Skittle Brain

Today I told my husband I feel like my brain is filled with skittles. Bright shiny colorful sugar balls clacking around up there.

I am teaching myself how to use Adobe Illustrator. I have a wonderful guidebook and I am working through my lessons like a good student each day. I have almost completed chapter 3. Now I know enough to play around and have some success, but I still don't know enough to be completely competent. A dangerous place. So far I have not thrown anything. But I have to admit... there have been a few tears and several inappropriate grumblings.

My friend Tara, over at DudleyRedhead, is leading an on-line workshop this month. Our first assignment is to choose a color palette, create a pattern, and design a self-portrait incorporating stitches. I am still compiling everything, but I decided to create all my pieces using Illustrator. It probably took me about 25 times longer than if I had drawn everything using a dried-up lipstick on a piece of toilet paper, but I am determined. Here's what I've got going so far.

Even my color choices were very Skittle-like.

I printed this image onto a piece of white fabric. I will add the stitches tonight!

Learning a new program has been challenging. I feel a lot like my hound dog Peanut trying to learn a new trick. Just last month, we taught her how to shake and speak. She is almost 6 years old. If you are counting dog years, she and I are exactly the same age. If she can learn a new trick, this old girl can learn one too.