The fall in our little garden was abundant! First of all, an ipomoea (aka Morning Glory), which I've been trying to get to bloom for quite some time, suddenly decided that perfect timing is in... November!
Sketching, Illustration, Design and Everyday Life.
Copyright by © Nina Khashchina except where noted.
Fall in the Garden
Reading Notes: A Graphic Novel Adaptation I Loved!
Three things will help you with the background on how I chose this book:
1. I read many books simultaneously, and one of the categories of books that emerged relatively recently is graphic novels. I do not have a comics-reading background to lean on, so this is a new way of reading that I am embracing as a part of my kaleidoscope of consuming stories.
2. When I encounter a new topic that I would like to familiarize myself with or when I am having a hard time reading a book (or finishing it), one of the strategies that I've found helpful is to look for a kids' version on the same topic.
3. The "Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben is a very interestingly titled book that came highly recommended, and I really wanted to love it. I checked out of the library several times, but somehow never finished. So when I saw a graphic adaptation by Fred Bernard, I had to check it out, and now I am happy to report - it is a glorious graphic novel!
Benjamin Flao is a comic artist with a fabulous line of a dip pen in a flexible ink who did all the illustrations. There is a lot of light in this book! It is filled with trees and plants and all sorts of creatures. I especially enjoyed pages where the artist used a scale distortion! (see below how our main hero is crawling inside the tree to explain the parts of the bark?) I used to own a book on human anatomy where the main character was traveling through the body - I cannot find the name of the book, but it was a real thrill to follow through the adventures. Our protagonist has a companion with a great grin and a happy tail. There are four seasons, which are illustrated with such care! And through all the ups and downs of this story, I felt very much invested. This kind of feeling is something I treasure.
And it was obvious that the artist loves to draw. I am sure that by the end of drawing 235 pages on the same subject - and in a multi-panel comics structure to boot, anyone would be really happy to do a different project. Yet the line is alive and playful. It reminded me of a "Carnet de Voyage" graphic novel by cartoonist Craig Thompson in the way he enjoys building compositions of amazing humans, architecture, and animals intertwined on a page made with the Pentel pocket brush (my love for this tool is abound). I love "Carnet de Voyage" more than "Blankets" - possibly because the subject is much closer to me, and possibly because it feels like it was drawn in a much freer way - the way "Hidden Life of Trees" is drawn in.
On My Table: Beginning of Dovember 2025
Today is actually December first - and this mess needs to be sorted out before I start my "first day of the month" list of things, so I'd better post this quickly!
I am in the process of sending a whole bunch of holiday greetings out. They are printed in a batch, but then each card gets a custom layer of paint - in addition to the hand-written greeting on the back. That is a big part of what is going on here. I am also planning a trip, so there are quite a few tools for pen and palette refills.
African Violets getting ready to winter.
Things in front of me on my drawing table are what I draw when I have a new paint to test, a new idea to try, have no clue what I should be doing next, and just want to draw, or have only two minutes and a ballpoint pen. Hence, my African Violets Series.
Update on my Parents - Refugees from Ukraine - November, 2025.
You can read a whole story about these series of portraits here: War in Ukraine: Guide Through Posts on this Blog.
We recently celebrated Mom's 85th birthday with ice cream and a lemon pie. Lots of phone calls from all over the world and some good presents made it a good day. I got Mom an illustrated book about trees, and she is reading one little chapter a day. Her potted plants are doing great, and I think we need more pots :)
In October we had a great time visiting the pumpkin patch, where Mom got to draw with me (something that I've been trying to introduce back into her life). I think the pomegranate tree was almost as big a hit as the variety of gourds and squashes with their varied colors and textures.
Dad got an electric wheelchair now and can get to more places around the neighborhood, which has led to some discoveries and adventures - mostly of a good kind. He plays chess with the neighbors, and we are working on getting his cataracts removed so that he can go back to playing on the phone, too.
Both my parents are watching the news about the Atlas comet with a lot of interest, which helps with my attempts at limiting their exposure to the news. However, they are staying on top of everything that is happening in Ukraine and are in touch with many friends and family members both in Ukraine and around the world.
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