Etsy Paper art video
Paper sculpture is absolutely wonderful.
Watch this incredible video from Etsy of a beautiful art sculptue being put together using nail scissors, Xacto Knives and tweezers.
http://www.etsy.com/promotions/valentine-2012
Don't forget to love yourselves!
green grassOn my way home from work the other day I went a bit nuts. The week had been grey and dreary. This winter has hardly seen snow. Everything is brown and dead looking and that's how I was feeling. It seemed as though the sun had gone to Florida never to return.
Instead of turning down my street I kept on driving. I swerved into the Canadian Tire parking lot, bustled against the harsh cold wind and through the automatic sliding doors. I walked directly towards the garden centre, past the piles of unsold shovels and bags of salt. I stopped when I spotted the bags of potting soil. I grabbed a bag of soil and a bag of grass seed. I paid for them and left. When I got home I went straight to the basement. I found old jam jars and small pottery bowls and filled them with dirt. I dumped grass seed on and watered them.
Two days later I had little sprouts of green on the windowsills of all my rooms and the grey began to lift a bit. Now I have bright green grass in every room. It is very satisfying and will tide me over until I can get at my garden
Green Grass 1
three owlsOwl sketches by Saskia van Kampen.
I needed to get a present for my friend Michelle. She is a person who has inspired me to look after my creative side and to get my butt in gear to persue my love of making things. In the last few years we have become good friends, going to craft shows together, supporting each other, eating good food together and ... Read more »
At our Kraft Karavan in Peterborough this year a woman named Susan bought a couple of my 100% organic catnip toys... She recently sent me this email:
"I bought the cat toys for my brother's cats, but my cat (a brat!) found them - on top of a 5 ft shelf - ripped them out of the plastic packages and is still batting them around!"
When I am in the basement sewing up a new batch of these little pockets of cat joy my cat LuLu will get up off her lazy, fuzzy butt in the bedroom and join me. It's that enticing. How she smells it from that far away I will never understand.
The Brat
Duen "The Brat"
Here's to a terrific year.
I have been busily prepping for the winter semester. I like to include inspirational slides for my students. It helps to spark their enthusiasm, It shows what is current in their field and also shows the immense amount of possibilities and opportunities available to them.
I have been searching for excellent examples of graphic symbols and icons for my drawing translations class and stumbled upon Josh Brill. I was so excited by his work that I thought I would share a few inspirational slides with you as well. Let's see if this helps to increase your enthusiasm in this first week of 2012. These will at least bring a smile to your face.
Josh Brill 1
The simplicity is so lovely. Having taught simplification for many years I ... Read more »
Troy Brooks - CybeleCybele. By Troy Brooks.
A year ago I was on my way to a meeting and I walked passed a small gallery on Queen East. If I wasn't such a punctual person I would have stood there for hours. The woman glared out of the canvas and looked right past me. She was divine. Cold, bewitching–she was otherworldly and yet I felt I knew her.
I wrote the artist's name on a piece of paper – Troy Brooks – and hurried to my destination. When I got home the paper was gone, and with it, the artist's name.
The next time I went past the gallery I was on the streetcar and saw the woman again. I had that same feeling when I saw her and I knew that I needed to meet the person behind her face. I made a special trip to the gallery to get the ... Read more »
Danforth Radio
In one week school starts and I begin teaching 2 nights a week again. I have been stressing out and working my butt off to prepare for the 2 new clases that I will be teaching this semester –Type 1 and Graphic Com 1. I brough my signed contact to school today, updated my ID and photocopied all my handouts for the first day of class. No matter how prepared I am I always have nighmares of forgetting something for at least a week ahead of time. In my prep for Type class I have been photographing interesting type in T.O.
Yard Sale
Not only do I need to prep for classes I also need to cook for the year and have been pillaging my garden for fresh tomatoes, beans, zucchinis, eggplant, beets, swiss chard, fennel and leeks. My freezer in my fridge is jammed and my basement freezer if stuffed to the brim with soups and sauces to last me through the winter.
One of the easiest, tastiest and freshest recipes I discovered this year was Jamie Oliver's smashed cherry tomato and olive salad. That's it. That's all it is. Cherry tomatoes, smashed. Black olives, smashed, pits removed. Mix them together with herbed vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil. DONE. So Good. Thanks Jamie.
Tamblyn
Starship4000What does one do to end the summer on a high note?
Go on mental rides, eat deep fried cola, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches with saurkraut and a pickle on the side, Tiny Tom's donuts, drink beer, get the hiccups, go on more mental rides and end the night wanting to barf and start all over again.
Rides
Awesome. Although I did miss out on the corndog.
…sigh…
There's always next year.
FireBallPhotos taken at The Ex.
Detail.August Already?
I just got back from a week off, dividing my time between relatives on Georgian Bay and my mom's Oasis East of Toronto. Both paradise for relaxing in the sun – although Georgian Bay can't really compare to cooling my feet in the kiddie pool at my mom's place.
Here is a pic of the sign I made for my mom's place in the country. Maybe I should start a custom sign shop?
Cabin Sign by Saskia.Scrap wooden plank, acrylic paints and varnish. By Saskia van Kampen
Si Scott Bird detail
These past few weeks I have begun to build my lectures and assignments for my new courses that will begin in 2 month (yikes). I will be teaching Typography 1 and Graphic Communications 1 in the fall semester and Graphic Communications 2 and Graphic Translations in the winter semester. I was seeking out inspiring typography and was on Si Scott's website when I came across these images...
Si Scott Bird
Si Scott Dragonfly
Si Scott Dragon fly detail
Si Scott Dragon fly detail 2
Si Scott pen drawing
Si Scott pidgeon
Si Scott Fish
Si Scott Deer
I didn't realize how much I miss drawing.
http://www.siscottstudio.com/
