2012/365 - Day 349

how a control freak does something random


Today I have been struggling with my freakishly iron grip on control...and trying to be "random".

buttons for dots of color

colorful floss

ACK -- decisions on choosing color combinations and placement -- while trying to achieve a "random" look...this is SO difficult for the triple-Capricorn.

 You would not believe how stressful this has been -- don't let the blue floss be next to another blue floss...but it looks good with the button color -- but don't put another pink button there.  Juana is usually my randomizer/helper but today I am going it alone (like a repo man).  The actual sewing on of the buttons was relaxing, but the choosing/placing/"randomizing" was so exhausting.  (Waaaaaah, poor Took...I realized I have been gritting my teeth for most of the day...not grinding, just gritting.)



Also today ...

Strengthening/decorating the seams/joints of the sections of the tail.

I started out trying to make it a more solid color all the way around but it started to get pulled out of shape and getting bulky at the joints.  I like the look of the rough stitches.

Overall...not too bad!
















and ...

These two buttons might end up being the foundation of the eyes.










and one other thing ...

I might give this guy teefs...not teeth...teefs.  I think my creatures probably have teefs vs teeth.

But the white glove thumbs and fingers are too fuzzy with black fuzz from other glove parts in their bin(s).  They aren't dirty, just contact fuzzy. I am not going to try to un-fuzz them...I will try to select something else for possible teefs.

What I came up with -- beige OR variegated gray camouflage OR variegated green/gray camouflage.

I got them mostly pointy, but I think they may need to be flatter rather than round.

As possible teefs (and a first try) they aren't too bad -- but I will keep thinking about it.  I am not totally sure this guy needs/wants teefs.

2012/365 - Day 8

experimenting with color combos and paint textures/differences


This is what the Studio Snake was made for -- to test out various color combinations, see the differences in the paints I have on hand, see how the paints coat...and to try out techniques...all before I commit to something for a finished plaster cloth guy.





Here is the Studio Snake's uncolored head, with two coats of gesso.











I thought I had periwinkle paint, but it is actually light ultramarine blue.

Anyway...this is what is on hand today. I was mainly going for color combo mock ups.









And this green isn't actually chartreuse, either -- it is brilliant yellow green. Close, right? I need to choose colors and not look at the names.

I like these two colors together. This is just straight from the tubes and one coat.





Yikes!

I painted the orange straight from the tube and liked it a lot.

The green is an old bottle of craft paint and man -- it was pretty icky. It was glumped inside the bottle and when I stirred the paint it became even more strange...so I put some in a little dish, added a small amount of warm water and stirred
until I couldn't stand stirring any more.

The paint is just so wrecked...it seemed okay, if a bit watery, but man...it went on clumpy and watery in spots and incredibly thick in others. Just really strange. I like the color, though.

Here's the thing. Obviously I prefer the nicer higher quality paints over the craft paints...not that there is anything wrong with the craft paints when they are fresh. I have a drawer FULL of (mostly) older craft paints. I only have a handful of tubes of good paint so far.






When my sister asks me for a birthday shopping list this week I will most likely ask for tubes of paint, plaster cloth and other art supplies...maybe we can go together -- that'd be fun...I can most likely start buying more good paint in colors I like.

And don't you painters even start with me -- don't tell me to mix my own colors. I promise you I am NOT ready for that -- at least not yet. Maybe sometime down the road when I get more confident with painting. For now, I need to be able to count on the colors coming straight from the tube, and being able to go back and grab more of the exact color I used.





Ruth might be coming over later on to work on ATCs for the monthly exchange we go to. I wanted to post early today so that I don't have to worry about meeting my midnight blog deadline.

Man -- this Studio Snake is just so cute. I wish the camera could capture the way it looks. I think maybe if I get someone to take photos instead of me trying to angle the camera to what I am seeing (vs what the camera sees) it will turn out so you can see how sweet this guy is...it has such a puppy face.

UPDATE: I tried using the bigger camera...this sort of shows how cute he is.