One Thing, One Week Challenge

Amy from Amy's Creative Side hosts a great motivator every now and then to get one thing accomplished...  take one more step in a project...  finish off that one last thing that's been lingering on your creative mind.  It's not meant to pressure us, but simply provide that extra nudge to get that one thing checked off!

For last week's challenge I said I wanted to finalize the design for my X Marks the Spot quilt.  You will remember the pieces have been sitting around sometime now.

So, I started by taking the stack of squares and putting them up on the design wall to get reaquainted. 

Beautiful! 

Stunning!! 

I am still so in love with this line and the concept I started (phew!)

I opened a small sketch pad and started to doodle different ways to connect the squares.  Seeing them on the wall again, I am remembering that the patterns and colors are very strong.  I remembered that I wanted to used bigger pieces and solids to help break up the chaos a little. 

I am still playing with the concept of X's or crosses.  I started drawing them out and realized I had a lot of little holes that weren't filled... I wasn't connecting them in the right way.  hmmm...

Start over.  new graph... free hand lines...

Then it hit me. 

What if I use those tiny squares I made with all the wildness and patterns as the 'center' of the X?  And then I use a mix of solids and large pieces of fandango print to fill in the rest of the larger X?  So, it would be an X within an X. 

In my doodle, the highlighter colors are meant to be either a solid or a large piece of fandango fabric, while the pencil drawn block is meant to be the squares I made (pictured in the beginning of this post).

I started to outline the bigger X's just to get a feel for how the pattern works and I am really liking the effect. 

I also realized that I don't like how an X is cut off or incomplete here.  I am leaning toward adding a border that would allow the arm of an X to reach toward the edge of the quilt.  The border would also fill in a void if there wasn't an X filling the space.

I feel a sense of renewed direction with this quilt now.  I am ready to tackle some of the math to decide what pieces I need to cut... then I will be off to the horses to really start assembling this top. 

I hope you enjoyed a look into my design process.  It's mostly messy.  It's probably unconventional, but at the end it's very much me.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who designs in highlighter and pen (ha!) 

Also, have a look over at Amy's to see what others have completed in one week!

日本のための多くの愛
Much love for Japan

A Wee Bit of Hair

I sat down with my pad last night and drew a total blank on the latest Creative Tuesday's theme, "hair."

My thoughts jumped from hair bands, to that crazy hair stylist show on where they make outrageous up-dos, and then to Katie's hair.  Then I remembered she has fur, not hair.  doh!

I let my pencil do the thinking for a change and here is what I came up with.

Are you ready?

I bet you didn't see that coming.  I know I didn't!

This little piggy is singing "wee, wee, wee," all the way to Mr. Toasts Creative Tuesdays!

He's certainly a happy little piggy!

Not sure if you noticed, but I even pulled out my bigger sketch pad this time around. 

This little guy is created with a pencil outline which I then added color to with color pencils.  For the extra sharpness I used my ink pen very lightly to give him highlights and deep rich eyes.

Anyone have a brush we can borrow to straighten this guys mane out?  hahaha

Hope your Friday is a blast and if you need a pick me up... just think of the cute little hairy pig.  It's certainly putting a smile on my face!

Also, check out the other artists hairy drawings, or better yet enter your own over at Hot Toast and Jam!

Whoa, windy!

It's time again for Creative Tuesday's hosted by Mmm at Hot Toast and Jam!!

This rounds theme was "Wind/Windy."  My first thoughts... ummm... wind isn't something you can see, so will a blank page suffice?  I promise the wind is there.  Honest, just look a wee bit closer.  Can you feel, uh, I mean, see it?

A blank page wasn't going to cut it.  I convinced myself.  So, I began thinking of windy things.  Chicago? Windmills? Flying things? Pinwheels.  Ugg.  My pad was bound to sit blank.

A few days ago I tried again.  My brain leapt to three masted ships on the high windy seas.  Flags and banners wavering in the wind from the tall masts.  But, the drawing just wouldn't come out. 

So, last night in a last ditch procrastinating manner I picked up my pad once more and I can't believe how easily this came out.  When it's right, it's right.

I give you "Windy Hair," or is it "Hair a Blowin'," or maybe "There She Blows." 

It's been a while since I broke out my sketching pencils.  The lead is very soft, which makes it's fun to smudge and then run around the house after the dog with black pencil fingers. 

(Ok, I didn't torture the dog with this, but I did make a mess!  And I would certainly say that making a mess this way is loads of happy!!)

A little closer look.  Can you feel the breeze?

Another thing I haven't done in a long while is sign my work.  I married.  I changed my name.  I love my husband to the ends and back.  I lost my artistic identity along with it all.  Christie M. was a very creative, confident, free spirit artist.  Christie W. is still trying to figure out her place in things.

But look.  I signed it.  Yup.  Swished that W right into a circle.  Maybe my swagger is coming back?

One last look.  I'm feeling pretty proud of this one.   

If I had been told that the more I would share the easier this would get, I would have chuckled.

Honestly, this is turing into one of my favorite things to be a part of.  I enjoy seeing the creative results from the other participants.  I enjoy being a part of something so much bigger than me.  But most of all I like how it's stretching me and giving me a reason to pick up my pad and fill in a page or two.


(So, if you have a pad that itching for you to give it attention... pick it up already and join in!)