There have been some technical difficulties in the setting up of my kiln--there are a lot of space constraints, so I've been trying to work through those. I need to find a job nearby where I can set it up, even then it will be difficult, so it won't be happening very soon. I tend to think too much about how to get things done that things never do get done, also.
That being said, I am working on other things in the meantime. My boyfriend found my Bamboo drawing tablet not too long ago that he had bought for me, and I had kind of forgotten about it because I was busy with school at the time. I also started using it more after my coworker Melissa started showing me pictures of some drawings she did, which made me want to start drawing again. I only took 2 drawing classes, and I found them to be a bit of a pain, but I guess when you're lugging around drawing pads that are about the size of you and are inhaling charcoal while drawing within the boundaries of what your teacher assigned, it can be a bit unenjoyable. I've found a new appreciation for it though, at least drawing things on the computer, GIMP notwithstanding (They updated that for the worse, with those stupid sliders.) This appreciation comes from my background in ceramics. The reasons are: 1) There are no supplies to get out and no real setup involved (call me lazy if you want, but lugging around clays, wheelthrowing, mixing up glazes, cleaning up dust in a safe manner, and monitoring firing tires one out.) 2) There are no finite materials (this means a lot when you need an acceptable place for everything, have to keep track of each ingredient in how much you have left and how much you'll need to get.) 3) There are no real limits. (In ceramics, there are a lot of limits. You have time limits, especially for handbuilding things--you need to keep pieces wet to keep working on them--even decorating the outside can have silica hazards if it dries. There's a limit to the thickness of pieces, or they will not dry well and will explode. There are some color limits in that clays would have to be specially formulated for certain colors, and are formulated for certain temperatures. Glazes are formulated for certain temperatures, oxidation/reduction atmospheres, and some ingredients can be toxic, most of them colorants so you have to be careful when making them as well as considering whether or not your pottery is food-safe. Some colorants are expensive as well. Glazes can be volatile in behavior and color.) 4) I can reproduce and distribute copies easily and the image quality will always be top-knotch. (I'm not very consistent, so making ceramic copies might not be easy for me. Taking pictures of ceramics is a real pain too. You have to have a room you can get dark, hang a tungsten light from the ceiling or somewhere, and then lower the light a bit above the piece, and then take some pictures. Otherwise, the colors get weird. The colors turn out ok outside sometimes, but then that looks unprofessional, taking pictures of your work on your driveway or somewhere. Presentation is everything here.) That doesn't mean I dislike ceramics. I do enjoy wheelthrowing once I get around to it, although I'm admittedly not very good at it. I like being able to do somewhat 3-dimensional designs on the surfaces of pottery. I also like that I can then sell tangible, practical objects. But I digress. My boyfriend found another drawing program to use, but I haven't yet explored it adequately. I plan to do so when I get the chance. I was thinking of setting up accounts elsewhere for the sake of selling things. Artists don't just subsist on finishing their artwork, after all. Anyway, there will be more drawings on the way. I was never very good compared to others in my classes in any area of art, and I've been quite out of practice for years, but I did them anyway, because I wanted to.
0 Comments
|