Kaeldra is a Working Woman

Weekly: Feb 1-7 2009

2009-02-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

I may have to initiate Plan B. I have no excuse for accomplishing nothing except that this was a social week. The only drawing I got done was when I was trapped at a friend's house for 6 hours while CJ played poker. He got a talking to.

For a vegetarian, I've been eating a lot of meat lately. We went out to a fancy organic sustainable restaurant, so I had some duck and some amazing boar nachos. CJ had never eaten sushi, so we went out and tried it. At a family brunch, a surprising amount of ground beef somehow "fell" into the vegetarian pasta. I can't say I've really liked it any of the times, except for the nachos.

Weekly Accomplishments

2009-02-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

I was sick this week, so I did jack.

Art This Week

drew footer in illustrator and colored

sketched several decent sketches

wrote half of a comic book review

collaged (shittily) the front of my sketchbook

Life This Week

bought new office chair and file cabinet. Assembled file cabinet. NEVER AGAIN.

went for 25 minute jog! Now I'm sore, my own fault since I didn't stretch

Emergency Kit 90% assembled! Only missing photocopies of important documents and maybe a fleece jacket or something

Weekly Schedule Design for Accomplishments

2009-01-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

In keeping with last week's posting that I aim to accomplish something noteworthy each week (last year's and now this year's resolution), I've come up with a rough schedule for the week:

Monday - Projects
Tuesday - Art (Drawing or tutorials)
Wednesday - Comics review / Beading
Thursday - Art class (Portraiture)
Friday - Projects
Saturday day - Culture / Cooking / Cleaning

Weekly Accomplishment Goals:
1 comic review
1 blog post + weekly recap
2 new bead projects
3 decent sketches/artspeak drawing
2 hours (significant) project progress - I need a better way to measure this
2 hours drawing

These goals are in fitting with (most of) my overall goals for 2009:
1) Significantly expand my art/graphic design portfolio
2) Sell my jewelry
3) Daily accomplishments - make sure I can name at least one thing I did each day
4) Exercise 3x/week (biking to work doesn't count :/ ) <-- this is not happening yet

This is all probably being overly optimistic. But if it turns out I wind up still sitting around reading shit on the internet or habitually tidying (not cleaning), as I tend to do on weeknights, I have another idea: pay myself for artistic accomplishments. And only spend money on fun stuff (like comic books, movies, art, beading supplies) what I've earned.

California Solstice Trip

2009-01-24T01:41:00.000-08:00

I forgot that I took pictures when I was home! I went on a bunch of hikes, apparently.

Wow, Photoshop's "Smart Sharpen" tool is amazing! Definitely helps since I have trouble focusing perfectly with my glasses and all.

Dad by the sad dead Big Madrone.

View of Mt. Tam from Lake Lagunitas.

Future Big Madrone replacement? Yeah, in 200 years...

Dad and I hiked out by the Inkwells, where they'd done a lot of trailwork so it was easy to see the pretty waterfall.

Accomplishments This Week

2009-01-23T13:55:00.001-08:00

As a means to hold myself accountable for my goal of getting more stuff done, I will post once per week about my artistic (and life?) accomplishments.

Art This Week

website: finished (for real this time) site header, sketched site footer, designed rough page layout

wrote and posted Watchmen review (maybe I should post it here too?) READ IT!!!!! Movie's out March 6!

made 3 pairs earrings

made mix CD

one decent sketch (for portraiture homework)

Life This Week

we got a dishwasher! It didn't work with our sink, so I got it running in only 2 trips to the hardware store. The plumbing gods are not pleased

framed two posters myself, and am getting 2 framed professionally !$!!$

Finished Solstice Card

2009-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Follow through!

2008-12-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

I tend, when I'm drawing, not to follow through with many pieces that could develop decently. I focus in on one part too much and get burned out, or move onto the next idea too fast. I thought I'd showcase a few drawings that didn't make it to the finish, but I think had potential.

This was supposed to be the centerpiece of a new layout. I've since moved on.

This concept kept getting trimmed and trimmed. The original idea was for the woman to be wearing a dress lined with ermine pelts, implying that this fellow might lose his head come winter when his fur turned white.

Got lazy, cut out the skirt. Then got ambitious again and tried to get rid of the black outline (e.g. on her face). Too much, gave up.

The bottom image shows my original intent, but I let it sit for a while and decided I didn't like the girl. Again, tried to get rid of the outlines and gave up. Let me tell you, I spent hours working on the gradient for that blue dress. And the fur! Maybe it was the third wolf.

I planned to paint portraits of the main characters in my Nanowrimo 2003 book (still incomplete...). Celeste never got past an outline and sketchy colors. Gee, I wish I owned that blouse though!

This one never made it past a concept sketch. I spent too much time looking for reference pictures and got bored with the idea. I've mostly moved on from drawing pictures of tortured angels.

This drawing features Satan and his wife Persephone. I spent so much time on the outline, doing the frame, pomegranate detailing on the couch, etc, that I didn't have the energy to color it, except a print-out with colored pencils, which doesn't do it justice:

I've been reading a lot lately from this guy that I really agree with: it's time to get down to business and make things. Hey, how many posts in a row is this? Six? Maybe things can change.

Solstice Card: In Progress

2008-12-15T00:56:00.000-08:00

Every year I like to make Solstice cards. This is what I'm working on this year:

I'm being really lazy with this one cause I want to get it out the door, so I'm using a lot of references pretty strictly. Here're the three I've used so far:

Jewelry (Part Three: Classy)

2008-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Classy

These should probably go in 'Victoriana' but I forgot to photograph them! I'll move them later maybe.

I've had these beads since I was 12ish, and have been waiting for the proper application - I think I found it!

These wrapped freshwater pearl earrings are for my Secret Santa.

I didn't make this but I wanted to show off my awesome antique mall find!

Jewelry (Part Two: Eclectic)

2008-12-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

Eclectic

The long-nosed one is a weevil, the other is a stag beetle. These are my favorite earrings!

It's fun to mix pretty, classy metal components with funky plastic crap.

I love how this chain looks, but the squares are kind of scratchy! Maybe my neck is just tender.

These saucer wooden beads I've had for ages.

Chain is the latest medium I've attempted to add. I can't do anything with that "rope" chain (no holes) but maybe I'll get there. Baby steps.

Jewelry! (Part One: Brass and Mod)

2008-12-12T00:55:00.001-08:00

I've phased into jewelry making as a main hobby. I get so tired staring at the computer all day at work that when I get home I don't want to even see my monitor. That certainly has cut into my digital drawing. But boy, someone keep me and my wallet away from the bead store! I've been having a blast.

Mod!

Sadly these are somewhat reminiscent of eyeballs.

I wore these today!

This was wire-wrapping practice and will probably need to be redone.

Brass!

Ah yes, victoriana, steampunk, what would you be without brass?

The crown jewel...the pendant is vintage lucite with a print by my favorite artist, Alphons Mucha.

Next Step!

2008-12-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

The (nearly) final incarnation:

Just need to finish designing layout and coloring the metal bits (best for last...)! Only the left side of the picture will show.

Site makeover

2008-10-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on my html-in' and drawin', plus I've had the same layout for a year and a half now, so I figure it's time for another overhaul, something much more exciting looking. Last time I went for "it's the content that's interesting, I want something that won't detract from it," now I want something that communicates better what this site's about. (What is it about? Don't ask me!)

Here's the header that I'm working on for starters. I'm not great with lighting so I thought I'd challenge myself. CJ says she looks black?

She's supposed to illustrate that my site discusses art, atheism, and science. Can't quite get the adventure in there too. I welcome suggestions!

"Counterfeit" money in the style of Mucha

2008-09-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

I took an art class at the Seattle School of Visual Concepts over the summer and wanted to show off my last assignment: making a counterfeit bill styled after a particular artist. I of course chose Alphons Mucha. Though I ran out of time to finish drawing and coloring the backside, I still think it looks good.

Both bills mounted on bristol board.

Fortune adorned the backside--Mucha likes to illustrate themes and symbols, so I thought Fortune would be fitting on a bill. Didn't go into the concept as much as I planned. The front side is supposed to be Prosperity / Harvest / Summer, take your pick.

I sketched both girls and concepts for the design with pencil and paper first, elaborated the girls in PS, and laid out the bill and illustrated the swirls in AI. I printed it to size (7 x 4.5 inches) and colored it with colored pencils. We were required to use a color scheme utilizing analogous (?) colors.

Here's my original sketch for Fortune, which I traced in PS about 20 times too big for the bill.

Secular Tithing

2008-08-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Since I got my new job I decided to adopt one (typically) religious practice that I think is actually a nice idea: tithing. Not to a church, not even to one particular organization. Each month I am donating a percent of my income to a secular charitable organization. I'm starting out with $50 a month, which is 2% of my annual income; the "standard", it seems, is the 10% of your income, so I too will work my way up to $250 a month.

My motivation? Ultimately, I feel it's my duty as a relatively well-off human to help others (including animals) less well-off than I. Also, it's a way to promote lifestyles and causes I support (e.g. local farmers, alternative transportation, separation of church and state). But I must admit a small part is that I want to correct misguided perceptions of atheists as bad people, and to bolster charitable giving by atheists, which actually is significantly lower than other (religious) groups.

Oh come on, right? No one discriminates against atheists anymore. To the contrary. Hemant at friendlyatheist.com (which I enjoy and recommend reading) pointed me to an article written to explain/explore why atheists were not invited to the Democratic National Committee's Interfaith Gathering:

Democrats will nominate a Christian gentleman who respects others. It’s likely they didn’t invite atheists to their faith service because they didn’t want embarrassing guests. Atheists might bring pseudointellectual proselytizers, who are intolerant, self-aggrandizing and rude. Atheists should fund universities and hospitals. They should feed and clothe starving kids. They should act more like Christians and Jews. If they do some of that — if they contribute to a diverse humanity — they might get better party invites.
I know you’ve heard this before… but you replace "atheist" with "Muslim" in that paragraph and lots of people would be out of a job. As it stands, there’s not much reaction from anyone.

And these are the liberals of the country. :P

Should you like to participate, here's a good list of secular/ humanist/ atheist charities for starters. I started with a local food shelter and the Secular Student Alliance; I think August will go to animals. I may start following Hemant's recommendation to join groups, giving them a donation that way. Global Giving Green also looks like a neat way to find environmental projects needing donations.

[Actually, I just want the tax write-off :P]

Feasting!

2008-07-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

An aside: I irrationally get very annoyed when people swing extremely wide around me into the other lane while I'm riding my bike, assuming they think I am a horrible bike rider. "You don't need to give me THAT much room!" I think. This is silly because I AM a horrible bike rider, and they SHOULD give me that much room. Plus, when I'm driving, I give all bike riders a wide berth.

For the fourth of July, I made a feast: Deviled eggs, potato salad, peanut-butter noodle salad, beet salad with feta pecans and orange dressing, strawberry daiquiris, and cornmeal-whole wheat biscuits!

Cornmeal Whole Wheat Biscuits
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c flax meal (if you don't have, just use 1 1/2 c flour)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 T sugar
5-6 T cold unsalted butter
1/2-3/4 t salt
3/4 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter till coarse breadcrumbs. (Optional: add 3/4 c grated cheese, bake at 425 instead.) Add 3/4 c buttermilk, mix into dry till just moistened. Gather dough and knead 5-10 times with floured hands. Roll 1/2" thick, cut 2" rounds. Bake 10-12 min. Yum!

Kirkland New House!

2008-06-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

Things That Aren't Right

2008-06-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Seattle Transit Authority: It takes me 25 minutes to drive to work. The same distance takes an hour and a half on the bus. I want to take the bus. But my time is valuable too, and I can't justify two extra hours in transit a day.

Dear Washington Department of Transportation: Traffic is horrible stop and go on 520 until the carpool lane ends and it drops to just two lanes. Is this just correlation or is it causation?

Dear Kaiser Permanente: I've spent my past three lunch breaks trying to get a written and not just verbal referral. Your hold music sucks--you need more than three songs, clearly. Have you never had to issue a referral before?

Things that are right: I saw a kid so excited to get to the ice cream truck he jumped an eight foot fence in two bounds.

May photos

2008-05-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I rode a sloth (with Dad's help) at the La Brea Tar Pits. (OK, this was April.)

Robin had her hair and makeup done by a fancy salon who used her as a model.

We had a nice picnic at the headlands after visiting the de Young.

I've created a shrine to Art Nouveau over my bed in my new room.

I visited the UW arboretum on my last free day before starting work since it was a gorgeous, hot day.

A huge patch of the arboretum was devoted to different varieties of azaleas, separated into the historical periods of hybridization. This red flower was from the 60s-70s.

I saw these turtles as I followed an indistinct path along the waterfront.

Saturday, I rode the other direction to a beach with a grand view of these sailors in front of the Olympics. The hill back up was a challenge.

2008 Secular Humanist Calendar

2008-05-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's almost halfway through the year, which means it must be time to post the 2008 secular / scientist / humanist / atheist calendar I made. (I thought I posted it back in January, when I made it, but apparently not.) It includes secular, humanist, national, and environmental holidays and events; natural events (including moon phase); birthdates of important scientists; and some important historical events.

2008 Secular Humanist Calendar [pdf] (1Mb)

Seattle!

2008-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

I've returned to the wet climes of WA, and now live in Seattle! Adventures soon to follow.

Bobcat kittens!

2008-04-18T17:39:00.001-07:00

My internship is ending in a week--as a happy final note, I got to tag along and photograph bobcat kitten surgeries yesterday! The four carnivore biologists homed in on the kittens in their den by locating their mother using radiotelemetry, then after the mother got spooked and jumped the den, we interns and a volunteer veterinarian joined them to implant radiotransmitters in the kittens.

My parents came to visit last week, so I dragged them pitfalling one day.

Pitfall and Desert Photos

2008-03-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

I visited Anza Borrego Desert State Park with Danielle, my high school friend.

One day after pitfalling, our boss told us to take a hike.

Artwork

2008-02-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to an Audrey Kawasaki exhibit in Santa Monica and was inspired to draw. (Also, I somehow happily stumbled upon a Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit! That made my night.)

Mountain Lions!

2008-02-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last week we caught two mountain lions in the span of three days! That makes it sound like it's not that special, but the biologists here have been trying to catch a lion since last May, and in five plus years of trapping cougars, these were only the 10th and 11th mountain lions they caught.

Also, over President's day weekend, Adia and I went backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park.