New projects
Posted 29th June 2010 at 04:02 PM by Talysia
About this time last year, my sister asked me to make the centrepiece for her wedding cake. She wanted the little bride and groom figures, in full wedding garb, sitting on my now-brother in law's motorbike. That was a challenge!
After some sketches and a lot of time studying photos of the bike, I was able to make a little model out of air-drying clay, complete with figures (and "just married" on the number plate), painted it, and it went down really well. Looking back, I think I could've done better with it, but that's hindsight for you.
Well, it seems I've got a chance to improve on it. After an old schoolfriend saw the pictures of it, she called me up this afternoon to ask if I'd do a model to sit in the middle of a christening cake. A teddy bear, a toy train, or just some building blocks with the little boy's name on them - she said she'd leave it with me and see what I can come up with!
So, I've now got until September to try my hand at model making again. I'm looking forward to it.
After some sketches and a lot of time studying photos of the bike, I was able to make a little model out of air-drying clay, complete with figures (and "just married" on the number plate), painted it, and it went down really well. Looking back, I think I could've done better with it, but that's hindsight for you.
Well, it seems I've got a chance to improve on it. After an old schoolfriend saw the pictures of it, she called me up this afternoon to ask if I'd do a model to sit in the middle of a christening cake. A teddy bear, a toy train, or just some building blocks with the little boy's name on them - she said she'd leave it with me and see what I can come up with!
So, I've now got until September to try my hand at model making again. I'm looking forward to it.
Total Comments 21
Comments
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Hey, that's awesome. And tell me, is there anything creative that you can't do?
Are you musical?
Seriously, though. I hope you have fun with it.Posted 29th June 2010 at 09:49 PM by Sephiroth
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Sounds fantastic. I hope you have lots of fun with it. Any pictures of the centrepiece that you can share? I love seeing creative masterpieces!Posted 29th June 2010 at 10:48 PM by StormFeather -
Lol, Seph - I'm sure there's a lot of creative things that I can't do. As for music, well, I sing, but only to myself. I don't play any instruments, though.
Thanks, Stormfeather, I hope I'll do a good job of it. I did take some pictures of the bike centrepiece last year (so that I could email the work-in-progress to my sister), so I'll post a couple here.
Hope that works - haven't posted any pictures in my blog before.
Edit: phew, it worked!Posted 30th June 2010 at 02:44 PM by Talysia -
I really like that, Tal.
I can see why you've received another commission.Posted 30th June 2010 at 04:38 PM by Ursa major - Thanks, Ursa.
Fortunately, this next project shouldn't be quite so fiddly. The bike itself seemed to be the easy part, compared with trying to get the figures to stay on it.Posted 30th June 2010 at 07:06 PM by Talysia - Slightly squiffy on Rose wine, but am delighted that you've posted these pics. I agree with Ursa - you should have received more commissions from that.
I'll bear you in mind for any future projects - still have a daughter to get christened!Posted 30th June 2010 at 11:41 PM by StormFeather - Thanks for the compliment, Stormfeather! To be honest, though, I only did the first one as a favour for my sister, and only the people at the wedding saw it, but I'm glad of the chance to give this sort of thing another go. Who knows what will come from it?Posted 1st July 2010 at 12:01 AM by Talysia
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Wow! Taly, that's lovely! I know how fiddly air-drying clay is - I used to make a lot of models in clay (and, before that, plasticine ;p).
You worked really hard - and it shows. I'm sure you'll do well with the next project. I can imagine a colourful mini building block pile, some balloons on cocktail sticks, and a teddy bear.
So... that's your twin sitting on the motorbike? When do we get to see a pic of Taly? You're one of the few members I haven't seen. Funny, I always had a feeling you had brown hair! Long brown hair? Wavy? I imagine you look like your avatar, mostly, I think!Posted 2nd July 2010 at 09:10 PM by Leisha - Thanks, Leisha. That model really was hard! Air-drying clay dries out so quickly, and the one I used didn't really like the superglue I needed to stick all the bits together. Sadly, it was too fiddly to make out of one lump of clay - I had to make the component parts and stick them together.
And lol - yes, I do have brown hair, and sort of long, too; it just comes to the top of my shoulders now. As for pictures, well... due to self-esteem issues and not feeling very photogenic, I don't have a lot of pics of myself, but I'll try and get one to use as a profile pic for a little while.Posted 3rd July 2010 at 12:37 PM by Talysia - Have you ever use Fimo? I used that in the past. Very expensive stuff, though.
And don't be self-conscious! Taly, you're one of THE nicest people here, and no one would EVER judge you harshly. I think most of us have issues with our appearance (my goodness, YES! I HATE myself.), but here, people have not once said a bad word about me. I feel confident enough to show my face, as it were, even though I'm a serial camera dodger. Even my family, and Seph's family, wish they'd have more photos of us together - but we're too uncomfortable with ourselves.
And well done on your writing challenge entry. It's my favourite so far.Posted 4th July 2010 at 01:14 AM by Leisha - I used fimo once, I think, but couldn't get it to harden properly. At the time, the oven wasn't working too well, and I could never figure out the thickness/cooking time ratio. I've got some left over that my sister bought as an alternative to the air-drying clay, so I might have a go with that and see if I can do any better with that this time.
I know that the people here wouldn't judge me harshly, and thank you for the compliment. I guess I still have to take that first step and post a picture (I love that phrase, though - I think that would make me a camera-dodger, too). With any luck, I'll be able to take a pic sometime this week or the next, and post it up. I know my family would probably like more pics of me, too.
And another thank you, for the comment on my writing contest entry - I take that as very high praise. I love your entry, too - it's very evocative, and a very nice interpretation of the theme.Posted 4th July 2010 at 01:21 PM by Talysia - That model is totally awesome! :O
Blimey, I can only make amorphous blobs.
Hats off, Taly. If you can do that, I'm sure you'll make a good job of anything else you decide to do.
As for posting pics -- you're both braver than I am. I haven't dared post my pic online (either here, or anywhere else). I'm very, very self-conscious about my appearance in photographs. They always make me look absolutely awful. :SPosted 5th July 2010 at 12:51 PM by Sephiroth - "And another thank you, for the comment on my writing contest entry - I take that as very high praise. I love your entry, too - it's very evocative, and a very nice interpretation of the theme."
And I take that as a very high compliment, coming from you! Your writing always has a very wistful, gentle way about it. It's very beautiful.
And how many times can I use the word "very"?
BTW, if you ever want to swap chapters or anything on your novel, just ask. I'd love to read your work.Posted 5th July 2010 at 08:43 PM by Leisha - Thanks, Seph. I'm going to give it my best, and hopefully it'll go well. The pics are another matter, though - I took a couple of self-portraits (well, I turned the camera on myself), but none of them turned out very well. Although I would say that, wouldn't I? In any case, I'm hoping that in the next lot of pics I can get one I'm happy with.
That's a lovely thing to say, Leisha - I'm really moved. I'd love to swap some writing some day, but I'll have to get most of mine typed up first. I write most of mine out by hand, to type up later, but the majority of my computer-based writing got lost when my ancient laptop went to silicon heaven last year. I didn't get the chance to back it up, either. I didn't lose much, though, and I've still got my original copies. Hopefully I can tidy it up as I go - my next big writing project. If you don't include the writing contest, that is...Posted 6th July 2010 at 02:57 PM by Talysia - Well, there's no pressure to post a picture. If you would feel too nervous, we understand. It's a big step, posting a photo of yourself, one I fear Seph will never do.
And if there's any work on your old HD that you need off, there are ways to retrieve it. You can remove the hard drive from the laptop and hook it up to anther, or a PC. And if the operating system won't load, you can sometimes retrieve work off it by loading up a Linux live CD and accessing it that way.
I don't know how much you'd trust a relative stranger like me (but I'm trustworthy, honest, although I would say that, wouldn't I?), but if there's something you want retrieved fro the drive, I'd be more than happy to help you. You'd have to unscrew the HD from the laptop, though (easy), and send me it in a VERY padded envelope/box. And then I'd go to where you said your work was and save it out for you, if possible. I wouldn't read it, or look at it.
Anyway, just thought I'd mention that it IS possible, although you say that the work is old now.
Have you got yourself a pen drive to back up your data, now? This store does cheap ones (all you need for your writing would be a 2GB one, if not a little more, for other things): 7dayshop.com - Online StorePosted 6th July 2010 at 03:33 PM by Leisha - I've been thinking about showing my face for a while now, so hopefully once I've got a pic I'm happy with, I'll post it. I think that the Chrons will be the only place I post it, though.
I'm not sure what happened to my old laptop, but it just wouldn't load up any of my settings. When I did get it to work once, I had to create a new profile and such; the data had become either corrupted or irretrievable. After that, it was a rarity to get it started at all. My brother-in-Law (a tech consultant and all round computer whiz, much like yourself) said that getting any of my info back was unlikely. Being not-very-computer-savvy, I nodded and that was that. Ah well.
I don't have my old laptop any more, sadly, else I'd take you up on the offer. A friend of my sister's (or Brother-in-Law: I can't remember) was trying to create a working laptop from parts cannibalized from non-working ones, so I gave it to them. After they'd taken the hard drive out and destroyed it, of course.
Incidentally, I made sure that I got at least 2 pen drives for my data (well, one for my photos - I lost quite a few of those, too). I won't get caught out again!
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.Posted 6th July 2010 at 05:00 PM by Talysia - Chrons is the only place I've posted my face, too.
Hmmm. As for the not loading up your profile settings, Seph's sister had that problem once on XP - a "chkdsk" scan and fix during bootup sorted that within 40 mins. If you ever need help with anything, send me a PM. I get email notifications, so I'll know you've sent one. The same for if you ever need anyone's second opinion about something tech-related. If I can help, I will. And believe me, it IS possible to retrieve data off dead computers - IF the hard drive is not the thing that died, obviously. Perhaps your Bro-in-Law doesn't know about Linux Live CDs and how they can help retrieve data? Or about hooking up laptop HDs? (Especially if his area of expertise is PCs, not laptops. Some people are daunted by laptops!)
Ah well. At least you know there's plenty people here who could advise you in the future, if you need it!
You know, now I wish I had a spare laptop - I'd give you it. I posted my old Olympus camera to Seph back when he didn't have one a couple of years ago (cos I'd just upgraded mine), and that was BEFORE we got together (LOL! He was so shocked when the postman delivered a camera; he only knew I was sending him something). Though for ages his parents thought we must have been going out already, cos why else would some random woman send him a camera?
Apparently I was known to them as Gamera Girl!
And also, before Seph's sister got given her parents' PC last year, I gave her my old laptop. (Well, if it's just going to gather dust at my house, why not give it to someone who'll get some good use out of it?)
I'm sorry I don't have a laptop for you.
I mean, I know some people don't like gifts, but I never mean anything bad by it.
But since I don't actually own a spare laptop, it's moot point, I suppose.
Blimey, I'm expanding my posts here, aren't I? I should shut up.Posted 6th July 2010 at 05:30 PM by Leisha - Thanks for the offer- I'll keep you in mind. I think my Brother in Law's a bit of a whiz with a laptops and PCs alike, which makes me think that it WAS the hard drive that went. It was nearly 10 years old, I think, and I got it second hand (it was my sister's, and she had used it a lot before it came to me). I really should have asked here before, when it was happening last year, but I think that was when I was going through a busy spell. Ah well.
And wow, that's really sweet- both the offer, and your story. Having had a few bad experiences with people online (nothing serious, but enough to make me wary from time to time), it makes me smile to see such kindness. Don't worry about not having a laptop to send me: just the thought is enough. I've got a usable PC right now, old but hand built, I think, but I still need to find my way around it. I'm getting there, though!
And I don't think you should shut up - it's nice to chat with you like this.Posted 7th July 2010 at 07:47 AM by Talysia - So you were going through a busy spell? I do hope things stay settled for you now. At the moment things feel a little topsy-turvy in my life, and I'm always having to save for something, but that's because I'm always packing to go somewhere, whether it's a sleepover at my sister's house, or to Seph's, or to a Travelodge! I'm not really settled anywhere any more! I don't even pack my wardrobe now, because it's easier to leave my clothes in my suitcase! And then in September I'll be saving spending money for the Nottingham Fantasy Con.
Incidentally, you should think about coming. It's a good experience for writers, and you can network. Plus, I'm a bit of a scardey-cat and I'd love someone who's as lovely and gentle as you there. I'm absolutely horrendous at speaking to People of Authority, so I'm nervous as heck! And I have a feeling we'd get along great. Seph will be there, and possibly Pyan and Hoopy - and they are great! So easy to get along with, and funny.
Oh, and I'm VERY sorry to hear about your bad experiences online. You come across as a gentle soul (and that is a very admirable trait, so lacking these days) and unfortunately some people will take advantage of that. In the past I was like that too, but these days I've only surrounded myself with people who genuinely seem to care, so I don't feel like a doormat. I think I was THE biggest doormat at school, though! I'd lend money to everyone and never get it back! I remember once, though, when I was about 13, I bought some sweets at the local shop and the owner told me I was 1p over. So they said I could come in again and give them it. When I turned up the next day with my penny, they looked so shocked! (Now I realise why.)
And, well, if I ever upgrade my old, unused PC (i.e., buy it a new motherboard, Duo Core processor, 4GB memory, Windows 7/XP dual boot, etc - make it into a beast), I'll remember you. You certainly seem worth it.
And thank you! That made me smile, your comment about chatting to me. It's nice to talk to you, too. I'll be away in France for two weeks as of early tomorrow/tonight, though, so this will be my last reply.
Take care of yourself. Best wishes!Posted 7th July 2010 at 05:54 PM by Leisha
Updated 7th July 2010 at 06:12 PM by Leisha - Yes, I went through a busy patch. It seemed that if something could go wrong, it did. I'm hoping the going stays good for a while, too.
I'd love to go to Fantasycon one day, but I can't make it this year. It'd be good to meet some of my fellow Chronicles members, though. Between you and me, I'm also pretty shy when it comes to talking to people of authority, but I've grown a little more in confidence these days. I think we'd get along well, too.
Yes, that did happen to me - I got people taking advantage, but I also got a couple of people just being plain rude. I can remember one case rather clearly: someone sent me a PM telling me that they didn't like the way I welcomed people to one particular forum, and they weren't shy about swearing at me to do it. I think it was the New Members mod, too. I apologised, like an idiot, but I never posted in that section again. Part of that may have been the reason I stopped welcoming people here. Now that I'm distancing myself from that place, I think I'll start welcoming people again.
Aw, that's really kind, Leisha. I have to confess, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to computers, but I really appreciate you thinking of me.
And lol - it's ironic. I finally put a pic of myself up (albeit in a private folder on my profile page), and I get my hair cut. I'll have to take another picture - here's hoping it turns out well.
Take care, and I hope you have a lovely holiday!Posted 8th July 2010 at 02:53 PM by Talysia
