Dancing Dino's for Jelly Bean Stock New Needlepoint Designs

Just in time for New Babies, grandchildren, great grandchildren, or just because these Dancing Dinos make you laugh here are some fun New designs for your Needlepoint Stitching.  I had fun drawing and painting these little critters, and I enjoy the happiness and glee of the Dino Moms and Dads.  What ever your age perhaps these Sporty, Dancing, Crawling and just Emerging from their shell Dinosaurs will bring a smile to your face.  There are more, but Art takes time, and other canvases are calling or should I say clamoring to be finished.  Enjoy my silly, fun offerings for this day, for who knows when I will get back to the ancient times when Dinosaurs ruled the earth, and listened to their music on Headsets, roller skated by the beach, and were taken for plenty of exercise to go running then swimming in the ocean.  Those were grand old times.  Write when I get work, and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.  I just finished watering my tropical jungle, and my plants are blooming and enjoying their refreshing morning ablutions.  Thank you all for your kind words, and feed back.  Have a wonderful, productive day.

Wizard of the Woods

Besides designing Needlepoint Canvases sometimes I just need to draw and paint.  After working all morning on some cute Needlepoint Canvases which I will put up shortly, I took a nap, and then painted my friend Marion Skydancer, an Artist, Model, and talented Photographer.http://skydancer-stock.deviantart.com/  Cute was too much, and I just wanted to paint with no sketching, no lines, and no agenda.  Sometimes one should just use their own talent to entertain oneself.  That's what I did this afternoon, and I feel better for it.  Here are two little paintings I did using Acrylic ( the same paint box I'm using to paint all the tropical birds, fish, plants, and dinosaurs).  I painted on black paper, because it was in a stack close at hand, and I just enjoyed myself.  I will put up the new finished Needlepoint Canvases tomorrow, but don't be surprised if some other art sneaks into this blog on stealthy little cat feet unwilling to be quiet in the background of my mind.  My art...all of it....likes to be expressed, and I can't just do needlepoint canvases every minute of every day.  I guess I will need to find a balance.  Work on the work in the morning, and do something free in the afternoon.

I've got to go check on the Spaghetti I'm making for dinner, and make some home made garlic bread to go with it so everyone enjoy the rest of your day or evening.  Do what you love!  and of course Write when I get work!

Fabulous Philodendrons and Jungle Plants

I have been gardening in pots, and buying plants to use in my Needlepoint designs.  The gardening and watering gets me away from the art tables and outside for fresh air and a fresh outlook.  At least that's my goal.  Since I last posted I've been out visiting Needlepoint shops, going to Rainbow Gallery for excellent floss and color cards for reference.  Thank you John and Sally for the Grand Tour, and all the wonderful information on how the floss is spun from different threads.  Rainbow Gallery is an amazing place, and their thread selections as you all know are fabulous.  

We, Barb, Kim, Lynzee, and I went to Queen Anne's Stitches  to meet with new friends and old and show some of our new designs.  What a wonderful shop Heidi has, and so many lovely customers working on their needlepoint and getting tips from Sherrie.  A big thank you to Sharon Quick for introducing us to this wonderful shop, and giving us so much useful information and help.  Needlepoint woman are the best!  I'm busy painting on the canvases you all took a shine to, and will soon be painting floral bell pulls, chicks and spring flowers, more chickens, rabbits and Daffodils, and the list goes on.

We also took the Grand Tour of Aristeia a beautiful, warm, light filled, old building appointed with exquisite good taste and style.  The Needlework is amazing, and the setting is both warm and welcoming.  It is a setting that makes you glad to be affiliated with the Needlepoint Industry, and happy to be designing new canvases for an old, respected art form.

Here are some of the latest finished canvases, painted with love, and designed from my own plants and bird photos.  

I hope you enjoy the new handpainted canvases.  I know Jellybeanstock north is working on Judaica, Talis Bags, Floral Purses, Dancing Rabbis, some new Witch canvases, and an altogether eclectic mix of subject matter for your stitching pleasure.  I will continue to read books on Needlepoint, peruse stitch guides, experiment, design, and water the plants. That includes my mother Cymbidiums that have joined my plants after traveling from Los Altos their old home to here in San Diego where my plants are making them welcome.  My mother died last year, and her plants long loved and enjoyed are finding new love and attention from me.  Her passing does not mean everything she loved and cared for will evaporate into thin air.  We, her children, grandchildren, and Great grandchildren, are taking into our home treasured memories of a wonderful mother, and a very hardworking woman.  Her belt for clipping the roses is hanging with her clippers in my kitchen.  Her Cymbidium Orchids have joined my jungle, and are standing up straight and tall once again, and once they have more color and body to their leaves I will divide and transplant them into new pots.  You will soon be seeing orchids in my needlepoint designs.  Her leaving this Earth to go flying around the room as Emmy Lou Harris describes in her song has left me both uplifted and deeply saddened.  

Welcome, to Red Panda Beads, and thank you for all your help in getting me started once again into beading. Red Panda carries the Japanese Seed Beads with the consistent hole, and the rounded edges that won't cut your needlepoint stitches.  Visit Red Panda and find all kinds of wonderful beads, needles, beading supplies, and informative help from an avid beading expert who will help you buy what is right for your needlework.  I want to use beads when stitching My Peacock Canvases, but I want it to not harm the canvas or stitches but enhance it.  I'm very busy of course, but still write when I have more work.  Stay happy, try to learn something new every day, or if you are just tired ...take a break...read a good book...relax by the pool...and enjoy the time God has given us.  

Painting a Mural for a Dr Seuss Musical

My lovely niece Mary Rose was in a Seussical Musical, and played Gertrude McFuzz a lovely bird with a very small inadequate tail.  She sang beautifully, gesticulated, and was a great little actress.  She shone like a star, and everyone had a wonderful time.  I was asked to design and paint the 16 foot by 16 foot mural, and my sister-in-law helped by getting paint, picking me up, buying lunch, and was terrific at following instructions and painted like a pro.  She brought in a lovely agile young woman, to help paint and we all had a great deal of fun. The following pictures are of Mary Rose, the mural and a cast of characters.  Enjoy!! 

Obviously this was a fun project, and after we painted the mural in two days I went on to visit JellyBeanStock North (I'm the southern division just North of the border), and we visited two needle point shops Aristeia, and Queen Anne's Needle Point shop, and on to Fleur de Paris for more Canvas (hello and thankyou to Maria), and also the Disneyland of Floss and thread manufacturing Rainbow Gallery (Wonderful visit with John and Sally, thank you for all the advice and info).  I will blog about each place seperately, and tell you about all the wonderful adventures we at JellyBeanStock have been having.  Say YES to life, explore the world, and enjoy each minute.  We laughed so much on our trek to all these stores.  Life is good...so write when I get more work, and be sure to enjoy your day!!!

Tropical Birds on Black 18Ct Mono Canvas

Well, I think the second rug is finished, and this one is painted on 18ct Zweigart Black Mono Canvas, and I still have to double check to make sure all the holes are clear.  I've been using my trusty air brush and compressor to blow out the holes, but sometimes I don't catch it in time or put the paint on too thick.  I have some pillows to finish up with the bird images, and then I move on to the last of my orders from the TNNA show in Long Beach.  First to complete is a customized mask I'm doing for Kent, and then another custom canvas with my Eagle and Flag image, but done on a larger canvas with space for eagle scout badges.  Remember, I am always happy to adapt my designs to your needs, and I hope you are seeing some canvases and designs you would like to stitch and have in your home.  

Here is the Tropical Bird canvas on Black, and yes it does look slightly different.  Every time I paint a canvas it seems to take on an individual life of it's own.

I will finish the pillow painting of similar images, and then move on to new subject matter.  I have many new designs forming in my head, and clamoring to be drawn.  There are still plenty of my designs drawn up that still need to be painted.  So being an artist is a fine balancing act, between the creating of new, and the completion of the old.  I hope you like todays offerings, and be sure to write when I get work.  Keep your sense of humor,enjoy the day, and I will get back to accomplishing more of my goals.  Have a very good day oh gentle reader of Blogs.

Finished Tropical Bird Rug on White 13 count Zweigart Canvas

TAAA DAAA I think I am finished with the Exotic Tropical Bird Rug on White Zweigart 13 count canvas.   I have already been working on the same design on Black 18 count Zweigart Canvas, and I'm very happy with the results.  It's a little harder to keep the holes clean on the 18 count, but the colors are more vibrant on the black.  Both look really beautiful and alive which was what I'm aiming for.  Some people have voiced that it's sad to cover up the beautiful painting, but that's silly.  If you want a painting, and are willing to spend multiple thousands of dollars, then buy the original.  However, this is painted by the same hands as the original and looks just as good, but stitching will make the image 3 dimensional, and incredibly exotic.  It is simply amazing what a gifted stitcher can do with a canvas, and I enjoy stitching my own canvases so why shouldn't you?  I love adding beautiful threads by Rainbow Gallery, Kreinik, DMC cotton and Pearl to my canvases.  I love the thickness of a ribbon or braid sparkling where I have painted metalic gold.  The paints I use are the highest quality, and Jellybean Stock uses the heaviest pigmented Acrylic Paint, costly, but quality shows.  When I use pearl paint, or glitter in my paint that indicates I see Kreinik blending threads or braids in addition to the normal thread you choose.  It's your piece of art to stitch once you have bought it, and it is up to you, your skill, and your imagination to take it to the next level.  I left the background white because Wendy at Aristeia asked me to.  I am considering adding palms or leaves to another version in the border.  The only thing I ask of you if you buy my canvases is that you don't paint on them.  Change the colors, by changing the threads, but don't paint on my canvases.  Each canvas is individually painted by me, and if you want something different than don't buy my canvases.  I read on a blog recently how to photograph a canvas, take the photo into the computer and then print out a smaller size on your printer.  It's your canvas, you bought it...so Why NOT?  Because that dear reader of blogs is a violation of my copyright, and I am the only person who has the right to make copies of my designs.  All of my canvases are based on my photos, my birds, my plants, and my hard work.  If you want different colors, or a different color scheme just write and ask.  If you want something personalized with lettering or larger or smaller size just write and ask.  Everyone at Jellybean stock understands custom, understands specialty items, and though it is not free you will always receive a quality product.  You buy the best when you purchase canvases from Jelly Bean Stock, and Barbara, Kim, Lindsay, and myself care about your desires, your needs, you sales, and your bottom line.  I understand what difficult times we are all going through, but with perseverance, dedication to quality, integrity, and respect of one another's role and skills in this industry we will all succeed and prosper.

Don't copy other peoples canvases...it's just not nice!  It also opens you to a nasty lawsuit!

Write when I get work!  I always welcome more.  My leg is starting to improve, and feel better with the magic of modern medicine, anti-inflammatories, Vicodin, no heavy lifting, etc. and no housework.  Not a problem I didn't want to load the dishwasher or run the sweeper anyway.  Keep your sense of humor, stop and smell the Roses, the freesia, and all the other spring flowers.  Keep stitching, keep rediscovering how wonderful life can be, and of course write when I get work!

Handpainted Needlepoint Canvases Working out the Details

I'm still painting on Needlepoint Rugs, Pillows, and 10 Inch Inserts.  When I finish one group then I add some new ones to the mix.  I'm also changing some of the breeds of birds in the Crowned Jewels, when I put the design on Pillows or Inserts.  Changes things up a bit, and I can see if a different color or bird might be more interesting.  These are all original samples, and I have a little more freedom when painting them.  The Rug has to have tight details painted on the Hummingbird, and the Amazon Parrot on the Right will get his cute, curious face painted in today.  The Hyacinth Macaw has his three coats of Ultramarine Blue, and his darks and highlights painted in.  Now I just have to refine all the details and finish him.  I don't think there will be any background color painted.  The original has blue black, but I've been asked to leave the background free from paint to leave the color up to the buyer and Needlepoint stitcher.  Here are the canvases I worked on all of yesterday:

This is the large Rug Image 30" X 40" and I put on more coats of paint for uniform coverage yesterday, and worked on the lower right parrots, the wings and tail feathers of the Peacock, the face and feathers of the Crowned Crane, more coats on Ultramarine Blue to the Hyacinth Macaw, and painted the faces of the upper left parrots.

 Today I will finished the Red Spectacled Parrot, the Crowned Crane, the hummingbird, and the last parrot on the right.  I like all the highlights, and the deep darks that define the images to be just right, and the image to have a cohesive look and glow to it.

 The Eyes of the Peacock need a little more clean up and definition, I like the Toucan, and these lower Parrots are just about finished.

 I took pictures of my Parrot Marconi in our Grape Arbor many years ago, and that is how I came up with this design for these 20" X 20" Pillow Canvases.  That said I did 3 30" X 30" Gold Leaf Alkyd and Oil Paintings of these images, and the pillow designs are just pieces of the larger works of art.

 This is my Marconi in among my grapes at my old house, enjoying the arbor and the coolness of grapes.  This is the start of a 20" X 20" Pillow Design.

 This is another in the series of Mexican Double Yellow Headed Parrots stealing grapes.  This is a 20" X 20" Canvas, and I'm painting it in Acrylics.

 This is an almost finished but the border 20" X 20" Pillow Design changed a little from the "Crowned Jewels" design, but I would still co-ordinate and decorate the same room as the Crowned Jewels Rug.  I have wanted to paint a Toco Toucan, and the two parrots at the bottom are mine...Carmen on the Left and Marconi on the Right.

 This is the other 20" X 20" Pillow painted to co-ordinate with the Crowned Jewels Rug, but not to copy it exactly.

 Keelbilled Toucan painted, but still have work to do on the other two toucans, the orchids, and the butterfly.
These are 13" X 13" Canvases with an image size of 10" X 10".  Still alot of work to do, but I don't like to waste time, paint, or sit and watch paint dry.

The other 10" X 10" Insert coming along, but not nearly finished.  I have a great deal of work to do today...so I better get to it.  Write when I get work.  Let me know if you like anything you see, and I hope all is well in your world.

Working on Bird Rugs and Smaller Needlepoint Panels

Over the weekend I painted on the large rug some more, and as is my habit while waiting for layers to dry I painted on some smaller canvases.  Now these canvases of birds are only 13" x 13.5" and are on 18 count canvas rather than the 13 count for the larger rugs.  I did them because when I paint large canvases or murals for my personal work I will often paint a smaller section of the large overall canvas.  This gives me the opportunity to "practice" and learn what I'm going to be dealing with on the larger surface.  It's also less intimidating, and allows me to finish something more rapidly and with ease.  It's more comfortable than facing an extremely large canvas cold turkey so to speak. I thought perhaps that is true of Needlepointers also, so I decided to design up some small canvases using the exact same birds as the large canvas, and the exact same size of birds so the needlepoint work will be exactly the same.  The idea of tearing out stitches on a big canvas would be discouraging, and irritate me, but a smaller one that I could finish more quickly and had less of an investment in would not be as trying.  Plus when you work on the rug, and it's a 13 count canvas it will be easier and faster.  

I envision pattern stitches in the area I painted Gold, and a different pattern for the cream background.  I also see beads, but I love sparkley threads and bling.  Tell me what you think, and if you like the direction I'm going.  Designers need feedback too, and I need more information about the threads available that will give me the shiny look I want for the birds, but I don't want it to feel rough or sharp to the hand or cheek.  That's in case they get made into pillows.  My intrepid assistant Ale` sees them as purses, and I also want to draw them up as vests.  I am no longer skinny and cute, but in my youth I embroidered and stitched vests with Koi, Peacocks, Sequins, beads, pearls, and loved wearing them.  In my old age...I might as well enjoy the beautiful costume designing of my youth.  I would rather wear velvet, satin, Maribou feathers, Sequins and beads, and Needlepoint hand made and special then store bought and dull.  I am such a silly woman.  Here are the canvases is progress...Enjoy!

  Painting in Details, and working out spacing.  Working out dark against light, and creating depth and pattern.  This is the bottom of the rug panel, and I will be working on the rug and trying to finish it today.  If not finished I believe I will come close.

This is the top part of the panel, and I've been working on the Parrots feather details, beaks, and faces and eyes.  I like to have good expressions and eyes that are alert and curious.  The Peacock is of course more self absorbed, and has an expression of disdain and disinterest in the other birds. There is always an untold story in my paintings.

This panel is 13 x 13 inches and the three birds are exactly the same size as the rug birds.  This would be a "Do I really want to invest the time and money in a super large canvas?"  Will I enjoy stitching this and actually finish it?  I paint small portions of my really big canvases for the exact same reason, and to work out the details and problems on something smaller and less intimidating.  I see this canvas and the other ones like it as tote bag or purse inserts, or pillows that will be edged by a wide black band, gold piping, and elegant brocade backing or....it could be all cream white, beige, and straw colors or greens for a light, bright, tropical, beach look.  I tend to picture complete rooms when I design these canvases.  I actually don't know what other designers do, or think while they design.  I would really like to speak to stitch guide writers, and see or hear how they envision these canvases.  That is an open invitation for dialog!!??!  :)

This Peacock is done, or almost done, and is again the same size as the Rug Peacock, but done on a 13 X 13.5 inch canvas done on 18 count mono.  

These Toucans are started, and the one in the foreground is the same size as the Rug Toucan.  The other Toucans are just added for composition and design purposes.  I will try to get these finished today, and they are also 13" X 13" white mono canvas 18Count so you can get details on the smaller flowers, butterflies, and birds.  The Large Rug is 13 Count white Mono, for ease of stitching and finishing.

This is the last of this series (so far), and is not finished but on the way.  I hope you like the direction all this work is going.  I have a great many more designs to paint, work on, stitch, and produce. 

I finally went to my doctor, and got perscription medicine for the Sciatic Nerve problem and it makes me sleepy, but I still get plenty of work done.  Thank God, and my doctor the pain is starting to ease up.   It's still there, but I'm able to walk, bend, and move with out bone screaming pain.  My mom said getting old wasn't for sissies.  She, of course, was right.

Please if you have any stitch or thread ideas for these panels don't hesitate to write and suggest.  I love floss, Kreinic, Rainbow, DMC, but I am not an expert, and do not know all the thread manufacturers.  I am sure there are women out there with more knowledge then me, and I would appreciate any input you could give me.  Write when I get work!  Let me know what you think, and have a healthy, happy, and productive day.

Tropical Bird Needlepoint Canvases Clamoring to be Finished

I keep painting away, filling in more details, fixing tone and color, and still the birds have more to be worked on. Shipped another Rhino today, and then got back to work on the Crowned Jewels.  These canvases are filled with simple shapes, strong color, precise details, but I think they will stitch easily.  The larger canvases are done on 13count White Mono, and a couple of the smaller ones are painted on 18count canvas.  I will resume painting the large Black 13Count Mono Canvas with the same images of Tropical Birds once I get all the colors and patterns resolved on the white mono.  I will then also resume painting on the Cockatoos and Magnolia Blossoms.

There is a lot of work going on at once, but it's a good way to work out details, remember how you painted the beak or which colors you consistently use on a Scarlet Macaw or a Toucan's beak.  Little details may change, but the colors should remain fairly consistent I think.

Getting the details right on the Toucans Beak, and making sure the parrots look shaped and have dimension.  Using the Peacock feathers as a foil for the Toucan, and using the pattern of the Peacock shoulder to add texture, interest, and muted contrast to the bright beak.  I love painting birds!!!

Starting to Really Take Shape!
It is now time  to close up shop to go to sleep, get some rest perhaps to dream of new paintings
or just to travel the universe on wings and enjoy the wonder of it all.  Good night dear readers.
Write when I get work!

Finish Me ....Finish Me  Help me to become alive, all the paintings call out to me to be next in line.  So much art, so many ideas, so many living souls crying out to be finished and completed.  My subjects are always clamoring to be next, and I am their slave.