New Adventures (in Art)

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a new creative outlet that I had never really explored before: painting. Not just on the computer with imprecise tools but with a paintbrush on a canvas.

Okay, so I painted a faux Door of Durin (complete with Elvish script containing my own name, of course) on my bedroom door at my parents’ house, but that was the most I had ever done besides paint a wall. So when the opportunity arose to paint something with a group of friends, I figured it was worth a try. I ended up discovering that painting isn’t unattainable magic. It’s more like writing a story.

When I say it’s like writing a story, I mean that there are many elements. Certainly more than I know from one couple hour group painting lesson. But it’s a bunch of tiny things put together that create the magic. And there’s so much variety that can happen with those tiny things. It’s not that there’s no wrong way to do it, but it seems that there are many right ways to make it work.

The most mind-blowing revelation of the evening was that the entire canvas needed to be painted one color before anything else happened. In my case, we used acrylic paints and a brown base. When the instructor told us to paint over it with other colors (blacks and grays) but not completely cover it, I didn’t quite understand. However, as I painted, I realized that the brown shows through. Adds depth. I would have thought it would mess up the painting. Instead, it makes it more interesting.

One of the fun things was watching how everyone interpreted the different instructions we were given. Only one person in the group had any painting experience before this. Her strokes were pretty effortless. I fiddled until I understood how it was being done. Once I did, it was amazing to see how each of us painted the trees, shrubs, and fields so differently, yet they all looked great.

After we finished the main body of the painting, we were allowed to add our own details. Some people added flowers. Several of us added cats (because we’re crazy cat ladies). I decided to add some very apropos things into mine…

I know one pretty good painting doesn’t make me even a novice artist, but the thing I discovered through the process is that I like doing this. A lot. Maybe enough to buy some acrylic paints, brushes, and an easel to play with it on my own…

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Do you paint? Have you discovered any unexpected hobbies?

Portrait of a Kitty

Some people tease that I’m obsessed with my cat. I guess there might be some truth to that. I end up talking about him often, but one of the most frequent things I end up doing is drawing him. That’s not to say that I’m particularly skilled at art by any means, but it’s relaxing, enjoyable, and gives my creativity a different outlet so that’s good enough for me.

Since my Surface has its accompanying pen, I decided to use it to play with the Fresh Paint program and try my hand at “painting.” Okay, so it’s not really painting, but considering that I don’t have a canvas, any brushes, or paints, it’s the next best thing. And there’s an undo button, which comes in handy when one isn’t the most adept artist. (I use it all the time.)

So below is my most recent cat art.

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Do you enjoy creating art? If you’re a writer, what other creative outlets do you have?

Nerd Propagation (Or, the BB8 Lovey)

So my best friend is having a baby. It’s very exciting, especially because she and her husband are fellow geeks. This child will be brought up well.

Since I tried my hand at an R2D2 lovey for my nephew earlier this year, I decided to give it another shot. However, good ol’ R2 isn’t quite the right fit. My best friend is obsessed with BB8. Like ready to sneak onto a soundstage and borrow one. Okay, that’s really hyperbole, but you get the idea. So, for that reason, I had to make this lovey a BB8, which was definitely a little tricky since that meant some alterations to the pattern.

The first trouble was finding the right shade of orange. What I ended up with still is a little darker than BB8, I think, but it’s close enough that someone would know who it’s supposed to be at a glance.

I skipped 4 rows (of the 36 stitches) on the head part of the pattern to give it the rounder, smaller look that BB8 has. Obviously, the difference in colors also means that there’s no switching back and forth between the white and blue partway down the head (where the “eye” is). I’m not best at switching yarn, so that’s a bonus.

One mistake I made and wish I had realized was the second set of front post triple crochet stitches. I didn’t include them since they weren’t needed for aesthetics. I didn’t realize that they were functional, providing a place to start the blanket portion. If you make one, you’ll want to include those for your own sanity.

So there it is. A BB8 lovey. Now here’s to meeting the little one when he arrives in the next few weeks.