Laser Fun

I have stumbled across the wizard of all crafting tools: a laser cutter! I lucked upon the opportunity to use one through a friend. She has been using it to make jewelry and crafts of her own - check out some of the awesome things she has made:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativeninjask/

The laser can precisely cut and etch a variety of materials including paper, wood and plexiglass. The cutting is automated by a computer which reads drawing files. It's surprisingly simple to use and cuts quickly and flawlessly. So far, I have visited the laser twice. I showed up the first time with some simple materials and a few prepared drawings, curious as to what the laser was all about. Here is what I came away with:

Wood etching

Paper cutouts, intertwined

For my next visit, I wanted to craft something for the holidays. I decided to create a snowflake. Their beautiful symmetry, complex geometry, and perpetual uniqueness has always appealed to me. I also have a vivid memory from elementary school when we decorated large plastic snow flakes for the holidays. I always wanted to make my very own...

If my laser cutting has inspired or sparked your curiosity, check out the place I've been going to:  http://pagodaarts.com/ 

Let me know if you have any questions or aspirations of your own!

Happy Holidays with wishes of health and happiness.

Cinque Cinque

When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect. I thought it would be fun to draw buildings. Once I learned that computer programs have more or less taken the place of hand drawn blueprints, I decided architecture was not my calling. Even still, I am attracted to the linearity of buildings. For this project, I knew I wanted to draw some type of buildings. I had planed to draw on inspiration from my travels in Amsterdam, where the buildings reminded me of the Victorians adorning the streets of San Francisco. At the last second, I changed my mind. I had a calling to draw a different panorama from my travels: Cinque Terre.


Cinque Terre, whose direct translation from Italian is 'Five Lands', is a string of 5 towns on the northwestern coast of Italy. Still somewhat out of the tourist's fray, these towns are beyond wonderful. During my time in Italy, I visited Cinque Terre. While there, we enjoyed pesto (Corniglia, the town we stayed in, claimed to have invented it!), met some great people, and hiked the trail that connects all of the villages. While each town sits right on the sea, they each have their own character and flair. I was struck by how the sea, sky, land and dwelling lay juxtaposed. I remember being inspired to draw this:

Riomaggiore

Manarola

I chose my medium to be the long lost art of colored pencils. I had not used colored pencils in years, so it was a nice revisiting of old ways. After studying the pictures above, I decided to learn perspective drawing. I taught myself the theory behind drawing in 1-point perspective, thanks to the help of wikihow.com and youtube.com. Below is a series of sketches leading up to the final piece...