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Okay, I'm not going to bitch about the Catastrophic Koi Plaque Experiment of '06 anymore. You were all wonderful and very sweet and supportive. :-)
But I've learned something new. No more fish plaques. Unwilling to roll over and admit defeat, I did another plaque based on this drawing:
...and even though I really liked this drawing, and even though I copied this drawing as precisely as I could in every way...I'm still unhappy with the resulting plaque. It just does not translate well into 3-d leather sculpture.
So, lesson learned. Koi drawings = tons of fun. Koi plaques = pain and failure. No more fish.
Anyway I didn't shrink or anything. Plus when I wiped off my bike I cleaned it too, (not by design, but of neccessity), so there's that. Always tryin' to look on the bright side. :-)
Speaking of bright sides, Greg bought us tickets to the Buffalo Sabres season opener in two weeks. We'll be playing Montreal, which is another awesome hockey team, and won't that be fun!!! Can't wait! *bouncebounce*
*smooch* You are all too, too much fun and at this point utterly intrinsic to my sanity as an artist.
But I've learned something new. No more fish plaques. Unwilling to roll over and admit defeat, I did another plaque based on this drawing:
...and even though I really liked this drawing, and even though I copied this drawing as precisely as I could in every way...I'm still unhappy with the resulting plaque. It just does not translate well into 3-d leather sculpture.
So, lesson learned. Koi drawings = tons of fun. Koi plaques = pain and failure. No more fish.
The dragons, however, are coming along well. Better than expected actually. And they're terribly cute and dynamic and big and colorful...I'm kinda loving them. The two trips to Toronto to see the Chinese Lantern Festival obviously paid off, because these new guys are even cooler than my first Cherry Blossom dragon. At least so far. Haven't gotten to the backgrounds yet.
One of the dragons is a commission, and I'm thinking I'm going to use the new "twisty branch" technique I was farting around with on that first awful koi plaque. The branches were the best part of that piece, IMO. I was supposed to do a dragon with painted-on branches with maple leaves, like I did with the Cherry Blossom dragon, but I think sculpted branches are more dynamic and just plain more fun. It'll be trickier to compose them as sculptured structures than as painted on elements...but I think the payoff will be greater when it's all done. The dragon is essentially the same as the Cherry Blossom one, except it's gold and red and I changed the tail quite a bit.
The wave dragon is HUGE. I think I'm going to need a bigger plaque...something almost two feet in diameter. It's SO cool though. I just finished painting it and I'm in love.
And I haven't gotten around to doing the extra floopy bits on the face yet. I added those to the head of the Cherry Blossom dragon on a whim and I plan to do twice as many on these new guys. Extra floopy bits all down the backs too, just for fun.
I'm determined not to let the koi debacle suck all the fun out of doing these damn dragons. It's working! I'm having fun.
One of the dragons is a commission, and I'm thinking I'm going to use the new "twisty branch" technique I was farting around with on that first awful koi plaque. The branches were the best part of that piece, IMO. I was supposed to do a dragon with painted-on branches with maple leaves, like I did with the Cherry Blossom dragon, but I think sculpted branches are more dynamic and just plain more fun. It'll be trickier to compose them as sculptured structures than as painted on elements...but I think the payoff will be greater when it's all done. The dragon is essentially the same as the Cherry Blossom one, except it's gold and red and I changed the tail quite a bit.
The wave dragon is HUGE. I think I'm going to need a bigger plaque...something almost two feet in diameter. It's SO cool though. I just finished painting it and I'm in love.
And I haven't gotten around to doing the extra floopy bits on the face yet. I added those to the head of the Cherry Blossom dragon on a whim and I plan to do twice as many on these new guys. Extra floopy bits all down the backs too, just for fun.
I'm determined not to let the koi debacle suck all the fun out of doing these damn dragons. It's working! I'm having fun.
So,I'm awfully busy with my projects this weekend, which is good because the weather this weekend SUCKS. Just plain sucks. I went for my evening bike ride and got really rained on, totally didn't see it coming (the sky's been the color of a dirty sock all day anyway) and got just plain soaked. Which bites, because then you're speeding home in a downpour and you have five miles to go (the sky opened up at my midway turn-around and head back point, right when I got to the Niagara River overlook...bah!) and so now you're at least twenty minutes from the car and you're wet AND you're making a breeze... and wet + wind = freaking cold. Anyway, by the time I got home I was the kind of cold that only responds to a hot bath. Though, I have found that aiming a hot hair dryer at your cold wet self does work wonders (but it looks ridiculous).
Anyway I didn't shrink or anything. Plus when I wiped off my bike I cleaned it too, (not by design, but of neccessity), so there's that. Always tryin' to look on the bright side. :-)
Speaking of bright sides, Greg bought us tickets to the Buffalo Sabres season opener in two weeks. We'll be playing Montreal, which is another awesome hockey team, and won't that be fun!!! Can't wait! *bouncebounce*
*smooch* You are all too, too much fun and at this point utterly intrinsic to my sanity as an artist.
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It's not that they're stinky-awful...it's just that I hate them. Someone out there, though (probably a koi enthusiast) will go nuts for them.
I can never bring myself to just throw out anything that I make, even if it fails to live up to my expectations. I don't know why.
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If it makes you feel any better, we're supposed to have a beautiful weekend, but Jim's little accident (which I'm going to post about shortly...been meaning to for three days) means no riding for him until the bike is repaired...as for me? I'm going to mail off the last of my commissions and gods help me I will finish at least ONE Hakkai piece this weekend. I don't care if it's 80 degrees outside!! XD
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I'm actually glad the weather sucks because I'm excited about these dragons and I want to finish 'em. Good weather distracts me and MAKES me go outside to play(you see...the weather in the winter months is SO miserable here that I just can't waste a warm sunny day), but gray cold "hunker down" weather makes me feel productive. I'm a freak. :-)
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I'm so glad your muse is in full gear, it must be the gorgeous weather bringing out the artlife :3
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