Life of Art SitRep #53 Whoo, doggie

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

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This week, I

Shot 30 photographs: Star Wars cards and action figures. See them on my Star Wars lens where I wrote a bit about my early experience of Star Wars. If you stop by, take a poll and tell me what you think of the two trilogies.

Installed Inkscape, a vector based drawing program, and started teaching it to myself. (Thanks for suggesting it, Dave2!) Figured I'd start simple so what better prospect than rainbow patterns? Pride, y'all!

Created Rainbow Stripes design and product line including my first skateboard deck, woo!

Rainbow Stripes by RocklawnArts
Browse more Rainbow Magnets

Rainbow Stripes by RocklawnArts
More iphone cases

Rainbow Stripes by RocklawnArts
Browse other personalized binders at zazzle

Made and uploaded Rainbow Square design. Saw that I needed more bleed room once I started creating products though, so I deleted them and revised the design with lots of bleed room. Made products and realized some items as well as the folder image need a non-bleed square. I made a second non-bleed version but found a border error when creating stuff. Deleted those, revised and tried again. "Snap" is not quite as perfect in Inkscape as I'd hoped it seems. Also need to beware early color choices that get painted over, as they cause trouble later so should be deleted. I mention all this just to convey that there really are zigs and zags happening here. I still have another version of the design to make for rectangular products, but in the meantime, several cool Rainbow Square designs are now in my shop:

Rainbow Square postage by RocklawnArts
View other Rainbow Postage

Rainbow Square by RocklawnArts
Create your own promotional keychain on zazzle

Rainbow Square by RocklawnArts
Browse other Rainbow T-Shirts

Made new product description file for designs. Made adjustments to some photo specific text to include designs.

Zblogged, FB'd, tweeted Rainbow Stripes.

Had my Circle with Fire Escape mug featured on ArtNImages, yay!

Circle With Fire Escape by RocklawnArts
Make personalized beer mugs online at zazzle

Learned how to view products by stats in zazzle. Very cool! All hail Twitter! Thanks, @blinkmedude.

Started tweeting various products with zero views to see how it affects traffic. Really I'm doing pretty well considering how few views I've had overall, but to really make a go of this

I need more eyeballs on my work.

If you see a photograph or design of mine you like, please share it!

Removed code line so skateboard category will display in shop.

Changed calendar top picks at top of my store to iPhone and iPad cases.

Moved calendars folder to bottom of shop before rainbow designs to separate photographs from designs for now.

Changed my Rocklawn Arts zazzle store website URL to my Rocklawn Arts twitter handle.

Made 3 new binder templates with font revision, Folio Bold instead of Folio Medium. Deleted old binder templates.

Updated Twitter feed intro/outro's. Finally let me log in, yay!

Submitted products/links to 7 leads.

Sent thanks DM with Rocklawn Arts link to 7 new twitter followers.

Sent Smart Update question to SuperDuper! to see if I should pay for registered copy features. Sounds like yes unless someone has a better cloning software to recommend.

Watched all but first 10 min or so of Creative Live week 1: "Website Makeover with Erik Fadiman."

Listened to GoingPro podcast #23. Kinda lame (for my purposes) since it was all about their new association. Sort of skipped through it since they didn't answer any photog questions.

Listened to GoingPro podcast #24. Actually talks about fine art. A few useful tidbits though not much new to me.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Don't hang yourself with a celibate rope

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Bleck

The most unlikely thing happened today, at least in my experience. I called a doctor's office, registered as a new patient, and got an appointment for a physical on Thursday. (Last appointment I was able to make is 6 months from when I called.)

I was going to write, "I hate doctors," but that seems really harsh. More accurate would be, "I hate going to see doctors."

The office person was actually going to give me an appointment tomorrow until she realized he won't be in.

I'm sort of throwing myself into this headlong just to get it over with, but it has me anxious. Significantly anxious. Grr. Not the best history of doctor experiences, I.

S'pose I'll breathe and try not to be frustrated that I'm stressed out.


A year ago on TTaT: Summer Knight

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Chuck Close, Up Close

7. Chuck Close, Up Close by Jan Greenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another cool, informative book by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan.

Yes, it's a kid's book, but a very cool kid's book.

If you'd like to learn a bit about famous painter Chuck Close, this is a great place to start. The authors interviewed the artist so a lot of the text is in his own words. The book includes many of Close's portraits as well as photographs of the artist at work. His reductive, disciplined process is really fascinating.

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Starting with this review, I'm adopting GoodReads rating system:
1- didn't like it
2- it was OK
3- liked it
4- really liked it
5- it was amazing

My past system was a bit compressed, the equivalent of putting GoodReads 2 through 5 between my 3 to 4.75. If I don't like something though, what does it really matter how much I disliked it? Since I'm not likely to finish or bother reviewing something I'd rate less than 3, I'm losing some of the nuance I could have without resorting to decimal points.

I'll probably still be reluctant to hand out fives, though I won't be as strict about it as I have been. (I'd reserved fives for my favorite books of all time.)

We'll see how it goes. I figure this will be consistent and pretty straightforward. I'm not going to redo my past ratings, but I expect you'll see more threes in the future.


A year ago on TTaT: The return of the owl

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Life of Art SitRep #52 (Often called 1 year)

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

I'm reminded yet again this week that when I really push myself to meet a deadline, even if it's only self-imposed, that once it's done, so am I. At least for a while. Sort of fell out of my intended groove with the beginning of February.

This week, I

Shot 236 photographs. Icicles, snow-covered creek, strategic sculptural snow accumulations. I waded through thigh deep snow to get some of these. (Next time someone suggests snowshoes, I will not dismiss it out of hand.)

I also set up a mini studio shoot of sorts for myself. 7 possibles but I think I can do this better so I will reshoot. I'd rather fix in camera than in post. Next time I will trust my instincts- some of the things I plan to change, I'd sort of already considered without quite knowing why.

Changed Rocklawn Arts store intro sale notice:

Forget January, start your calendar with any 2011 month!

Get 50% OFF All Calendars until March 1, 2011 at 11:59PM PT. (Click the "Date style and options" in the sidebar to change your starting month.)

Use code: DONTWAIT2011

Made Epimedium Flowers necklace:

Epimedium Flowers by RocklawnArts
View more necklaces on Zazzle.

Made River Water Ripples monogram necklace:

River Water Ripples by RocklawnArts
See more Valentine's day gift Necklaces

Finished my html coded products links file. Huzzah! It'd only be better if I'd thought of making it sooner.

Finished revising the product descriptions of the remaining 28 product lines and 7 calendars with streamlined tags and related products image links. WOO!!! Hmm, doesn't look that impressive written like that. There was lots of coding involved, figuring out spacing nuances, and redoing spacing for product lines I'd already revised. Most notably, I met my goal of finishing it before February 1st when as late as Sunday night (January 30th), I was seriously doubtful I'd finish.

Here's the unedited version of what I wrote: "Huzzah! So totally done (for now at any rate) with description revisions including OCD spacing nonsense I was tempted to put off all before February 1 with 59 minutes to spare! You're awesome, kiddo!"

Had my Two Chairs Buried in Snow print featured in an inspiration post on the blog, A Drop of Indigo.

Two Chairs Buried In Snow by RocklawnArts
View more Snow picture Posters

Tweeted several sales.

Made new binder templates with Folio Medium for URL instead of Courier. Hang on to both for now and see what I think.

Added Rocklawn Arts link to 5 lenses.

Updated store page on old Rocklawn Arts blog and also added product flash panels to its redirect post, so it's on front page. Since it's still getting hits, why not, right?

Finished reading Petersen's Guide to Architectural Photography.

Finished reading Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through The Gates and Beyond by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan.

Finished reading December 2010 Popular Photography.

Sent thanks DM with store link to 9 new twitter followers.

Watched "Layer Mask Magic," "Photoshop Cropping Tips and Tricks," "HDR Tone Combining" Photoshop tutorials. Eh, 1st one. 2nd: some useful bits. 3rd: OK.

Read A Photo Manipulator's Guide to Blending tutorial.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Winter water drops

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Petersen's Guide to Architectural Photography

6. Petersen's guide to architectural photography, by Kalton C Lahue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great introduction to architectural photography in this slim volume. It was published in 1973, so it only talks about film equipment, but a lot of the techniques and information are still applicable even if you're shooting digital.

View all my reviews.

I spied this guide while leaning so far back on an Ab Lounger as to be (partially) upside down in my parents' basement. On a bottom shelf in a dark corner was just the title describing the subject I'd been wanting to learn more about. Love it when that happens. It's totally joining my photography reference books now.


A year ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 1

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Icicle Branches

Really doesn't seem like an icicle should develop this way, and yet, here one is. Reckon it's been windy round these parts.


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The Blue Shirt

It may sound crazy, but I have a long sleeve t-shirt that I haven't worn in several years because it's my favorite color and I don't want it to fade in the wash.

But today, standing in front of my closet, I was tired of the dark and subdued, and the intense twilight blue seemed just the thing.

I was surprised when I put it on though. It's ridiculously huge. I got the shirt in high school or college. I wasn't big back then, if anything, I've trimmed back down to those slim times in the past year.

The shirt is a testament to my self-consciousness back then. Don't get me wrong: I'm still all for loose, just not *that* loose.

Just checked the tag: it's a large. Assuredly men's. I wear smalls now –usually about the right fit– and mediums (when brands run too small and from my pre-existing collection. Sure there are still some larges in there, just not large larges.). Huh. Still mostly men's natch.

After I run my blue shirt through the wash, I'm going to retire it, not back to my closet shelf but to someone who will wear it.


Two years ago on TTaT: "delicate slut strings"

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