I forgot what number I'm on

I've missed my monsters! In the spirit of trying to get back in the swing of things, here is the result of setting a plastic cup too close to a burner on the stove. I want to start posting on a semi regular basis again, but I can pretty much guarantee that it won't be every day.

Demon hat 1

It's been so long I don't remember what number I'm on, but I'll figure it out later!

Thirty One

I wonder if anyone will notice this mini-monster tucked among the foliage in a planter at the mall.

Hey...that's one month down; tomorrow starts month #2!

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Thirty

Word.

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Twenty Nine

Face Jug #1

polymer clay, watercolor

2.5" tall

So while I had the sculpey out making my first monstryoshka, I decided to play a little more. I flashed back to my beginning pottery class years ago and started making a small pinch pot, as I don't have a pottery wheel, real clay, or a huge amount of the material to begin with. I remember the amazing designs of the more experienced artists in the studio where I was learning: among other things, I was fascinated by the face jugs of one of the artists working there. I decided that it would be fun to try a mini version with my fistful of polymer clay. This was a lot of fun, and I think is something I'll explore more.

Twenty Five through Twenty Eight

Monstryoshka I

sculpey, acrylic, googley eyes

Inspired by matryoshka nesting dolls. As it's been a very busy week and I'm running four days behind on my monsters, I figured this was a good way to get caught up! :)

I'll definitely need to work on proper fitting: the inside of the green guy is just a little too tight to hold the purple perfectly. I carved him out a little for a better fit, but until I find my rotary tool, the job was taking way too long. Also, next time I'll try adding something to the inside to hold the top and bottom pieces of each monster together when you pick them up. Right now each top is just resting on it's corresponding bottom.

Twenty Four

Thank goodness for office supplies and dull box cutters.

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Twenty Three

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.

Unfortunately, she didn't find him in time...

(This is where 15-hour work days lead!) ;)

Twenty Two

So I was sitting on some mats at the theater after final dress rehearsal, just kind of absent-mindedly twirling my reading glasses around and I noticed the lenses made cool effects with the shadows of my hand on the tile below. Lo and behold, just the right placement of all of the elements created a variety of monster shadows that are begging to eventually become plushies!

Twenty One

Another suggestion from The 365 Daily Creativity Journal back from when I put out that call on Facebook for random numbers:

45: Create an image with masking tape or any other kind of tape for that matter. Try making it on a non-traditional surface. Extra credit: leave it for others to find.

Made from used blue painter's tape and some foil from a Moe's burrito. Or maybe Chipoltle...I'm not really sure. And for extra credit, I made it on a column in the work room at the theater.

(The room is a bit of a mess because our next production opens Friday!)

Twenty

It's been such a tiring weekend, all I have in me is this quick sketch. But since one of my goals of this 365 project was to sketch more, I'll let it count this once. :)

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Nineteen

A quickie for tonight because it's so late. I think this idea has definite potential...

Eighteen

With absolutely no inspiration today, I put out a request for a number between 1 and 365 so I could take a random cue from my Daily Creativity Journal. (which I have not been using daily, btw). I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to get quite a few responses, and the one which served as today's muse was number 224:

Get Dirty. Use dirt as your medium or inspiration today. It can be loose, in clumps, or even made into mud if you want to get extra dirty.

So, off came the clothes from a thrift store doll today. I dug some beautiful brown dirt from one of the beds (outside, in the dark, with my bare hands), and mixed it with a flour/water paste to make my own gluey goopy mud. I did end up using some Elmers as well for extra stickiness.

I originally had her hanging from my camera tripod by her beautiful blond hair, until the weight of the mud detached her from those golden locks, and she was forced to stand for the duration of the application.

When the hair dryer was not going to dry this thing fast enough, into the oven at 275 she went...for approximately 2 episodes of "Weeds." When she came out, she was more durable than I though she would be, and we headed outside for our photo shoot.

And yes, the eyes really are that color. Quite striking, if you ask me. :)

Seventeen

Abominable Snowman Walking in a Blizzard

Acrylic on canvas covered foam
4'x8'

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Sixteen

A dance with a vampire can leave you drained...

OK, so this is a photo of Jack...the son of my oldest and dearest friend whom I met in middle school, who decided it would be fun to spend spring break with me (he lives in Ohio). I've had a blast this week spending time with him for the first time in many years. Anyway, as today was his last day in town, we spent the afternoon touring places that were important to me and his father "back in the day," including our boyhood homes, schools, churches, and one graveyard in particular that still kind of haunts us.

Way in the back of this old cemetery in town, tucked in amid grave stones dating back to the 1800s, is this brick mound, about the size of a coffin. In high school I was told that a vampire was buried there and they bricked in his grave to keep him from escaping. I've also heard folks say it is a witch. There is no marker nearby to give us any kind of clue. I spent many evenings there under the full moon with friends...reading cards, maybe drinking Boone's Farm.

Anyway, I still don't know if a vampire or witch buried there. Jack is convinced it's a large flying magical cat with giant teeth. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't...who am I to say? But this special visit to the resting place of a mythical monster from my youth, definitely deserves a spot in my Year of the Monster.

Besides, Jack picked out the hat for my homage to Cousin It (number 15, below). :)

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Fifteen

Second Cousin It Once Removed

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Fourteen

Dirty Little Devil

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Thirteen

watercolor on tea-dyed copy paper

twelve

Construction paper

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Eleven

brown rice, yellow onions, orange carrots, black beans, green olives on Blue Willow

Ten: When Citrus Goes Bad

Evil Lemon

lemon, pipe cleaners, googly eyes.

Maybe this is the future if we don't support organic farming practices.

You have been warned...

Nine

Snot Monster

It's that time of year when this little guy takes up residence in my nose.

Inspired by a Facebook conversation today with my friend Meg of Pushing the River. She's a great friend and an amazing photographer...you should check out her blog...you won't be disappointed. :)

Eight

Little Sea Monster

Thumb print, sharpie, and watercolor (my nemesis) on a business card.

First in the Little Monsters series. (because I have a bunch of old business cards and need to practice painting with watercolors)

Seven

Thing In a Jar. I'm not really sure what it is. Evidently, there are others.

Could have probably done without the wax. Maybe next time.

Six

My favorite painting shorts had a hole in them so I thought I would cover it up with a quick zombie patch. Turns out it wasn't as quick as I had anticipated...my sewing skills have gotten a little rusty. Nevertheless, I'm happy with the first machine applique project I've done in probably a decade, and I'm thrilled to pull my fabric stash out of the attic and find it still in good shape!

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Five

A small tunnel book to celebrate the full moon. I still made it in before midnight! :)

Four

Made this little guy for a birthday e-card that I posted to a friend's Facebook wall. I picked the green fun fur because that's her favorite color. Happy Birthday Beth!

Three

So I started this project with the goal of trying some of the craft items in my stash that I've never used. Here then, is my first attempt with polymer clay. The whole thing is approx. 3.5 inches tall.

Two

I think I worked through my pipecleaner phase with this one.

One Down!

To watch over and guide my year of creation:

My very first Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I have no idea what to do next. O.o

A bit of an re-introduction

Well, the time feels right to dust off the keyboard and crank up the blog again. For those of you who don't know, I started this blog back in January 2006 as a space to explore a daily creativity challenge with one of my oldest and dearest friends, grafxcowgirl. We had a blast giving each other random daily assignments designed to get our creative juices flowing...and flow they did. Right up through April 2006, when the challenge of working two jobs while staying up until 2AM to finish my assignments began to take its toll, and I had to bow out of this project.

Then, in January 2008, I really started missing creating things for myself, so I jumped into the 365 self portrait community on Flickr. I loved that project...made it 131 wonderful days before my two jobs started catching up with me again, and I made the very difficult choice to let sleep win out over my personal creative life.

Fast forward to February 2011: my friend Kim mentioned Noah Scalin's Daily Creativity Journal in a Facebook post, and I decided it was a sign that the time was right to start a new 365 project...one I would finish this time. We were joined by Kim's friend Gary (who is now my friend...YAY!) and over beverages on a couch, picked March 15 as the day we would all start our respective projects.

So here we are at the beginning of a new project: 365 days of monsters. (That's just my theme, they're both doing something else...you should check them out, they're incredibly talented and beautiful people.)

Anyway, now I'm re-learning Blogger, and I don't have the slightest idea what I will get into in the next year. I hope to use up a lot of my craft stash, while following only one rule: "Make it up as you go along."

Feel free to come along for as much of the ride as you like.

I think you have to know who you are. Get to know the monster that lives in your soul, dive deep into your soul and explore it. ~Tori Amos