Thursday, September 22, 2016

My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond #1780: #1780 Welcome Autumn!!

As summer slipped quietly away, it made room for my favorite season of all – AUTUMN! 



Many people dread the passing of summer, as they see autumn as the gateway to the ice and snow that comes with the winter season that follows. I am fortunate in that my health is good and I am able to appreciate all the seasons without problems. I actually love the cold, crisp air  of winter, along with the snow it brings. I don’t even mind being inside for the season, as I am happy to have a nice and comfortable place (and several cats!) to keep me warm. To me, it is a time to stay home and focus on creating. There are less distractions and I don’t mind the thought of  being snowed in one bit. But I am getting ahead of things … 



The transition of summer into winter is typically beautiful. We are able to put the sticky, humid days of summer behind us and each new day brings us a different type of beauty. We witness the changes that Mother Nature puts into place for us as we watch the leaves on the hardwood trees turn from green to golden to beautiful warm colors that range from golden yellow to crimson. It is a time when awareness of our surroundings is high as well as appreciation for the process of change itself. It is a time of preparation for the holidays and the cold days to come, and I find a great deal of joy in decorating my home in warm autumn colors. No wonder I like it so much. 



It also means that the year is winding down, and soon will be over. As the years pass by, each year seems somewhat shorter. It feels that way to me, anyway. I wonder if this is because I am getting older, or because I am busier than I used to be or because I appreciate each day a bit more than I used to. Perhaps it is a bit of all of those reasons. Whatever the case, it is a good place to be. 



Yesterday I picked up my car for its final service before I put it away for the winter. I can now check off the list that all the mechanics of it are sound and in working order. The oil is fresh and I just had the motor and underside of it steam cleaned and undercoated. Even though I will put it in storage, living near the ocean exposes it to salty air that can corrode it quickly. I want to have it for many years to come. 



I also had company yesterday, although Keith’s mom is hardly considered ‘company’. We had a good day and visited a bit and caught up on things and did some shopping. We also had a great meal, as we usually do. It is amazing how quickly we can create a feast and how 'effortless’ it seems when we work together. 



I had a little time to paint while his mom was here and after she left. My friend and fellow designer Sandy Warner McTier had posted this lovely drawing for us to “play” with:



When I saw it, I knew it would be a great time to play with my Mission Gold Watercolors



I printed the line work out on some watercolor paper. 



I also thought I would try my new Faux Squirrel brushes that I got from Dynasty. I have been playing with them with my acrylic paint a bit, but I understand they are great with watercolors. I did find that the fibers in them seem to be a bit more absorbent than the regular taklon brushes. This made them great for what I was doing. They held a lot of water, and kept a good edge in the process. :)  



(I found that you can get them from The Brush Guys at the bests prices!) 



I simply relaxed and 'colored in’ the images with the watercolor paints. This was a great way to enjoy the colors and 'get to know’ them a bit better. I mixed them too and had fun doing that and changing the intensity and values. What a great way to practice! :) 



It took me no time at all to complete the little sketches. I love how they came out! 





It found a nice place at the top of my message board near my desk:



It was a really good day. 



This morning, I did some work adding a couple of new products to my Etsy shop. I had cut the wood for these pieces for another designer friend of mine – Amy Mogish. 





Aren’t they adorable??



I now have the wood pieces available at my shop. (They will be on the regular website by the next update!)  



I have the snowman piece (SLD147) HERE:





… and the Santa (SLD148) HERE:

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I think they are both fabulous pieces! Wait until you see what Amy came up with next! I am working with her again on another project, and I absolutely love it. You can visit Amy’s website – Classic Amy Joanne – by clicking the link. She has loads of great projects, tutorials and surfaces for you to paint. 



Today I plan on doing some cutting and more drawing for scrolling patterns. It is going to be a full day for sure. I also have some more products to add into my Etsy store and I will keep you updated on that. As usual, I am spinning lots of plates at once. But that is what makes life fun, right??



I hope you enjoy this first day of autumn. It is beautiful and sunny and cool here. Just perfect as far as I am concerned. 



Happy Thursday to you all! 










via Tumblr http://davidpires578.tumblr.com/post/150772763364

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