Archive for ‘creative inspiration’
Yay Steampunkery! I've always been a bit enamored with Steampunk things whether it be fantasy, fashion or functional. Basically, the concept is a melding of design from yester-year with technology from tomorrow. I've wanted to make steampunk stuff for a long time now, but I get too caught up in creating designs with "actual function" rather than just making some art. I can't just go sticking gears and watch-parts together with clay... or... can I? My wife bought me a book called Steampunkery: polymer clay and mixed media projects. It's unquestionably very thoughtful but I couldn't help but feel that it's concepts were a bit... beneath me. I spend weeks and months on my sculptures. Many of the projects in this book can be done in one sitting, using techniques that include just sticking gears and watch parts together with clay. There's a lesson to be learned here. I'm not...
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Having recently celebrated our son's 2nd birthday, I was reflecting on one of the effects the boy and I have had on each other. Over the past 2 years he's shown a growing fascination in dinosaurs via books, toys, shows and such. He can't write his name yet but he can point out and tell you what's a Troodon (tro-adon), Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, and a Pterodactyl AND he told me just today that he can speak Whale. Over the past 2 years my son has caused me to unearth my own fossilized interest in dinosaurs too. Come to think of it, as far back as I can remember (which is still a few years older than he is now) dinosaurs have always brought out an audible "wow" in me. Is it merely coincidence that my only "ink" is of a dragon behind my shoulder? Only if it's merely coincidence...
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Back when I had time to kill, and babies were things only other people had, I discovered an art term that had me at "hello": Papercraft. It's like origami but without all the rules; you can cut, tape and glue all day long. Similar to origami, the models come in a range of difficulties of which you can lose your mind on a step or two. There are tons of papercraft models you can buy on the internet to print and assemble. If buying art on the internet is your thing...well... have you seen my shop? If freebies are more your style there're a plethora of free papercraft models as well... and... have you seen my shop? Those of you familiar with Papercraft may know it as Pepakura or "Pep" for short. If you REALLY are familiar with it, then chances are good you live in Japan and Europe. Here...
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As a sculptor trying to keep a steady blog rolling, at times I find myself sculpting more than I can keep up with writing about and at other times I'm able to write more than I can sculpt about. Luckily, the truth about the latter (for me) is that there is an element of art in most everything I do and usually... I do a lot of yard word. Yard work was a key element during this March Madness Mentally Challenged March. Landscaping combines two of my top fortes: art and manual labor. Besides working around the house and in my own yard in preparation for brother's and brothers-in-law's visits I've had the pleasure of working on my grandparent's yard with a man who genuinely seems to know a lot about South Florida plants: David McLean. Don't believe me... this is he! His know-how took all the guesswork out of the...
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Mwaah hahahahaa! As you may recall, there were "projects and more projects..." during this Mentally Challenging March. Did you know that I was freaky, baby? I made a tumorous-eyed-thingy lighter case for a disposable lighter. Since then, I've detailed it further by dry brushing red and black pastel powder sparingly... and did I mention sparingly? I've explained in the past how I apply pastel powder to weather a robotic cyborg from the future to make it look more rugged (for the ladies), but never on a piece so pink and wrinkly. It's surprisingly similar, just different colors really, but I applied them more sparingly. Here's a link to it if you're curious; it's only a robotic cyborg from the future. That's all. First, I brushed the red pastel powder into the corners of the eyes, then other areas where the skin looked "extra tender". I followed the red with a...
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