(Sorry I’m running late today! and have tried my best with the final spellchecking. my regular spellchecker is doing overtime at the post office, so you too can receive all your online orders. It’s as busy as x mass at the moment!)

We are going to skip ahead a week, missing the post about Mer-Pet two I had already written and continued on with Sharkette.

So back to the Shark.

This week seems to have flown past too. I remember days being longer and I use to accomplish so much more in them. I did get more garden work done and have a couple of shots that may inspire 2D felting or maybe a 3D bouquet?

      1-8 bits of colour to inspire you, from the front back and side garden.

9 the back patio with new bird feeders

I did a bit more work on my back patio putting out a hummingbird feeding (we are between the honeysuckle and trumpet vine booms) and 2 little wire bird feeders. They are not attracting the type of bird I was hoping for. I have seen a smaller long-tailed striped orange wingless “Bird” cleaning up underneath the feeder. While above two Rubenesque wingless long-tailed hairy “birds” clung to the feeder and generally made a mess. One was all black (and not nearly as nice as the Beautiful black mother crow and young crow that have been around the last 2 weeks). The second was about the same size as the black one but gray. I will try again to get a picture of these horrible wingless seed-steeling “birds” and hope the sparrows and chickadees will return. Oh, the black covered thing that is pretending to be a birdbath is the second larger blacksmith forge.  (I have odd porch decorations.)

Moving back to the side yard I brought out the fleece bucket I was using as a project bucket for the shark. I had my photo reference, hand carders, fibre, foam pad, assorted needles and of course, Sharkette.

10-12 photo reference, fibre and implements for stabbing! (I think Sharkett looks nervous)

I was treating shark both like a pastel in that, I had applied a base under-colour and like a watercolour, by hand mixing and using small thin washes of colour building towards the finished tones.

13-16 shark swims in a sea of fibre

Another brake for gardening, the two plant pots on the right have catnip, extremely potent catnip. Is anyone dropping by to pick up some catnip? (There is more in the back and side yard)  Hiding behind the catnip in the tall grey pot is a dahlia, which I hope will flower.

 17

Summer is confused this year I have snow peas starting with the first raspberry!!

18-19 the snow peas grew about four feet tall and then started to flower

Now that I have nibbled on snow peas (and left Glenn the raspberries), it’s time to get back to felting

    20-23

While I was working on her a fed-X delivery truck pulled up the end of my driveway! They do that sometimes when dropping stuff off for my neighbours. No this time it was actually for here! Yes, this was the order I placed earlier in the week for Ann and I.   We plan to unwrap the likely explosive package this week and will let your know what we find within!!

24 I think there is a role of tape on that package!

Shark and I both were consciences and had our masks on! Hers does not fit well since it only covered part of her gills. Effective masks cover your entire breathing equipment, Mouth and Gills!

25 Safety first!!

I laid in the darker edge layers (I mixed the 2 darker grays with a tiny bit of the intense green) rather than use black which could have been too strong. Over that, I layered blends of the middle gray with green and blue, then fading into mid and light grays with hints of the blue and green tones. (Just think washes of thin wisps of colour to help optically blend and give the mottled effect of light seen through the water onto shark-skin.

 

26-28

My outdoor studio was nicely shaded but it was getting hot and I needed a drink brake for a caffeinated green beverage (Mountain Dew). Restarting my audiobook, I got back work.

29

I tried to get a shot to show you just how thin a layer of colour I was adding at a time. (the white needle is a new one I just got off Etsy from “thanks for mutton”. It’s a 42 crown which is the finest needle I’ve tried and was impressed. It’s not quick but it gave a cleaner surface than my coarser core wool needles.)

   30-32

The pen tool is holding 40’s and I have been working at a close to parallel angle for the outer coat.

I also wanted to show you her mouth. I saw paper clay teeth on line that were spectacular but have not tried them (yet, I may still go back and see if I can add tinny scary teeth)

33 toothless but likely still lethal!

She is a mighty shark able to leap foam needle holding barricades by herself! (look no hands)

     34-38 sharkette showing off with her new skin!

I will try and get a shot of her not in the shade. I should have brought better lighting to her photoshoot!!

So next we will go back in time and look at Mer-pet number 2 unless that possibly exploding package has caught your curiosity? Did you see how well taped up that mysterious object was? What could it be??

39 Mer-pet 2 revealed or strange package investigation?