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Last class! Last day of crits! Today we saw work by AJ, Kristen, Warwick, Sheila, Eddie, Juan, and Justine. AJ made paintings that questioned the perception of folk art, and we had a really nice conversation about what that looks like in the art world. Kristen created some beautiful Adinkra symbols that she hand carved and printed, then played with the texture of the surfaces. Classic Kristen. Warwick has been working on their first quilt, which none of us would have guessed

Happy Anniversary, parents! I almost died on the way in on Storrow where a distracted driver was coming at me head on. The adrenaline set the tone for the day, because I also didn't realize we had to set up by 10:30; it was a misunderstanding on my part, but I'm glad I popped upstairs in time. Today, we saw work from Ivy, Keara, Nivea, Sydney, Angela, Shaniel, and I. Ivy's work revolved around a story they've been writing about Angels and Demons in a Earth setting (80's, ish

I am so tired today. More so than usual. I left around 5 yesterday to get some more supplies for my puppet. This was how I left it: I also made a mock-up of a shirt and sculpted some removable hands. Today, I plan to try dyeing yarn for the hair, wrapping the body in sports tape to prevent the batting from fraying, and painting the skin and horns. In class today, we saw presentations by Juan, Kristen, Justine, Warwick, and Sheila. Juan's presentation was about water color res

Today, AJ, Keara, Nivea, Eddie, and Ivy presented. AJ presented a wonderful lesson on weaving using accessible materials. Keara presented a project about public art and the power of imagination. Nivea incorporated Science and had us make a food chain that had us as part of it. Eddie shared his interest in characters by having us share stickers and buttons with our childhood OCs on them. Lastly, Ivy taught an intro to character design, which was really nice to revisit. I would

Today we were taught by Shaniel, myself, Angela, and Sydney. Shaniel's lesson was about joinery without using adhesives. My lesson was about how to create a paper puppet without showing the joints. Angela's lesson was about how to make a pop-up card with a box inside, and Sydney's was about how to crochet a flower. We all had varying degrees of success, and received beneficial feedback. The feedback I received was: Do the lesson either TOGETHER (do 1 step, wait) OR do a speed

Last night was Graduation, and so today I am emotionally and physically exhausted. I'm at the studio early to try to make something worth showing. I came up with this animation. It was nice to see everyone else's, and it made me realize that I take presenting my art too seriously. I should've just gone for humor; I would have been way happier. In the studio afterward, I worked on sculpting a new head for my puppet and creating a new armature. I don't know how much I'll be abl

I spent my morning over breakfast watching more videos and gathering information about stop motion of puppets, props, sets, and paper. I have to pivot to paper, which I am devastated about, but I want to have SOMETHING I am proud to present. I spent our meeting time redrawing the keyframes/storyboard in Procreate and created this GIF. I skipped the scenes that would have been with the puppet. I've been playing with paper, trying to troubleshoot how to get things to move... It

Today was a wash. We spent time talking about grants, which is important. We spent time sharing resources about puppets and artists, which is important. But my mind has been RACING for days now since I thought of making a stop motion video. I've been scouring resources, watching tutorials, writing a script and drawing a storyboard. I made the plan to have the "present day" show the puppet and a set, while flashbacks will be with paper stop motion. Today, I sculpted the head a

Puppets. Doppelgängers. Sleepiness. Foam, everywhere. As I work on my puppet, I feel frustrated that it is so big and that I don't have access to more materials like cardboard or straws. It makes me want to default to my comfort zone, which is sculpting versus shaping foam/fabric. Tomorrow, I will bring sculpey. One of my favorite artists is Red Nose Studio, and I want to emulate that style in whatever I create. I was thnking about Doppleganger and the other things I put myse

Today, my school is having Field Day and the annual kickball game which I am sad to miss. Usually, I'm the pitcher because I'm not great with catching/running, and it's a great time all around for kids and staff alike. I wonder how everyone is doing? Today I am working on my personal projects, doing some more grading, and finishing my kitbash as much as possible. I hope to paint them to look.... better. They're just sort of "meh" right now. At the end of the day, I managed to

Today in the studio, I am focusing on lesson plans for class. Outside of this, I have a lot of grades and comments to add on PowerSchool for my job at MCCPS. It's almost the end of the year, and there is so much to do for exhibition, graduation, and for my own closure. I miss my kids. After any paperwork, I will be working on personal projects. I've been practicing painting a self-portrait because it's been years since I've made one, and I want to explore feelings through han

Today we tried "kitbashing", which traditionally came from people who made model trains and would combine different "kits" to create unique trains from the stock models. In this case, we had access to a bunch of different supplies, and I found myself struggling from beginning to end. Barrington observed that I must be a planner, someone who needs direction to start, and I agreed. I have a hard time ideating without a clear vision, because it feels like a waste of time otherwi

Today I got to my studio early to finish "Youth and the Floating Worlds". Having a professor with a similar creative background (illustration) has unlocked a little more ideating for me. I'm finding that coming up with cohesive lessons isn't as daunting as it used to be. I created a mobile of things I spend my time on, including media, things I keep alive, and tasks. Class was, again, arduous. I have a hard time sitting still and listening for that long, especially without a

Today was our first day of Concepts and Processes. We received our studio assignments, met classmates and teachers, and had our first lecture. What I liked about this class so far was Professor Barrington's energy. He and I have similar styles, and I am looking forward to what he has planned. What I did not like was being lectured at for hours. My ADHD plus my allergies plus not enough food or sleep caught up to me and it was torturous. I'm sure I looked haggard and miserable