12.14.09
Posted in GoldenCircleDesigns.com at 5:51 pm by deRomilly
You remember a few months ago, when I said that when the Universe yells at you, you should listen? Well, I tried, really I did. I started focusing on cleaning the studio. I even found a patch of floor that I didn’t know I had. The shelves are still falling over, though, because they need to be emptied before I can fix them… and and and…well, things got busy. We had a software release at work, then there was the new beta to get started on, and Thanksgiving, and friends who wanted to see me before I die, and my father, who also wants to see me before EITHER of us dies… and so on. I worked on designs. I worked on the studio. Sporadically. I didn’t get the first newsletter out, although it is mostly written.
Well. The first week in December the Universe got tired of my wimbling. It pulled out a two by four and smacked me over the head about not pursuing my dreams. You see, I think the universe really wants me to succeed in Art and Design, even when I would much rather pull the blanket up over my head and hide from the world.
That two-by-four? It’s called a layoff. Suddenly I have all the time in the world to focus on the business, getting this pile of designs I have finished ready for you wonderful folks to buy and stitch and love, and the book on how to design your own needlework done…
And then the day after, my Dora-kitten got sick. (OK, she’s four. But she’s still my kitten. And she features in the design book, so she’s even more special!) Very sick. Sick like “in the hospital for three days with kidney failure” sick. I’ve been spoon feeding her, running her to the doctor, and trying to keep her warm in a cold house ever since (they shaved her for an ultrasound). In true family fashion, they know what’s wrong, but they can’t figure out WHY.
But you know? Through it all, I’ve managed to get my butt in gear, edit another chapter of the book, almost finish the model stitching for the snowflake pattern (Which means, that if you want it at the pre-release pdf price before the model is done and in the pattern shop, you should order it now at the Snowflake Mat pattern page! It’s an instant download, and the individual snowflakes make for great quick ornaments/gift tags!)
In addition, I put several of my beaded chatelaines on Etsy for last-minute gifts. If you’re within the US and want them by Christmas, I know I can get them there if they’re ordered by Friday the 18. I can’t guarantee if they’re ordered by Monday, but I’m sure there’s a pretty good chance they’d still make it. 
So. The Universe is calling. And I’m making an attempt to answer it. Now if it would stop throwing sick cats at me in between steps… !
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12.10.09
Posted in Drawing at 7:00 am by deRomilly
My drawing skills have always been spotty. I can turn out a lovely piece of realistic work one day, and then anything I create touching pencil or pen to paper will be utter uselessness for a week. It has, if I’m honest, always been this way. It was enough so that when I was trying to get my mother to teach me to draw that when something actually went right, she would ask me if I had traced it. It made me quit trying for a very, very long while.
Then I met one of my college roommates. Jade was (and is) an amazing draughtsman – and claimed that I wasn’t hopeless – that she could teach anyone to draw. What she really taught me was how to see — not so much what I was trying to draw, but rather what actually came out on the page. She showed me how to say, this is what works in this picture and why. This is why the overall impression is wrong. It’s really just this one little line here.
This is not to say that I always get it right now — no, my sketchbooks are still filled with hundreds upon hundreds of awful little drawings, and I have to mine for the gems, but you know? Twenty years later and that vein of gems is finally getting more regular!
This October marked the twenty third year Jade and I have been friends. the gift of drawing is only one of the many benefits I’ve enjoyed over the years. She also edits my writing, stitches some of my models, and runs a mean roleplaying game. And she produced my super-cool godson, too!
Happy Birthday, Jade!
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09.05.09
Posted in Artwork at 12:41 pm by deRomilly
Because “crafting” turns into Art.
Léan at String Revolution reminds herself about what it means to create.
I haven’t forgotten about posting about my workshop – really. I’m just still processing information. (And we’ve been in crunch week at work.)
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07.17.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
The younger the better (to a certain point — I think I’d want to be able to communicate at least a bit while doing it!)
Back when my godson was three, he was fascinated by my rubber stamps. Although precocious, he wasn’t always careful to follow my rules, so I bought a set of inexpensive texture stamps and a set of cheap stamps and washable ink and paint just for him.
Sit down with your chosen small one , lots of colors of paints, stamp pads, crayons, and markers, and LOTS of paper. (Cover the kitchen floor and do it there — it’s a LOT easier to clean up than the dining table! and much more space to spread out in, too.)
Follow the child’s lead — at 3-5 they are generally naturally experimental – often we’ve forgotten the simple joys of making a mess by the time we hit high school. Assume the art supplies will end up trashed and purchase accordingly. They should be good fora year or so of this kind of use — weekly. You might be surprised – 10 years later I’m still using those cheap kid’s texture stamps!
What I learned from the three year old:
- Using all the paint colors on a foam stamp does NOT necessarily equate to a yucky mess.
- Mixed media is fun – I’m relearning this this year on my own…
- Colors that “clash” can create wonderful art together.
- FUN is the most important part of the creative process. Yes, there is work involved in the professional side, but even when it’s difficult, if some part of the project doesn’t trigger your sense of fun you won’t produce your best work. And yes, I do find this is just as true when I’m working with dark subject matter!
Little kids, when given permission to make a mess, create masterpieces. Borrow a friend or relative’s toddler if you need to — let them have a day off while you and the child create — just remember to warn Mom and Dad that their child will be coming home completely covered in paint (and be prepared to be just as messy yourself). Then go forth and have fun!
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06.08.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
At my day job I spend my day staring at a computer in a private office in an office space consisting of mostly male programmers. The office is nice. A cubicle for a writer is difficult, to say the least. And I love the fact that I can work directly with the developers if I need to. But it’s isolating: it’s the nature of the job. You can’t write with people talking to you all the time.
So what do I do at home? Well, I teach bellydance and am a member of a wonderful troupe, a decidedly NOT private endeavor. This is good. I get to be social three times a week at least – no, I HAVE to be social, which is good for this natural hermit. And I make art. I design needlework patterns (by the way, the business license went through last month… we’re getting there!) And I draw and paint.
I love to take the stitching and the blogging and the design-work to the coffee shop by myself. The fact that there are people around me is inspiring. But what I really enjoy is that for the most part, they ignore me. I can feel like I’m a social being and a hermit all at the the same time. And sometimes, just sometimes, someone will catch sight of what I’m drawing and ask me what gallery I’m in. OK, it’s only happened once, but it made me feel very good – like maybe this art thing COULD become more of my life.
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