Epileptics beware

... Epileptics beware, Einstein is here. That's the rhyme this entry needed but no readers wanted. I call this drawing Einstein at a Rave.

It's drawn using Promarker... Uh, markers, and highlighter markers. Interestingly, I couldn't make it blink faster than this. I had diminishing returns when the loop got shorter than 20ms. I can't even be sure how quickly it's flashing right now, I only know that I wanted it to go faster.

I called this a drawing before, but that's not really what it is. Because it's different on paper, right? It doesn't flash. On paper, it's just Einstein in weird colours. Einstein at a Rave ceases to exist as soon as you close the browser. A precarious existence.

I'm going to stop writing this entry now - at this point, you probably want to scroll away from Einstein anyway. Flashing lights and colours are interesting, but can be a tad distressing when you can't avoid them. The clock is 03:15, which is cause for distress.

Two spheroids in a sack

It's been a while and I haven't really been drawing a lot recently. Partly because of a hectic time in school as well as the mounting pressure of finding a job for the summer, both of which problems are now solved, and, well, just not being in the mood. It's hard to force creativity. Sometimes, it's possible, but for the purposes of this blog, maybe it might not be desirable. I realize that the one period of high readership on this blog was thanks to what was a relatively rapid and consistent pace of entry output, but right now I don't think I have the necessary time and motivation for that kind of thing. 

So here we are. Anyway, while I may not have been drawing, that does not mean I haven't been creative. On the contrary, I've spent quite some time crafting things the past week. Foremost, I almost finished my orchestra uniform. I'm a part of Humpsvakar's dancegroup Rumpskakar, and we've got really pretty bright red uniforms. Mine is still missing a few non-essential parts, but it is ready to wear now. This is more of a personal matter than something to blog about, but I do urge everyone to come see us perform at our 55-year jubilee this fall. It's going to be awesome, I guarantee it. 

Now that I've a lot less schoolwork, I once again have found some time for woodworking! I made a pair of poi on the lathe. Really, the wood material is not great, they are still without a finish, and the surface is quite rough. But that's how I'm going to leave them. They're wooden balls that weigh over a 150 grams (I'd wager) and they're going to be spinning about at high velocities. There's no point in making them all too fancy, they're going to hit something at some point anyway.

They're the perfect size, but I expected the wood to be a little bit less dense. They are quite heavy, and while it doesn't quite hurt to hit yourself somewhere on the thigh or the torso, hitting bony parts like an elbow, a knee, or the hipbone does REALLY sting. I don't expect any self-inflicted damage, though.

It's not the cleanest spin as I'm still getting used to the heavier poi.

I also sewed myself a bag! The seams aren't all perfectly straight and tidy, but I love it. I'm not big on sewing, generally, but hey, it's a whole lot more productive than sitting inside, playing video games. I got to make it exactly how I wanted, the length is perfect and it fits about an A4 drawing pad. Which is also appropriately similar to my tablet.

I chose to make most of the seams visible to the outside. It's a distinctly minimalist yet rugged style. If I could do anything differently, I'd make the rectangular area that connects the strap to the bag a little bit taller. They're too square. They could be closer to a 3:2 relationship, to make it more like a golden rectangle (You know. With the golden ratio. Like your computer monitor probably is. Paintings are usually also proportioned like a golden rectangle.). 

It's a pale shade of army green. The cloth is cut from an old shirt!

microwave porridge

The fish is a symbol of faith, an archetype of Christianity. A fishman is not. I think some would even say it's unholy.

What do you see in this picture? Does it have a fish or human brain? The fish brain would explain why she's walking funny. The head saved this drawing from tedium, but there's really nothing to say about it. Art can be interesting without meaning anything. Sometimes, evoking a feeling is enough. But I'm not sure this does. It's just another sketch from a busy Wednesday evening. It doesn't amount to anything more than the work put in, and the passing interest of a meaningless motive.

One thing that without fail becomes more than it seems is microwave porridge. It requires so little, just water and a bit of oatmeal. Give it a boil and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, and voilá. It's porridge. It just IS so much more than the ingredients that make it up.

I'm going to have some microwave porridge now.