Day 78 - erased

"Make something out of erasers."

I doubt this is even remotely what the author had in mind. But, since when was I interested in following the rules? I did use an eraser, though. I used a pencil to shade a whole page of my sketchbook. Then I erased part to make a flower.

erased.

Day 77 - wall painting

I went off the books again yesterday. Spent the day finishing up painting in my house. That probably doesn't count, and isn't very creative. But, I couldn't stand the blah off-white walls in the main living areas anymore. My roommates helped a ton; I couldn't have done it without them. We wanted to get it done before the weather turns too cold. The new colors will definitely help cozy up the place for the coming winter months!

"umberglow" for the dining room

finished.

it's very bright!

"ferncliffe" in the living room.

 We decided that the colors look like pumpkin and hummus. Or... carrots and hummus!

Day 76 - shredding

"Work with shredded paper. Use an actual paper shredder or simply cut paper into thin strips..."

shredded paper and torn tissue paper, glued onto cardstock.

in 3-d.

Day 75 - chalk

"Get some chalk and work on the sidewalk near your home."

It's dark outside. So, I didn't think this would work very well outside, unless I had a flood light in my front yard. Which I don't. So, I made some decorations on a little chalkboard in my kitchen.

Day 74 - ear

"Make something inspired by and/or that fits on or around an ear."

How about something that fits near an ear? I fashioned this fabric rosette and stuck it on a bobby pin, and stuck the bobby pin in my hair by my ear. 

Day 73 - a new skill

My internet connection was wonky last night, so I couldn't post what I did. Anyway, it was a throw-back to something from the book about a month or so ago, which I had skipped and was planning to come back to. It was:

"Learn something new. Ask a friend to help you do something using a technique or skill they're good at."

I've actually been working on this one for a few weeks now - learning printmaking with linoleum blocks - also documented on Day 59 and Day 66. But last night was the last session with the finished product. So, now I can say I have actually learned this new skill! I hope to make some more designs sometime soon.

thistles on orange.

thistles in the windowsill.

    

Day 72 - time travel

"Time travel. Make something that seems like it came from another era in history."

tiles from of old.

This might be cheating on a couple of levels, depending on one's interpretation. This is a photo of the tiles on my bathroom floor. Which actually are from another era in history. The house was built around 1909, so I'm not sure if these tiles are original to the house or if they were added later on. Either way, though, they are definitely from another era. I also used Instagram to make the photo itself look like it's from another era.

Day 71 - rocks

"Work with the gravel, sand, or rocks available near your home."

rock flower in a birdbath.

Day 70 - papier -mache

"Create something with papier-mache."

Papier-mache. French for "chewed paper." Yum. I didn't chew up this paper; I just dragged it through a flour/water mixture. 

It's not yet finished, because I will have to wait a few hours for it to dry. Then I'll finish it with orange tissue paper, or just paint it orange. I'll try to post an update of the finished product.

papier-mache pumpkin.

Day 69 - shoes, and a reflection about Chuck Taylors

"Use all the shoes in your household to make something, or work on a single pair of shoes that were destined for the thrift store."

 

These shoes have seen a lot: many streets and trains all over Europe and the UK; the streets of London and Kansas City. I had to retire them from proper everyday use about a year ago, because they were just getting too grubby and ripped up to be presentable anymore. But, it is hard for me to part with Chucks. 

I got my first pair of black high-top Chucks in 8th grade, and didn't give them up until after college. The great thing about that pair of shoes was that my feet had probably grown 2 sizes since I first got them, but the shoes had grown, stretched, and ripped out in certain places, along with my feet. They had been drawn and written on many a time during 8th and 9th grade, but most everything had faded away by the end. Honestly, they had sat in the closet of my childhood bedroom for several years before I could bring myself to get rid of them, as I had obtained replacement pairs of Chucks over the years. Although, I have never had another pair of high-tops, and those shoes could never truly be replaced.

The pair of shoes pictured here became my gardening / yardwork shoes this past summer. I even wore them in the river on a camping trip a couple of months ago. So, they're pretty gross. When I saw the book's guidance for today, about shoes, I knew I had to do something with these. I haven't drawn on a pair of Chucks since that first pair of high-tops. It felt really good. 

Day 68 - numbers

"Work only with numbers today."

flowers made with ones, zeroes, eights, and sixes (or are they nines?)

Day 67 - puzzle

"Make a puzzle or make something using pieces of a puzzle."

 I don't own any puzzles. And, due to an unpleasant experience in kindergarten, I am not a big fan of puzzles. Therefore, I did not have any puzzle pieces to work with. I made a drawing and cut it up into puzzle pieces.

zinnias.

puzzle pieces.

It was kind of painful to cut it up after working so hard to draw all those flowers. But, maybe someone will enjoy putting the puzzle together one day.

Day 66 - printmaking

I did not follow the guidance in the book today. Such a rebel. But, I did go to part two of my print-making workshop tonight! This whole print-making thing is awesome. I had no idea how simple it could be.

I had already made my lino-cut last week. I tried printing tonight, and realized that I wanted to cut it out a bit more, to get some more definition to the image. I will make some more prints next week, from the finished lino-cut. Here is what happened tonight:

cutting.

thistles.

prints.

The green print is from my original linocut. Then I cut it out a bit more (the taller thistle on the right), and did the black print. I could see that it gave the thistle more definition, so I then cut out the other thistle, and will make prints from it next week.

Photos were taken by my roommate, Lizzy. The top one was altered with Instagram.

Day 65 - sci-fi

"Write a ten-word science fiction story. Bonus: Illustrate it!"

they flew across the universe, with the stars whizzing past.

Day 64 - groceries

"Go grocery shopping and pick up something new specifically to work with."

pineapple face.

Day 63 - tangram

"Work with only the classic tangram shapes."

tangram.

tangram flower.

Day 62 - sharpie compass

"Incorporate yourself into whatever you make. It could be by wearing the work, by creating a self-portrait..."

sharpie compass.

I'm still thinking about a compass tattoo. I must be getting closer to the real deal, because I've been thinking about it for many months now. I don't think I would ever actually get it done on my foot, though; I've been told it's very painful. Although, I really like foot tattoos. No making fun of my long toes, please.

Day 61 - woodland mask

 "Create a unique mask with whatever materials you like. Bonus: Document yourself or a friend wearing it."

There are a lot of fallen leaves in my backyard. So, I made this woodland-esque mask. All I need now are some wings and I'll be all set with a woodland fairy costume.

Day 60 - dinner

"Make something with your dinner before you eat it."

Well, I already ate my dinner and didn't make anything from it. But the fact that I actually made dinner, which did not involve grilled cheese or a quesadilla, was quite an accomplishment in itself. I had gotten a bunch of zucchini from the farmers' market the other day, so I put it together with some green beans, portobello mushrooms, tempeh, and herbs from my garden, and put it on the grill. Yum!

Day 59 - thistle and pretzel

I didn't follow the book's suggestion for today. But, that doesn't mean that I haven't been creating. I made a linocut at a workshop tonight. Unfortunately, I had to leave it there to use it to make prints next week, and I forgot to take a photo of it. But, I did keep the drawing that I transferred onto the linocut:

thistle.

I also made pretzels! Some are salty; some are sweet and cinnamony. All are delicious. Although most of them aren't actually recognizable as pretzels. Those things are not as easy to shape as the pros make it look. My roommate fashioned some great pretzel twists, though.

pretzels.

I am part of a pretty great church community in my town, and it is through some fellow community members there, that I have had the opportunity to learn these new skills. Every few months, different people lead various classes, workshops, book groups, etc. I have learned some incredible things through the ones I've attended over the years. It's awesome to be part of such a talented and artistic community, and I'm grateful to those who take the time to share their knowledge with others.

Day 58 - CD

"Mix and match. Work with materials that generally don't go together."

Sharpie and an old CD.

Day 57 - graffiti

"Life size. Make something as big as you possibly can! If it's something representational, see if you can make it life-sized."

I spray-painted a flower on the back of my shed. It made me feel like a criminal. But, no crime-committing here - it's my own property! When I was considering home-ownership, the ability to do graffiti on my own property was not something that crossed my mind. It's just one of those perks that you become aware of later on.

Day 56 - plastic bags

"Use a disposable plastic bag to create something new today."

I made fused plastic, courtesy of this Etsy tutorial, and fashioned a flower out of it. Once I figure out what is wrong with my sewing machine, I'll probably use the other pieces to make a small coin purse or something similar. 

Day 55 - found objects

At this point, I am definitely skipping around in the book. Sometimes, I just don't have enough time left in the day to do what I think of for a certain day's assignment, so I look to the days around and see what inspiration I can find. So, today, the suggestion that I followed was:

"Use only things you find around the bathroom to create something."

a cotton round and some bobby pins.

Day 54 - the weight of the world

"Make something heavy seem light."

The weight of the world is unbearably heavy when you have to bear it alone. When we all share it, it seems lighter.

I was also reminded of the Bright Eyes song, "Shell Games."

"Here it comes, that heavy love

We're never gonna move it alone

Here it comes, that heavy love

Playing as the cylinder rolls

Here it comes, that heavy love

I only want to share in the load

Here it comes, that heavy love

I'm never gonna move it alone"

Day 53 - ad jingle

"Write an advertising jingle for something in nature (a tree, a bird, a cloud)."

Ok, here goes:

Valerian root

Valerian reet

It helps you sleep

But it smells like feet

A perennial herb

made into capsule form

makes for a calm, restful sleep

to be the norm

(I will have to let someone else do the music-writing.)

When I re-read this, it made me think of the "Teamocil" song from Arrested Development. Haha! Thankfully, valerian root is just a nice little herb with no known side effects.

Day 52 - dots

"Make something using only dots..."

....so, I tried some stippling. Here is what happened. I kind of liked it. And, I have a much better appreciation for Seurat.

flowers from dots.

Day 51 - upside-down

"Work upside down. Create something in such a way that you have to rotate it 180 degrees to display/see it when it is finished."

I didn't have much inspiration for this one. But, I do remember taking a drawing class one time when I was a kid - probably in elementary school. And, one of the assignments in the class was to draw something upside-down. Apparently it was supposed to make it easier to focus on what you were drawing, if you did it upside-down. I remember that I drew a picture of Snoopy sleeping on top of his doghouse. It's funny what things you remember from childhood at random times.

Anyway, that led me to draw a flower, upside-down.

 

 

Day 50 - spider

"Make something that would not normally be considered cute and cuddly into something that is."

Spiders are not cute and cuddly. I saw a giant one hanging out in a bucket in my shed today, and it creeped me out. So, I made a cute one out of a mini pumpkin. I don't know that I would call it cuddly, per se, but at least it's cute and not creepy. Here it is....