Day 68 - 365/2014

Day Sixty-Eight

I'm back to cutting magazines images again today/tonight.  Just when I think I have plenty of images and I try to start to assemble some Animal People collages it seems like they are getting way too similar...I need fresh images, dammit.  And there are a lot of circles in this batch today.  It takes me a long time to cut a nice, round circle...especially little ones...I have to go really slowly -- compared to more straight lines.

And it's not as if I haven't used images like these before...but the last few collages have seemed too similar.  There is only so much to choose from, really...but I try to mix it up as much as possible within an edition.

Day 19 - 365/2014

Day Nineteen

Today I was trying to think of how I could hang the metal message/magnet board on the wall.  A while ago I found a photo of some spoons that were bent into hook shapes and used as hangers in a kitchen.  I never got around to giving that a go, but today I was thinking of a couple of decorative spoons I have that I could probably bend into that shape and then drill a hole into and attach to the wall...but then I thought better of it.  This is the same wall that has massive chunks missing from me simply trying to put up those magnetic strips with wall dogs and/or wall anchors.  Then, while I was looking at the board I realized I could cut off the wired string of beads and turn the board sideways and use the shapes that are already there to hang onto angled nails...I don't know how long it will hold up but it seems pretty secure.

I also gathered up all of the KT Goodlove, Kettle, and my own Animal People blocks that still needed magnets and got to work.

There is still plenty of room on the wall to add a second and even third message/magnet board if I decide to do it.  I like how this one looks.  I have more Art-o-mat collaborations to display...so this just might be the way to go.

And tonight I am cutting images for the Animal People collage series I am working on...both for Art-o-mat and for the larger ones.

365/2013 - Day 354

practicing the shirt

Today I had the "brilliant" idea to maybe avoid painting the young dog guy's shirt by cutting papers to color it instead.  I traced the shirt and sleeves (it is supposed to be sort of a baseball shirt style) and cut some practice papers to see a few different combinations.  

Oh -- and in the meantime while I was cutting the papers, Twink decided to "help" and was making me nuts so I gave him one of his catnip fish...he got a bit 'nipped.

All ready to get started on practicing with the papers.

Gah -- Twink wants to "help" -- he helps by rolling and rubbing and flipping around until he knocks something onto the floor and then acts all innocent and adorable.  Yeah.

I tossed him one of his catnip fish.

That worked -- now he is all 'nipped and wants no part of my papers!

The first sleeves - cut from the "wrong" side of some beautiful marbled paper.  I was thinking of this young dog guy being painted in light or pale blue...so I don't know if these sleeves will work, but they look good.

And a pale blue piece of mulberry paper for the body of the shirt.

Or how about the "right" side of the marbled paper -- no...too busy.

But I do like this pale blue paper -- it is like other papers already in the collage background, only it is blue.  It will definitely let the dots and other things show through.

But then again...how about a different "wrong" side of another sheet of marbled paper?  And an egg yolk yellow shirt part?

Maybe the other yellow is too strong...maybe just another layer of the same yellow from the background.

Or maybe the strong yellow underneath with the pale yellow on top -- I am pretty sure stuff will still show through like I want it to.  Decisions...decisions...

And later on in the evening I got busy cutting the last of the bodies for the Animal People...then I noticed it was already 11 so I stopped to come in here to post this blog entry before midnight.  There are only 3 images left to go!

I will cut those last three bodies out and then start thinking about the collage some more.  The papers will look different once they are put in place with the matte medium.  I wish there was a way to practice that before making my final choice.  Hmmm...

365/2013 - Day 348 (gah! late again!)

[expletives deleted] [lots of 'em]

I was so deeply lost and focused on cutting more body images tonight (while listening to/watching tv) I totally didn't realize how late it was and I missed my midnight posting deadline.  Argh!

I sorted through all of these images first.

Although I found many more images that have already been cut out, not all of them will work for the Art-o-mat blocks and quite a number of them will not necessarily be able to be easily matched up with animal heads when I get to that stage.  The sizing and expressions on the animal faces makes all the difference, no matter how great a body is.  The cut images in the yellow tray are the ones I cut tonight...there are a lot of them for one sitting.

365/2013 - Day 345

more cutting

While waiting for the furnace guy's guy today I worked on cutting more of the body images for Animal People.  I think the furnace problems are finally done...time to move on.

I had planned to go to the Customer Appreciation Night tonight at LIFT with Juana and Franciney but my gut wasn't having it.  I think all of the stress and tension of the last few days caught up with me.  I was really looking forward to going and to having dinner with Juana and Franciney at Public House and then going on to LIFT.  Ah well...next year.

365/2013 - Day 344

Wednesday Morning

Joan and Leann came over here again for Wednesday Morning because I was still waiting for part two of the furnace guy's guy coming back to finish up.  I worked on cutting human bodies for Animal People, Joan worked on sewing/finishing off family Christmas stockings and Leann worked on something that I won't reveal in case it is a surprise.  We had another lovely morning talking and working. 

Later on, I was still working on cutting images.

Even still later on...and by now absolutely seething that the furnace guy's guy didn't show or even call.  I sorted animal images from people images and the people images were ready for working on from my chair in front of television on into the night and up until blog posting time.  

I am just speechless that this furnace thing has gone on as long as it has.  I am very thankful to have heat, but my basement now has a lake in front of the furnace, as well as the stream behind it.  The lake is new as of yesterday.  My patience is so thin right now...man.