Showing posts with label completely random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label completely random. Show all posts
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
eggshell fascination...
Well, I've rediscovered my liking for hard boiled eggs (something definitely related to the minimal amount of clean-up that making hard boiled eggs entails).
I also developed a sort of fascination for eggshells along the way. Not only because they have a lovely shape (which they do), but also because when you break them, the jagged edges are so awesome! (Plus, I had fun peeling off the eggshell membrane stuff...which, surprisingly, dries kind of leathery like). Oh, and I love all the different tonal values in a 'white' eggshell.
I also developed a sort of fascination for eggshells along the way. Not only because they have a lovely shape (which they do), but also because when you break them, the jagged edges are so awesome! (Plus, I had fun peeling off the eggshell membrane stuff...which, surprisingly, dries kind of leathery like). Oh, and I love all the different tonal values in a 'white' eggshell.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
in honor of halloween :)
No dressing up this year, but at least we carved a pumpkin...so that's one quarter of my Halloween completed. There was a pumpkin carving contest at my dorm, and we just went down to eat pie and harvest pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin...but once we finished carving our pumpkin, what the heck, we may as well enter it into the contest. And we won. For most artistic. HA! (i.e. most "special" because we didn't use a stencil...).
A basic design, consisting of two eyes and a raised eyebrow. And very large ears. The ironic pumpkin, I like to say. But the pumpkin isn't really that ironic. I just like that word. Point is, let me present Hugo Rupertson the Elder.
innards + the planning stages
A bright future of yummy pumpkin seeds!
part II complete.
part III, the first ear.
And another...
Hello Hugo, welcome to this world!!
A basic design, consisting of two eyes and a raised eyebrow. And very large ears. The ironic pumpkin, I like to say. But the pumpkin isn't really that ironic. I just like that word. Point is, let me present Hugo Rupertson the Elder.
Monday, August 9, 2010
making paper + a bit too obsessed
My new thing - making paper from old scratch paper. It's turning out well! I started yesterday, and am still going today...my sewing machine is, I think, feeling a bit neglected.
When you make the paper pulp, you're supposed to use the blender. Alas, I do not own my own blender and my mom absolutely forbids me to use hers. As it turns out, it works out quite well just to rip the paper by hand.
First step - rip up some old printer paper and dump it in a large basin of water.
The paper will then soften - the longer you soak it, the easier it is to break it down - and you can rip it further, until it looks more like this, and the water begins to feel thicker and becomes cloudy with floating paper fibers (beautiful, and it feels nice too):
The whole process is rather therapeutic.
Then, using a screen and a frame, fully immerse it in the water so that the little bits of paper are on top of the screen, shake it around in the water to even it out, and lift out of the water. I used a plastic embroidery hoop and some mesh off an old screen door.
My first attempt - not so beautiful.
Anyway, what's really supposed to happen is, once the paper pulp is settled on the mesh, remove the frame and quickly flip the paper over on a piece of cloth (keeping also the mesh there) - then sponge out the water, pressing firmly. (Second try - I added some old red paper - it looks like a valentine!).
Then remove the screen and gently peel the paper off the fabric - and let dry. (I just ended up laying on top of some more old mesh, and air drying - it dried overnight). Voila!
It ended up feeling like a thin egg carton. I shall continue trying to perfect my method, until I get really nice paper. See what I mean? Obsessed. I think I'll be spending a lot more bonding time with my bathtub over the next few days.
Anyway, CHANGING THE SUBJECT, I also discovered the "I Write Like" site, http://iwl.me/. It somehow analyzes your writing, and then tells you how your writing resembles some famous writer. Quite entertaining to use, since it's free and everything.
I discovered that for the arts articles I write for The Tech, the case is overwhelmingly
When you make the paper pulp, you're supposed to use the blender. Alas, I do not own my own blender and my mom absolutely forbids me to use hers. As it turns out, it works out quite well just to rip the paper by hand.
First step - rip up some old printer paper and dump it in a large basin of water.
The paper will then soften - the longer you soak it, the easier it is to break it down - and you can rip it further, until it looks more like this, and the water begins to feel thicker and becomes cloudy with floating paper fibers (beautiful, and it feels nice too):
The whole process is rather therapeutic.
Then, using a screen and a frame, fully immerse it in the water so that the little bits of paper are on top of the screen, shake it around in the water to even it out, and lift out of the water. I used a plastic embroidery hoop and some mesh off an old screen door.
My first attempt - not so beautiful.
Anyway, what's really supposed to happen is, once the paper pulp is settled on the mesh, remove the frame and quickly flip the paper over on a piece of cloth (keeping also the mesh there) - then sponge out the water, pressing firmly. (Second try - I added some old red paper - it looks like a valentine!).
Then remove the screen and gently peel the paper off the fabric - and let dry. (I just ended up laying on top of some more old mesh, and air drying - it dried overnight). Voila!
It ended up feeling like a thin egg carton. I shall continue trying to perfect my method, until I get really nice paper. See what I mean? Obsessed. I think I'll be spending a lot more bonding time with my bathtub over the next few days.
Anyway, CHANGING THE SUBJECT, I also discovered the "I Write Like" site, http://iwl.me/. It somehow analyzes your writing, and then tells you how your writing resembles some famous writer. Quite entertaining to use, since it's free and everything.
I discovered that for the arts articles I write for The Tech, the case is overwhelmingly
But for the rare occassion that I actually write more than a few sentences in my blog, the general consensus is that
I write like
David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace
I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!
I've never actually read anything from these guys. I think I will now. Curiosity, you know.
I also got the random Charles Dickens, Dan Brown, Vladimir Nabokov...
Friday, July 30, 2010
the onion
just had to share this giant onion i sliced up today.
some perspective -
yes, half of it is the size of that large coffee mug...
some perspective -
yes, half of it is the size of that large coffee mug...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
sketchbook time! (almost)
so i got my sketchbook in the mail today!
i love the "kraft brown" cover that is just inviting me to draw, or paint, or marker on it.
and the smooth (but kind of thin...) pages.
and the little pocket thing in the back.
and the barcode WITH MY NAME ON IT.
and my little library card with (get this!) MY NAME AND A BARCODE.
i shall call it my sketchbooky.
or my sketchybookywook.
or my sketchybookwooky.
or my sketchbooky-wooky.
or,
well i should stop with that now.
i am clearly distracted beyond saving from distraction.
point being, i think i know what i'm going to be doing this weekend.
("I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he will be my Squishy").
hint, it will have nothing to do with finding nemo.
i love the "kraft brown" cover that is just inviting me to draw, or paint, or marker on it.
and the smooth (but kind of thin...) pages.
and the little pocket thing in the back.
and the barcode WITH MY NAME ON IT.
and my little library card with (get this!) MY NAME AND A BARCODE.
i shall call it my sketchbooky.
or my sketchybookywook.
or my sketchybookwooky.
or my sketchbooky-wooky.
or,
well i should stop with that now.
i am clearly distracted beyond saving from distraction.
point being, i think i know what i'm going to be doing this weekend.
("I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he will be my Squishy").
hint, it will have nothing to do with finding nemo.
Monday, May 3, 2010
revelations about paper sizes (and root 2 rectangles)
today in architecture class we learned about the four important shapes of architecture - the square, the double square, the golden ratio rectangle, and the root-two rectangle.
naturally root-two rectangles captivated me; not only are they just naturally awesome, but they also gave me a bit of insight into paper sizes (now i understand!).
so to explain the basic idea of a root-two rectangle: it is a rectangle with the ratio of 1:1.414 (or, square root of 2), and its diagonal forms the angles of 35 and 55 degrees. most interestingly, when you cut it in half it yields two similar rectangles.
this is the principle that yields the paper system used in countries that are, well, let's just say, way more practical than the united states. yes, just like how the metric system makes SO MUCH SENSE, so does this system. so, the standard A4 page is half the size of an A3 page, which in turn is half the size of an A2 page, which is half the size of an A1 page, which is half the size of the gigantic A0 sheet...i am still fascinated.
naturally root-two rectangles captivated me; not only are they just naturally awesome, but they also gave me a bit of insight into paper sizes (now i understand!).
so to explain the basic idea of a root-two rectangle: it is a rectangle with the ratio of 1:1.414 (or, square root of 2), and its diagonal forms the angles of 35 and 55 degrees. most interestingly, when you cut it in half it yields two similar rectangles.
this is the principle that yields the paper system used in countries that are, well, let's just say, way more practical than the united states. yes, just like how the metric system makes SO MUCH SENSE, so does this system. so, the standard A4 page is half the size of an A3 page, which in turn is half the size of an A2 page, which is half the size of an A1 page, which is half the size of the gigantic A0 sheet...i am still fascinated.
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