I Used To Do This Alllll The Time...

I used to post cartoons on a daily basis, the last time I was "unemployed". For THIS bout of Unemployment, however, I am actually really busy with all types of work. Perhaps I took the time today to document a cartoon (oh, and MAKE one, too) because I am going to be in an exhibition in May... and I said I would have 20 cartoons of "Cluck 'N' Lurt In Montreal" for that. I am also working on three big paintings for that exhibition... and maybe the cartoons won't be shown. But I'll still make them!

Felt Scarves...

The other weekend, a pal taught me (and another pal) how to make felt fabric out of loose wool.

I know there's a term for it, like "roving" or something. Anyhow, loose wool has been washed, dyed, combed, and not spun into yarn yet.

I really enjoyed making this fabric. I have made three more "things" after that initial eve. The first of these is a thick greeny/orangey/blackish short piece of fabric. I had intended for it to be a scarf, but it shrank like crazy. I can use it as a "neck-warmer" or use it as simply fabric to make a little purse or something.

The second piece was a success... a long (perhaps a little too long) white/green/teal gauze-like scarf, with foam numbers encased in it. I think it looks pretty cool.

The third piece was also a success, I do believe. It is a somewhat thicker yet shorter (and still long!) scarf with beads embedded in it. The colours are black, raspberry, and pink. I like it. It's mine.

These are mine, indeed, but my hopes are to find time in my already busy days to make one scarf every day or so. Hopefully I'll increase my speed at it... so far they have taken about three to four hours each, and the process alternates from pain-staking, careful laying of individual fibres... to all-out physical exertion. I would like to sell these objects. That is why I need to:

a)make them different from other stuff out there on the market

and,

b)make more of them more often.

I, of course, am still an artist and cartoonist and illustrator and embroidery-digitizer... but this is a fun and visually rewarding new branch to my work. Photos soon...

Silly Old Job With Cheese

My old workplace didn't deposit the last bit of my pay into my account on Friday, when I expected it.

We're talking not a huge amount, but enough to really help with this initial push into the lake of self-employment (hey why not take up "serious" writing... haha... I love those cheesey metaphors. Mmm cheese.)

Anyhow, I am going to call them today. If they claim they owe me nothing or find some stupid loop-holey excuse (holey cheese... Swiss...) to NOT pay up, I will perhaps unleash a little blue language (Blue... Cheese... ooohhh...) until they cheddar with horror at what might further occur. I meant, shudder.

Or, I'll just make sure that I will quietly do about $560 (about what they owe me) worth of damage to their reputation, and encourage all my friends and associates to not shop there, ever.

No, won't blog specifically about it because I really don't want to get sued, no no no. I'd be the suing one.

Brie it on! Brie. It. On.

Oh, P.S.: I will post in the comments the results of this silliness, and a list of the cheeses I enjoy at lunch-time.

One Week

It is the one-week anniversary of my being Gainfully Unemployed.

I went for a walk in the park today, balancing on top of snowy bits and splashing through some mud and water in the meltings-ville that is Montreal right now.

I had a nap earlier.

I sketched on some cartoons.

I documented a painting (will not post it here because it is going to be published somewhere... I'll post it after that).

I read some more of "Twilight". Yes, I know.

I saw my trainer at the gym, and she gave me a rigourous routine for the next six weeks.

At the moment I am trying out making Vietnamese-style soup, like you get in those awesome restaurants. I hope it lives up to those restaurant standards. But WOW it's a lot of soup! Yum.

Later on today (after consuming soup, I think) I will paint and work some more on cartoons.

This is a good life.

It's Heeere...

My beloved new pet is home.

Tabley? Tableau? Tabby? Tipsy?

I have to think of a name for my new pet Drafting-Table. Fido? Fluffy?

The good thing about this pet is that I don't have to feed it anything other than paper and creativity. I will, however, need to work out a system to clean up after it. I don't think it will ever be trained... I can only imagine the piles of powdered pigments and graphite bits that will accumulate underneath it. Perhaps I'll need to be more diligent with my sweeping habits.

It took me over an hour to set this thing up... complete with the requisite injuries to my ego, shins, and fingers. Not bad injuries: a bruised shin from whacking a beam into it, sore and "used" and possibly pre-arthritic fingers from tightening and untightening all types of screws and bolts, and as for the ego...

I had THOUGHT I had the table-top installed the correct way, but then went to put some other little arms onto it and my God they wouldn't fit. So I unscrewed everything, and carefully balanced the table-top on my back and re-screwed it all together the opposite way.

(As an aside, I managed to get a foot-cramp while I was sweating and twisted underneath the table-top, balancing it on my back.)

Um, it was even MORE wrong than the first time. So I hung my head for a minute, then lifted it again, and inspected every little tiny drawing that was included in the instructions. Looked like I had it right the first time. Hee... hee. Hee. Right. OK. I turned it around yet again, and finally figured out that what had appeared to be a rigid arm actually had a very very tight hinge on it... so then it was only a matter of time and determination to finish this all off.

I ended up with one too few screws, two weird washers that don't seem to belong anywhere, and a wrench that I never used. I don't know why a drafting-table-kit should have such terrible instructional drawings. Irony! It still exists! That's somewhat comforting.

Well, I look forward to months and hopefully years (unless it does indeed fall apart so I need to find a better one) of drawing and creating cartoons and illustration on this li'l puppy. Names... what to name it... something will occur...

I Should Be Digitizing Right Now

I am almost disturbingly excited about having purchased a drafting table today.

This is, like, a big thing for me. I have been cleaning clutter, furniture, and boxes of "things" out of my life, and trying to thoughtfully replace these things with either nothing, or something that will be helpful with my dreams.

My dreams? Here's a brief list:
-painting a lot of the time
-drawing cartoons a lot of the time
-illustrating things for other people who will ADORE the work I do for them
-writing art-reviews for publication
-making crafty-things, little decorative and creative objects that I can sell online (Etsy! Yay!)
-getting stuff exhibited and published and etc on a regular basis

AND:
a) -doing all of the above and making enough money through all of it to support a modest existence for myself.
or
b) -doing all of the above but making enough to also support a child and spouse. I don't have either of those but would like to.
or
c) -doing all of the above and making enough to support a child and spouse and a huge mansion or castle and also buy an island and have a really cool artist-commune on it.
or
d) -doing all of the above and making enough to support myself while my spouse and child earn a similar amount due to some yet undefined reasons, and we live like kings, and support all sorts of artist-communes, save the world, provide for millions of people, and oh yes we'd live for at least 200 years.

The drafting-table is an excellent step towards these dreams.

Drafting Table and Planning

In the rejuvenation of my interest in cartooning "professionally" and the idea of illustrating things for people for the concept of payment...

I am seeking a drafting-table. I have a line on a very expensive one that will probably be the ultimate choice... but am going to scope out used ones too.

I have a place in my studio/home/big room that I live in for it. Right by the biiiig front windows. I can imagine spending hours there, with drawings, cartoons, small drawings and little paintings for clients. I think it will work.I have space, too, for my big sloppy, messy canvasses and other art-works. The place that I currently use for this computer, and drawing, and eating, and sewing, and other creative stuff... will be designated for the purpose of sewing and crafty-stuff and maybe eating too. I guess I'll get a little seat and a table for the eating, though, so it doesn't pollute the other things I do. I am so happy to think of supporting my life and contributing creative things to the world... full-time.

I know people might be looking to see how it goes, might be apprehensive about this jump I'm doing. I am being optimistic, and, as a co-worker at my day-job (that I am quitting) put it, "You are a very hard worker, I know you'll do fine".

I will do fine.