Nathania Johnson

And that's my update for today. Should have another one soon.

The finished middle petal and one leaf next to my source image. The areas of both sections are better blended and closer to the photograph, though thread painting is never quite photorealistic, which is fine!

You suddenly find yourself playing the role of an illusionist, hoping to trick the viewer's eye into seeing the image in context. The key is to not lose the forest for the trees yourself, which is difficult when each stitch is a different color.

Further along in my stitching the middle petal and one of the leaves. The leaf has a brown area and at this moment I'm struggling to blend it nicely.

Choosing & blending thread colors is a challenge. Sometimes it goes how you think and sometimes it very much does not.

Threads are of course very different from colored pencils or paints. You can stitch them next to each other & split threads w/ new stitches but you can never truly blend them.

My source image on the right and my stitching on the left. I'm starting to fill in the middle of the flower and one of the two petals. I'm using a variety of mauve pink and green hues to achieve a shaded look.

After the very back petals were finished, it was time to do the middle petal and the back leaf. Because the areas didn't touch, I could work on them at the same time in regards to my order of work, which is back to front.

The outline of the very back petal is stitched with split stitch using a medium brown color.

The very back petals, of which only the tips are peaking out behind the rest of the bloom are filled in with 3 different brown colors. A cut out photograph of my source image is lying next to the stitched area to guide me.

Next, I start stitching. Each area is outlined with split stitch as I work and then the long and short stitch is used with a variety of colors to create the shaded look.

We work from back to front. So I started with these tiny bits of petal sticking up in the back.

My lenten rose design outline on the dark teal blue linen. The outline looks like small dots of white chalk.

The outline of my design has been painted on the linen with dark grey paint. It is difficult to see on purpose. If I accidentally don't cover up a spot of the outline with my stitches later, it shouldn't be noticeable.

I then transferred the design, first using the prick and pounce method, then using a thin line of watercolor paint over the pounced lines. (Pounce is like powder and brushes away easily.)

I am super behind on updating my progress for the silk shading module of the Royal School of Needlework certificate.

So here goes:

I mounted the fabric, which this time involved attaching the blue linen to calico, which is known as muslin here in the US.

Agreed. 💯

This is a problem in so many fields right now. The emotional protection and defensiveness around AI is cult-like.

Grazie. 감사합니다. Merci. Grasias. Danke.

Designers are using AI to bypass the collaborative frameworks where they normally face the real world implications of their proposals.

The Arms Control Association does NOT say that.

Neither does Fact Check.

The other two are agencies run by Trump's people and cannot be trusted.

www.armscontrol.org/issue-briefs...

Poster with stylised image of a crouching woman gardening with text which says 'Plant urban gardens'

Favianna Rodriguez, contemporary US poster designer and activist of Afro-Peruvian heritage, #womensart

A few in the comments seem to be confused.

The House resolution is:

H.Con.Res.38 - Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...

Synthesizers would like a word.

Devastated to report that yoga actually is beneficial to my physical and mental health.

What was really behind Jack Dorsey laying off nearly half of Block’s staff? CEO cited AI advances in cutting 4,000 workers, but a weak crypto market and declining stock price may also be at play

CEOs want you to think their layoffs are attributable to advancements in AI, but they're not

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

I put PETG filament in the 3d printer for the first time, but I got a warning about how it might damage the equipment.

Turns out I have stainless steel when I need a "hardened nozzle." I'm not ashamed to admit that made me giggle.

#3dprinting #newtothis

No cameras allowed in our voting booths so it'll just be their word against mine about how silly I look.

These incumbents had no excuse. My former state senator Mike Woodard chose to vote with the GOP, despite being from a safe Democratic seat and it cost him re-election two years ago.

We're very gerrymandered here and there's no reason for safe D incumbents to cater to GOP.

North Carolinian here, yes those are reliably Democratic districts.

If jerry is a cat, that would explain a lot.

And sighing at this one bird who stayed the winter and on a daily basis has a fight with our car's passenger side windows. Thanks for all the poop droppings, you little weirdo.

There were a LOT of songbirds at my front yard feeder yesterday Even sharing the feeder, which they don't normally do. So I might set up more feeders.

Glad to be a rest area on the migration path for birds. And a home for those who will stay.

A map of North Carolina with all 100 counties shaded in yellow. The graphic is by the North Carolina Weather authority. It says that the great migration of birds north in spring is underway and ahead of schedule. We can expect to see the migration over the next 4-6 weeks, especially hummingbirds. There's a photo of a hummingbird in flight near the top left corner and a little yellow bird illustration in the lower right corner.

Yesterday I was wondering when hummingbirds arrive. NC Weather Authority says soon, and earlier than usual.

My pollinator patch won't bloom for awhile (which they loved last year) so time to set up my hummingbird feeder.

Hell yeah.

I'm more of a little bit each week person but the point is gardening is happening.

Also birds are back.

I wonder how many of these accounts are even real.

I carry a pocket sized crossword book. And a pencil. With an eraser, lol.

They should invent a shingles vaccine that I got before getting shingles, which was 6 years before the recommended age for the shingles vaccine.