experiments in dyeing with vegetables and etc.

so. it is nearing the time where i freak out about the upcoming show and put my nervous energy into random and unnecessary experiments. the onion-skin silk-dying experiment was a success. the "i'm going to melt all the old candle bits down and make new candles" experiment was much much less successful (read: wax all over my kitchen counter, as it drained out of the poorly-constructed "molds"- resulting in two mildly misshapen blueish candles that may or may not burn correctly.) So! i will show you photos of the fun process of dyeing fabric with the dry crumbly skins of yellow onions. it makes the house smell like soup.

you start by gathering as many onion skins as possible- just the outermost layers. this is about a 24 oz. jar, stuffed full!

then you fill a pot with water, get it a-boilin', then put your onions in- you can see from where the spatula is in the water, it dyes the water almost instantly, but for a good dyebath, let your onions simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes - it turns an incredible red-orange color. then remove your onions- you are really supposed to keep them contained in a cheesecloth bag or the like, but who has cheesecloth just layin' around, right?

then you should rinse your fabric, and, while it is still wet, dip or submerge it in the dye- i used Habotai silk scarves, which already had rolled, hemmed edges. . . fancy!

I wanted a dip-dyed effect, so...i just dipped it in. this was my first attempt, so i didn't want to try something too crazy. let this simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes, or until you like the color- but remember that it dries a lot lighter.

and here they are! i did two- the first one is on the right, the second one i dyed twice, as its first pass was not dark enough for my liking. below are some shots in different light- the color turned out really nicely, i think- the top photo is the most accurate, color-wise. the scarf on the left now lives in Switzerland with my lovely friend Danielle, a bit of California sun to bring with her to the deep winter mountains! As far as permanence of color, we shall see- i didn't use any mordant (such as salt or alum) as most online tutorials involving onions said that it lasts well without fixative. i definitely won't be washing these in the machine, but...they are silk, so i wouldn't anyway. as a side note, the don't smell like onions, which is good. i rinsed them in cold water after their onion soup bath, and put a bit of laundry detergent in to get any extra dye out- it seemed to brighten the color a bit, which was nice.

 

oo also i kept the remaining "dye", and, as mentioned before, its a beautiful color and i couldn't resist taking a photo in the sunshine.

  

in less onion-related news, here are some in-progress shots of some pieces that are almost done, yay!

 

 and, an obligatory Pocket photo.

she was not amused by the onion thing, and kept lying in my path.

the end. <3

animation station!

soo i am excited about this, i recently learned (approximately a few minutes ago) how to make an animated .gif ! here it is. 

also, i finished that piece. yay.

cameo appearances

 

happy new year! since the world hasn't come to an end just yet, here's an update of new pieces I'm working on for my upcoming show at WWA Gallery in February! time is passing...ahh!

 

and, for funzies, a photo of a walk out onto the marsh in the Bay Area, which was lovely and chilly and full of birds quietly flying by

and my little table on new years eve, which was eventually filled with delicious snacks and bon bons and good friends' resting glasses of spirits

sculptures sculptures rah rah rah!

update, go!

 some tiny wood floors i made for a new sculpture...

the final product of my sculpting class! sad its over, but i learned so much.

 silly, but i was really excited to drive by a giant fallen branch off of a very giant old pine tree- i snuck a couple little branches to bring some holiday cheer to a corner of my apartment. decorated with mini ornaments and random sequined trim. pocket loves it. i'm surprised she hasn't eaten the entire thing yet.

 and here's where i'm at tonight with this sculpture- the top halves of the ladies are sculpted, with the bottoms being made with my new favorite material- fabric medical tape- and the remnants a pillow's stuffing. lacy magic costumes to follow.

working away

 my workspace, in the beginning stage of making this new piece- you can see the armature, which has been covered with aluminum foil, and then masking tape to keep it in line. also always around, sketches, and my notes on proportion and anatomy, and, of course, coffee.

 pocket, who takes very detailed notes on the comings and goings of the birds, and the squirrel that daily runs along the fence outside the window, tempting her. one time it had a walnut.

 here is the piece, part-way through, unbaked

 this is my class study- this is after the third week, we have one more week of sculpting. i think i am going to take this class again, if i can. its so interesting to spend so much time, with the live model in front of you, concentrating on muscles, structure, and all that goodness.

 here is the sculpture, baked and ready for paint

 and here is a sneak of the painted sculpture. i am still deciding if she'll have hair or if the background will have dimensional bits. we shall see.

 and here are the cameos, which i still have a bit of work to do on.

this was a rather productive, yet mostly antisocial, weekend/week.

in the midst

 so i'm in the process of starting and sketching some new pieces, i thought i'd show a little taste of what that looks like

 

 these are a few of a series of "cameos" that i'm working on, 

i have a number of these little wooden plaques, hopefully i can finish all of them:

 

and here is one with the first coat of paint...she's not quite so wall-eyed anymore..

and here are some sketches and my little list of inspirational ideas, quotes and random phrases, typed on my mother's teal typewriter. things are more important and sincere when you type them on a typewriter, right?

 

ok, now...back to thinking and planning!

sketches, sculptures, teasers and a paartridge in a pear treeeee

so! here are some things i've made recently and 

some things ive been working on that aren't quite finished:

 the above and below photos are of my sculpture i'm working on in my class at Santa Monica College- which has been super helpful, the teacher, David Simon, knows everything about anatomy. 

the "before"s were all taken at the beginning of the 3rd session of this pose (i wish i had pictures from the beginning, but i didn't think of it at the time, garsh darnit) The "afters" are 5 hours later.. i still have two more 5-hour sessions to work on this sculpture. phew. she'll get some boobs by then, most likely.

 next up, a partridge puppet that i made for BoomKat Dance Theatre's holiday show, "Stations", which is showing in Santa Monica at the Miles Memorial Playhouse! The show runs Nov. 26th to Dec. 30th- go see it! these guys put on some amazing shows, with impressive dancing, singing and general magnificence. More info HERE

(fun fact: the partridge poops repeatedly on someone in the show.)

(which is why he's got that evil look in his eye.)

 












also, last night i randomly went to a sketch night at Gnoman School in Hollywood, where my good buddy Alyssa is taking classes- they had a number of steampunky babes lounging about for the drawing pleasure of a good crowd! and free soda. these two factors mean i'm going back again as soon as possible.
  the event was put on by them Gallery Girls, who bring the lovely all around LA.

ps: thanks to alyssa for letting me borrow her pencils.

 

and, finally, a little teaser of a new piece i'm working on for an upcoming show 

at WWA gallery in Culver City...

super long post! bam!