Time: 2 minutes on Kickstarter
Headspace: Technically, this isn’t creating anything. But I feel like supporting an artist who is trying to self-publish and crowdsource is noteworthy. May we all be inspired by thousands of people pitching in what they can to shift the music publishing paradigm.
Cost: Nada
Time: 30ish minutes. I didn’t walk far.
Headspace: I need to walk around to clear my head. Clearly, the only cure to my anxiety was to grab my camera and roam around a few blocks. I love my neighborhood, and my camera helps me appreciate it a little bit more.
Cost: Nada
Time: Maybe 45 minutes, spread over many days.
Headspace: I have a secret - I am a giant science nerd. I was the annoying kid at the front of the AP Bio class, furiously taking notes and sketching and obnoxiously engaged in the material. I was also once upon a time a nursing student, elbow deep in cadavers (it’s not gross, so stop making that face). I didn’t set out to do a science font, but here you have but a smattering of characters I drew. SCIENCE IS KEWL.
p.s. No need to point out how off the shape of the ‘d’ is.
(Yes, this is a bit late going up. I’ve been too lazy to scan.)
Cost: Nada
Time: 20 minutes?
Headspace: I’m really glad 2010 is over. I felt like a lil sketch homage was appropriate. In case you can’t make out my sloppy handwriting, these are the things I was most grateful for last year:
Cost: Nada
Time: 1.5 hours
Headspace: I love blockprinting, but gouge my hands every time (see photo 2). The impetus behind this project is student-loan induced poverty and a desire to give something to my people. I didn’t have the patience to create a block for the text, but I used black blockprinting paint so it had the same texture.
SKETCH A ROBOT.
Cost: $1.20 (sheet of velum and the tissue paper underneath)
Headspace: I was bored at work. So I sketched a robot on the wrapping paper of a friends gift.
ZZZZZZZZZZZ (Sorry, I just bored myself to sleep.)
For the curious, the gift is the new Adrian Tomine Optic Nerve set. Highly recommended. But don’t tell Renee.
Carve a pumpkin.
Cost: $3.99 for the pumpkin.
Time: 20 minutes for carving, 1 hour for pumpkin seed roasting.
Headspace: I love home roasted pumpkin seeds, and yesterday was the most perfect leaf-crunching, sweater-wearing crisp fall afternoon that merited the purchase. Yes, the pumpkin will be rotten by Halloween. Excuse to carve another one, I say!
Technically this isn’t for me, but for a DVD cover for my internship. The film is about Washington’s suffrage movement. “The Fifth Star” is the title (referencing suffrage flags, in which Washington is the fifth star as the fifth state to grant women the right to vote). When I was brainstorming ideas of the cover, blockprinting came to mind. It’s old timey and interesting.
The text was by far the most difficult element. Not only designing an appropriate font for 1910, but also the lino carving.
The flag motif:
* The top image is more of a test, with the text over it. I decided to keep the text separate for now, and bring them together digitally.
The text:
Next, I’ll scan both into Adobe Photoshop to bring into the rest of the DVD cover.
Cost: $26 (latex paint, handmade paper, spray adhesive, handles)
Time: 7ish hours of work spanning 3 days.
Headspace: My hand-me-down armoire was buttugly. It had these twig handles and a horrendous faux wood finish. I’d wager that half my time on this project was simply wearing that high-gloss, high-barf-factor finish down.
I decided that the size of the piece merited a more subtle primary color, but with a dash of something nice. The handmade paper I fell in love with has a very subtle pattern and soft hand to it. I look forward to loving it for a long time.
If you do a project that involves using a spray adhesive, I highly recommend Krylon brand. It was incredibly effective, but with enough tacky time that I could smooth out bubbles and straighten before it was too late.
Barfy Before:
After:
(Apologies for the uneven photos. The size of the armoire combined with my small bedroom prohibited a straight-on shot.)
In the grand scheme of projects, doing something everyday for a month is a feat. Particularly for me.
This project will now shift a bit, I’ll be beginning a new internship next week and school is starting soon. While this will no longer be a day-to-day blog, I still have many DIY projects planned. Keep your eyes peeled.
