Littlest Finch
All Entries sorted by date posted
- Moving · Wednesday August 18, 2010·
- Inside the Cone Zone · Tuesday June 8, 2010·
- Bike Week · Tuesday May 18, 2010·
- The Path to Gaga · Friday March 19, 2010·
Distrust. Dislike. Mild Interest. Intrigue. Denial. Like. Love.
- Illustration Friday - Perception · Wednesday March 3, 2010· Illustration
Illustration Friday – Perception
- Framed · Wednesday March 3, 2010· Illustration
Just a random little doodle.
- Coming Up Short · Thursday February 25, 2010· Movies
So last night, Tim and I went to see the Oscar Live-Action Shorts at the Coolidge (Boston’s only independent non-profit local theatre!). I was ASTOUNDED by how amazing the films were – my favourites being ‘Instead of Abracadabra’ and ‘The New Tenants’. The latter featuring an actor I absolutely cannot stand – Vincent D’Onofrio. You know it’s good if I say I enjoyed something with D’Onofrio. He’s on my top list of unwatchable actors. I don’t know what it is – the head bobble, the same smug know-it-all-ness that permeates every performance? All the films were good, but those two – having a much more comedic feel were more my style. Kavi was also really well done. The young boy that played Kavi was just stunning.
Synopses:
The New Tenants – two gay men move into an apartment and some unexpected visitors arrive to ‘welcome them’.
The Door – after Chernobyl, the town is evacuated and a family deals with the aftermath.
Instead of Abracadabra – a ne’er do well Swede entertains delusions that he is a magician, while his parents are just trying to get him a job and out of their house. His catchphrase? Chimay! (Instead of Abracadabra) Not to be confused with “Shemale” as one of his friends questions. (See photo)
Kavi – a young Indian boy works as a brickmaker alongside his parents, for a nefarious slave owner.
Miracle Fish – on his birthday, a young Australian boy gets an interesting gift from his father, a fish that reads ‘compassionate’. This will come in handy later when a horrible tragedy strikes.
All in all, I was extremely impressed with the shorts this year. I still need to catch the animated ones, but we’ll see if I have time before the Oscars on March 7th. I’d be extremely pleased if either Instead of Abracadabra or The New Tenants won.
- Vancouver 2012 · Wednesday February 17, 2010· Olympics
I had been counting down the days til the Vancouver Winter Olympics. I’d been so excited to watch them – seeing all the events. I ordered my Canadian red mittens. I ordered my Quatchi and Mukmuk and geared up for the excitement that only the Olympics can bring. I got myself up to date on all the athletes in the sports I was interested in and then – NBC happened. They are airing these games as though the internet does not exist. This is not ten years ago, this is not the 1970s where a family sits around the television watching the events of the day unfold in a digest format.
We have the internet. We have twitter. We have OTHER NEWS STATIONS. We have the ability to learn about the winners of a given race or event as soon as it happens. NBC is not airing their programming in this century. They are stuck in the past, as so much of their recent behaviour shows. They cancel Southland because it is too edgy and too gritty. They get rid of Conan. They bring back Leno to The Tonight Show and they royally screw up their coverage of the Olympics.
It is almost a farce – these Olympics have become nothing more than sob story after sob story sprinkled in with Bob Costas listening to himself talk for hours. It is clear, by their coverage, that NBC is trying to make these Olympics solely about the human interest aspect and not the actual coverage of sport. They have turned the Olympics into a soap opera featuring Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Hannah Kearney, Tanith Belbin, etc.
America is not the only country on the planet. Not everyone that lives in America and watches NBC’s coverage of these Olympics is American. It is quite frankly, presumptuous and arrogant for NBC to think that the only athletes anyone is interested in are American and good looking. It is also arrogant to presume what sports people want to watch – when you cover the Olympics, you don’t just cover the sports that make headlines or are most watched. It is NOT about that – it is about the sport. Perhaps I’m being too naive about all this, but I will say – I understood having the digest format during Beijing with the significant time difference – it made sense. They also aired late night (and even very early morning) LIVE events in the United States. Now, when the Olympics are on the same continent and for many on the West Coast, the same time zone? They have to wait hours to watch a race that happened during their normal viewing hours and IN THEIR SAME TIME ZONE. I suppose I should be thankful that I’m at least on the East Coast and get to watch things three hours before the West Coast.
They tried to make Sven Kramer their token non-American story after he won gold (and because he’s very good looking), but he was not having it. An NBC interviewer asked him to state his name and his country and then asked if he thought he did well in his race. After he had just won gold. I think a gold medal means you did well. Also, this guy is a rock star in his country. Not to mention – why ask someone to state their name and country when, thanks to modern day graphics/technology, you can just plaster in on the screen when he’s talking. It’s not rocket science here. He asked the reporter if she was stupid as soon as she asked those questions and good for him, I say. It was a stupid question and I’m glad someone, anyone, is calling out NBC on their shoddy coverage, inane questions, and misdirected focus away from what the Olympics are really about – the athleticism and the achievement.
All in all – a huge disappointment and if anything, I mean anything, interferes with my ability to watch hockey, I will be writing, tweeting, and complaining to anyone I can find at NBC. I just wish I was back in Buffalo where we get Canadian television stations and I could watch the coverage on CTV because this is just downright painful trying to enjoy the Olympics on NBC.
[NBC Catches Shaun White & His Coach in Vulgar Chat During One of Few Events to be Aired Live]
- Unique Bead Storage · Tuesday February 16, 2010· Crafts
I LOVE this tutorial, mostly because I have so many seed beads and I’ve managed to keep most of them in their original tubes, but those tubes are flimsy and sometimes break and then what? Old medicine bottles work, but not as saucy as these plastic straws.
With seed beads, you can make beautiful, intricate jewelry. Storing seed beads, however, can be a bit of a challenge because they’re so small! This article will show you how you can make convenient “storage vessels” for seed beads from plastic straws.
[Wikihow]
- Hot or Not #1 · Tuesday February 2, 2010· Hot or Not
Hot
Three new web design projects to work on – that will involve illustration and a new CMS that I’ve not fully explored yet, so I’m excited to learn something new in that respect.
Clean House! by Allison Haynes Some people have been saying that the recent downturn in the economy has given them an opportunity to live a more authentic life by forcing them to be more creative about things they previously took for granted. This book is a brilliant resource for everything in your home and how to clean it naturally while reducing your carbon footprint.
It only took me 25 minutes to put together two IKEA Poang chairs that my dad gave to me. This is a new record for me, but then again – it wasn’t really that hard to beat. The last thing I put together from IKEA took me over a month because it was so tedious and awful. Also, whenever I buy anything from IKEA, I just get irrationally angry at the ‘helpful little IKEA guy’ that accompanies all assembly instructions. He’s so smug! It is NOT that easy to put stuff together. PLUS HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE FINGERS. HOW CAN HE ASSEMBLE ANYTHING?Hanging out with my little niece was awesome, she’s so great. It’s wonderful to see how excited a little girl can get over something as simple as a balloon. Olivia would hold on to the balloon we’d tied to her stroller and then let it go and erupt into giggles. Then she tried batting it around like a baby boxing champ and finally tried to give it a hug and a kiss but I think it might’ve shocked her, because she didn’t try that again.
Butternut Squash soup from Trader Joe’s + sour cream, chives, and a hint of cinnamon and ginger? Heaven.
Not
My dad didn’t give me the ottomans that come with each chair. How am I supposed to put my feet up?
The ‘Young Hollywood’ crowd seems disappointingly young, thin, beautiful, and white with coy, doe eyes. Where is Zoe Saldana? Where is Gabourey Sidibe? Where is Alice Braga? I can think of a number of unconventional young women who deserve to be up on that list as much as Amanda Seyfried and Carey Mulligan.A pimple above my lip that looks like a Monroe and people keep asking when I got a piercing before they look again.
- I'm a Mac, I'm a PC, I'm sick of defining myself based on my computer · Wednesday January 27, 2010· Computers
With today’s impending announcement from Apple, I got to thinking about how I’ve slowly morphed into a Mac enthusiast. Much of my hesitation was due to the fact that I like playing computer games and that is largely a PC arena. A second barrier was the fact that Justin Long just comes off insufferable in those “I’m a Mac” ads. I felt bad for poor, portly, out of date PC and didn’t want to become one of those people. You know, the ones that think they’re hip and interesting because they have every Apple product in existence. “Oh, you didn’t get the Magic Mouse yet? You haven’t lived, darling!” “Wow, you’re still using a Motorola phone? Get with the times, it’s 2009.” My MAIN apprehension in purchasing anything Apple was also the fact that the second you buy something from them? Two days later, the price goes down because they’ve come out with a new model.
- How can we help? · Thursday January 14, 2010· Haiti
After hearing about and seeing the destruction and despair from the earthquake, I had to do something, however small. I donated a couple of the checks I got as Christmas presents to Partners in Health and Red Cross. It’s not much, but it was what I can do and if enough people have that attitude – it makes a difference. I just wanted to take a moment to list some relief organizations that you should donate to –
Partners in Health – Not only do they already have a significant presence in Haiti with over 200 nurses and 150 doctors, they are sending more as we speak. You can read more about their efforts and the organization at their website. One of the reasons I have urged people to donate to Partners in Health is because they were on the ground before the earthquake, they are local, they know the area, they know the people and they don’t need to wait to get into the country to start helping.
A quick, easy way to help is also just by using your phone. By texting these organizations, you automatically donate whatever amount and it is added to your phone bill for the month. It takes literally five seconds to do and everyone can spare $5.
“Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to Wyclef Jean’s Yéle Foundation
“Haiti” to 85944 to donate $5 to Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International
“Haiti” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee
“Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross in the U.S.Read more to see the full list of organizations from around the world.
- Taking a Step Back · Thursday January 7, 2010· Art
It’s often difficult to have a critical eye when looking at your process of creating art. Alternatively, it can be easy to beat yourself up about your work. I know I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my art. I scrap something despite working tirelessly on it for a few hours or I focus on one tiny aspect of a piece instead of working on the broader perspective.
- Five Tips for Translating 'Client' into 'Design' · Sunday January 3, 2010· Web Design
When working with clients who have a very clear idea of their brand or image, but not a clear idea on how that works in the web world, it can be difficult to take their words and input and translate that into practical design. How do you take ‘Pretty, but not girly. Modern, but not too modern. Traditional but not boring and not conservative.’ and translate that into a design that reflects you as a designer and fulfills your client’s needs?
- Winter Wonderland · Monday December 28, 2009· Buffalo
Just a little taste of what’s going on right now in Western New York. Fingers crossed I can finally get back to Boston tomorrow morning when I fly out. Well, if anything – it’s really pretty. Right now it’s that sparkly, fluffy snow – that’s my favourite.
- Illustration Friday - "Hatch" · Sunday December 13, 2009· Illustration
This ‘hatch’ started as the idea of humpty dumpty and morphed into something more representative of all the sci-fi movies I’ve been watching lately. The costumes in The Fifth Element by Jean-Paul Gautier are really stunning, for example.
- Tricks to Beat 'Artist's Block' · Monday December 7, 2009· Artist's Block
Whenever I’m having trouble working on an illustration or painting, I have to step away from it for a little bit. As I live in the city, it’s easy enough to just hop on a train or a bus and take a short trip. You can also get someone you know to drive you around for a little bit, or even just take a walk in your neighbourhood.
I bring a sketchbook and my ‘on the go’ kit – coloured pencils, my favourite five or six black ink pens, a mechanical pencil, and a good gummy eraser. I start by drawing patterns of anything I see. This can be a row of trees, a fence, a string of Christmas lights, flowers, you name it! Just keep sketching. It doesn’t matter what or how good you draw because this is an exercise. It’s not going to get sent to an art director and it’s not going to get hung on a wall, it’s OK if it’s messy.
As most of my work is purely conceptual, abstract, or done on the computer, I tend to eschew blind contour drawing, but this can get my inner artist going when I’m stuck.
Blind contour drawing is a method of drawing, popularized in part by Kimon Nicolaïdes in his book The Natural Way to Draw (1941), which presents itself as an effective training aid or discipline. The student, fixing their eyes on the outline of the model or object, draws the contour very slowly in a steady, continuous line without lifting the pencil or looking at the paper. The student may look at the paper to place an internal feature, but once they begin to draw it, they do not glance down, but follows the same procedure as for the outline. A well-done blind contour drawing frequently has sufficient quality and character to be preserved as a work of art. [Wiki]
- Crafty Adventures · Friday December 4, 2009· Crafts
Over a year ago, I started working at a ‘craft boutique’, essentially a craft studio that catered to adults looking to get in touch with their creative side. I taught a few classes and made some fantastic friends. Unfortunately, with the economy the way that it is, the store had to close. There are few things that can make you feel as dejected as having to deal with customers who are either angry about the news or just content to pillage the store for the few remaining sales items.
People would come in and demand to know ‘what happened’ when I’d only been working there about two months and I was not the owner. Towards the end, I was getting tired of it and almost at the point where I said ‘Why are we closing? Because you didn’t buy enough yarn and it’s all your fault.’ While I was only at the store for a few short months, I got the gift of being exposed to new crafts and styles of creativity.
So, I made the decision to start trying something new every month or so, in terms of art. It could be a different media or style of doing things, so long as I was ‘mixing things up.’
- Count to Ten · Thursday December 3, 2009· Illustration
This piece reminds me of the Pinball ‘Count to Twelve’ from Sesame Street, if only because I get that song stuck in my head. You can wax nostalgic and “eleven TWELVE” by checking out the youtube video.
- Buffalo · Thursday December 3, 2009· Illustration
Just a little something for my hometown.
- Wednesday · Thursday December 3, 2009· Illustration
A different hairstyle for every day of the week.
- Art · Thursday December 3, 2009·
- About · Thursday December 3, 2009·
