Naked Strawberry

This little strawberry guy is going to have clothing soon. He also will have a friend but right now she's a head with no body.

a much needed makeover - though I wish this involved my face and wardrobe

So.  I'm recuperating from Bronchitis.  And I've barely done anything that I needed or wanted to be doing all week.  I did finally finish On the Road (still conflicted on my feelings about the Beats) and started  Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell of which I have read 126 pages.

Other than that...

Well, I was lucky to randomly become subject of an etsy online shop critique.  That occurred because someone else was absent and I raised my virtual hand. 
I had recently redone quite a lot of my shop photos as I knew for a while I needed to, and finally had a new camera that I could work with.

What follows displays an example of the three part (and to be continued) makeover.  There are more than these, and also more to be worked on.



(hosting courtesy of flickr.) larger version here.

The first column is the way the photos appeared originally, when I was painstakingly clipping out the crummy backgrounds and putting in a gradient backdrop.  I didn't really like them, but the camera situation was making it very tricky to get good shots.  And a lot of these were actually object scans done with my old scanner.  It was time-consuming, with unsatisfying results, but it was either that or not list new products until I had better photos.

The second column shows my self-imposed makeover, when I finally got out the new camera, experimented with natural light by the window, and messed with some funky backgrounds (most were handmade or other strange papers I had).

The third column shows the result of the suggestions during the etsy labs critique.  I either totally redid photos with new backgrounds (they were too "busy" or did not provide enough contrast), or I used a different shot I had already taken that might be more dynamic or eye-catching than the first thumbnail I had chosen.  I also tried adjusting the white balance as suggested by etsy staff.  It worked... though I need to reread the camera book to figure out exactly how to use the function.

In addition to photo alterations, I also changed my avatar from the Frog Prince embroidery (which I was hesitant to do because I had had it up so long), but I agree it's better changed into something more relevant/eye-catching (plus, cat-related). I also edited down some of my superfluous text in item listings.

So, the main lessons learned are:

1. Yes, use natural light.  And in my case, the most successful photos came from a move from the original window I had been using.  That was causing shadow problems all along, and I had been too lazy to move.  Once I moved, it was a lot better.

2. Learn to use the camera (White balance, focus, etc).  Still need work on this.

3. Work in batches.  Saves time in the long run because of set up, etc.  Better for consistent light and coordination of backgrounds.

4.  If you question something... just change it.  I knew this all along, but it's really easy to just settle, or take what you "can get."  I knew I needed/wanted better photos, but I just couldn't find the time/resources/motivation to get it together.  This idea applies to a lot of stuff.  I'm trying to remember to keep this in mind.  It's really easy to ignore out of habit or convenience... but when you know it needs to be changed... just make time to do it.

5.  I need more time/patience to do this stuff. 

real bee, fake bee

I was going to entitle this "Drawing from Death" because the topic is a dead bee I found a while ago and had been saving (for this?).  But that seemed a little too morbid.  However, I have realized in the past that drawing from "life" is usually the only way I can buckle down and try to do something realistically.  Otherwise things turn out all made up, goofy looking or accidentally cutesy.  I need to spend more time drawing from life and/or death.  I'm usually too impatient.

Back to dead bee: it's so incredibly lightweight, and so delicate.  I'm surprised it doesn't float.  The intricacies are almost shocking: unfortunately the photo doesn't do this bee justice. 

And I'm embarrassed to admit that I've dropped this bee quite a few times.  There even had to be some glue-based surgery.



So, I drew the dead bee and ended up using gouache, mica, etc. on top of the drawing. It has some texture because I tend towards chunky application of materials.  I'm going to incorporate this bee into a slightly bigger project I'm working on... to be cont.

image hosting by flickr.

to market, to market...

If you didn't know already, this Saturday, Oct 13th from 12-4 it's Bizarre Market at Chop Suey Books.  Benefiting Art 180.
Visit chopsueybooks for more info/address.

If all goes as planned, I will be there with Halloween-themed items and the usual assortment.  Check out my etsy shop for a preview of some of my goods, including the Halloweeny pouches as shown above.


... Gotta go... more later...

the shared culture of work place drudgery

This is a sample etsy treasury layout I made for a themed challenge.   This one is themed for co-worker empathy and the culture of shared work-place drudgery.  It wasn't chosen, but I found some cool stuff while digging around.
Links to items:

www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6199123
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6150432
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5924754
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6588966
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6622849
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7309828
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6829857
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6963374
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6757208
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7277056
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6760322
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6305436
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6903819
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6411524
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5976225
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=194954


Alternates:
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5950734
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5850147
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6986975
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6324709

I've been really really busy being inexplicably busy and also just making some stuff.  Stay tuned this week for Halloweenish items and etceteras.

photo hosting by flickr.

unregistered cats

I'm not totally sure what the next step will be.  But I have a bunch of fabric screenprinted with Patches as flip cat.  I'm not sure if I want to deal with the mess which has resulted from my crafting frenzy.
Next time I need to think ahead of time about registering colors. 

photo hosted by flickr

pretending fabric is a habitat

This is the continuation of a previous "I love moss" and mushroom related post.

A while back I finished decorating that violin I had posted some tidbits from earlier.  It's for the 50th Anniversary of Richmond Symphony Orchestra.  This is another of those "decorating random objects" fundraiser projects that seem to be going around various cities.  From what I've heard, it'll be on display until October at SunTrust bank HQ (Main & 9th sts.).

Anyway, I enjoyed working on it.  I guess that's it.

multiple views:


Photos hosted by flickr