Making bunny masks. That is something I do.
I also do hipster filters now.
My Frank mask taught me A LOT about papier mache (one of the cardinal rules is “wait till it dries”) and I was able to use those skills here to create my Splicer mask. I aged it also using the stuff I learnt from my plasma ball gun.
Also a hot glue gun is magical and is essentially cheat-resin.
Some of us masked crusaders are now blogging over at Social Justice League!
I signed up to originalbigbang again as an artist and did art for a reversebang (ie. artists draw the picture first, then writers compose a story to go with it).
Still coming to terms with making art on the tablet. This illustration was primarily an exercise in colour.
Click for a larger version!
If you are in Melbourne or ever come to Melbourne, you should go to the Moroccan Soup Bar and get the chickpea bake if you haven’t already. A few months ago I stumbled across this recipe that supposedly would recreate the heavenly dish and I finally set about making it today.
What I got wasn’t the exact dish but it came fairly close (it was less creamier/buttery than the one at the MSB) and with a bit of experimentation you could probably figure out how to remake it exactly. I also improvised on the baharat because I could only be bothered going to Safeway, so ended up mixing up some spices to make an approximation and it turned out fine.
Some notes:
1. As it says in the comments – less tahini, more yoghurt. I’d say half the amount of tahini and twice the amount of yoghurt.
2. Serve with extra (fresh) yoghurt and maybe some paprika.
3. This might be obvious to those who’ve tasted the dish but the almond and crisped pita bread topping is really really important. It’s what makes the dish go from fairly average to GETINMYMOUTHNOW.
NOM NOM NOM
Today I bumped into a couple of friends at the train station and they convinced me to attend a life drawing class. I was nervous at first because I hadn’t done any life drawing for a few years, but once I started it all came really easily. Then I realised that while I hadn’t done any life drawing with proper models in a long time, for the past year I’ve been carrying around a small sketchbook with me to doodle and sketch in if I had a spare moment outside the house. Public transport, lunch breaks, the odd lecture – I hadn’t been to formal classes but I had been constantly practising and improving my skills. My grasp of anatomy has much improved and (funnily enough) also my understanding of how clothing is worn, draped and falls according to gravity.
I’ve had people compliment me on a number of my artistic endeavours; I’ve had people say, “I wish I had your talent.” I don’t think a lot of people outside the creative community (and I use both terms loosely) realise that creative “talent” is a lot hours spent improving your skills over fairly mediocre works. Obviously drawing (swing dancing, sewing, crafting, etc.) is something I love to do and love spending time doing, but I’m always constantly working to be better at it in little increments.
The following sketches range from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. I used graphite, charcoal and pastel.
I recently returned from a trip to Shanghai and Hong Kong where I acquired a whole heap of stuff, including some calling cards that match the decor of the website, tailored suits, and an iPod. I also went swing dancing in both cities and experienced some markedly different styles of dancing compared to the Melbourne scene.
I sadly don’t own a SLR camera (I borrow a friend’s when I can) so these shots are just from my little Canon point-and-shoot. I tried my best!
I recently entered a project where writers wrote 10,000+ words of original fiction and were paired up with an artist who illustrated the story. I felt I couldn’t commit to a word-length like that and signed up to be an artist instead.
It’d been about a year since I last used be tablet for anything significant and I am still very much learning the ropes when it comes to digital painting. The art isn’t perfect by any means, but it was great to devote a couple of hours to visual art again.
The story is a cyberpunk-comedy-mystery. Click to enlarge.
Swing dancing is amazing. As becomemore advanced the more I realise partner dancing isn’t about the steps but the personalities and the communication. It’s like speaking a different language using your body. You need to learn the language first and that can be awkward and embarassing, but once you’re fluent enough you can say whatever you want. You can talk shit, you can use fancy words, you can make it personal and sexy, and corny and ridiculous. Some people you just gel with more than others.
It’s about that connection to your partner and the sensation of trying to click and sync with each other. You tug and push until you find the right comfortable compromise for both people. The most enjoyable social dances are with partners who can play with that connection, and that doesn’t necessarily mean pulling out a lot of difficult moves.
As a lead I always worried about letting my follower down because I wasn’t as experienced as other leads. But the trick in being a good lead is knowing how to keep the dynamic and relationship interesting – and you can do that knowing just a few basic steps. In the end it’s about enjoying your partner’s company; dancing is all about finding common ground but maybe occasionally teaching each other some new things.
Don’t forget to vote everyone!
I also made this graphic to celebrate; you might recognise it as a take on the Greens’ social media campaign.
