25 September 2005
Of all the many kinds of slumps a (crafty) person can get into, I think the copy-cat slump can be one of the worst. lacking original ideas, one looks at the creations of others and tries to reproduce the charm in those items, fails miserably, and then thinks of oneself as an untalented hack. I've had a few failed-ish projects in the past couple of days, so I decided to try something new.
Rob and I went to Cambridge yesterday afternoon (oh, the things you can do if you're not busy watching TV! . . . and live an hour from Cambridge.), and I spent most of the time looking at craft/art stores. I bought some new block printing supplies (my regular ones are still in America) and a few blocks of Fimo on a whim.
Sometime last week, I happened to draw this at work:
If only we were publishing a book about funny looking dogs. Anyway, I tossed it in my purse and brought it home, and last night, I turned it into this:
It's sitting on a pound coin for reference, though I'm not really sure how helpful that will be to non-UK dwellers. It's small, and it's the first thing I've made from Fimo since I was thirteen or so. I think it's very dear, but the first strong wind to blow through here will knock it off its shelf, and all its legs will break off.
This morning, I set to work with a new linoleum block. I'd sworn off block printing for a while, because I kept cutting myself when the carving tool slipped. Then I bought a Mastercarve block about a year ago, which made a world of difference, but the store yesterday was only selling the real thing. I used a block of wood to butt the linoleum against as I carved, and I wound up stabbing the wood only once (instead of stabbing my hand), so it was a success.
I tried a couple different methods of inking the block, once using acrylic and fabric medium, once using silkscreening ink, but neither really worked that well. I'll have to search for waterproof printing ink, I guess. One print (slightly warped due to the angle and the folded fabric):
I wanted to make a textile-based incarnation of the little dog, but I'm slightly burnt out on sewing soft toys at the moment. Instead, I opted for something like a textile collage, which I think is my favourite of all the little projects:
It was fun using a 'character' which just happened to come into being from somewhere in my brain, as I had absolutely nothing to compare it with. It didn't have to be better than anything, or even just as good; I could simply do whatever I felt like and enjoy the process.
Anna...you're brilliant.
That's all I have to say.
posted by Laura at September 25, 2005 08:19 PM
That dog belongs to Snowbooks, if you drew it at work, so give it here. Hand it over. Come on now. My dog. Oops: I mean, of course, *Snowbooks'* dog.
posted by mermaid princess at September 27, 2005 09:22 AM
i've heard that in the uk, pocket change is the size of dinner plates. that must be one large dog.
i really like the "textile collage" -- the fern-print fabric is very cool.
posted by erin at September 27, 2005 09:06 PM
Ooooh, I love your dog, in all his forms !
posted by lyn at October 3, 2005 02:23 PM