Panthera Leo Leo-a rare lion that roams India in numbers of under 1000 today. These are very large lions, known to be 10 feet long, and have a range of colors in their fur-including black. Facing threats of poaching and other environmental hazards, they are fortunately increasing in numbers.
(And just for fun, here's my little wildcat, also just as noble)
After upgrading from a Queen to a King size bed, I didn't want to part with my Queen duvet I had made. I made an entry for this almost seven years ago in Finally back to sewing. I questioned if taking it apart, adding borders, hand quilting it, and then sewing the binding would be worth it. So, with a week off from work as a creative 'Staycation', I got to work.
This was a huge task, and my fingers are pretty much devoid of fingerprints from hand quilting around the squares. I used a dark gray bed sheet for the backing because a) fabric is expensive, and b) I like to use what I have on hand. Once I quilted it together, I had to cut binding at a 90' angle from another bedsheet, pin it, and ensure the corners didn't show any gaps.
All throughout the finishing of this quilt, my cat Cece lended her paw-well, not really. But she definitely enjoys this quilt and thinks it's hers now.
My love for animals of course includes those we choose to care for in our homes. Recently I announced to my circle of friends on social media that I needed pets to paint as an experiment-complimentary of course. That experiment was to see my own progress in painting pet portraits and this post is dedicated to the first set of requests I received. I definitely see myself doing a lot more of these. These are 4x6 watercolor on paper with fineliner outlines and details.
I love tiny canvases, and found these at Dick Blick a couple of years ago. They came as a pack of six, and have just been sitting in my art supply stash for quite a while now. Since I enjoy painting animals it seems lately, I thought it would be fun to paint Bean and Jerry-my older kids' cats. Both of my older kids are roommates, and they each have a cat. Bean belongs to my 24 year old daughter, and Jerry belongs to my 21 year old son. These cats each have quite their own personality, but one thing I especially love in cats is their eyes. Bean (my daughter's tabby cat) has glorious green eyes, and Jerry (my son's white cat) has some intense amber eyes. These canvases are just 2"x2", and these head portraits are painted in gouache.
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| Bean on the left, Jerry on the right |
Lately I have been reading more fantasy novels and find my imagination inspired by the other worldly scenes described in these books. I fin...
