365/2013 - Day 356

yikes -- what a day

After an entire day of frustration and struggling to do the simplest tasks and chores I am not going to try to force anything even halfway creative.  I just need to let go of today because there is absolutely nothing I can do to get the wasted hours back or change anything.  So...oh well.  Tomorrow will surely be better.  I choose not to dwell on this any longer.

365/2013 - Day 355

more sorting, different day

Tonight it's time to sort the animal images into easier to look through categories:  dogs, cats, kittens & puppies, and other animals.  I use the puppies and kittens for kid images...I don't do many of those, but they come in handy sometimes.

That's a lot of sorting!

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 353

'dryl'd again

I have been cutting the last of my pulled images (bodies) and soon I will start pairing them up with animal heads for little collages for my series "Animal People" for Art-o-mat.

Sue came over and we ran some errands, then had a incredibly wonderful (as usual) lunch at Starting Gate, then ran a few more errands.  Then the outdoor air started my allergy reactions going like crazy and then the headache started to come on...which led to the Benadryl...which led to not getting anything else done.  I still have the pounding headache but at least I get the consolation prize of feeling pretty floaty for the rest of the night...then bed.

365/2013 - Day 352

finally committing to a collage guy



It took me an incredibly long time to find the first photos of this repurposed canvas, but here they are.  

Original painting from a Salvation Army store -- "before"...this was started back on December 23, 2012.

The first few pieces of art papers are applied.

The canvas and its new look -- wet.

The next time I played with the collage was around February 2 or 3 of this year and I found this dog.

Fast forward to now -- I can't believe it has been this long -- but tonight I finally tweaked this guy into a definite young dog guy.

The canvas as I first looked at it tonight.

I used Peggy's chalk trick to outline another image I saw.  It is hard to make it out, but unfocus a little and you can see the shapes within the white marks...it is like a dog woman looking downwards.

But no, the other dog fought to stay as the main character...but he needed tweaking.  Bigger circles around his eyes...change his neck, change his taller ear.  He was originally going to have a sort of pointy party hat but I couldn't see it any more.

After many changes --- ta-daaa -- here he is -- a young dog guy. 

I like him!

365/2013 - Day 351

shelves!

Today has been an especially trying day dealing with my lymphedema.  My legs, ankles, feet, (and even hands and parts of my arms) are really swollen today...bad enough so that I cancelled going to Wednesday Morning with Joan and Leann (at Tuscan Cafe no less!) and postponed a fun late lunch/early dinner meet up with Joanne.  Gah.

Needless to say, I haven't accomplished much today but I did get started on putting up those pesky shelves I have been wanting to put up.  Then ones that will re-home and display my vinyl toys. 

So -- shelves!  Well, shelf...one shelf.  

I ended up going back to my original plan for the long train shelf.  I hung it under the medicine cabinet in my studio bathroom -- I will actually get to SEE my train all the time!  Here are the photos from today.

The train still in the big display case -- the stupid  I-am-not-particularly-fond-of-but-that-fits-the-space-and-it-doesn't-really-matter-because-I-can't-replace-so-I-need-to-keep-it display case.

The other vinyl toys on the top shelf of the display case -- I hope I have enough new shelf space for them all.

Where the shelf and train are going -- and yes, the back splash thing does dip down in the middle.

Using Art-o-mat blocks to determine a good height for the shelf under the medicine cabinet...and using the giraffe guy to gauge how tall the shelf needs to be.

Getting to work.

Adding the L-shaped corner bracket things.

Leveling the shelf because it sure doesn't look even...but I know the board isn't totally flat, either.

Ta-daaa -- level-ness achieved!

The train!  No matter which direction I face the train, some guys will not be looking towards the viewer.

The engineer.

This guy -- the dragon guy -- is what made me love this toy series.

Some more passengers.

This section of the passengers is my favorite -- the shark brothers, the guy with the broken arm, and the bat guy.

Another favorite -- this fine fellow is bringing up the rear.

Whew -- I am so happy this is finally done!  

The train is "Rollin' Stock" a mini series of toys designed by Kid Acne for kidrobot in 2009.  Click the links to find out more about Kid Acne and kidrobot and the series.  I am SO in love with these guys and it was very hard to track down a couple of the passengers (which is why I have duplicates of some -- then I resorted to eBay) but I am so thrilled to have them all.  Of all of the collectible blind box toys I have purchased over the last few years, this is my absolute all-time never-ever-get-tired-of-them set.

365/2013 - Day 350

sketching

I don't often use any of the bajillion sketchbooks that I have stashed around my house, but today I watch Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" and the cave paintings made me want to try to sketch/doodle.  

Real or imagined...I know it is goofy, but I get really pulled in to Werner Herzog docs.  His voice, the imagery...by the time the film was over I was feeling oddly draw-y yet also I-need-to-hang-those-shelves-ish...needless to say, I did not get much done today -- ha ha ha -- but I did enjoy myself and I did draw a little bit.  And I did get a few ideas for possible future guys.  (Good thing I didn't see this movie in 3-D...lol)