coloring Out of Africa

since all of the stamping and detailing is done on the animal stamps I needed to start in on the details of the backgrounds on these panels

but I didn't want to just start working on the fabric without some plan now that I've done that much work one each one

technology to the rescue! I took each fabric panel and made a full size color copy so I could play with color and technique

the plan is to create a sunset sky wash with watercolor pencils in the background

then use the Copic markers to create the grasses and little shrubs around them

the little bushes here with the gazelles were the first attempt which I am not totally pleased with, but I like the rest of it



the elephant panel has better greenery

I'm focusing on the animals in the individual panels, so the shrubs and grasses need to be just background


this is the center panel -- the umbrella tree

my plan for this panel is to do all of the water color wash first then applique the tree over it

I also plan to run the branches of the tree out across the mat and into each of the animal panels as well

which will take a little coordinating





in the giraffe panel I've put in one sort of straggly leafless tree there in the background

















and one of the zebras is grazing on the lone little shrub in his panel

the giraffe and the zebras are the animals that look the least "finished" because they need considerable detail that gets added with thread -- the manes on all of them will be an embroidery stitch called "turkey stitch" that creates a sort of bristle like look

the tail of the giraffe will be some longer strands of embroidery thread that I will braid together and tie off at the end to create a little tuft on the end

I'm starting to get really excited about this piece as it is beginning to come together even better than I had imagined
as I pointed out a while back, having a garden not only helps put food on the table, it also gives me artistic ideas as well

this year we planted two bags of onion sets, and we've been eating green onions out of it for a while now

we've now had about 10 days of really warm temperatures and almost daily afternoon or evening rain storms, which apparently is prime onion growing weather -- a lot of them have gotten a lot taller and I can tell that the onions are starting to get round -- sort of like little boiling onions

this morning when I went out to take stuff to the compost bin there were these little tips on some of the plants -- the beginning of them going to seed -- which is not what I want them to do right now -- I want those onions to get bigger first

so I broke them off -- the colors and textures and shapes of these are pretty cool -- I'll be filing this picture away to consider using it for a small art quilt

there must be something about electric appliances that knows when they will be needed most and then they decide to stop working

this would be the latest culprit

this big floor fan has been helping keep us cool on the evenings when the high humidity of a rain storm keeps the swampy cooler from being effective

last night when I pressed the button the fan blades made a feeble attempt to turn a couple of times then just died -- I guess I shouldn't complain too much, this fan has been with us for probably 20 years and survived move after move after move, but still

AACCKKK!!!

(and of course this always happens with something in a month when there are 5 weeks between paydays and finances are especially tight)

doing without one is just not possible however, so this morning after breakfast I'll be heading over to Walmart to see if I can pick up a replacement

geesh