Knitting as Art

Pen & Ink and Watercolor

My youngest sister recently learned to knit. At a gathering last week she soon attracted a curious audience:

"What is that? What are you doing? Can I try?"

In the spirit of this sensational painting modeled after "The Reader," I've based my illustration on Emile Munier's painting, "A Special Moment." It was fun to pull details (the color scheme, clothing inspiration, vine-covered wallpaper, and purple flowered carpet design) from the painting and give them a new twist!

IF: Dusty

 This week I took out my spinning wheel (it's a Kromski Polonaise--a fun name for a really beautiful wheel). Was it ever dusty! I think it needs a tune up and lots of oil before it's ready to go again.


That reminded me of a picture I started a summer or two ago when I was experimenting with spinning milkweed down. I thought it would make a good fairy tale: the princess who spins the thread for her ball gown of milkweed down.










I discovered that it doesn't really spin that well (the fibers are too short and slippery)--but what's the fun of being an artist if you don't take artistic license once in a while?

IF: Chicken

My sister is devoted to her flock of chickens, so it wasn't hard to find inspiration for this week's prompt.
We were gone over the weekend so grandpa collected the eggs--along with a golf ball or two!
I guess they all feel the same in the dark and the cold. :)

Pencil sketch with digital color

if: Resolutions

One resolution I don't need to make: Read Lots of Books. It just happens. :)

This is part of a salvaged watercolor from my first drawing for the Spooky Wodehouse Story post back in October. I loved the girl's shoes . . . but the rest of the picture just wasn't working. Can I throw away a piece of watercolor paper? Of course not! (Anyway I like having unique, artsy bookmarks.)

Collected 2010 Illustration Friday posts