen to be at the moment) and sketch. Someone at munich was looking for others to sketch with, so I decided to give it a go. I met Karin, a fellow fiber artist, and we had a wonderful day, although it was bitter cold (arround -7 degree Celsius) and I had forgotten half my things at home. Heck, we even went buying a brush halfway through because I had brought water-soluble wax crayons but no brush!

Well, we met in a cafe at Odeonsplatz, that’s where I did the first two sketches. The coffee pot is wax crayons, the building is done in conte crayons.

On we went to Siegestor to do our only plain air sketch of the day. It was done in charcoal and brown crayon. It was so cold I thought my hands will fall off although I had fingerless cloves on.

After that we went buying a brush and then headed for the next cafe. We ate, talked a lot and sketched the amarylis on the table. The sketch is watersoluble wax crayons, overdrawn with ink pen. Then we decided to call it a day this time and go somewhere indoors for the next sktchcrawl we do.

Well, quick sketches are not exactly my strongest genre, but it was lots of fun. If you happen to read that and live near munich, please check out the sketchcrawl forum and join uns next time round. The more the merrier.