It's been a wretched several months. Various issues cropped up in my life, and those things spelled stress and a general creative drought that's lead to me staring at Sherlock Hemlock with distaste and loathing.
Here we are in December. Once again, my daughter is expecting "Santa" (who she knows very well is me) to come through with all that she wants in the world. Of course she doesn't want any of the Sesame Street bands I already have cut out and ready to sew, that she asked for last year! She wants Colambo and Ovejita, characters who will require new pieces drafted, and a nickel-sized fedora made for Colambo! [That dull thumping sound is me, pounding my head on the wall.] So why is Sherlock the focus of my loathing? He is going to be my basic model as I draft the pattern pieces I need for Colambo's trenchcoat. I have to get the pieces drafted, and get him back in The Kid's room before she gets home from school and realizes I've been messing with her stuff. Good grief, I hate Christmas...
With that same breath, I want to make sepia-toned ornaments for a wall tree. Making ornaments is my favorite part of the holiday, now; small works of art that don't take a lot of time (usually). And now I don't even have time for that. Perhaps after the madness of this holiday, I can do something for next year.
I'm also dying to get back to my hatmaking. I found some more great thrifted fabric that I can't wait to start working with, and I want to sew another skirt soon, but I need to take in my others before I sew new ones. (Hats are nice, hardly ever have to worry about the size of your hatband changing.)
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Faking It
Faking It is a novel by Jennifer Crusie, and one of my favorite books. Because it's hilarious, I like to read it when I'm down, but then it sort of makes me feel worse. The main character, Tilda, while in some fairly dire straits, is an artist. One of the things she did when she was young was paint second-hand furniture with outlandish colors and silly animals. She also did 6 paintings, and reading the author's description of them (and the furniture) makes me want to paint like that, too. Except I just can't, and that makes me frustrated and sad. Frustrated enough to consider taking a painting class at a local junior college. To try to learn the skills needed to paint something created in someone else's imagination. Ugh.
And then the title hits me again. Faking it. I feel like I spend a lot of time doing that. (sigh)
And then the title hits me again. Faking it. I feel like I spend a lot of time doing that. (sigh)
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
"Don't take the free ride in your own life."
I don't know why, exactly, but the Nickelback song written by Chad Kroeger, "If Today Was Your Last Day," really resonates for me. I don't live my life that way, but I wish I could. One line in particular, Don't take the free ride in your own life, is one of the most eloquent in the whole song. I wanted to make an art piece, something I could hang near my desk to remind me of that, to urge me to do more, to be more.
Originally, I thought I'd just do something on the computer, typographic sort of art. I had some canvas boards in the basement, and an old pill bottle full of fortunes from cookies I'd been saving for years. I wanted to use them together, since that phrase sort of sounds like something you'd get in a fortune cookie. I decided to make a smeary, abstract background with blues and greens on the canvas, glue the fortunes in an offset grid, and then use the typographic art I had already done and somehow marry the two. The problem was, one of the fonts I used (Zapfino) has really delicate trailing ascenders and descenders. How could I cut those out and raise them off the canvas without it looking stupid or tearing?
After sitting on my finished background for ages (I've been working on this since August 2012), I finally figured out how to make it all work: painted Plexiglass. I needed two layers, because I wanted the two different typefaces (Zapfino and Rockwell Extra Bold) to float away from the background and each other, and I wanted to use two different colors for them; black for Rockwell, and red for Zapfino. I had to use Plexi, because two sheets of glass, 14x18", would have been insanely heavy. Talking to a woman at Michael's in the framing department they could do it for me, but all they have is the conservation stuff that comes with UV coating. Each piece would have been well over $20. (Yikes.) I found Mat Board & More and they set me up. The pieces are thinner than I would have liked, but the finished piece will be even lighter for it, and maybe it will be easier to find a frame to accommodate it all.
This morning, with all the pieces in place, the kid back in school after a spring break that lasted approximately seven years, I got the painting done. I didn't aim for perfection, didn't make sure that the corners were perfect, or that brushstrokes were invisible. I just let it happen. (And I'm kinda proud of myself for that.)
I'm really pleased with how well it turned out, and so glad this work in progress is now a work completed.
By the way, if you're here to tell me "Nickelback sucks!" first of all, grow up. Secondly, this isn't about Nickelback, it's about music inspiring other media, and finding personal meaning in it. Any negative comments about the band will be deleted. Really; grow up. Not everyone likes the same things. Vive la différence!
Originally, I thought I'd just do something on the computer, typographic sort of art. I had some canvas boards in the basement, and an old pill bottle full of fortunes from cookies I'd been saving for years. I wanted to use them together, since that phrase sort of sounds like something you'd get in a fortune cookie. I decided to make a smeary, abstract background with blues and greens on the canvas, glue the fortunes in an offset grid, and then use the typographic art I had already done and somehow marry the two. The problem was, one of the fonts I used (Zapfino) has really delicate trailing ascenders and descenders. How could I cut those out and raise them off the canvas without it looking stupid or tearing?
After sitting on my finished background for ages (I've been working on this since August 2012), I finally figured out how to make it all work: painted Plexiglass. I needed two layers, because I wanted the two different typefaces (Zapfino and Rockwell Extra Bold) to float away from the background and each other, and I wanted to use two different colors for them; black for Rockwell, and red for Zapfino. I had to use Plexi, because two sheets of glass, 14x18", would have been insanely heavy. Talking to a woman at Michael's in the framing department they could do it for me, but all they have is the conservation stuff that comes with UV coating. Each piece would have been well over $20. (Yikes.) I found Mat Board & More and they set me up. The pieces are thinner than I would have liked, but the finished piece will be even lighter for it, and maybe it will be easier to find a frame to accommodate it all.
This morning, with all the pieces in place, the kid back in school after a spring break that lasted approximately seven years, I got the painting done. I didn't aim for perfection, didn't make sure that the corners were perfect, or that brushstrokes were invisible. I just let it happen. (And I'm kinda proud of myself for that.)
 |
| Background layer |
 |
| Closeup of background |
 |
| My painting guide - checking to make sure I can see it well enough |
 |
| Layer one, done! |
 |
| Layer 2 needs a second coat |
 |
| Stacked layers |
 |
| DONE! |
I'm really pleased with how well it turned out, and so glad this work in progress is now a work completed.
By the way, if you're here to tell me "Nickelback sucks!" first of all, grow up. Secondly, this isn't about Nickelback, it's about music inspiring other media, and finding personal meaning in it. Any negative comments about the band will be deleted. Really; grow up. Not everyone likes the same things. Vive la différence!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Can you tell me where the "off" switch is?
So yeah... haven't done any significant work in the basement since January. And I keep getting Awesome Ideas that make me want to do things that are not, you know, work. It's really bugging me, but so much needs to get done that it's a little paralyzing. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on things, stuff comes up and... yeah... *sigh*
The UFOs that are always (always!) nagging at the back of my head, two of them finally kicked me hard enough to work on them. Our stairway has two walls covered with photos and art. One side is all family photos, and I have quite a few of my family up there, but not nearly as many of my husband's family. I finally dug around through all my files and found photos of his grandparents and wedding photos of his sisters. I'm going to surprise him, and get those framed and on the wall (tomorrow, while he's at work). The other project is one for me, with an affirmational sort of message that I had no idea how to make happen. I think I finally figured it out, though, so today when I go pick up the frames for the other project, I can get what I need for that one, too.
Getting things done usually provides some impetus to get more things done. I'm hoping that works again here, because seriously, the basement has become my nemesis...
We were watching Carvers on SfFy, and one of the guys said his partner had creative diarrhea. My husband commented that he wished he had creative diarrhea, then looked at me and said "you kind of do." First of all, that's horrible imagery. Secondly, it ain't all it's cracked up to be. (See: huge piles of unfinished projects, things I might want later, and current works in progress.) Case in point: I read an article about making miniature books in Easter eggs and my brain switched into hyperdrive. (I'll be posting pics of that project later...)
The UFOs that are always (always!) nagging at the back of my head, two of them finally kicked me hard enough to work on them. Our stairway has two walls covered with photos and art. One side is all family photos, and I have quite a few of my family up there, but not nearly as many of my husband's family. I finally dug around through all my files and found photos of his grandparents and wedding photos of his sisters. I'm going to surprise him, and get those framed and on the wall (tomorrow, while he's at work). The other project is one for me, with an affirmational sort of message that I had no idea how to make happen. I think I finally figured it out, though, so today when I go pick up the frames for the other project, I can get what I need for that one, too.
 |
| That empty wall to the left? That's where his family should be, and will be soon. |
We were watching Carvers on SfFy, and one of the guys said his partner had creative diarrhea. My husband commented that he wished he had creative diarrhea, then looked at me and said "you kind of do." First of all, that's horrible imagery. Secondly, it ain't all it's cracked up to be. (See: huge piles of unfinished projects, things I might want later, and current works in progress.) Case in point: I read an article about making miniature books in Easter eggs and my brain switched into hyperdrive. (I'll be posting pics of that project later...)
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Divining with Candy: A Valentine's Day Game
A project that has been underway for years is finally done. Use conversation hearts to tell your romantic fortune! Available as an ebook at Amazon for $1.99.
Intended as humorous good fun. You probably can't tell your future with candy. Probably.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Stuff Is Winning
Waaaay back in August '12, I was determined to get the basement organized and the wall finally painted. I worked my tail off, and made significant headway. I got shelves up for the action figures (which eliminated a lot of boxes). And then... I never finished the job.
Over the course of the next 16 months, Life happened. I got busy doing other things, had more inspiration, needed to devote time to more pressing projects. None of that stopped me from finding more stuff, however, it just meant that the piles got bigger.
I needed to finish a update for my book, and I did. I kept writing my ideas down in a sketchbook, and I finished some of them. I traveled. I gamed. I procrastinated... All the while, heading to the basement searching for things needed to complete whatever obsession was nagging me that minute. I've said it before, and I've meant it every single time, but this time I don't have any more excuses: It needs to get done. I'm tired of searching for things I know I have (and can't find). I'm tired of looking at the mess. I'm tired of not having that wall painted -- just one wall! I want my dance space. I want to be able to lay hands on the materials for a project I want to work on. I want to be able to go down there and relax over a movie*, without the mess distracting me.
I worked until my back hurt yesterday. I desperately want to work on it now (but the foul headache lurking behind my left eyebrow says uh-uh!) This may be a planning day, a couch day, because bending/lifting/sorting would make my head explode.
If I work on it a little bit, every day, I may be able to paint this summer. If I can get the wall painted, everything organized, and boxes and crates eliminated, I promised myself we could have a "geek tree" in the basement once it was all done. Plus once the space is free of all that clutter and stuff, I can actually decorate the space, like I've been planning.
I've got some pretty powerful motivation to get this done. Let's see if I have the strength of purpose to actually get it accomplished...
_______________
* I sort of have ulterior motives with that -- we have a hard time getting out for "date nights." So I'm thinking, if I can get the basement all done to my satisfaction, we can have "date night" in the basement, and not worry about needing a babysitter!
Over the course of the next 16 months, Life happened. I got busy doing other things, had more inspiration, needed to devote time to more pressing projects. None of that stopped me from finding more stuff, however, it just meant that the piles got bigger.
I needed to finish a update for my book, and I did. I kept writing my ideas down in a sketchbook, and I finished some of them. I traveled. I gamed. I procrastinated... All the while, heading to the basement searching for things needed to complete whatever obsession was nagging me that minute. I've said it before, and I've meant it every single time, but this time I don't have any more excuses: It needs to get done. I'm tired of searching for things I know I have (and can't find). I'm tired of looking at the mess. I'm tired of not having that wall painted -- just one wall! I want my dance space. I want to be able to lay hands on the materials for a project I want to work on. I want to be able to go down there and relax over a movie*, without the mess distracting me.
I worked until my back hurt yesterday. I desperately want to work on it now (but the foul headache lurking behind my left eyebrow says uh-uh!) This may be a planning day, a couch day, because bending/lifting/sorting would make my head explode.
If I work on it a little bit, every day, I may be able to paint this summer. If I can get the wall painted, everything organized, and boxes and crates eliminated, I promised myself we could have a "geek tree" in the basement once it was all done. Plus once the space is free of all that clutter and stuff, I can actually decorate the space, like I've been planning.
I've got some pretty powerful motivation to get this done. Let's see if I have the strength of purpose to actually get it accomplished...
_______________
* I sort of have ulterior motives with that -- we have a hard time getting out for "date nights." So I'm thinking, if I can get the basement all done to my satisfaction, we can have "date night" in the basement, and not worry about needing a babysitter!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
A Year in Hats
I started making hats at the end of December. Then in January, this happened:
The Prequel (Dec. '12)
Month Two (Feb. '13)
Month Three (Mar. '13)
Month Four (Apr. '13)
[cue crickets chirping]
Month Nine (Sept. '13)
Month Ten (Oct. '13)
Thirteen months later, the number of hats made ended up being... 34! (I'm not counting the modifications I made to the berets already had. Those were made for me by my mother years ago, and really all I did was add a band to them.) I'm disappointed with myself that I was unable to do a "theme" hat every month, but so many things conspired against me, including my own inability to focus on anything for too long. Still, 34 hats over 13 months is pretty impressive...
I had a crazy thought this morning, before the caffeine hit my bloodstream: Wouldn't it be awesome to make a hat a day? Then I realized how insane that would be; 365 hats?! Even if I gave a bunch away, what it the hell would I do with them all? OK, hat a week, then, my idiot brain says. No -- 52 hats is still unmanageable. Fine, how about one a month? Fine. Fine. OK! (Ahem... everyone has conversations with themselves, right..?)This post is the chronicle of hats, with new and improved photos (for most of them) and links to the posts and/or tutorials where applicable.
The Prequel (Dec. '12)
- Hats (toques)
- Because I Can (mini top hat)
- January's Hat: Snow (pillbox)
- Not Even Cold Enough (beret) -- I get more complements on this one...
- "Frostsaber" pillbox -- this is still unfinished
- You've Got Mail! (toque and beret)
- horned monster hat (modified toque)
- Making Simple Things More Difficult (pieced beret and cloche)
Month Two (Feb. '13)
- Cat berets (2, identical)
- recycled t-shirt beret
- satin and lace beret
- February's Hats: Valentines (fascinators)
Month Three (Mar. '13)
- (Not So) Quickie Beret (reversible)
- March's Hat: Flowers (beret)
- refinished old berets
- Recycled Sweater Beret (painful lesson learned: some hats look like dog toys to a dog)
- Ombre Sweater Hat (beret, sort of)
- DC pieced beret
- Wonder Woman berets (2)
- oval "fur" pillbox (not satisfied with this one, and will be reworking it)
- craft felt mini top hat (using a very modified version of this pattern)
- recycled knit shirt berets (4)
- felted wool sweater beret (unfinished)
- dragon hat (pattern from Fleece Fun) -- sadly, I don't seem to have a photo of this, and I gave it away
Month Four (Apr. '13)
[cue crickets chirping]
Month Nine (Sept. '13)
- Geeky Creations (fascinator top hat)
Month Ten (Oct. '13)
Thirteen months later, the number of hats made ended up being... 34! (I'm not counting the modifications I made to the berets already had. Those were made for me by my mother years ago, and really all I did was add a band to them.) I'm disappointed with myself that I was unable to do a "theme" hat every month, but so many things conspired against me, including my own inability to focus on anything for too long. Still, 34 hats over 13 months is pretty impressive...
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