Mutoscope

This is Brynne:

Isn't she the best?

She was my inspiration for this recent piece. It's a mutoscope. Just like the old timey "video/flip books" that you would see at carnivals and boardwalks. Mine is made from cherry and a cardboard tube. As you turn the old fishing reel handle the cards flip and make a little show of Brynne running around. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Numbers

Again, I like to save money, and give gifts that have a personal touch. These numbers I saw in a magazine a while back, and managed to paint them in just a couple hours (the rest are after the break):

Vintage Card Mosaic

For my girlfriend I had gone to the flea market to pick up used post cards and then painted Van Gogh's olive grove on the front. The back still displays the original message that was written decades ago.

I just need to find a way to hang it. 

Recycled Junk Mail Art

I came across these online which are made from recycled junk mail. I drew the tear drop shapes first and then cut them out and glued them to a piece a paper and framed it. Ta-DA!

Lightening Bugs in a Jar

As I have said before, I often find something in a magazine or online and figure I can make it myself. Here is my version of lightening bugs in a jar:

And the lid:

Gates

The following posts are items that I have made as gifts.

I received a wire bender from Duluth trading, which mind you is one of the cooler magazines I receive. I used said bender to make the wire fence:

The other three are simply made from wood, with copper plating for the hinges, and bent wire for the hooks.

Thank You

I had come across this website which shows you how to make a very impressive thank you note. Below is my attempt at recreating the awesomeness.

A Photoshop Collection

Here are a handful of photoshop projects I have just messed around with:

Tiffany Lava Lamp

This was the inspiration for Tiffany Lava Lamp. I currently do not know how to stain glass, so I used the next best thing. I found liquid stain glass at my local craft store and it works just great. First I had tried to paint the emptied lava lamp, but that just looked like pained glass, and that does not look like stained glass. I am happy with the end result and I'd like to share it with you. I also sprayed the plastic base and cap with a spray paint that makes it look like hammered metal. All in all I'm happy with it.

A Hand, A Face, And A Skeleton Mariachi Band

Sometimes I need to just do art, I'm sure you know what that's like. And if you don't, try it sometime. The hand is an old high school project made of paper and I'm pretty sure it was chalk. The face was made using this website where I just segmented a large canvas and used the free printout as a guide (it currently hang above my bed because that wall was too bare). And the Skeleton Mariachi Band was modeled after a mariachi band in the game Grim Fandango and is pastel on cardboard.

Absinthe

My philosophy is, if I see it, and someone else once made it, why can't I now?

So, I researched absinthe, got my hands on a bottle of Everclear 190 and began to make a mistake.

I tell ya, that stuff tastes like crap! Oh mercy. But then it's a bit like a train wreck. You know how horrid it is, but you just want to keep looking (or in this case drinking). Mind you that desire to drink isn't so strong that you actually keep doing it, but there's a mouthfeel that you want to get rid of of, and you think that drinking more will do just that. It doesn't. It's weird and I didn't even get to see a Green Fairy.

After the break is my carrying case I made for my homemade absinthe.

HERE IT IS!

You're hearing it here for the first time folks! The newest game in the line of games where you pretend to actually do something musical! METRONOME HERO!

Barbie V. Art

For an art project a friend of mine needed to do something with photos and photoshop. She chose to augment well know paintings with Barbie, because, well why not? She wasn't the best at photoshop so I helped her get her ideas from her head to the real world. Below are the results (more after the break):

Barbie Lisa

Turquoise Barbie

Paper-cutting Craft

Paul over at Dudecraft has a nice tutorial to get you addicted to paper cutting. I now want to make these portraits for everyone I've ever met. Below are my attempts which will be lovely Christmas gifts this year.

Pumpkins

To get things started, even though it is December, I would like to post the pumpkins I had done this year.

See them lit after the break:

Okay, This is My First Go

Here is my first attempt at a blog. The main purpose of said blog will be for me to keep a record of the art projects I have completed. If you find interest here, great, if you don't like what you see, sorry- I'll try better next time.