Yep, I finally got around to finishing it! To be honest, going to Marietta actually helped. I had a vague idea of what I wanted in the background (as you might have been able to tell from the line art), but after going to a small river town, that really stuck with me. The result:
Popsicle by ~Kitsune64 on deviantART
I tried out a few different things with the background, among them custom brushes and textures. Some worked well, some... not so well. Still, I like the overall picture, even if I still haven't quite gotten the hang of rendering a "painterly" background.
Plus, I managed to get a pic up for August. How an entire month went by without me posting a single pic in my deviantArt gallery is beyond me. Oo;; I'm just glad I noticed before September 1st!
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Kit and Coptic Binding
New skill is go!
After a trial run with a card stock cover and ordinary type paper, I've created my first hard cover journal/sketchbook!
It measures in at approximately 4 1/2 x 6", with 120 pages. I used one of my favorite pics, Terry in Flight, for the main image on the cover. Yeah, it's a little old (it was done in '06), but it's still one of my favorites. Behind that, the top image is an old map found in the Wikimedia Commons. Seeing as it was an OLD map, it was in the public domain, and thus free to be used as a backdrop. Below that, I simply gathered together a bunch of quotes that relate to creativity, imagination, and whatnot. They create a sort of visual white noise, set the mood for the journal, and are ones the resonate personally with me. Rather than assemble it collage-style, I went ahead and put it together in Photoshop and printed out the final product.
In almost all the Coptic-bound books I've seen, the spine is open. Either this is to show off the artistry of the stitch, or it's really difficult to do a cover over the spine. In my trial run, I used three rows of stitches, which worked fine, but I wanted something a little more... secure-feeling, so this one's got five. For the cover, I hunted down the backing from an old calendar - you know, the cardboard inserts the manufacturer sticks in to keep it from horribly deforming during the shrink wrap process? Well, not all of them are normal cardboard. Some of them are a really rather nice variety. I snagged some of that (See? Never know what you'll need later!), and with the reinforcement of the Mod Podge, it's turned into a really nice hard cover.
For the paper, I pillaged an old, mostly unused sketchbook for some 50lb sketch paper. Now, the really nice thing about Coptic binding is that it has the ability to lay flat on just about any page without needing a wire spiraling through it. I wouldn't suggest pinching the covers together and waving it like a fan or anything, but the binding does seem to be pretty secure, even if there is a little more movement than I'm used to in a journal.
For the thread, I used embroidery floss, whittled down to three strands and then braided. I haven't done any strength tests on embroidery floss lately, so braiding it together gives it a little more strength and security. Color-wise, the top contenders were blue and brown. Blue won out - it picks up the color in his hat and the text better.
About the only problem I'm having so far is that the first and last rows - the rows where one signature of paper is attached to the next - don't quite look right. I'm using a "one needle" technique, so maybe that's it. That, or I'm not doing something right. If any of you have any idea what I'm doing wrong there, please do let me know!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my little journal/sketchbook! I'll be keeping this one.
After a trial run with a card stock cover and ordinary type paper, I've created my first hard cover journal/sketchbook!
It measures in at approximately 4 1/2 x 6", with 120 pages. I used one of my favorite pics, Terry in Flight, for the main image on the cover. Yeah, it's a little old (it was done in '06), but it's still one of my favorites. Behind that, the top image is an old map found in the Wikimedia Commons. Seeing as it was an OLD map, it was in the public domain, and thus free to be used as a backdrop. Below that, I simply gathered together a bunch of quotes that relate to creativity, imagination, and whatnot. They create a sort of visual white noise, set the mood for the journal, and are ones the resonate personally with me. Rather than assemble it collage-style, I went ahead and put it together in Photoshop and printed out the final product.
In almost all the Coptic-bound books I've seen, the spine is open. Either this is to show off the artistry of the stitch, or it's really difficult to do a cover over the spine. In my trial run, I used three rows of stitches, which worked fine, but I wanted something a little more... secure-feeling, so this one's got five. For the cover, I hunted down the backing from an old calendar - you know, the cardboard inserts the manufacturer sticks in to keep it from horribly deforming during the shrink wrap process? Well, not all of them are normal cardboard. Some of them are a really rather nice variety. I snagged some of that (See? Never know what you'll need later!), and with the reinforcement of the Mod Podge, it's turned into a really nice hard cover.
For the paper, I pillaged an old, mostly unused sketchbook for some 50lb sketch paper. Now, the really nice thing about Coptic binding is that it has the ability to lay flat on just about any page without needing a wire spiraling through it. I wouldn't suggest pinching the covers together and waving it like a fan or anything, but the binding does seem to be pretty secure, even if there is a little more movement than I'm used to in a journal.
For the thread, I used embroidery floss, whittled down to three strands and then braided. I haven't done any strength tests on embroidery floss lately, so braiding it together gives it a little more strength and security. Color-wise, the top contenders were blue and brown. Blue won out - it picks up the color in his hat and the text better. 
About the only problem I'm having so far is that the first and last rows - the rows where one signature of paper is attached to the next - don't quite look right. I'm using a "one needle" technique, so maybe that's it. That, or I'm not doing something right. If any of you have any idea what I'm doing wrong there, please do let me know!Overall, I'm pretty happy with my little journal/sketchbook! I'll be keeping this one.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Things That Make Me Go "Hee... ^_^"
It happens every now and then - say, slightly more often than once in a blue moon: I'll be surfing along through deviantArt, just checking out whatever catches my interest, and all of a sudden I'll come across something Strawberry Syrup-related. An icon, maybe - not TOO terribly surprising, since I've got a pre-made selection of SS Icons over in the Fun Stuff section of the site (although that reminds me... I need to get some of those up for the Dwayne fans out there). Always makes my day.
Well, yesterday, I came across two. And not just icon users. They've also got Strawberry Syrup plugs in their sigs. One's even got a link.
... Yeah. I'm still downright giddy. :D
Maybe it's different for webcomickers with bigger audiences and it's more commonplace to stumble across things. I don't know. But at last report, Strawberry Syrup's got about 90 steady visitors, so when I come across something related to the comic, it definitely still gets an "omgSQUEEEE!" reaction out of me.
Personally, I hope I never lose that reaction. I do, however, have to work not to exhibit my total dorkness by doing something like glomping them through their comment pages. ^^;; Yeah, cuz that wouldn't completely shatter any illusion of cool I've got going.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to hunt down Koni, show her, and resume my Happy Dance of Squee.
Well, yesterday, I came across two. And not just icon users. They've also got Strawberry Syrup plugs in their sigs. One's even got a link.
... Yeah. I'm still downright giddy. :D
Maybe it's different for webcomickers with bigger audiences and it's more commonplace to stumble across things. I don't know. But at last report, Strawberry Syrup's got about 90 steady visitors, so when I come across something related to the comic, it definitely still gets an "omgSQUEEEE!" reaction out of me.
Personally, I hope I never lose that reaction. I do, however, have to work not to exhibit my total dorkness by doing something like glomping them through their comment pages. ^^;; Yeah, cuz that wouldn't completely shatter any illusion of cool I've got going.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to hunt down Koni, show her, and resume my Happy Dance of Squee.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
NaNo 2009: Success!
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present...
Thank you, thank you... Yep, this is officially the earliest I have been able to verify my NaNo novel! As a matter of fact, I hit 50K back on Friday or Saturday, which is a new record for me. Let the trumpets blare and the confetti fly!
This is also the first year I've donated or bought anything from the Office of Letters and Light store, the place for all official NaNo merchandise. Times are hard this year, and even NaNoWriMo isn't immune to the economy. They run entirely on donations and whatever they make from their merch, and they were behind enough to try and do a donation drive yesterday.
Now, I don't usually donate money or buy things online, but you know what? I actually LIKE doing NaNo. I've loved doing it all three years I've been able to do it. It's an incredible rush, and I would sorely miss it if it weren't around. I can afford $10.
More than that, though, is their Young Writers Program, where they send materials and project packs to classrooms across the country to encourage young writers and foster a love of the craft. Having been a creative writing major, this is a cause I heartily endorse. Writing was one of those things I really loved in high school, and I wish the YWP would have been around back then.
So, I bought my first NaNo t-shirt and donated $10. Someday, I'll be able to donate more, but for now, I'm just going to bask in the glow of my donor halo and the warm fuzzy feeling of 50K reached and verified.
Thank you, thank you... Yep, this is officially the earliest I have been able to verify my NaNo novel! As a matter of fact, I hit 50K back on Friday or Saturday, which is a new record for me. Let the trumpets blare and the confetti fly!
This is also the first year I've donated or bought anything from the Office of Letters and Light store, the place for all official NaNo merchandise. Times are hard this year, and even NaNoWriMo isn't immune to the economy. They run entirely on donations and whatever they make from their merch, and they were behind enough to try and do a donation drive yesterday.
Now, I don't usually donate money or buy things online, but you know what? I actually LIKE doing NaNo. I've loved doing it all three years I've been able to do it. It's an incredible rush, and I would sorely miss it if it weren't around. I can afford $10.
More than that, though, is their Young Writers Program, where they send materials and project packs to classrooms across the country to encourage young writers and foster a love of the craft. Having been a creative writing major, this is a cause I heartily endorse. Writing was one of those things I really loved in high school, and I wish the YWP would have been around back then.
So, I bought my first NaNo t-shirt and donated $10. Someday, I'll be able to donate more, but for now, I'm just going to bask in the glow of my donor halo and the warm fuzzy feeling of 50K reached and verified.
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