Sketches, Doodles, & Cetera — Art & Illustration

I've been working on an embroidery of a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz. I knew I wanted to play with some fun stitches, and his fur and the embroidery on his outfit seemed like a great way to experiment with some new techniques.I learned a new stitch for this project called the Hungarian braided chain stitch, and I thought I'd share it with you as a tutorial. It creates a really lovely textured, raised line that seemed perfect to decorate the monkey's little cap. Start with a small straight stitch at the beginning of your design line.Bring your needle up...

I just can't stop with the quotes! I've been mentally collecting quotes for so long, just waiting for the skills to do something with them. Turns out, doing something with them is just the practice I need to have the skills. Funny how that works.

This little line from the TV show Firefly is something I repeat to myself quite often. Things may slow me down from time to time, but there's no stopping this train.

I've been continuing with the MATS class this week, and the topic is ceramic. I'm really enjoying learning about how various home decor items are mass produced, and applying that knowledge to my approach to the artwork.

I have another hand-lettered quote for you guys today, too. This time, it's Thoreau.