OK, got a new printer/scanner so this is a test

8X8" water color, Iris I

Well! It's not easy, but it finally worked!  Let's try the other one. . .

8"X8" water color Iris 2

Well, I hadn't figured out how to crop yet with this one. It's really odd, but when I tried to save them to iPhoto I got a blank rectangle, even though it was .jpeg.

Anyway, there are two more pictures in this set of Irises, but I'm "teched-out" now. I need a nap. I spent much of yesterday getting my cheap new little Canon printer/scanner installed and wi-fi set-up (it actually is on my LAN, the old one had to be connected on it's own little Wi-Fi so I would have to disconnect from my LAN and connect to the printer.) This afternoon I realized I hadn't seen anything anywhere about how to scan with it. It was as though the topic was being carefully avoided. You wouldn't believe how weird it is to initiate a scan on this set up.

It's odd the way "they" think. They seem to expect some things one just "knows," like telling someone there is a great party going on and what time it is, how to dress, what to say when you get there to get in, but never giving you the address or directions.

It takes me back to Lotus 1-2-3, I had to keep asking people how to delete instead of just overwriting (they spelled it delit then - should have given me a clue.) until finally I found the right geek. He looked at me like I was from another planet then told me f2 (remember softkeys?) was delete, like I must be an idiot. So I asked him where does it say that? He seemed to think it didn't need to be written down, "everybody just knows." WRONG. And there was a point when he didn't know it either. He just couldn't remember it. Way back then some software came with a template that fit over the upper part of the keyboard and showed what each softkey meant. Lotus 1-2-3 didn't have one. Er, anybody hear of Lotus 1-2-3 anymore? Guess why.

OK, rant over, it's just been sort of a trial.

Too busy to post? Ah, the retired life . . .

When I would have time for EVERY THING. I have to say it, mother was right.
Well, here are a couple of things:

Neckline embroidery completed

Kirtle hem embroidery, one triangle to go, seam guarding done.

Did I show you this already? The neckline is finished, as are the pocket slits, the hem (above), the seam guarding and all, but the front placket, eeck! All those eyelets. So I decided on some little round bronze buttons I got a long time ago, and a fake placket down the front. Now where did I put those buttons. BTW, where do I keep my buttons?

Then I found the most wonderfully reasonable linen source "down the coast." I have become a linen junky. Fortunately I already had enough light weight white linen to make a chemise/shift/chainse/ well lets just call it a slip. (Use your imagination, it doesn't take a very exciting photo.)

At this new source I found some hanky weight Autumn Gold linen to make a new kirtle with long sleeves that can also function as an undergown. More later on that. My focus has been things I can wear when it's hot to SCA events.

Now that other thing I do:

Redwood - Work in progress, watercolor

I needed to paint a redwood tree. Well, now there are little studies of redwoods all over the house, on the corners of letters and bills, magazines, scratch paper and sketch and drawing paper. They kept getting bigger and bigger, I couldn't even keep them on the page! Above is an early version of the final one. They are a California native, why haven't I painted these more? Anyway, here is the final version, of course it won't fit on my scanner:

Redwood giant - watercolor

So, fortunately my nephew found me a FedEx place that will scan it for me. The above is a photo of it. Today I visit FedEx and scan this and email it out! Oh yeah, did you know that giant redwoods have one of the smallest cones?

Average pine cone

Normal pine tree cone above.

Comparison with redwood cone - watercolor

Comparison of normal pine cone (bottom) and redwood cone (top). Nature is amazing!

Now wasn't that fun? I think I'll put on my kirtle and go out plein air painting. My family knows I'd do it, too.

A few sketches (working on those faces) and one new painting:

Just an eye and part of a nose.

Christmas, New Year's, etc are past now.  I've been having trouble with values, time to buckle down and work on it. I got myself some tan drawing paper, dug out my white charcoal, graphite, and sanguine charcoal. This forces me to really find the darks and the lights. Having no models, I've been sketching from the TV. You can pause Netflix!

Sketch - old movie

Once again, trying to get more angles and positions to work. This was from a movie in the late 1940's. She had a very chiseled face, an interesting jaw line with a very long neck. I overdid the neck, but it wasn't my focus.

Ick.

The photo flash hit on the white a lot more than is real. Still trying to more angles and positions. The neck does not work yet.

Acrylic - over lit by flash

Have to keep painting too, can't be all drawing. I have no teacher to tell me I'm wrong about that!