did something! I did something!

Today I mostly worked on my website and the organizational system of my art folders on my computer. The folders on my computer were a mess. I kept finding folders called "new art" that contained work from 2009! I also had to dig through my backup discs to find all the stuff I've done for Odd Owl, because that was scattered. No point in documenting things, if I just put the files somewhere that I can't easily locate. I should have been more on the ball years ago. Gahh.

But my website is looking better! www.trilliantrillian.com! Mostly the sketchbook and Odd Owl sections have been updated, though the Illustration has been reorganized a bit as well. Weebly is so easy, if a little bit inflexible. Tomorrow I will throw myself at documentation. It, once again, got too dark before I could make real progress. I think the lights plus natural light might provide some results. Once I figure it out...ahh yeah.

I want to expand the borders on my website, make it a little bigger. Need to figure out the part of the html that corresponds to that.

Mom was gone all day at the Flower & Garden Show in Seattle. We watched 101 Dalmatians. Holly wasn't bothered by all the dogs barking.

teal and orange

I've yet to get ahead on portraits. Once I break free of some sort of assignment or requirement, I sort of go into a slack mode. This productivity stasis. Where I know there is a lot of stuff due soon, but it isn't due soon enough so I don't quite jump on it.

Anyway, spring break is over. Four weeks left.

In class we mainly talked about editing and different ways to cite this and that. I talked to Joan and she advised me on my paper. I need a lot more research but the writing is good. Need to read up on portraiture and the history of portraiture.

After class I went home. Went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on the basic carbs and apples and onions and meat. Had pasta for dinner. Mmm.

But yeah, like I said, project stasis. ALL THOUGH, I did work a bunch on my website. Got into the CSS programming and made the website block wider, so now my art has more content space. That is good. So I guess I was productive with practical stuff. I would say I'd almost call my website done. I just need to put more art work on it, and make some custom graphics. My website is trilliantrillian.com, in case you had forgotten.

Tomorrow is yoga day. I think I'll spend the time before it reading. I have a lot of reading that needs getting done. I showed Joan the Marc Quinn portrait that he does that is a mold of his head that is filled with his own blood, frozen, and the mold peeled away. The work has to be kept refrigerated. It is a really disturbing piece. Anyway, I need to make a longer list of portraits and portrait artists to research. The main body of my paper will be portraiture. Joan mentioned that the gift part of my project is what really sets it apart, so I will be keeping those other chapters.

There is an hour and a half block of time in the silk screen studio during which I may squeeze in some printing. Just one layer. And afterwards do the yoga thing.

I should get up early. All though I should stop saying that.

Todays Portrait Is: Laura Allen.

website and getting stuff done

I was screen printing and I thought "it's no biggie staying late and getting things done, I slept in!" and then I remembered that I didn't sleep in and that this is in fact the one day that I am required to get up before noon.

So I did that. Actually I got up at 9! And I got some stuff done! Which was awesome. Got to school on time. It was mostly a work day, a work day that was very much needed. I even worked through lunch, because I had a big breakfast and knew I'd be going home for lunch. Yay for not spending money. In talking to Morgaine and knowing how Jeff's site ended up looking (good) I went with Weebly. Part of the final project for this class is getting a domain name and hosting a site. I've been holding back because a) I didn't know what to pick for a domain name (sorry but, as much as I love being a Spencer, as an artist I just want to be "Trillian") and b) getting a domain and then getting hosting ends up costing moolah. Weebly, you get both hosting and a domain name all for the reasonable $40 a year. It's almost double that on the next cheapest site. Weebly also has tons of templates. It isn't the most individually customizable of sites, but I figured I could make it work. So without further ado, my website:

www.trilliantrillian.com

I'm still working on it, but I'm pleased with the direction it is going. At around 3:30 I went home. Ate some pasta. Watched some TV. Then I went back to school for awesome yoga. Afterwards I printed out some more stencils for my thesis and went to the lab. Set up for printing (that is: printing stencils, applying emulsion, counting paper, setting up table, exposing, washing out screens, and drying) takes about an hour. A little less. Each layer of printing for 55 total prints takes an hour. It's good to know just how much time it all takes. I'm printing 55 because I know I'm likely to fudge up around 5 in a manner that makes them not worth gifting. I left the studio at around 1:30am. School is open till 2am most weekdays. 10pm on Friday and Saturday, which is STUPID. I got the Heather & Daniel side printed and the Jon side. Go me! I want to get all seven halves printed in the next 10. Spring break is coming fast and that is prime work time. I need to get a lot of work lined up. I want to get 10-20 prints done for thesis. 10 is easy, too easy. I'll probably achieve 15. But it would be GRAND to get 20. If I expose screens and count paper sheets at night, I can print straight through in the morning times. 7-11 is open work time because there are no printmaking classes that start before 11. I can get four layers done, if I can just manage to get up at 6am. Which I can do when it calls for it.

I'm half way done with Shades of Gray by Jasper Fford. Great audio book. Just powering through it. Though anything feels like "powering through it" after the epic Song of Fire and Ice series. Those were some long long books. Madeline is now listening to the audio books, so I have someone to chat with about them.

Got home. Put some rice on. Put that rice into sea weed snacks. Popped a beer. Chillaxed. I've earned it. Tomorrow is another mentor meeting. And yoga. And maybe more printing. Probably more printing. I should get as much done during the windows that I can find. I'll print one more half tomorrow, but expose five total screens, so that three are ready to go come another day. Having five screens is AWESOME.

Also my prints look REALLY GOOD. I'm very pleased with them.

Todays Portrait Is: Vincent Kartheiser.