...the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in
one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material
assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius,
power, and magic in it. Begin it now.
– William H Murray
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Psion Alpha
Jacob Gowans invited me back to do the cover for his fourth book in the Psion series: Psion Alpha. There is a part in the novel about a psychopathic serial killer who paints a government logo on the wall in his victim's blood. The government logo is a flaming skull. I know, it sounds more like a horror story than a juvenile science fiction book, but it is not a horror. It is a fabulous juvenile fiction series that gets better with each book.
Well, Jacob really wanted the flaming skull in drippy blood on the cover of the 4th book. I can't say I've ever designed anything to look like dripping blood, not to mention a flaming skull, but I was interested in trying. After designing a flaming skull logo that we liked, I posted some paper on my wall and watered down my red acrylic paint and had a go with my hands trying for an authentic look. This is one of three attempts:
It was much too neat. I decided I couldn't sketch the skull logo out in pencil first (which I did above), I had to make it much bigger, I had to use poster board (my paper wrinkled too much), I had to have a bowl full of paint, use my whole hand, and I had to do it fast.
On the third attempt, I got it! Pretty gory...
We didn't want the cover to be too gruesome, so we tried changing the color. Here is how it turned out:
I think it turned out adequately creepy, but not too gory. Just right.
I really like the flaming skull logo we came up with. I made it into a governmental patch for the back cover.
I'm sure glad we don't live in a post-apocalyptic government that has such an intimidating logo for their elite squad of soldiers.
Well, Jacob really wanted the flaming skull in drippy blood on the cover of the 4th book. I can't say I've ever designed anything to look like dripping blood, not to mention a flaming skull, but I was interested in trying. After designing a flaming skull logo that we liked, I posted some paper on my wall and watered down my red acrylic paint and had a go with my hands trying for an authentic look. This is one of three attempts:
It was much too neat. I decided I couldn't sketch the skull logo out in pencil first (which I did above), I had to make it much bigger, I had to use poster board (my paper wrinkled too much), I had to have a bowl full of paint, use my whole hand, and I had to do it fast.
On the third attempt, I got it! Pretty gory...
We didn't want the cover to be too gruesome, so we tried changing the color. Here is how it turned out:
I think it turned out adequately creepy, but not too gory. Just right.
I really like the flaming skull logo we came up with. I made it into a governmental patch for the back cover.
I'm sure glad we don't live in a post-apocalyptic government that has such an intimidating logo for their elite squad of soldiers.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Michelle
The main reason I borrowed the awesome lens was because I was asked by a friend to take her senior pictures. It was fun! Here's a taste.
It took me the first half of the photo shoot to finally figure out the right settings on my camera... sadly. So these last ones were actually the first ones I took, but the quality and exposure aren't quite right. I think they still look ok, though. Just not in large sizes.
It took me the first half of the photo shoot to finally figure out the right settings on my camera... sadly. So these last ones were actually the first ones I took, but the quality and exposure aren't quite right. I think they still look ok, though. Just not in large sizes.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Lens magic
I'm borrowing a lens this weekend. It's a pretty sweet lens. With a large aperture. I'm excited to play with it.
It's making me excited to review all the manual settings on my camera.
I'm going to have to really practice focusing. I've already taken a lot with the focus just off. Like the focus is on the hair, or an ear. It's easier to focus when I'm really close.
I want to get better at portraits. These three are my favorite photos so far.
It's making me excited to review all the manual settings on my camera.
I'm going to have to really practice focusing. I've already taken a lot with the focus just off. Like the focus is on the hair, or an ear. It's easier to focus when I'm really close.
I want to get better at portraits. These three are my favorite photos so far.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Little Engine That Could... just barely
My little man had a birthday! You could probably guess his favorite book by the title of this blog, so I felt inspired to make him a train cake for his birthday. I figured it would be easy and fun.
Hello there, little cake train. I sculpted the cake from a 9 x 13 cake pan, a loaf pan and 3 cupcakes. That part was fun. I covered the cake with a crumb coat of buttercream frosting and put it in the fridge over night. At that point I hadn't decided if I was going to try fondant for the decorating or not. I was feeling pretty good so far.
Well, it's always good to challenge yourself, right? So the next day I decided to make the fondant. This is only my second attempt at fondant (my first was years ago, without children). The fondant was much easier to work with this time, but man, it sure takes a long time to make a cake look good. I always imagine my cakes much better than they actually turn out.
Once the fondant was in place, I realized I was running out of time. I hurriedly piped on the yellow and chocolate frosting, placed the candy, made the cake pops (this was probably pushing my time limit), then hurriedly made the toys. They're pretty ridiculous! The toy soldier looks like he's wearing a huge Russian ushanka, and my poor monkey fell apart two or three times. I just kept squishing him back together until he became a distorted Picasso-esque version of his original self.
It's hard work to make cute cakes quickly with little children nipping at your heels and stealing the decorations! The cake was delicious, though, and my little man was thrilled. That's all that mattered.
Hello there, little cake train. I sculpted the cake from a 9 x 13 cake pan, a loaf pan and 3 cupcakes. That part was fun. I covered the cake with a crumb coat of buttercream frosting and put it in the fridge over night. At that point I hadn't decided if I was going to try fondant for the decorating or not. I was feeling pretty good so far.
Well, it's always good to challenge yourself, right? So the next day I decided to make the fondant. This is only my second attempt at fondant (my first was years ago, without children). The fondant was much easier to work with this time, but man, it sure takes a long time to make a cake look good. I always imagine my cakes much better than they actually turn out.
Once the fondant was in place, I realized I was running out of time. I hurriedly piped on the yellow and chocolate frosting, placed the candy, made the cake pops (this was probably pushing my time limit), then hurriedly made the toys. They're pretty ridiculous! The toy soldier looks like he's wearing a huge Russian ushanka, and my poor monkey fell apart two or three times. I just kept squishing him back together until he became a distorted Picasso-esque version of his original self.
It's hard work to make cute cakes quickly with little children nipping at your heels and stealing the decorations! The cake was delicious, though, and my little man was thrilled. That's all that mattered.
Tomato Finale
I know you're all wondering how my tomatoes fared through the season, so I thought I'd share.
This was the result of one day of picking in August.
I picked maybe 2-3 times a week and I had about three picking days of this sort of abundance. In fact, I still have about a blue bucket full of tomatoes in my garden right now that need picking, but it will probably be my last harvest.
What did I do with all those tomatoes? I gave a lot away, I ate a lot, and I canned well over 40 jars of stuff.
One cool benefit of living in a really old house is that there are built in storage racks in the basement specifically for mason jars. Of course, this is only considered 'cool' when I actually can stuff...
This was the result of one day of picking in August.
I picked maybe 2-3 times a week and I had about three picking days of this sort of abundance. In fact, I still have about a blue bucket full of tomatoes in my garden right now that need picking, but it will probably be my last harvest.
What did I do with all those tomatoes? I gave a lot away, I ate a lot, and I canned well over 40 jars of stuff.
One cool benefit of living in a really old house is that there are built in storage racks in the basement specifically for mason jars. Of course, this is only considered 'cool' when I actually can stuff...
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Procrastination, thy name is dragon.
Isn't it funny how I never feel like doodling until there's actual work projects to be done? (The babe colored in the red tongue. She did pretty well for a 4 year-old!)
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
C.S. Lewis = inspiration
I was recently asked to pick a book and lead discussion for a book club and I picked C.S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce." The leader of the book club knew of my Aslan painting and asked if I would talk about the way C.S. Lewis inspired my artwork, too.
Lately, I've been trying to rediscover some of my old dreams, and this inspiration points to one of my dream projects that I'd like to re-discover. I painted the above painting, and all the below sketches (except one) around eight years ago. When I was painting Aslan, I dreamed of painting a whole series of religious symbolism in the Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan, obviously, is the Christ.
The second painting would be the Crucifixion, but I think I would title it "Breaking the bonds of death." I planned on having a detailed stone table with a crack down the middle. In the background would be a dramatic sunrise framed by the silhouettes of arching branches.
I remember after sketching this being really disappointed at the precarious look and frailty of the stone table. Breaking the bonds of death is a big deal, a miracle, not something that could happen casually because of poor construction. I compare the stone table to the rent in the temple veil after Christ died on the cross. They say the temple veil was a hand's width thick. I've also heard three inches and four inches. I don't have any authoritative sources for that information, but that's what I imagine when I think of a rent veil. It was a completely impossible, miraculous miracle that the veil was ripped. I wanted the stone table to feel that way, too.
So I did research on historical and fictional sacrificial tables/altars and languages. I eventually felt like the one in the middle of the right page below gave the feel I was looking for, inspired by a sacrificial table from Luxor, Egypt, engraved with a language that I made up.
The third painting would be the Resurrection. When Aslan goes to the White Queen's court filled with creatures she has turned to stone, he breathes on them and brings them back to life, one by one. I envisioned a massive courtyard completely filled with dynamic creatures. The left half of the image would be vibrant with color and motion, Lucy dancing with Mr. Tumnus in unbridled joy, characters embracing each other again after untold amounts of time being separated by the immobility of stone. The right half of the image would be dark, dreary and gray, creatures frozen in stone, bodies in various positions. The legs of the giant would have color growing up from the feet, slowly working up the legs while Susan watched in amazement. The center of the image would be Aslan, calmly, patiently working his way through the courtyard. His regal calm is in contrast to the chaotic joy around him.
I'm kind of embarrassed by this sketch. I had clearly been sketching a lot of lions around this time, because Aslan seemed easy and well proportioned. My horses are atrocious. I have a unicorn, a pegasus, a centaur, and a generic horse rear in this that all need a tremendous amount of realistic horse character. I had another page where I wrote a list of all the creatures listed in the courtyard from the book, and on that page I had a few sketches that were similarly embarrassing (I didn't take a photo of that page).
Coming back to this 8 years later, it's obvious that this painting is the one that will take the most work, preparation, creativity, planning, etc. So, a couple weeks ago I rented a "how to draw horses" book from the library. I always disliked those kinds of books, but I needed to start somewhere. Here are some of my sketches from the past couple weeks.
The first three paintings came from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but the rest of my ideas for religious symbolism come from other books in the series. In The Magician's Nephew, we hear the story of the creation of Narnia. One scene in the book struck me as a particularly stunning image representing Adam and Eve struggling over the forbidden fruit, which in this case is a bell that they are not supposed to ring. This painting would be called Forbidden Fruit. The sketch is only vaguely suggestive, and might not make sense unless you've read the book.
 |
| Aslan, lost in the toy room behind piles of puzzles. |
The second painting would be the Crucifixion, but I think I would title it "Breaking the bonds of death." I planned on having a detailed stone table with a crack down the middle. In the background would be a dramatic sunrise framed by the silhouettes of arching branches.
I remember after sketching this being really disappointed at the precarious look and frailty of the stone table. Breaking the bonds of death is a big deal, a miracle, not something that could happen casually because of poor construction. I compare the stone table to the rent in the temple veil after Christ died on the cross. They say the temple veil was a hand's width thick. I've also heard three inches and four inches. I don't have any authoritative sources for that information, but that's what I imagine when I think of a rent veil. It was a completely impossible, miraculous miracle that the veil was ripped. I wanted the stone table to feel that way, too.
So I did research on historical and fictional sacrificial tables/altars and languages. I eventually felt like the one in the middle of the right page below gave the feel I was looking for, inspired by a sacrificial table from Luxor, Egypt, engraved with a language that I made up.
The third painting would be the Resurrection. When Aslan goes to the White Queen's court filled with creatures she has turned to stone, he breathes on them and brings them back to life, one by one. I envisioned a massive courtyard completely filled with dynamic creatures. The left half of the image would be vibrant with color and motion, Lucy dancing with Mr. Tumnus in unbridled joy, characters embracing each other again after untold amounts of time being separated by the immobility of stone. The right half of the image would be dark, dreary and gray, creatures frozen in stone, bodies in various positions. The legs of the giant would have color growing up from the feet, slowly working up the legs while Susan watched in amazement. The center of the image would be Aslan, calmly, patiently working his way through the courtyard. His regal calm is in contrast to the chaotic joy around him.
I'm kind of embarrassed by this sketch. I had clearly been sketching a lot of lions around this time, because Aslan seemed easy and well proportioned. My horses are atrocious. I have a unicorn, a pegasus, a centaur, and a generic horse rear in this that all need a tremendous amount of realistic horse character. I had another page where I wrote a list of all the creatures listed in the courtyard from the book, and on that page I had a few sketches that were similarly embarrassing (I didn't take a photo of that page).
Coming back to this 8 years later, it's obvious that this painting is the one that will take the most work, preparation, creativity, planning, etc. So, a couple weeks ago I rented a "how to draw horses" book from the library. I always disliked those kinds of books, but I needed to start somewhere. Here are some of my sketches from the past couple weeks.
The first three paintings came from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but the rest of my ideas for religious symbolism come from other books in the series. In The Magician's Nephew, we hear the story of the creation of Narnia. One scene in the book struck me as a particularly stunning image representing Adam and Eve struggling over the forbidden fruit, which in this case is a bell that they are not supposed to ring. This painting would be called Forbidden Fruit. The sketch is only vaguely suggestive, and might not make sense unless you've read the book.
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.
One of the things that is so fascinating to me about this "Eden" as it would be, is the static nature of the world the two main characters were on. There were hundreds of people who were completely static figures. The room was filled with magic, but nothing could change... until the bell was hit. Our understanding of Eden is similar in that everything in the Garden remained the same until the first transgression.
I also had ideas for Repentence (Eustace as the Dragon in Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and several other gospel topics that escape me now. I'm kind of fired up about it again, but I don't know how realistic it is that I'll be able to work on this series. I'll see what I can do and keep you updated.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
It's a Jungle Out There!
So, my one goal for a garden this year was to be successful growing tomatoes. Um. It worked. I have never seen such rampant tomato plants as the ones in my back yard right now.
They are literally as tall as me, and I am not a short person. The impromptu fence above is 4 feet tall, if that gives you something to measure by. These pictures were taken about a month ago, so they are even BIGGER now! So big that some of them have tipped over, cages and all, but are still growing. I potentially will have hundreds of tomatoes this year. Here's an overview of some of the plants in my garden
My tomatoes are rocking. My cucumbers are doing so-so. I've already reaped about a half dozen of them, but several of them grow partially and then rot on the vine. I don't get it. My peppers are much bigger now than the above picture. I'm really excited for them! My peas, which I have since uprooted since they were being overtaken by tomatoes and were out of season, were a delightful spring treat. The kids and I ate them all raw. It was a spring backyard daily task--go outside, pick peas and eat them right there. I also have lots of basil, which I don't have a picture of.
Sunflowers have been fun. They are huge! Our biggest one is probably 10 feet tall. I'm hopping to harvest the seeds. Raspberries have been a surprise! I didn't expect to get as many berries as we've been getting this first year! Although, it's still not enough to last past the kids daily backyard visit, much like the peas. I love morning glories. They are beautiful. I was hesitant to plant them because they can be invasive, but I'd rather have morning glory vine than poison ivy, which is what used to be in the back yard. My root garden, the carrots and the onions, are not doing terribly well. I guess we'll have to wait until the end of the season to really see how they are doing...
This is the garden in the other corner of my yard, also with a jungle of tomatoes. Yup. I'm going to have a lot of tomatoes. In this bed, the tomatoes are taking over all the flowers around them. I have Marigolds, Forget-me-nots, Zinnias, Gladiolas (which haven't quite bloomed yet), and Dwarf Sunflowers (which I did not know were dwarf when I planted them in the back row).
They are literally as tall as me, and I am not a short person. The impromptu fence above is 4 feet tall, if that gives you something to measure by. These pictures were taken about a month ago, so they are even BIGGER now! So big that some of them have tipped over, cages and all, but are still growing. I potentially will have hundreds of tomatoes this year. Here's an overview of some of the plants in my garden
 |
| Tomato, cucumber, pepper, peas |
My tomatoes are rocking. My cucumbers are doing so-so. I've already reaped about a half dozen of them, but several of them grow partially and then rot on the vine. I don't get it. My peppers are much bigger now than the above picture. I'm really excited for them! My peas, which I have since uprooted since they were being overtaken by tomatoes and were out of season, were a delightful spring treat. The kids and I ate them all raw. It was a spring backyard daily task--go outside, pick peas and eat them right there. I also have lots of basil, which I don't have a picture of.
 |
| sunflower, raspberries, morning glory, carrots |
Sunflowers have been fun. They are huge! Our biggest one is probably 10 feet tall. I'm hopping to harvest the seeds. Raspberries have been a surprise! I didn't expect to get as many berries as we've been getting this first year! Although, it's still not enough to last past the kids daily backyard visit, much like the peas. I love morning glories. They are beautiful. I was hesitant to plant them because they can be invasive, but I'd rather have morning glory vine than poison ivy, which is what used to be in the back yard. My root garden, the carrots and the onions, are not doing terribly well. I guess we'll have to wait until the end of the season to really see how they are doing...
This is the garden in the other corner of my yard, also with a jungle of tomatoes. Yup. I'm going to have a lot of tomatoes. In this bed, the tomatoes are taking over all the flowers around them. I have Marigolds, Forget-me-nots, Zinnias, Gladiolas (which haven't quite bloomed yet), and Dwarf Sunflowers (which I did not know were dwarf when I planted them in the back row).
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Guess who?
Who's everyone's favorite feline with foot fashion sense?
Why Puss in Boots, of course!
I made this Puss in Boots marionette for Shrek the Musical at the local community theater. I had been wanting to make a Cat puppet for the Babe for about a year now, and this was a good incentive. I don't like how the eyes turned out, so I may change them. I also want to experiment with adding stripes with different dyes or markers. The kids love playing with it regardless.
I made him a marionette for the play, but I prefer hand puppets, so he is a hand puppet, too! I just clipped his mouth shut on the inside. I'll probably snip the strings and keep him as a hand puppet.
He sure is a fun puppet.
Why Puss in Boots, of course!
I made this Puss in Boots marionette for Shrek the Musical at the local community theater. I had been wanting to make a Cat puppet for the Babe for about a year now, and this was a good incentive. I don't like how the eyes turned out, so I may change them. I also want to experiment with adding stripes with different dyes or markers. The kids love playing with it regardless.
I made him a marionette for the play, but I prefer hand puppets, so he is a hand puppet, too! I just clipped his mouth shut on the inside. I'll probably snip the strings and keep him as a hand puppet.
He sure is a fun puppet.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Garden: Version 2013
I am attempting a garden once again. This time I've planted more seeds than ever before, but I don't yet have a place in my rented yard to put them. Hopefully that will be remedied within a couple weeks with a garden box.
I'm excited for my tomatoes. If all else fails, I want my tomatoes to work. I also have peppers, peas, basil, cucumbers, sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds and I plan on planting onions and other flowers as soon as the weather is right outside.
My 3 year-old is really excited about the plants. I let her pick out one of the planting kits for her to take responsibility of. She picked more sunflowers and planted a handful of the seeds in one pot. I think it's time to repot them.
Now if only we could get the weather to cooperate. Winter, go away! We want the sun!
Monday, April 08, 2013
Homemade whole wheat tortillas
Lately, I've been falling into a lazy rut when it comes to food. I've been feeding the kids lots of processed crackers, candy (thank you winter full of holidays), sweets and just generally things that aren't particularly good for me or them. I've been feeling the listlessness in my body.
On top of that, my little 3 year-old pretty consistently complains of a tummy ache. I think it might just be constipation, but I'm not helping it much with what I've been indulging in. It doesn't help that she's a super picky eater.
So I am re-inspired to take upon the quest of several years ago when I started making my own bread. I've fallen in and out of making my own bread in the past year, but I'm back on the bandwagon, and I'm taking it a step further. For the next two weeks I have decided to cut out all white flour and processed sugar. Whew. It's not going to be easy. I'm being helped by a blog called 100 days of real food. They have recipes and tips. I'm also SO glad I have a (borrowed) wheat grinder. It makes everything taste better.
Yesterday I made whole wheat tortillas for the first time. They were delicious and the kids ate them. Success!
I got the recipe here and I will definitely be doing this more often. I even had some help.
On top of that, my little 3 year-old pretty consistently complains of a tummy ache. I think it might just be constipation, but I'm not helping it much with what I've been indulging in. It doesn't help that she's a super picky eater.
So I am re-inspired to take upon the quest of several years ago when I started making my own bread. I've fallen in and out of making my own bread in the past year, but I'm back on the bandwagon, and I'm taking it a step further. For the next two weeks I have decided to cut out all white flour and processed sugar. Whew. It's not going to be easy. I'm being helped by a blog called 100 days of real food. They have recipes and tips. I'm also SO glad I have a (borrowed) wheat grinder. It makes everything taste better.
Yesterday I made whole wheat tortillas for the first time. They were delicious and the kids ate them. Success!
I got the recipe here and I will definitely be doing this more often. I even had some help.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Vice
“Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”
-Alexander Pope
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”
-Alexander Pope
Monday, March 04, 2013
Impossible Jobs
My husband says I have a knack for nearly impossible home improvement projects. I start with an expectation of difficulty, but discover a reality of near impossibility.
Current example: Removing wallpaper from the kids' bedroom wall in our rental home. There was blue striped floral wallpaper that was essentially falling off the walls at certain spots. It needed to go. I got the required permission from the landlord and started the task, knowing wallpaper removal was a tough job.
Under the blue striped wallpaper I discovered a layer of dull green paint, a layer of peach paint, maybe a layer of pink paint, and two more layers of wallpaper on top of the original plaster walls.
Who thinks it's a good idea to paint over wallpaper? Not me. I'm saving the worst wall for last. A previous resident here tried to paint over the peeling blue striped floral wallpaper and failed. It's bubbling to the point that my three year old can easily tear off patches--but only patches. Sheesh. Old house charm, I guess. I hope I can finish this project with my sanity intact.
I have big lovely plans of white wainscotting and warm gray walls with splashes of colorful wall hangings when I'm done with the nightmarish wallpaper removal.
Current example: Removing wallpaper from the kids' bedroom wall in our rental home. There was blue striped floral wallpaper that was essentially falling off the walls at certain spots. It needed to go. I got the required permission from the landlord and started the task, knowing wallpaper removal was a tough job.
Under the blue striped wallpaper I discovered a layer of dull green paint, a layer of peach paint, maybe a layer of pink paint, and two more layers of wallpaper on top of the original plaster walls.
Who thinks it's a good idea to paint over wallpaper? Not me. I'm saving the worst wall for last. A previous resident here tried to paint over the peeling blue striped floral wallpaper and failed. It's bubbling to the point that my three year old can easily tear off patches--but only patches. Sheesh. Old house charm, I guess. I hope I can finish this project with my sanity intact.
I have big lovely plans of white wainscotting and warm gray walls with splashes of colorful wall hangings when I'm done with the nightmarish wallpaper removal.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Music of Life
To play a wrong note is insignificant;
To play without passion is inexcusable.
-Ludwig Van Beethoven
To play without passion is inexcusable.
-Ludwig Van Beethoven
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Houndstooth - in progress
I have seen houndstooth patterns all over for the past few years. A couple years ago I realized how easy it would be to make a quilt with this pattern and discovered there are TONS of examples online. Most of them have just two colors, but I like more color, so I was inspired by the scrappy one above.
I decided to finally just do it. I mapped out a size with colors that I like and have scraps of.
And I got started! I hope I can finish it soon!
Friday, February 15, 2013
Puppet flashback
Two and a half years ago I made two puppets that I never posted. Technically I never finished them, but I probably never will, so the introductions are past due. One of them has been played with a LOT. He even was given the name "monster" by my then 18-month old. Meet Monster.
He is loved at our house. In fact, I've had to repair him twice because he wasn't made sturdy enough to play with long term. His ears are sitting in my ribbon box and his hair seemed like such a big job I never got around to it.
The second little nameless Miss was intended to be my puppet that I would want to play with and use to interact with the kids. I made her eyes green like mine and her fabric red, which is one of my favorite colors. She was going to be a little bit of a diva, so I wanted to give her lips and eyelashes.
She has two major flaws. The first - I ran out of the fabric before I finished connecting the body to the head. Notice the lack of neck? There is just a few inches too little to make it look decent.
The second flaw, and this one was enough to make me not even interested in finishing her - once her hair was on, she overwhelmingly reminded me of Tori Spelling circa 90210. It's the chin and lips. I kind of detest this puppet now. Isn't that sad?
Anyway, I'm getting excited to make more puppets, so stay tuned. We'll see if it happens. I have a few other wish list projects on my plate. I plan on making a post about those soon to keep me motivated and inspired.
He is loved at our house. In fact, I've had to repair him twice because he wasn't made sturdy enough to play with long term. His ears are sitting in my ribbon box and his hair seemed like such a big job I never got around to it.
The second little nameless Miss was intended to be my puppet that I would want to play with and use to interact with the kids. I made her eyes green like mine and her fabric red, which is one of my favorite colors. She was going to be a little bit of a diva, so I wanted to give her lips and eyelashes.
She has two major flaws. The first - I ran out of the fabric before I finished connecting the body to the head. Notice the lack of neck? There is just a few inches too little to make it look decent.
The second flaw, and this one was enough to make me not even interested in finishing her - once her hair was on, she overwhelmingly reminded me of Tori Spelling circa 90210. It's the chin and lips. I kind of detest this puppet now. Isn't that sad?
Anyway, I'm getting excited to make more puppets, so stay tuned. We'll see if it happens. I have a few other wish list projects on my plate. I plan on making a post about those soon to keep me motivated and inspired.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
The impressionable memory of a 3 year-old
About three months ago I was commissioned to do several illustrations related to sex ed. I worked on these primarily when my children were sleeping, but there was one point when my 3 year-old saw me working and asked about the pictures. I tried to explain them simply in terms she understood.
She was very interested in the baby in utero pictures and talked about them for several days. Over two months later she drew this:
She had a little blob for the baby but was unsatisfied, so she asked me to help draw the baby. I did and then she "colored it in." She was careful to include a way out, with similar texture as was illustrated in one of the female anatomy illustrations I drew, and she deliberately included a line to label the baby, also a feature in the anatomy illustrations.
This was amazing to me for two reasons, 1) her memory is pretty much amazing. She hadn't seen these pictures in over two months, then decided to draw them, pretty anatomically correct for a 3 year-old and 2) she doesn't like to draw and the one rare moment she wants to, she drew that! What? Crazy girl.
She was very interested in the baby in utero pictures and talked about them for several days. Over two months later she drew this:
She had a little blob for the baby but was unsatisfied, so she asked me to help draw the baby. I did and then she "colored it in." She was careful to include a way out, with similar texture as was illustrated in one of the female anatomy illustrations I drew, and she deliberately included a line to label the baby, also a feature in the anatomy illustrations.
This was amazing to me for two reasons, 1) her memory is pretty much amazing. She hadn't seen these pictures in over two months, then decided to draw them, pretty anatomically correct for a 3 year-old and 2) she doesn't like to draw and the one rare moment she wants to, she drew that! What? Crazy girl.
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