Cross Stitching A Heart Design On Plastic Canvas Mesh Is Time Consuming

In the age of the computer and digital art people forget how time-consuming, yet rewarding, things like drawing by hand and cross stitching can be. Here I am holding the cross-stitched piece I designed, which I have been working on for a few weeks now. I have not started any new drawing projects because I hate abandoning my crafting projects in progress, but if I wanted to get this done I could just sit in a chair and count the stitching as I go. Perhaps that would be the best way to finish this expeditiously, but I find that after a few continuous minutes of stitching my mind needs a break. I love the way that cross-stitching looks, but this is not a project I can work on non-stop.

How To Be A Strong And Independent Cookie

I realized today that I do not consider myself a tough cookie, but I am a strong and independent cookie because I like sweet things, but I can also be determined in my way.  I have been calling myself a strong cookie for years actually because I do quite a lot on my own, and never really give myself props for this. Earlier this week I realized very few people have ever gone out of their way to encourage me or support me in my writing and the art the way I have done for others, so it is now time to do more of my cheerleading.

Today I am focusing on being my own strongest supporter and promoting my artwork and blogging. In the past, I would comment on blogs where the writer usually would not respond, and realize my contribution was not valued there.  Oh well, no complaining, but it is time to move onward and upward.

As of the moment, I have put off finishing my novel because I just am not feeling the vibe for it, but maybe one day I will publish it.  I just realized editing has not been capturing my imagination, and no one ever jumped up and down saying they wanted to help me edit it. I know I could pay someone to do that, but I just do not feel like doing that at the moment.  I have decided to put this project on the back burner and just concentrate on my art and blogging.  I have a lot of art for sale, which you can purchase below on Zazzle.

Still Working On The Cross Stitch Palm Tree

I am still working on the cross stitched palm tree that I designed by drawing an outline directly on aida cloth. This is not a counted cross stitch design, but a following the drawing design. In the photos and video you can see the progression I have made on this project.

Drawing The Palm Tree Outline On Aida Cloth

I used a photograph I took of a palm tree as inspiration for the outline sketch I created on the Aida cloth.  I could have graphed out the sketch, but I thought it would be more spontaneous to just directly draw it on the mesh with a pen.  In the past, I have drawn directly on the canvas, so it does not seem that much different to draw directly on the Aida cloth.

The Painting: Two Palm Trees And The San Bernardino Mountains

 

The name of this painting is two palm trees and the San Bernardino Mountains because of the backdrop behind the monocots that are swaying in the wind.  I love the contrast between palm trees and snow capped mountains, which is based on a photograph that I took a few months ago.

 

Painting The Sky And The Mountains

The other day I began painting the sky and the mountains in my two palm trees and the San Bernardino Mountains painting.

I am excited about how the sparkle paint makes the mountains look like these are sparkling with snow, and I will have to think about what I want to do next with the painting.