Bookmaking

Hello everyone! I have a lot to share with you today. The trees around here are full of white blossoms. The little flowers look so lovely when they twirl and flutter in the breeze. I have been working on a couple of paintings of these flowers. I also want to make a new quilt, so I wrote a quilt pattern as well.

One day, when it rained and pollen was not so bad, I went outside to take a photo of this delicate flower holding onto a gentle raindrop. It’s one of my favorite photos.

Fluttering Blossoms quilt pattern

Blossoms come in so many different colors. Instead of the usual pink, I picked white for mine because of the white blossoms blooming around here.

After I finished the flower, I wrote the pattern for a single petal.

This is the design of little flowers and petals twirling and fluttering in the wind that I will be making into a quilt.

You can get this Fluttering Blossoms quilt pattern from my shop. It includes both the flower and petal patterns.

That rainy day, I took a photo of this flowering branch as well. I love the contrasting green background created by the large tree that was behind it.

It all started with a simple drawing of these dainty flowers in my sketchbook. As usual, as time passed, I started to expand on the original drawing. I couldn’t really decide on one, so I made two.

Before I copied the drawings onto the papers that I would be using for the paintings, I must have practiced at least 50-60 dragonfly wings. In order for me to draw a continuous curve with the pen, I had to find the correct angles of both the paper and my hand. Those arrows on the paper are to remind myself of the start and end points.

Fluttering Blossoms everyday journals

Instead of going with traditional colors, I chose a couple of stylized color combinations. I couldn’t say no to that vibrant red, and teal is my favorite color. Once I had the colors for the flowers, the colors for the dragonflies came naturally.

I named this one Fluttering Blossoms.

Twirling Blossoms everyday journals

My husband recently requested a bullet journal. He chose this drawing with the petals for his book cover.

This one is called Twirling Blossoms.

I drew and painted all four of them individually. There were a couple of accidents which required me to restart. I will refrain from mentioning the words that were uttered at those moments.

Here are the four everyday journals with the paintings on the cover. Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –

The journals are also available in my shop, as well as the quilt pattern.

Now I am off to make the journal for my husband. I may end up making a bullet journal for myself as well. I will share them when I finish.

A dear friend loves watching the spring blossoms and autumn leaves fluttering and twirling in the air. It’s very peaceful to see him enjoying the simple and ephemeral moments of nature. These little flowers always make me think of him. I hope you like them!

Until next time,
-Soma

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Hi Everyone! I want to extend a warm welcome to both my new readers and many thanks to my returning readers for sticking around here for years. I love to dabble with different things and travel. This is where I share my recent attempts and photos. After coming back from such a big road trip, it took awhile to settle back into everyday. I always take a sketchbook with me when I travel. This particular one has recently been my companion. When I bind a book, I don’t often have a purpose in mind. Sometimes a book finds its own identity as we spend time together.

I made this little owl book a couple of years ago as an after hours project. This year I found the perfect use for it.

It was one of those days when I was mentally exhausted. After dinner, my eyes landed on the little book. I grabbed a Tombow watercolor marker and started doodling leaves. It was the perfect peaceful thing to do before bedtime. I had found a purpose for the book.

My husband and I were walking in Japan Center in San Francisco one evening, and the strings of lights caught my eye. It was a misty day with occasional drizzling rain. I wanted to remember and recreate that peaceful feeling in the sketchbook. I painted the dark indigo sky, and drew the power lines and the bulbs with a pen. Then I started painting the myriad yellow dots with a brush while listening to my favorite music, remembering the night at Japan Center.

This year, I am trying to set some time aside regularly to do simple mindless doodle painting while I let the mind wander and find a peaceful place. The little owl book is just perfect for those whimsical paintings.

I love to zone out while book binding. I had a few loose sketches that needed a home. I added a stack of drawing paper to these sketches and made a book. Just like the owl book, I made the book with no particular purpose in mind.

As the months went by, I found myself sketching moments I wanted to remember in that book. The pages started to reflect my feelings at those times. The book still didn’t have a cover, but I started to have an idea of what I wanted to draw.

I wish I had taken a few photos as I was making the cover. It’s not printed; I used markers to draw directly on the cover.

I ran into a bit of problem with washi tape while working on the white area. I used the tape as a guide for drawing the straight lines. Except, the tape tore the paper when I tried to remove it. So I had to take the book apart and rebind it.

Once I recreated the face, I decided to trust my own hand to draw the straight white and black areas without any guide. I took my time, stayed relaxed, and it was done.

FYI – I used Posca markers for the white. I tested the marker on a scrap first. One thick coat caused pilling on the paper. So I did multiple thin coats and let it dry completely between coats. That resulted in a really good white.

I love to play Japanese role playing video games. The girl on this cover and I share more than just the fluffy red hair. I identify with her the most. This drawing and this book are as good a self portrait as it gets for me. Hello!!

Just as this website is a journal of sorts, I also see very much of me through the books I create. I really love it when the books that I make start to tell a story. When I finish making a book and send it to its new home, I often wonder what journey awaits it.

See you next time with my new sewing pattern and a new book!
-Soma

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

Twirling and Fluttering

The Time Together