Next, I soak newspaper in water and cover with plastic, then tightly bound it with thread. I make multiple of these cylinders, and they are used to stuff the shapes of the drawing. They work like little blockers to prevent the dye from dying the shapes I drew. Does that make sense? 😝
Once the newspaper rolls get stuffed into the shapes, I pulled the thread to have it tighten around the newspaper roll. I know it looks interesting at this stage and somewhat abstract, but I assure you it’s going to all make sense once I take it all out! 💙
So when I started the drawing in the previous post, I sketched out the white shapes on this large piece of cotton fabric.
Then, I did a running stitch all around the various shapes. It was a long, laborious process. This is part of a shibori technique called “Boshi” which means “hat”. It’s called that because then shapes then get covered with plastic to make sure the fabric stays white before I dye it in indigo :)
Good morning! How is everyone doing today? 💙 I’ve been getting so lost in drawing world. Time really flies when I’m in the zone. I can’t wait to show you when it’s finished. 😊 and yes, I will explain how I made the background using indigo!
The rain in LA is going to be relentless the next couple of days 🥲🌧️ so I am going to stay inside and draw and do some rainy day activities.
I’ve been working on this drawing and staying inside will help me finish it I hope 🤞! I am doing a process called “Tsujigahana”, which means drawing with pine soot. Soot is an organic carbon material produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter. People used to tattoo with soot as an ancient practice! It’s so very cool. It’s so dark and dense like charcoal.
After I glued the spokes on, I added a tail using a found gingham ribbon :3 the tail of the kite helps it balance the weight. It’s been so rainy lately but I finally got a chance to test drive the kite because it was a beautiful breezy sunny day and she WORKS!
It was so fun flying her at the park today, one of the most relaxing things I love to do.
Once I cut out the shape, it’s time to glue about a half inch around the border. This is going to make the kite a lot stronger by reinforcing the edges. 😊 the paper I used is a Mulberry paper- it’s super lightweight and strong and perfect for kite making!
One of my favorite things in the world to do is to fly kites! 🪁🪽
I recently became more interested in making my own kites, and today I woke up feeling compelled to make a new one. I envisioned a hexagon kite my mind. I haven’t tried that shape out before so I gave it a try!
So many different ways to draw a hexagon, but I learned this new method and it was pretty easy! First, start with a circle. I did the trick where I tied a string to a pencil. Then, I found the center of the circle and found the 60 degree angles from the center to the outside and connected the lines. Pretty cool to draw this from scratch. Stay tuned to see how I construct the kite!
Spent A LONG time sewing this shibori dyed piece. The sewing is used as a resist, sort of like tie dyeing but without rubber bands. Once I finish sewing, I dye the piece in indigo, then I undo the stitching to reveal the design. All of that work only to undo it!
I wonder if you can tell what the design is? Stay tuned…
This is some of my indigo harvest from last year! :-) As you can see, the indigo pigment is stored in the leaves ;.) It becomes more apparent when the leaves are dried/oxidized. It's magic.
I'm going to make a series of posts to talk about it's chemistry and how I extract the pigment from the leaves to create one of the most incredible natural dyes on this planet <3 and I will also be showing projects I dye using indigo!
So I love composting because of it's sustainability and also because it's great fertilizer for my plants.
And... I love PLANTS! Specifically, dye plants. The majority of plants I grow are used to make natural dyes which I use for my art work.
This plant right here is a really, really special one to me. Can you guess what it is? ... It's INDIGO! You're going to hear me talk A LOT about this plant because I am truly obsessed with it for a variety of reasons. That's right, it's not just a color, indigo comes from a plant. ;.)
Nowadays, synthetic indigo is used to dye jeans because of economic costs and mass production, but I like the real deal stuff, straight from the source! The chemically synthesized indigo isn't the same in my opinion. The smell and color is so different to me. And you can't return it back to earth once you're finished with it. It's truly a labor of love to grow the plant from seed, tend to it, harvest the leaves, and extract the dye from the leaves. It's a whole journey -- and I'm so excited to share it with you. I can't wait for you to witness how we get the color blue from these leaves. I hope you don't mind me nerding out about it :-)
The way I start the seeds is I just scatter them around in some seed starting mix and then I separate them by hand later. These little guys are surprisingly so hearty and can withstand a lot of moving around.
I tore up a paper bag to use as a covering. It will provide even more shade and moisture retention. It also will prevent any worms from trying to leave, should there be any escape artists in there :-P
I'll make another post later about harvesting the worm castings in a few more weeks when they have eaten more!
Do you compost? What methods do you like? I'd love to know!
Check it out! I got me a handful of red wigglers (this isn't all of them, I have a bucket full!) Aren't they so cute? I usually am not wearing gloves but I have a cut on my hand so best to keep it sanitary for now :-P
I just added them to the mixed bed! After adding them, I put some of my kitchen waste, and then some of the shredded browns. The worms like most kitchen waste EXCEPT for: citrus, oils, onions, animal manures, dairy, meats... so you should steer clear from those. As you can see, the bedding is pretty moist - the moisture level is another important factor in a successful bin. The ideal worm bedding should be moist, well-aerated, and have a neutral pH level. Also, it should be able to retain moisture without becoming too wet or compacted.
So far I put a mix of dried leaves, shredded brown papers, and now I am going to add some of my native soil to complete the bedding! I am just directly shoveling some soil from my garden right into my bed.... then I am going to mix, mix, mix it all together. After mixing, I will add the worms to their new home :-)
As I was walking on my way home from the park, a neighbor gave me some citrus she was picking. I swear, whenever I work with mother nature, she always provides with more abundance. True story <3
When I say I like circular processes I really mean it! ;.)
Coco, do you really have to save all this "trash"? Why on earth are you hoarding toilet paper rolls and your brown paper bags your take out came in?
Because I love making dirt and fertilizer so much! Instead of throwing these valuable materials away, they can be shredded and used for bedding + sources of carbon for my worm bin! Like I mentioned in the previous post, there needs to be a good ratio of nitrogen to carbon. So every time you throw in some greens, you also need to throw in browns. Balance is the key to life babes <3
I bought a paper shredder exclusively for this purpose. Now I shred all my toilet paper rolls, take out bags, any brown packaging that came with online orders, etc. Shredding stuff is surprisingly cathartic for me lol and I love that I always have a source of carbons ready to go :-) plus I love re-using things and giving them new life and purpose!
Next step is to make 'bedding' for the worms. Bedding is what the worms live in. The worms feed on the bedding and break it down into nutrient-rich castings. The bedding also provides a space for the worms to move around and burrow, which is crucial for their overall health. So, it’s definitely a significant part of worm composting! You will need to set up bedding and then put the worms on top.
The bedding can be formed from dried leaves, coco coir, soil, shredded paper, straw/hay... a mix of these will create a well-balanced environment. Notice how all of the bedding materials mentioned are sources of carbon. In composting, there needs to be a good ratio of nitrogen (aka "greens": all the kitchen waste and scraps) to carbon (aka "browns": bedding, leaves, shredded brown paper, shredded cardboard, wood chips..)
I went to my local park to collect some fallen leaves from this Sycamore tree :-) (thank you tree)! I think my worms will like these crunchy dried up leaves...
Found an old tote so I'm going to make a vermicompost bin today!
What is Vermicomposting? Vermicomposting is basically composting with worms! It's a very simple method and all you need is a bin and worms to divert your kitchen and garden waste to produce worm castings. The worms eat through all the waste and produce a readily available, well-balanced fertilizer that gives a lot of vitality to the garden. Later, I will show what kind of plants I grow in my garden to use for my art.
I love circular methods and creating a cycle of sustainability when possible. It feels good to turn waste into something valuable for life, in a very low-cost and efficient way, and helps reduce the waste in landfills.
Here I am drilling holes in this tote so there is air for the worms. No need to drill any drainage holes, as it will keep some of the moisture in.
If you decide to make your own worm bin, make sure the bin is not see through because the worms like dark environments! I got my worms from a friend who has their own worm bin or you can find them online (search for Red Wigglers). An adult red wiggler worm can produce 2 to 3 cocoons every week, and each cocoon can hatch up to 20 baby worms! Now multiply this by the number of mature worms in your worm bin…that's a lot of worms in a little time. You will have LOTS to share!
I'm v nervous and excited to take you along my silly little projects ;-P I hope we can learn a lot together! I like to follow my curiosities and see where it takes me. Being bored is the worst feeling, so making things + being creative + playing with my imagination is how I stay happy. ;.)
(Actually, is being bored a bad thing? Sometimes it leads to feeling creative and problem solving which can actually make you feel more creative? Hmm...)
Anyways, let's start off by making something... Guess what are we going to make today? (Yes, I'm a DeWalt girly... best drills imo)!
