If you're a non-craft-type person like myself, I highly recommend a look at the "before & after" section on Design*Sponge to really let it sink in that you have no skills to do awesome craft projects. Seriously though, there's some really amazing, non-genital-related projects featured on the site. The latest is all win for me, plus it doesn't look too far out of the realm of what I'm capable of doing..except I neither own nor really know what a frisket is. Who doesn't want an octopus end table, really? It reminds me of those old sea illustrations with sea monsters and the like. The artist posted a simple step-by-step here. I feel inspired to do something like this, but as I mentioned before, my craft skills are undeveloped. (It's the phrase "craft" - reminds me too much of old ladies and Martha Stewart. Ew!) Maybe I'll get over the aversion if I call it "woodworking".

One of my latest finds on the interwebs works as both a sort-of creative outlet and a time-waster/ distraction for me: Odosketch. It's not really so much of a time waster, except my creative skills with a regular ol' mouse are limited to say the least, so I'm making lots of crap art. However, lots of other people are REALLY freaking good at this. I think they are somehow cheating. Or, perhaps I really can't do "digital" art. Or they are cheating.

Exhibit A: One of mine.

Exhibit B: Definitely NOT one of mine.

Exhibit C: Mine.

Exhibit D: Again, not mine. Sigh.

In fact, you could almost classify the sketches in two categories: The REALLY good ones, and Mine.
It may have something to do with the fact that I know nothing of shading...or...drawing for that matter. But I hold on to the dream. Oh yes...

A few weeks ago, I made yet another excursion to Indy for HorrorHound Weekend. This time, however, I refrained from dancing around tables like a schoolgirl and running away from Tom Savini. (I still didn't approach Tom Savini, but the man had a whip and was not ashamed to crack it about. Scary.) I tried to get a peek at "Eskalofrio" ("Shiver"), but watching a subtitled flick in non-stadium seating is..well...difficult to say the least. My three years of high school Spanish only gets me so far.
So other than "famous" folks and movie screenings, the big draw to the HorrorHound Convention is the vendors. The vendors vary from collectible items to bootlegs to art work. As Takashi Miike said in "Hostel"- "you could spend all your money in there". Both of my trips to Horrorhound have resulted in my spending way more than I budgeted. But hey, got some cool swagger out of it. Which brings me to my first highlight of the trip. I enjoy art that has a sort of oddity to it, which is why I found Dirk Strangely's art quite fascinating. I had passed his table several times and decided I was going to get a print, but didn't know which one. My husband decided on his "Hillside Cannibal" print. As we went to purchase the print, Dirk was working on a watercolor which he gave to us after he finished. Plus, he signed and personalized the Cannibal print. Very cool, indeed.
Check out his site : http://www.dirkstrangely.com/

Stumbled upon this site (literally, but I'll explain that in another post)- FutureMe.org

You can type up an email to send to yourself at any date in the future. Maybe advice, or some inspirational prose, or a few jokes. Me? I sent myself a threatening email so I would take the message seriously. Hey, I know what works and what doesn't.