Sometimes, it’s just nice to jump on the stitching train and red-n-green up the place, you know?
And as promised, below is the cool Yule posy from the previous pattern–available to you in the marketplace! Get stitchin sistas!

After sketching around the studio for an hour or so, I decided this is just the jolliest little stocking!  And just waiting for “the treatment” of color, texture, and maybe BLING!  More later!

Though I feel like a complete traitor to my anti-christmas railing (commercialism, false nicety, shiny happy crappy etc) I DO feel compelled to stitch up the place in Holiday finery! I can’t help it, but I think I got the spirit (mother would be SO proud…) So, here’s a little goody I’ve been working on [...]

After trying both gesso and gel medium as underpainting primers, I can definitely say gel medium makes the best ground layer for sketching and stitching over.  These examples are one layer of matte gel medium brushed on and allowed to dry followed by a sharpie sketch for outlines and watercolor pencil for color and shading.
VOILA!! [...]

DRAPING
After laying down a cool pastel wash, I decided to drape some floss around the foreground to get some perspective.
When uncertain how to proceed, try using thread tangles to prompt form–laying in some floss will mimic stitches and give you an idea of how you want the piece to look.

While finishing the 6X6″ spring piece, I wandered to my greens.  Sometimes green just doesn’t deliver–so I ended up eyeing the gray.  I know, I know–crazy talk, but hear me out.  Sometimes the greens aren’t dark enough–shadowy enough.  that’s what the grays step in for.  Witness:

This green is slightly off gray — and would be [...]