Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wily Wednesdays - College Caricature
It's self-portrait time! I made this in a college drawing class, and it actually gave me grief the whole way through. Sadly, abstraction is not my forte, but in the end, I'm at least amused by the results...
Friday, May 20, 2011
The End Is Nigh...But Probably Not
Okay, by now you've probably heard about Family Radio's Harold Camping preaching that the End Times are upon us (while sinking a disgusting amount of advertising money into it). According to this particular sect of Christianity, Judgment Day is tomorrow, May 21, which will be followed by five months of terrifying Armageddon for those left behind, and on October 21, the world will cease to exist.
Seattle Atheists, however, isn't going to just stand by while this happens. We've decided that, if the Rapture were indeed to happen, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll be left behind, so we better be prepared to do something about all that pain and suffering. Thus, we're raising money for our Rapture Relief campaign, in which we'll do our level best to provide relief to a world ravaged by earthquakes, asteroids, volcanic eruptions, plagues, and all manner of suffering.
Um, seriously?
All kidding aside, in the more likely event that the world continues as normal on May 22, we do have an honest plan in the works. Camp Quest is a summer camp devoted to teaching children about science and critical thinking, and we want to throw in our support. In fact, the closest camp is in California, and it's time to work on opening a local chapter in Washington, which is exactly where our donations and efforts are going.
I'm excited to be working on a fundraiser for a good cause. I've heard nothing but praise for the camp from parents who've sent their children there, so I'm proud to be supporting it. The truth is, beliefs have consequences, and they can sometimes have disastrous results. Let's make sure future generations don't get sucked into any and every ridiculous idea that gets thrown at them.
If you'd like to help out, you can chip in here:
Seattle Atheists, however, isn't going to just stand by while this happens. We've decided that, if the Rapture were indeed to happen, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll be left behind, so we better be prepared to do something about all that pain and suffering. Thus, we're raising money for our Rapture Relief campaign, in which we'll do our level best to provide relief to a world ravaged by earthquakes, asteroids, volcanic eruptions, plagues, and all manner of suffering.
Um, seriously?
All kidding aside, in the more likely event that the world continues as normal on May 22, we do have an honest plan in the works. Camp Quest is a summer camp devoted to teaching children about science and critical thinking, and we want to throw in our support. In fact, the closest camp is in California, and it's time to work on opening a local chapter in Washington, which is exactly where our donations and efforts are going.
I'm excited to be working on a fundraiser for a good cause. I've heard nothing but praise for the camp from parents who've sent their children there, so I'm proud to be supporting it. The truth is, beliefs have consequences, and they can sometimes have disastrous results. Let's make sure future generations don't get sucked into any and every ridiculous idea that gets thrown at them.
If you'd like to help out, you can chip in here:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wily Wednesdays - Birthday Crochet
Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I do love giving handmade gifts to friends for their birthdays, and crochet is always a favorite medium of mine. Except for the viking hat, most of these were based on existing patterns.
Wily Wednesdays - Metal Nostalgia
(Okay, my original post for Wednesday was deleted in the recent Blogger snafu, so here goes a second time...)
As always, May and June prove to be the busiest months of the year, and 2011 is no different, except that it's notably busier than usual. So this week is another blast from the past, metal style. Boy this makes me miss the days when I was still in school and had resources like kilns and propane torches and metal-working supplies all at my disposal. Here are a few highlights from previous classes. Apologies for the sub-par photos -- I'm not a good jewelry photographer, and I no longer have the first two original pieces with me.
Enamel Dragon Head
This was my first real attempt at cloisonné. Fun project, even if it was a little ambitious for a beginner. You can see from the rough draft that I had some big ideas for how detailed to make it, and that was scaling it down (and here are the rough drafts of other designs I was contemplating). I made this in a college jewelry and metal-working class. Of course I complicated things by choosing a concave circular brass piece for the base instead of a flat one, which made cutting, shaping, and adhering the little metal strips of the outline a special kind of torture. Still, I was quite proud of the result (and haven't forgiven myself for leaving it behind in Ohio).
Brass Design
A design and soldering project in the same college course. I guess this would've been the first time I used solder for something other than a circuit board. :P
Pewter Keychain
This is from a high school class. I made a design, etched it in plaster, and poured pewter into the mold.
As always, May and June prove to be the busiest months of the year, and 2011 is no different, except that it's notably busier than usual. So this week is another blast from the past, metal style. Boy this makes me miss the days when I was still in school and had resources like kilns and propane torches and metal-working supplies all at my disposal. Here are a few highlights from previous classes. Apologies for the sub-par photos -- I'm not a good jewelry photographer, and I no longer have the first two original pieces with me.
Enamel Dragon Head
This was my first real attempt at cloisonné. Fun project, even if it was a little ambitious for a beginner. You can see from the rough draft that I had some big ideas for how detailed to make it, and that was scaling it down (and here are the rough drafts of other designs I was contemplating). I made this in a college jewelry and metal-working class. Of course I complicated things by choosing a concave circular brass piece for the base instead of a flat one, which made cutting, shaping, and adhering the little metal strips of the outline a special kind of torture. Still, I was quite proud of the result (and haven't forgiven myself for leaving it behind in Ohio).
Brass Design
A design and soldering project in the same college course. I guess this would've been the first time I used solder for something other than a circuit board. :P
Pewter Keychain
This is from a high school class. I made a design, etched it in plaster, and poured pewter into the mold.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wily Wednesdays - Circle of Emotions
Oh boy, I'm digging up an old one this week. High school old, just for kicks. In a graphic design class, we were to choose a shape and, using only that shape, illustrate an assortment of emotions and feelings. This is what came of that assignment. See if you can guess what emotion each picture is describing. Hover for the answer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)