Talk About Tuesday

 

Happy New Year, Y'all!

And just where have I been since October?!?!

Buckle up, Buttercups!

So, you might've noticed that I utterly failed my art challenge this year. That triggered an Apathy episode - I stopped caring about doing art, to be honest. I'm getting back on the horse, but man, I was super bummed. And then I started doing Christmas-Related Stuff, and that... well...

I finished my gifts at 4AM on Christmas Day.

Again.

So yes, I have been working hard the whole time I've been gone...

Except for the end of December/into this month.

My family rang in the New Year by my mom & younger sister plus her husband all contracting COVID.

Since I live with my parents, this meant that I've been quarantining.

And I'm sure you've all guessed it - it's hard to focus on anything except COVID when you're quarantining because one of your household family members - the one who basically keeps everything running smoothly because she's basically a superhero - has COVID.

I've basically been in a constant state of Anxiety for 3 weeks.

Because that's about how long it's taken for her to test negative. I know. It's not fair, and she deserves far better.

Thankfully whatever strain she & my younger sis + husband caught, it was symptomatically mild.

Unfortunately, I had pretty much all the symptoms the entire time, but consistently kept testing negative.

So it's been a weird and uncomfortable start to 2024.

On the other hand, I got some fantastic gifts this year - Z got me that cool wooden shoulder bag that's been so popular (I had one on my wishlist, and he nabbed it for me!!!). I'll be using that with some of the watercolor paints & papers I was given by my folks! I got gift cards for Dunkin and a local bookstore, some of the crochet books I've been lusting after (I GOT THE ONE WITH DRAGONS I'M SO STOKED), flannel sheets, thick cashmere blend socks, and an unforgettably wonderful Christmas with my family.

It's no one's fault that the dumb virus got its claws in some of us. I'm so glad it wasn't worse.

That said, this storm tonight and tomorrow is going to test me.

I HATE power outages, and we're almost certainly getting one. Our wind band is somewhere in the 60-80mph (96,5-128,7kph) gust range, which... alarms me.

I still remember what the roof sounded like when it was torn off by that windstorm so long ago.

I still remember the panic of trying to find things to put under the leaks as they formed on the ceiling.

It's not comfortable, man.

And I feel for my dad - the siding is broken on his side of the house and it's going to spend all night slamming around.

I feel for my mom because this is the first night she doesn't have to feel like a pariah in her own house... and it's during a shitty storm.

I went and got myself a bunch of snacks - Doritos (BBQ and Sweet Chili), Cokes, Nerds (did you know their serving size is 1 Tbsp?!), and Skittles.

I still have the onion I bought for Z right after Christmas lol.

Basically, I am just going to be a little anxious until the storm ends. And possibly beyond, because let's be real, that's what I do. I worry.

At least I have a zipper repair to worry about and keep my mind off of things. I'll have to find a smaller, sturdier needle than the one I started using because it's just hurting my fingers and my stitches are... not great.

And yes, I'm trying to sew it by hand. Our sewing machine does not have good tension and I'd take just as long with that as I do by hand between the snapped threads and the cursing lol.

I might post again tomorrow if we have power/internet. I honestly haven't even begun to think about goals for this year.

Until next time, though,

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

New Year's Eve 2022

 

It's the Last Day of 2022.
So here are the plans for next year.
Tentatively.

I don't tend to do New Year's Resolutions. The world and my body are both unpredictable, so I'm quite hesitant to make promises of any kind.

This year, as I watch the fog roll in on an unseasonably warm evening and listen to the dogs bark, I feel even less inclined than usual to make major commitments.

But I really should write something down, shouldn't I? I should have goals and dreams and things I want to do!

So here they are - my plans for 2023:

• Write every day!
• Maybe I should post a wordcount for my daily totals on Twitter (or somewhere else, if the bird dies)
• Draw every day!
• I'd post the best on Thursdays, but ideally I'd post everything on Instagram?
• Also I should upload more designs to RedBubble.
• Take at least one picture every day!
• Probably gonna be a lot of cat pics, probably will upload most to my Insta.
• Make more videos
• Ideally, I'd make a slide show every so often to show what my total progress, arts/crafts wise, is with a MegaCompliation at the end of December? I have no clue.
• Cook at least once
• I'd love to cook once a week, but that's a rough commitment in a shared space.
• finish everyone's Christmas gifts before December 12th
• Unlikely, but an idea. I have... thoughts on what to make for everyone.
• Crochet every day!
• I'd love to finish a snowflake and work on a larger project every day.
• Figure out a way to sell original artworks and/or pictures.

If I even hit half these goals, I think I'd be doing amazingly. The most important goals are the Daily ones - Art, Writing, Crochet. Everything else is gravy.

I'll be honest - the idea of selling commissions terrifies me. I've seen the horror stories. I've heard of the chargebacks, the fraud, the people with unrealistic expectations. It's why I do my Categories (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Dedbert, Geometric, Word). You can't be disappointed if you don't have final say over the end product, right?

An idea I have had in the past was to offer Blind Boxes/Bags of art or crochet. You don't know what you'll get for a specific price that never changes. The problem with that, of course, would be shipping.

In order to turn even a tiny profit (if there is such a thing as profit in art...) I'd have to charge way more than I'd be comfortable with. And I just don't really feel comfortable doing a digital-only sales. Not only do I not trust PayPal to not be a turd about things (they're notorious for screwing over artists), but I don't know enough about digital art sales to be comfortable selling an image to someone else when all I'd know how to do is send them a jpg or png via email...

I'd love some suggestions and ideas.

In fact, if anyone has anything they'd like to see from this blog, please oh please comment on here and let me know! Since I have to moderate comments, you'll 100% know I saw your comment lol.

What kinds of hopes do you all have for 2023? And how weird is it that 2023 is upon us? It feels like yesterday that I was whining about August heat or March snows...

So that's my thoughts on the last day of 2022. I hope the new year brings good things and wanted change.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which I Am Back!

Welcome to 2022! Kinda a lot like 2021 (thankfully sans crazy people trying to break into the US Capitol!) but a fresh new year when we can do anything we want!

You haven't heard from me since before Christmas, huh. I'm sorry about that, but I've been quite busy! I'll talk more about that on Tuesday, but I've got a lot of stuff to blather about lol.

For today, though, I'll show you a very very nice gift my boyfriend got me for Christmas:

A lovely set of watercolors!

So pretty and metallic/pearlescent!!!

They do swatch up pretty nice, too!

This paint set has 36 gorgeous shiny paints in it. When it shipped, I'm sure it was all in order, but at some point it must've tilted because the pans were in disarray when I opened it up. As you may be able to tell from the stains on the sponge and the lid, I had already started swatching it.

It came with a pencil, a thin brush, a water brush, the dampening-sponge, and an eraser, and I have to say, both pencil & eraser are fantastic! I sharpened the pencil up so I could use it to draw a nice little New Year's painting!

"Happy New Year 2022!"; watercolor & Pigma pen; 2022

I have to say, at first I was unimpressed with the pigmentation of these paints, but then I realized that I have been using pans incorrectly.

Apparently, you have to rehydrate them a bit before painting with them (a quick spritz or drop of water left to soften the paint for a moment before you try to load your brush is recommended). Once I dripped water into the pans, it layered on beautifully! It's hard to see how bright and rich the colors are in that picture, because with how reflective these paints are, the light kind of bounces all over the place! Those feet are super orange-copper!

A very shiny birb!

Thank you for coming back to see my art, and I hope you'll stick around for Monday when one of the reasons for my blog silence will be made obvious, and then Tuesday when I'll explain myself even better!

Hope this year is treating you well so far!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk: Year End Birb

 

In Which I Got Art Supplies And Made An Art!

At long last, it's the final day of the Year of the Dumpster Fire. I'm not going to get all hopeful and say that 2021 is gonna be any better, but I'm glad that this year is finally closing out. So today I made some art to celebrate the final day. Dang, if I was a more thinky person I'd have made a Majora's Mask-based image. Instead, I just bring you something I made with my brand new art supplies!

The Supplies in question!

Both metallic and glittery gel pens!

I haven't used gel pens since probably 2008? So after 12 years of not fiddling around with them, I'm pretty thrilled with what I came up with!

"Farewell to 2020"; gel pen on sketch pad; 2020

I'm pretty pleased with how that worked out! And I can't even see the worst mistake - a blob of black ink got stuck to my hand and smeared on the bottom of the banner where the first 2 of the 2021 is. That's why I included 2021 lol.

I'm really pleased with how the plaid came out, and I think I should thank DrawingWiffWaffles on YouTube for that, since she draws a lot of plaid on her awesome illustrations, and that's what gave me the courage to try it! I think it came out pretty cute, especially considering that I initially just scribbled it in with the metallic red and layered the glitter red and glitter black on top lol.

I hope to use these pens more often in the future and try out some of the cool challenges I see on the internet (though don't expect greatness from challenges, I'm still learning how to control my flabby fingers lol).

I hope that the year did not crush your spirit, that your creativity is intact no matter what your medium may be, and that over the next twelve months, you're able to create and share and sell your art. I want to read your books. I want to see your art. I want to hear your music and poetry. I want to walk into the buildings you design or decorate. I want to try your patterns and recipes. And I want you to know that whatever you created this year? It was worth the effort you put in! Even if it was just the outline of your novel or the barest sketch, I'm proud of you. Even if you were only able to think about your art for five minutes a day, I'm proud of you, because it was hard this year, and everything you tried artistically was important!

I love you all!

Happy New Year!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk 301

In Which I Did a New Years Picture!

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to draw on my Thursday art blog, but not this week! In knew it was a good time to have Dedbert roll out the barrel!

Pencils

I really love trying to capture his expression. He's such a character!

Inks

Here's hoping everyone's 2020 is creative and awesome!

"2020 Fiesta"; sharpie and graphite on sketch paper; 2020

In case anyone was wondering, Dedbert is straight-edge. That's just some Martinelli's with a candied cranberry skewer. The blue thing is a holiday cracker, and he's waiting for someone to pull the other half!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Talk About Tuesday: Goodbye to 2019

In Which We're Closing Out the Decade

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Tomorrow, when you come back, we'll have a nice Wednesdaymania for you (I hope, lol) and it'll be the dawn of a new decade!

This past year was rough, globally, both politically and due to natural disasters and other horrid things. This is often the case, but 2019 felt especially cruel in a lot of ways. I'm not going to get too far into it, but man... koalas... poor koalas.

Anyway, as far as the blog went, I think I did a fairly good job keeping up with everything and making sure that I got words on the page, pictures in the right place, and I was only inaccurate a few times! Not bad, for someone with no journalistic training...

For the next year (and decade - no I still can't get over that!) I hope to continue blogging along, though there may be changes in format or content as the mood strikes.

Looking back, I didn't fulfill most of my goals for 2019, which doesn't surprise me, though I do have a lot of completed projects I'm proud of - especially crochet! I hooked so much yarn in 2019!

I hope that I've managed to entertain you, my few and fabulous readers, and I hope to continue to do so in the coming year.

Also, it's really gross out today, in this area (and many others, from what I hear), so be careful, be safe, and be merry.

Don't drink and drive.

Do have a very Happy New Year!

Also, I finished that hat!!!

I think I'll maintain my usual format for the time being, so again:

• Wrestling tomorrow
• Art on Thursday
• Movies on Friday
• Games on Saturday
• Food on Sunday
• Crochet on Monday
• Blather on Tuesday ;)

See you in the future!

(And how do you all feel about a slightly more 20's vibe to the blog in the coming year?)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC