Sketchbook

Hi Everyone! Little Stories are posts where I share unrelated odds and ends from my life and my atelier. This one is full of playful little pieces. Whenever I need a little push, I work on teeny tiny things. They not only help me get going again, they also often spark new ideas. These little pieces that I worked on earlier are setting the stage for my winter break.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

I always keep a stack of small pieces of inexpensive watercolor paper on my desk. I paint simple things on those papers whenever I need to warm up before working on something larger. Sometimes I also use them to try out new art supplies that I have purchased, but haven’t used yet. There is never any pressure with these practice pieces.

Over the break, I plan to work with these new art supplies a bit more in-depth, and then share the results with you.

Japanese Syllabary

I was very fastidious about making good sweeping curves while drawing these flash cards of Japanese syllabary. After 142 cards, I not only learned the characters well, they also provided good practice for drawing curves with a pen.

I will continue to work on my Japanese studies over the break. This will include a trip to the Japanese store so we can start making authentic Japanese food at home. I love to explore authentic cuisines from different countries, which is always a highlight of our travels.

Our sweet Charlie turned 19 last Saturday

He LOVES cheesecake. So for his birthdays, he gets a special treat – a very sizable portion of cheesecake. My husband and he have a very special bond. He was looking up at my husband to sit with him while he savored his birthday treat.

Although he is a perpetual kitten, I painted this dignified version of him in the library for his 18th birthday last year. I am really quite excited about the new painting I am working on, featuring him celebrating his 19th birthday.

Although I love binding books with decorative stitches on the spine, I unfortunately don’t get to make these decorative books often. That is another thing I want to work on over the break. I already have a bunch of pages prepped to be bound in different styles. When I make these books, I like to color coordinate everything.

I sometimes zone out while making books. That’s how I ended up binding these books all together, but they are lacking cover art. That’s next for this stack of little journals.

Handmade journals are available in my shop

New book covers will undoubtedly include some block carvings. My head is teeming with new ideas and some of them are already penciled into my sketchbooks. Time to sharpen those carving tools. Keep an eye out for journals with new cover designs in the shop.

A tree and a travelling woman. I was really not in the mood to do much that day. So I grabbed a few scrap pieces of paper and started drawing with a new $10 fude fountain pen. Changing the angle of the nib of a fude fountain pen changes the line thickness. I miss these impromptu drawings. I would like to sit by the fireplace and do more of these as well.

Most importantly, before March shuts me indoors again, I plan to take many walks outside with my beloved camera. I took this photo during our last visit to the mountains. I can’t wait to go snowshoeing there among the trees and the stones.

The time has come for me to go on my winter break. I look forward to donning my favourite woolens and exploring the peaceful, sleepy world outside. Inside the home, long hours of video game playing with my husband has become a tradition. Ink and paper adventures also await me, along with the prospect of warm beverages, fireside reading, and kitty cuddles.

Thank you so much for being here with me and for your lovely and encouraging words. I will be back around February / March with a lot to share as well as new The Girl and Her Cat stories.

Wishing you a safe and magical holiday season. I hope you find a few playful pieces to unwind with during this time as well.

See you then,
-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please consider paying a visit to some of them.

P.S. The Ink Torrents Graphics shop remains open. I will continue to fulfill orders, as always. I will also be available via email. Thank you for continuing to shop from my store.

Simple 365 – Set 7

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I also created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I will add more photos to that page as well, as I share them here.

Little Memories

I learned to play chess from my grandfather. He and I used to play every night after having dinner together. If I had too much homework, he would always wait for me so we could spend that time together. These are his fountain pens. I love to jot down little thoughts and notes with them. My love for printing and book making is a credit to him.

A Little Story

Mr. Nigel Forsythe Castleton is the proprietor of the Lost Pages Bookstore. Owing to the bookstore being in a very old stone building, it is very drafty and cold, even on the warmest of days. Mr. Castleton loves nothing more than to spend his days in the bookstore, but the poor thing is always very cold even though he is made of wool. Luckily, the bookstore has a wonderfully big fireplace, where he keeps a fire going at all times. He pours himself a glass of ginger wine and sits by the fireplace, perusing those lost pages.

This time he is visiting his friend who also has an antiquities book shop full of books of magic and alchemy. He loves the old city of York, so he has decided to spend some time there.

I have knitted and introduced Mr. Castleton before, but if you are new here and don’t know him, he is a very gentle fellow who loves all things books.

A Not So Little Celebration

Winter is a celebratory season at our home with tons of birthdays, starting with Charlie. He celebrated his 18th birthday very recently. Even though he is not allowed, he loves to sneak in sweets made of dairy. For his birthday, he got a special treat – a very sizeable portion of cheesecake.

He was looking up at my husband to sit with him while he enjoyed his birthday cake. They have a very special bond. Although Charlie is a perpetual kitten, I thought I paint this dignified version of him for my husband.

Little Journals

Growing up as an only child, I have always lived most of my days in the worlds of stories and books.

Hand-binding books for those stories while listening to an audio-book is one of my favourite ways to unwind while staying mildly focused. This moss green journal was the very first 3″ x 4″ journal I made for myself with a special drawing theme in mind. I look forward to starting on that soon.

(handbound by me pocket journals are available in my shop)

Girl And Her Cat – Wandering Pages

I painted the Girl and Her Cat stories in little 2″ x 3″ books. This is the last set of paintings from the the Girl And Her Cat – Wandering Pages book.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

You can see the full Wandering Pages book here.

The Girl and Her Cat decided to become lost in the mist for a while, visiting the land of the snowy owls. It is also time for me to go on my winter hiatus. I wish you the most magical holidays with lots of rest.

Thank you so much for being here with me and for your most lovely and encouraging words. I will be back around March.

See you then,
-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them.

P.S. The Ink Torrents Graphics shop remains open. I will continue to mail orders, as always. You can also purchase quilting patterns, which you can access immediately via Instant Download. I will also be available via email. Thank you for continuing to shop from my store.

Little Stories – Playful Pieces

Little Stories – Unwind