Sunday, June 30, 2013

When I was half-way finished with the fish on the right I realized that the marvelous patterning I had discovered for the giraffe looked here like that disease goldfish get just before they die. Only then did I realize that I should be putting the sequins on in a fish-scales pattern. I debated about cutting the sequins and the picots off but decided to leave them as I do love that pattern. I immediately then started another fish just to proved to myself I could do it right. I had to cut the sequins off the cording and sew them down one at a time. In the photo the two methods do not look that different. Maybe it is a mental picture? I do love the white blue flowers I found to use for eyes. They really do look like fish eyes; even to the bluish cast. After much thought, I think I know a better way to finish the curved edges of the tail and fins. I am eager to get to that part today.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Will probably finish the giraffe today if the electricity stays on. Yesterday a tree fell over in the rain to leave us in the dark for several hours. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for supper. Today we have only showers but there is more wind so nothing is sure for the afternoon. Can you see how interesting this patterning is on him? To see the sequins flash as one moves him around is very . . . flashy.

Monday, June 24, 2013

I see I forgot to show you the finished penguins. The baby is certainly a leaner. His tail is too short to allow him to stand, but if I keep them a couple it works for him to lean on his dad. I was glad I redid the part of the baby's under fin. Once I started cutting out the bad stuff there was not that much of it and the redoing seemed to go fast.
I got the idea, just as I was sewing the beads to the otter's forehead, to put a jewel there. Out of about 6 possible ones, I picked this one because among the brown fur and dark beads it got lost. The flashes of light is all that leads the eye to it. Instead of continuing to bead elsewhere on the piece until evening when I could let the glue dry overnight,  I had to see how the gem looked in place. Naturally the glue needed the rest of the day to dry properly. What to do. It was raining. I had finished writing the haiku and boxed the tanzaku for the Mendocino Music Festival - there was nothing to do!

Then my eye fell on the leftovers box with the giraffe that I had started and then ripped apart. It was lying next to the spool of sequins. I had wanted to put the sequins on the giraffe. Then I realized (actually heard a voice in my head suggesting it) that I could bead brown picots around the randomly placed sequins to make giraffe-skin patterns. I don't know how successful that is, but I do love the combination of beads and sequins. The patterning, because it is not really like giraffe skin, could be used on other works. I have often felt the sequins were 'too hard," "too solid" but this technique softens the surface and looks very rich. I had stopped using the sequins, but now I feel I can find many new combinations for them. I hope I remember to do a fish next. Silver or gold? With which color of beads? This is what keeps me beading.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Pappy Penguin is done I think. I decided to leave his furry chest furry. The baby is done in a smoother cloth so I beaded his chest. I am okay with the difference in the orange colors. That is because Pappy has 8s on him and the baby is done in 11s. The baby needs some engineering so he sits up right. As it is, he is leaning. At least the photo looks more intimate that way. What you cannot see is the mess I made under the wing. I think there is nothing better to do than to rip it all out and redo it. I wanted to use black thread for the black beads but where they meet up with the transparent orange ones, the black shows through and looks like a bad Halloween.

Monday, June 17, 2013

The cool morning light falling on the photo-shoot backdrop feels so cool on could swear there is an igloo in the background. I am using 8s on the back of papa penguin so I am already up to his arm pits on the back. I might even use 8s on his belly since I have a jillion from a miss-order. On these larger beanie babies they seem to fit right in. Perhaps because the spaces are larger and the curves are not so tight. It will be interesting to see which yellow orange I use.I think I will go search real penguin pictures.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Godzilla in all his glory. You can almost see how I solved the problem of the color for the inside of his legs. I used both blue and green. If only I could always be so able to compromise! His eye looks demonic in this shot. Maybe he is!
I found a big penguin and a small one from the McDonald's series of happy meals in my last auction win so am planning to do the pair. Actually a Father's Day tribute without meaning to make one.
Rhoda brought her things for the summer camp at GAC to store here while she goes to Japan to show her beaded works. She had with her some tiny clay beads a guy in Mendocino made in his hippie years. He tumbled them to make them shine. Really incredible. She said he had four wheelbarrow loads of beads. She was selling them and now I wish I had gotten some.

Friday, June 14, 2013

T. Rex aka Godzilla as he grows up. I am so eager to add his spinal spines but I am forcing myself to wait until I get to the end of his tail. I have the opportunity of choosing a different color for the inside of his legs and green keeps coming to my mind, but I am not sure that is right. Maybe blue? No green. Until I load the beads on a needle this refrain will continue in my head.

Just sent the corrected proof of this off to the printer and am feeling very light and free. I think I could bead 10 animals today! Whew! the relief is a beautiful day in summer. Have been working on this since January and can hardly believe I did it!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Tyrannosaurus Rex looks more like Godzilla to me. Even the Ty Co. people made him red. I do love those new brown-gold beads from Precosia. It is perfect the way the red of the underground shines through. I had made a spinal ridge of spiky beads which I then cut out as they screwed up the lines of beads wrapping around his head. As I look at him here, though my new glasses, I miss the orange of that ridge and am eager to get it sewn back on. I had picked out some flat white beads for his eyes but see that they need to spike outward - maybe the little flower beads.

Speaking of eyes, I  did add these to the cat in red pants.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The white pussy cat is now different. That is about the best I can say about this attempt to be wild and colorful. I wanted to do another warrior cat but the need to be conventional overtook me. I had decided to not push myself into a new writing project during this week while I wait for the print proof of A Dictionary of Haiku (and my new in-focus glasses). However it seems my mind has turned to mush. It is as if I have taken relaxing too far so that I now resemble the stuffed toys I bead on.
Looking at the photo on the blog I realize that I forgot to add the eyes!

Monday, June 10, 2013

This is the entry I had for the exhibit "Art for Art's Sake" that opened at Gualala Arts Center on June 7th.

This is how my entry looked on that Friday night. At first when I saw the photo Barbara Fast had taken I wanted to go charging into the arts center in to change it back. Then reality came forward and told me that I really did not the strength or energy for the trip or the confrontation. So I had to let it go. Until this morning, with new energy I did want to record the event here in my journal. While typing this up I just got the idea of sending an email to the curator of the show, Bruce Jones to ask him to change it back. That I can do!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

This cat is clearly letting me know what it wants to be. I love it when I only have to hesitate a few seconds to get the message of the next thing to add. Thankfully so far the cat has been right. It would really hurt to have to rip out these tiny beads.

I wanted you to see the chest view so the little vest made sense. I think I am now doing trousers, but I could be wrong! We will see what a foggy Sunday with not much to do will mean to these colors.

Friday, June 7, 2013

So I tried to do a non-traditional cat and the war continues on the legs. These ended up being far too realistic in color, but not pattern. By looking at a photo of the previous Warrior Cat I was able to change gears on the face. I have absolutely no idea where this cat is going. All I can do is ask it what it wants to be when I have to make change in the beading colors or pattern.I must say having the belly solid feeling is a great help even in holding the animal. Sewing only these Precosia beads is so much nicer than using 8s with the many exposed edges to hide. These seem to slip in perfectly beside each other. I have the impression that I sew more precisely with these beads. It all takes longer, but the pleasure is greater. The photo shows the result of about 18 hours work.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

A photo of the beaver from the other side so you can see the 8s on his back and tail. What you cannot see is the tiny patch on his tail that I need to finish. Already my mind is racing toward the next animal. I have a white cat on the table that is already padded out with cotton on which I can see colorful possibilities. I never know until I have the animal in my hands which one will be next.
Yesterday I boxed up 9 more animals and left a note for Barbara. I hope she will find time to pick them up and take them to the gallery this week. She is so busy with the show at Gualala Arts I will easily forgive her if it does not happen. I am aiming my heart to go to the opening on Friday, even with some remaining red spots on my face and hands and no new haircut.
I have been cleaning up my desks and the studio since getting A Dictionary of Haiku off to the printers for a proof. I am amazed how much pressure I had put on myself with that book. Perhaps my beading will improve in inventiveness with my light as balloon feelings.

Monday, June 3, 2013


What a difference a day makes - especially when it is two days and both were good. At first I did the eyes with the amber 11s but that did not look right so I ripped it all out and used the tan pearls. They pick up the light and bring another color. The nice thing about doing these larger animals is the fact that they come with glassine eyes and real plastic noses.

What you can't see here is the arm I did with 8s. They were too big so they just did not bend enough. However I can use 8s on the broad back and back of the head. I found that if I used the needle to push the plush under each row I could cover it with 11s spaced very close together.