The City

I know realize this didn't scan straight. Oh well. I drew this paper cutting while I was working, so pardon the lack of straight lines. This is a different paper than my other cuttings, its a bit thicker and holds up marvelously to thin lines. The really fine detail shows up poorly on the scan, but there are very thin lines in the clouds and in the triangular part of one of the buildings.

I had to go out and purchase a new exacto knife for this. I ran out of blades and the replacements I purchased were not the ones to the blade holder. That meant buying a new holder! Oh, that was fun being at the art store three days in a row. That was just a pain, especially since one of the days it was raining.

There won't be too many updates within the next few days. The quarter is wrapping up and I'm attempting to finish my thesis and my art project done along with these "one" hour drawings. This drawing took three, not one, but three. I can't wait until I can sleep in, in eight days!

Down by the Docks

I'm not going to lie, sometimes when I sit down to do paper cutting I simply have no idea what I want to put on paper. Then when I get something drawn I'm not too happy with it and end up winging things.

Well, I didn't particularly care for the docks when I drew the one. Then I started to get my detail in, and well it grew on me. I had to do a bit of taping because I cut something a bit too thin and it tore when I flipped things over. This was cut in white and when I scanned it into the computer I needed a different background, so the black appeared. I think I need to find some spray adhesive and get this attached so that nothing else breaks on this cutting.

Definitely my favorite so far. I can't wait until this quarter is over and I can actually frame a few of these. I would say I'd put them up around my apartment, but I'm moving out soon and there wouldn't be much of a point. For the next apartment though!

Camping is Intense

Lame joke, I know. But every time I see this paper cutting that's what comes to mind. The corny part of my brain wins out.

The reference for these tents was a platform tent from the camp I'm doing my thesis on. I really like this paper cutting, the amount of detail that I am able to get when I fold the paper over is simply delightful! I'm not too pleased with the color, but it's what I had on hand and the tent canvas is usually some ugly color. Not that this yellow is ugly, I just don't think it goes with the tent.

Bow Tie

I had a review again on Wednesday for these one hour drawings. That of course meant I was frantically working on these things all day on Tuesday. Maybe I should learn to manage my time a bit better? Well, I also scanned all of my drawings into my computer, yes scanned. I found out that I have 43 drawings! The three drawings I squeezed in on Tuesday, I did not actually need! 

I wish I would have know that before I lost feeling in my index finger. Nevertheless I really like this paper cutting. I was an architecture major in undergrad and we had a running joke that architects always wore bow ties, ALWAYS. It was required if you were to be a great architect, like Le Corbusier (one of our teachers adored him, so we were all very familiar with him and his bow tie). In light of those wonderful sleepless nights and the craziness that went on I came up with this, a glorified bow tie.

Stick a Needle in it!

I'm not going to lie I'm avoiding working on my thesis... And my art projects... I'm sorely eyeing up the alcohol in the fridge, its sooo tempting... I have to rearrange a large bulk of my thesis and delete quite a bit. Not looking forward to that, at all. But I know it has to be done. I'm also working on my final art project, which I had to take a break from because the permanent marker was getting to me.

I took a break with this lovely little piece of sewing. It's a heating pad. Yes, I know it's small. I'm fully aware it's simple. I know it'll come in useful. I get have a tendency of getting cramps during that time of month. Heating pads feel wonderful, I doubt they help, but I don't object to the heat when I start freezing.

I used some cotton fabric I purchased from the remnant rack. Cut out two rectangles, sewed the suckers together and filled them with some type of beans. I don't recall which ones as I normally don't eat the type I put in there; I stick to black and garbanzo beans. Then I sewed around the edges a quarter inch because I felt it was a wee bit too large for the amount of beans I poured in there. We'll see how well it works.

Until then I'm going to be eyeing up my sewing machine because I just purchased more fabric for a skirt and a dress. Those won't be done for at least another week. I am currently blocking access to my sewing machine with my art project as that HAS to be done by this Wednesday along with more of my one hour drawings. And I want the revised version of my thesis sent back to my professors by tomorrow evening. After those things are done, heck, after the thesis is sent I'm getting into the hard cider as a reward!

It's Just Peachy

Happy first day of March! You know what they say, in like a lion, out like a lamb. This was almost always true when I lived in Ohio, down here in Georgia it's a different story. Well, it's been raining a few of the past days and I dislike the rain. Don't get me wrong, it's needed but I have to bike through it and it's not pleasant! It's just peachy when I have to bike in a down pour.

Speaking of peaches! Here's another embroidering, this time of Princess Peach from Nintendo's Mario games. My first game I played on the gameboy was Donkey Kong, I think. It was the lovely game where Mario had to jump over the barrels to get to Donkey Kong and Princess Peach. That was back when the gameboy looked like and weighed as much as a brick. And the gameboy was technically my older brother's. From that I got going on my gaming. Not that I'm much of a gamer, heck I haven't played any gaming systems in months. I don't have one with me at grad school. I do miss being able to kill time and being engrossed in a complex story, but playing video games would not help me with getting my schoolwork done. I guess I'll just have to settle for embroidering game characters for now.

Floating Away

Over the weekend I didn't have a whole lot of time. I was attempting to get loose ends tied up with my thesis. My thesis is currently 53 pages and is in desperate need of revision. I finished up what I could, I'm still anxiously awaiting from a source, and sent the sucker off to my committee. I can get this sucker revised in two weeks before the quarter ends, just as long as my teachers get drafts back to me.

While I was attempting to sort out my own revisions and adding in more things I had forgotten I was working on this butterfly. I was going to embroider in some orange as that is the color these butterflies normally are, but this took well over two hours. Considering this is supposed to be a one-hour drawing I wasn't going to put that much effort into it. I'm noticing now that the wings aren't symmetrical... I'm nitpicking,  I know. I really feel the need to keep my sketchbook on me and actually draw thanks to these last two drawings. The bug has bitten me and knows I will have free time soon... Damn it...