I've Moved.....

I am now blogging at www.abigailcecile.com. Hope to see you there!
Abby

Butterflies

 We visited a large glass conservatory filled with exotic trees, humid air, and hundreds of butterflies. We walked along the paths, referencing our handouts to identify the butterflies, wielding our camera and sketchbooks. It was a good way to spend the afternoon. 
(some of these photos were taken by my brother, Christian)

Color and Design

I started new classes in February. One of them is color and design. For a while school will be purely foundational classes, but they're amazing classes all the same. Color and Design, the name gives it away. But I'm learning to mix and match colors using gouache! A lot of the illustrators I admire use gouache. So it's a plus, I learn the concepts of color as well as learning to use the medium. It's awesome. 

Victorian Valentines

When I was little I was enchanted by an illustration of a pile of pink and red ribbon, paper, lace, and sweet little paper vignettes. The little girl in the book was making her friends and family valentines. The memory stuck with me all these years. For quite a while my sisters and I have been making these for our friends and family. I love how utterly girly these valentines are. 

To make your own you will need:

Victorian vignettes or pretty magazine clippings (I have this book).

Glitter

Pretty paper

Ribbon

Glue (Elmers glue and a hot glue gun)

A very fine paint brush

Double sided tape

3D pop up dots (adhesive on both sides)

1. Mix the Elmers glue with water for a runnier consistency. Using your fine paint brush paint glue onto your vignette, over the areas you want sparkled. Shake the sparkles on top then turn the vignette upside down and, while firmly holding the vignette with your one hand, flick with your finger to remove excess glitter. Some good areas to sparkle on vignettes are flowers, leaves, and clothing creases.

2. Using your vignette as a guide take your pretty paper and cut out a heart. Go back over the heart with decorative scissors for a pretty edge. I like to layer two paper hearts. Add glitter around the edges.

3. Assemble your valentine! Use your double sided tape and tape the two hearts together. Take your 3D pop up dots and stick them on the back of your vignette. Stick the vignette onto the hearts. Now the vignette will be slightly raised. Take your ribbon and tie it into a bow. Using the hot glue gun stick the ribbon half way up the valentine so the loops from the bow and the ends droop nicely. Cut the ends of the ribbon into a pretty slant. 

You now have a lovely valentine to send to a friend or hang up around your house.  

Nutcracker Embroidery Tutorial

 Every year my siblings and I, instead of buying each other presents, create ornaments.  Last year I drew my brother's name and I embroidered this nutcracker ornament for him. 

When we all have our own families it will be special to have these handmade ornaments to decorate our trees. 

Here is the embroidery pattern I created + instructions. 

Click on the pattern below and print (you can probably size it in your printer window).

For this project I used DMC cotton embroidery floss in several shades of red (this gave it a nice depth). 

The stitches I used are as follows:

Hat, jacket, and boot outline: couching

Hat details: stem stitch + 1 french knot (for the swirly design), chain stitch, and a woven wheel on top.

Boot details: stem stitch + 1 detached chain stitch per boot.

Eyebrows and mustache: leaf stitch

Eyes and nose: split stitch

Teeth: stem and back stitch (go ahead and improv in this area, it's so tiny)

Collar: trellis stitch (tiny but simple)

Face, arms, legs, and hand outline: stem stitch

Shoulder pads and cuffs: padded satin stitch

Hair and beard: heavy chain stitch

Buttons: french knot

Inside of legs and arms: seeding

These are all crewel stitches so they're not too complicated. You could of course choose your own stitches!

 My finished embroidery measures slightly over 4 in. 

As with most embroidery the rule is start with the the areas that are farthest back. A good place to start would be the collar, teeth, shoulder pads, or anywhere there is couching. 

If you want your finished embroidery to measure 4 in. then use a very small needle and only several strands of DMC floss.

Enjoy!

xo, Abby

       

Advent Calendar

Advent calendars have never really been a part of our Christmas tradition, but I've always wanted to create one. This year my sisters and I (and even my brother!) created a calendar full of little, handmade, natural decorations.

I'll be posting the inside of these packets as they're opened.

xo Abby

December 2

Charcoal Lately

This is the first of my assignments cool enough to post. It's what I've been doing this fall, lots of charcoal.

xo Abby

One Year Ago

My journal entry for November 20, 2011 reads, "Today I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and saw the Mona Lisa."

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

xo

Abby

This Fall

This fall we moved to a new home. We're still setting up our new studio but I've never been more excited about the projects I'm working on. Leaving the old studio was the hardest part of  moving. :) I grew up in that home and have so many memories there, however it was time to move on. Our old home was a sunset home. This house is a sunrise house, and I've never had that before. It has a beautiful view of our pond facing east. I've been taking a lot of pictures when I first wake up. All the leaves are down now but I got quite a few photos before they fell. 

A large amount of my time has been dedicated to drawing this fall. I'm taking a fundamental drawing class called "Analysis of Form." I have learned a crazy amount about drawing! I'm so excited to be progressing in this area. 

I'm studying illustration because I need a fine art foundation to become the fiber artist I want to be. Ilustration in particular applies to what I want to do with fiber. Basic things like designing pieces to be embroidered, quilted, felted, or any other medium fall under illustration. I also want to have the skill to design fabric or illustrate books like Salley Mavor or Jillian Tamaki and the Penguin Threads series.*

This has been my Autumn, fiber art, charcoal drawing, and settling into a new home. And drinking lots of tea and coffee (I love cool weather).

xo Abby

*I have not explored the rest of this website. 

p.s. The new home is perfect for nature journaling, something I've loved most my life! (picture below).

Silk Shaded Carrot

Silk Shading was the final technique I learned at RSN. Initially, I was not excited to learn this technique. It looked meticulous to stitch and I wasn't drawn to the final look. In the end, I loved it. After starting my piece I learned to appreciate how beautiful silk shading can be. This piece was the hardest and may be the one I'm most proud of. 

Silk shading is sometimes referred to as "painting with a needle." A final piece will have the natural appearance of the subject you've chosen. This happens by analyzing the colors and how they are shaded. I worked from a photograph pinned onto the side of my frame.  Silk shading is done using long and short stitch, which creates a seamless blend of colors. 

xo, Abby

p.s. The quote is from Bugs Bunny!

Morning

This morning I'm doing research for an embroidery project. Yesterday I found this lovely website and now I can't wait to get back my slate frame. Can't wait till it's tautly stretching canvas filled with crewel wool and a needle stuck in the side!

Creepy-Crawly

An adorable wool felted spider (created and photographed by Evy). 

Today...

 Color is changing and becoming bright. The sky is turning frequently from sun shine to stormy. 

I love that purple sky blue of coming storms against the yellow green of fall leaves,

 mulled cider and doughnuts, and that cozy crisp atmosphere that makes you want to craft. 

I love Autumn. 

I'm off to enjoy the end of this day with family, cool air, roasted apples, and a campfire.

xo

Wool Dyeing #2

I have completed the (exciting) task of dyeing all my pure colors. I now have two yellows, four blues, and four reds, ready to be mixed together for an infinite amount of color possibilities!

The only color not pictured is Violet. I'm not sure where that one went. Anna cut into the violet long ago and used it to make this adorable little lady.

Here's a glimpse of our studio.

This Morning...

I tried a new photography technique called Free-lensing. You just detach the lens from your camera, tilt the lens until you get an area focused, and shoot (you'll need to manually set your shutter speed and f-stop first). I like how the focus turned out in this photo.

xo Abby

Wool Dyeing #1

Dyeing started when as a younger self I dyed wool in a microwave with Kool-Aid. While in high school I became more interested in dyeing and discovered a workshop taught by fiber dying expert Carol Soderlund. During her week long class I learned so much, more than I could have imagined. The other day I started dyeing again and I'm really enjoying it. During the class we created a huge book of colors and dye formulas. It's the most incredible dyers tool. I'm working on creating a second one for wool dyes. I love dyeing wool fabric. Sometimes I get more excited about the materials themselves than the potential project. :)

xo Abby