Oh, I've done paper mache before. You know, that old school kiddie stuff where you wrap paste sodden newspaper strips over a balloon (well, in my case it was a balloon inside two egg box tops to make a hotdog in a bun type form--then I made the mistake of covering it in copious layers of mod podge which made it nearly indestructable, not the best idea for a pinata!).
But THIS, this is paper mache for artists, not just dorky teens making a pinata for their friend (or stay at home moms making something for a kid's birthday party).
Ultimate Paper Mache : its my new blog crack.
There are even online video tutorials for projects. HOLY EFFING CRAP!! Now I need a laptop so I can slop along with the tutorial (my home PC is in a crafty inhospitable room and, well, the home PC is just sad and slow and needs some help to be fabulous or just taken out back and shot).
With summer right on my heels, paper mache will be a great outdoor activity, too.
(I can just picture my wife's extravagant eyeroll when I tell him about this)
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"Kitty Up": Progress Report
Nothing to report this week.
When the wife mentioned we would be going out for happy hour to celebrate our friend's graduation I had a feeling we'd forget all about painting.
And we did.
But we remembered the margaritas. And tacos. And laughter.
So the evening was great even if no painting happened.
There's always next week. I'm really going to be ready to paint like a mad woman after this brief break.
When the wife mentioned we would be going out for happy hour to celebrate our friend's graduation I had a feeling we'd forget all about painting.
And we did.
But we remembered the margaritas. And tacos. And laughter.
So the evening was great even if no painting happened.
There's always next week. I'm really going to be ready to paint like a mad woman after this brief break.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Work in Progress: Litter of Kittens
I'm still working on a full litter of kitties (I keep making and giving away random ones, so progress is slow).
But I have completed ONE kitty for the litter.
Meet Samantha.
She's my first stab at a siamese and I'm fairly happy with her. Ok, let me rephrase that. I AM happy with her. But I see plenty of places I could improve on her for the NEXT kitten. In fact, the next kitten is going to be another siamese in gray with darker gray points.
I think I'll handle the head pretty much the same as Samantha here, but maybe make the ear points a little bigger. For the body, I'd handle the feet the same (I really like Samantha's feet) but I'd attack the tail differently.
For Samantha's tail I wa obsessed with having the stitching be on both sides of the tail. I don't know why the tail needed to be stitched on both sides when none of the other embellishments are on both sides (it's one of the drawbacks of this pattern, the end products are flat and really only detailed on one side--perfect for pins). Now when you're working with a wee little felt tail all those stitches tend to just chew up the fabric. And when you're putting that many stitches on such a small area it leaves ZERO space for stuffing (heck, when I stuff a normal none embellished tail I have to roll a tiny bit of stuffing and basically sew the felt around it since I'm working with such a small space). So Samantha's tail is not stuffed which makes it a wee bit flat compared to her body (kind of like a beaver tail). It's only really noticable when you squeeze the whole finished product so it's not a "bad" thing but it could be improved.
So for the silver siamese, I'm going to only embellish the front side of the tail so maybe I can still stuff it. That should also make for neater stitches and leave space for a bit of stuffing.
We'll see.
So, what other kitties should be in this litter?
But I have completed ONE kitty for the litter.
Meet Samantha.
She's my first stab at a siamese and I'm fairly happy with her. Ok, let me rephrase that. I AM happy with her. But I see plenty of places I could improve on her for the NEXT kitten. In fact, the next kitten is going to be another siamese in gray with darker gray points.
I think I'll handle the head pretty much the same as Samantha here, but maybe make the ear points a little bigger. For the body, I'd handle the feet the same (I really like Samantha's feet) but I'd attack the tail differently.
For Samantha's tail I wa obsessed with having the stitching be on both sides of the tail. I don't know why the tail needed to be stitched on both sides when none of the other embellishments are on both sides (it's one of the drawbacks of this pattern, the end products are flat and really only detailed on one side--perfect for pins). Now when you're working with a wee little felt tail all those stitches tend to just chew up the fabric. And when you're putting that many stitches on such a small area it leaves ZERO space for stuffing (heck, when I stuff a normal none embellished tail I have to roll a tiny bit of stuffing and basically sew the felt around it since I'm working with such a small space). So Samantha's tail is not stuffed which makes it a wee bit flat compared to her body (kind of like a beaver tail). It's only really noticable when you squeeze the whole finished product so it's not a "bad" thing but it could be improved.
So for the silver siamese, I'm going to only embellish the front side of the tail so maybe I can still stuff it. That should also make for neater stitches and leave space for a bit of stuffing.
We'll see.
So, what other kitties should be in this litter?
Kitties (some "for the cure")
Despite Susan G. Kommen's asshattery with Planned Parenthood, I couldn't resist running with an idea my co-worker had (I was showing her the other kitties and wondering aloud what I should do next and she mentioned pink kitties for breast cancer awareness--such a fabulous idea).
Then my friend told me she was doing the Race for the Cure (big Kommen walk/run on Mother's Day) and the two ideas melded.
Pink Panther Pins (or Kitties for the Cure--though any time I type "for the cure" I think of that Simpson's episode with "the shinning", when groundskeeper Willie hisses "hush boy, do you want to get sued!").
I had to use the most active of the patterns, since a cat sitting on its butt (or even laying down) just doesn't give off the "working hard to find a cure" vibe.
Closeups? Ok.
While they're the same pattern they each have their own personality. The top one is classically cute, with a very photogenic smile and head cocked cutely to one side. The other one is a little more reserved, a bit unsure of his/herself. And s/he has a wonky eye. That irks me a bit but to fix it would be a huge bunch of work that I just wouldn't do. I'd just make another kitty and that's not an option at this point.
I was worrying over the wonky eyed one quite a bit (like was it not "good enough" to give to my friend) and then when I was showing them off to another co-worker (pretty much all of the women I work with are all about the kitties) she snatched up Wonky and started gushing over how s/he was her favorite. So I guess Wonky's flaws are really only glaring to me. Guess that's the curse of being the maker, you see every wee flaw that others simply don't notice.
Anyway, I mentioned they were pins so. . .
They are indeed pins. Nothing fancy, just a stitched on safety pin. And you know I pinned them to my pjs (I made these both last night) and stood in front of my bathroom mirror to make sure they were hanging well (not going all floppy or crookedy). Then I made my wife inspect them, too.
(and you'd never know it from the pics, but I did give them a frizzy trim--man, felt makes so many frizzies, even the good stuff).
They've been well received already (from the aforementioned co-worker who even took a pick of Wonky and she mentioned she was telling her friend about the kitties--yeah, I could probably sell these if I wanted but I'm just not convinced about that whole "going into business" thing).
I still want to make a few more kitties just for myself. In fact, I have one of "the litter" completed so I'll show her off in her own post.
Then my friend told me she was doing the Race for the Cure (big Kommen walk/run on Mother's Day) and the two ideas melded.
Pink Panther Pins (or Kitties for the Cure--though any time I type "for the cure" I think of that Simpson's episode with "the shinning", when groundskeeper Willie hisses "hush boy, do you want to get sued!").
I had to use the most active of the patterns, since a cat sitting on its butt (or even laying down) just doesn't give off the "working hard to find a cure" vibe.
Closeups? Ok.
While they're the same pattern they each have their own personality. The top one is classically cute, with a very photogenic smile and head cocked cutely to one side. The other one is a little more reserved, a bit unsure of his/herself. And s/he has a wonky eye. That irks me a bit but to fix it would be a huge bunch of work that I just wouldn't do. I'd just make another kitty and that's not an option at this point.
I was worrying over the wonky eyed one quite a bit (like was it not "good enough" to give to my friend) and then when I was showing them off to another co-worker (pretty much all of the women I work with are all about the kitties) she snatched up Wonky and started gushing over how s/he was her favorite. So I guess Wonky's flaws are really only glaring to me. Guess that's the curse of being the maker, you see every wee flaw that others simply don't notice.
Anyway, I mentioned they were pins so. . .
They are indeed pins. Nothing fancy, just a stitched on safety pin. And you know I pinned them to my pjs (I made these both last night) and stood in front of my bathroom mirror to make sure they were hanging well (not going all floppy or crookedy). Then I made my wife inspect them, too.
(and you'd never know it from the pics, but I did give them a frizzy trim--man, felt makes so many frizzies, even the good stuff).
They've been well received already (from the aforementioned co-worker who even took a pick of Wonky and she mentioned she was telling her friend about the kitties--yeah, I could probably sell these if I wanted but I'm just not convinced about that whole "going into business" thing).
I still want to make a few more kitties just for myself. In fact, I have one of "the litter" completed so I'll show her off in her own post.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Coming Soon: MORE KITTIES
I'm not sure how many kitties will be in the litter.
One is already completed and I know there will be at least two more.
Soon, very soon.
One is already completed and I know there will be at least two more.
Soon, very soon.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Cuter than your average Ewok.
Want to make your own cute little Ewok?
Check out Wild Olive (here) for a free pattern and instructions.
It's such a simple pattern I think even first time sewers (and/or kids) could make it (in fact, I may have mentioned it to my boss. Her 8 year old son is insterested in learning to sew and this would be a great first project since it doesn't involve a machine or sewing on the wrong side and turning or any of the "hard stuff").
I learned something else today, too.
The actual ewoks from the Star Wars movies were UGLY. I mean REALLY UGLY! How the hell did I ever think they were cute? Their faces are disturbingly human/bear hybrid freaky. . .yeah, just not cute like the little Wild Olive ewok.
Let's just pretend the real ewoks aren't as freaky-fug as they are, huh?
(and yes, I'm going to make my own Ewoks--in fact, I think my cat nephew Lowell needs one for his toy box--he already has a tribble)
Check out Wild Olive (here) for a free pattern and instructions.
It's such a simple pattern I think even first time sewers (and/or kids) could make it (in fact, I may have mentioned it to my boss. Her 8 year old son is insterested in learning to sew and this would be a great first project since it doesn't involve a machine or sewing on the wrong side and turning or any of the "hard stuff").
I learned something else today, too.
The actual ewoks from the Star Wars movies were UGLY. I mean REALLY UGLY! How the hell did I ever think they were cute? Their faces are disturbingly human/bear hybrid freaky. . .yeah, just not cute like the little Wild Olive ewok.
Let's just pretend the real ewoks aren't as freaky-fug as they are, huh?
(and yes, I'm going to make my own Ewoks--in fact, I think my cat nephew Lowell needs one for his toy box--he already has a tribble)
Thursday, May 3, 2012
"Kitty Up" Progress Report
This was the painting when I started last night:
And this is the painting NOW:
Eeee! It's starting to look like an actual painting now. It's amazing what background color can do for you, huh? It drives my wife nuts that I take forever to do my backgrounds. To him it's so backward. And I'd agree, it does make more sense to lay down a full background and then build up on it but I just have this hang up about all the color UNDER the figures, like will it make it harder to get the right color in the end if I have to work to cover up some base color that's wonky? Dumb, I know, but that's just how my brain works.
Ok, now to see what the goal is:
I can see the head still has a bit of a forward slant to it. The front corner needs to be nipped down a bit (the negative space between the shoulder and the chin area needs to be bigger--on the left side of the pic--right side is looking somewhat ok).
And holy crap, what a difference that little splash of yellow on the eye makes. It's nowhere near the right shade or any of that but just having it there really helps set the figures on the canvas and point out what's going well and what's still way off (it looks like there needs to be more space between the eye and the mouth--I need to move the eye up on the face a lot--it really is very close to the seam at the top of the head).
Getting the temporary facial features (Timothy's) off helps, too. Those eyes weren't situated very well at all and it was distorting how I viewed the rest of the painting. With them gone I can focus more on the big picture (shape of head, etc). The head still is a little off along that severe down slope (on the left side). Getting all the "erased" marks (where I had to cover up dark sketchy lines with white paint) helps a lot, too. With the "mistakes" more hidden I can better focus on what still needs done.
The gray shades are coming along well, too. The light is getting light enough. In fact, it might be a little too light right now (but I need to work all the shades before I delcare it officially "too light").
I've said it before and I'll say it again. These progress reports are really helping my painting overall. The amount of cursing I'm doing with this painting (versus "Baby Elephant Walk") is dramatic. The only muttered curses I've indulged in this time around are for legit reasons (like accidentally smearing something) and not merely temper tantrums (I had so many "this sucks, I suck, I hate everything" tantrums with "Baby Elephant Walk" it was downright pathetic and a bit embarrassing--part of it is my general childishness and part is I think "Baby Elephant Walk" may have been a bit too lofty of a goal for my skill set--so I was never going to get exactly what I had envisioned and it took me a long time to come to terms with that).
I'm starting to think about my NEXT painting, too. I thought I wanted to do robot portraits (on oval canvases) but I'm re-thinking that. I still want to work with oval canvases (just because) but I think I need to do something more abstract for my next piece. I'm thinking of taking one of my existing paintings (I think "Jackie and Xerxes") and making an abstract version of it. Kind of like deconstructing it. My wife is doing an abstract painting like that now and it looks so FUN.
But first things first. "Kitty Up" (I'm really enjoying this painting so much)
And this is the painting NOW:
Eeee! It's starting to look like an actual painting now. It's amazing what background color can do for you, huh? It drives my wife nuts that I take forever to do my backgrounds. To him it's so backward. And I'd agree, it does make more sense to lay down a full background and then build up on it but I just have this hang up about all the color UNDER the figures, like will it make it harder to get the right color in the end if I have to work to cover up some base color that's wonky? Dumb, I know, but that's just how my brain works.
Ok, now to see what the goal is:
I can see the head still has a bit of a forward slant to it. The front corner needs to be nipped down a bit (the negative space between the shoulder and the chin area needs to be bigger--on the left side of the pic--right side is looking somewhat ok).
And holy crap, what a difference that little splash of yellow on the eye makes. It's nowhere near the right shade or any of that but just having it there really helps set the figures on the canvas and point out what's going well and what's still way off (it looks like there needs to be more space between the eye and the mouth--I need to move the eye up on the face a lot--it really is very close to the seam at the top of the head).
Getting the temporary facial features (Timothy's) off helps, too. Those eyes weren't situated very well at all and it was distorting how I viewed the rest of the painting. With them gone I can focus more on the big picture (shape of head, etc). The head still is a little off along that severe down slope (on the left side). Getting all the "erased" marks (where I had to cover up dark sketchy lines with white paint) helps a lot, too. With the "mistakes" more hidden I can better focus on what still needs done.
The gray shades are coming along well, too. The light is getting light enough. In fact, it might be a little too light right now (but I need to work all the shades before I delcare it officially "too light").
I've said it before and I'll say it again. These progress reports are really helping my painting overall. The amount of cursing I'm doing with this painting (versus "Baby Elephant Walk") is dramatic. The only muttered curses I've indulged in this time around are for legit reasons (like accidentally smearing something) and not merely temper tantrums (I had so many "this sucks, I suck, I hate everything" tantrums with "Baby Elephant Walk" it was downright pathetic and a bit embarrassing--part of it is my general childishness and part is I think "Baby Elephant Walk" may have been a bit too lofty of a goal for my skill set--so I was never going to get exactly what I had envisioned and it took me a long time to come to terms with that).
I'm starting to think about my NEXT painting, too. I thought I wanted to do robot portraits (on oval canvases) but I'm re-thinking that. I still want to work with oval canvases (just because) but I think I need to do something more abstract for my next piece. I'm thinking of taking one of my existing paintings (I think "Jackie and Xerxes") and making an abstract version of it. Kind of like deconstructing it. My wife is doing an abstract painting like that now and it looks so FUN.
But first things first. "Kitty Up" (I'm really enjoying this painting so much)
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