What does Thumper say?

Maybe kids now don't grow up watching Bambi, but I believe that at least most of my generation did, and have therefore had reason to be reminded of Thumper's little saying, "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nuthin' at all."

Seeing the types of comments that come up on almost every blog post or article I've read online recently, I've been thinking about this a lot . There are a whole lot of people saying a whole lot of not-nice things. And this is basically what you expect to see when you scroll down to the comments section.

And the fact of the matter is, the world isn't black and white, and sometimes there are not-nice things that need saying.

So I am proposing my own version of Thumper's mantra:

If you can't say something nicely, don't say it at all.

By this I do not mean that we should say rude or sarcastic things prettily. What I mean is, if you disagree, feel free to do so. Do it tactfully, intelligently, chivalrously, without mud-slinging or name calling.

Can you do that for me, internet?

Grin and Bear It

I haven't really blogged in awhile. I've really fallen out of the habit of blogging.

The other day something reminded me of an old blog entry I'd written, and I decided to go back and find it. I ended up looking over a bunch of old blog entries. I'd for gotten how often I'd written, and how much. I wrote in more than one blog, too. And, even if I do say it myself--some of my blog posts were really entertaining. I ended up laughing out loud when I read a few of them.

I made alot of good new habits on my mission, but I think I lost some good ones too.

I'd like to get back into the habit of blogging. I never really had a schedule before, I just wrote when I had a thought I wanted to throw out of a funny story to share. I'd like to try and see if I can get back into that habit again... if it doesn't work, I may set a more specific schedule for myself.

This is connected to a thought thats been rolling around in the back of my head (which I just posted as my facebook status). It is this: activities where I've learned to get over my mistakes and have fun are those that I've improved most in and bring me the most joy--art and dancing. Those that I still have a hard time getting over my mistakes in I haven't improved in and tend to avoid--specifically, speaking and writing.

What started me thinking about this was a little thing, really. In one of my classes I made a comment that didn't make much sense. It was actually a really dumb comment. I got some raised eyebrows and chuckles and the class discussion moved on. Nobody else in the class probably remembers my dumb comment, at least not very specifically. But all day afterward and into the next, I kept remembering the mistake and wincing. Why did I say such a dumb thing?

In dancing I am very aware of the fact that I'm not great, sometimes I slip or don't follow an obvious lead or, yes, step on someones toes, and thats just how the dance goes, and I laugh and keep dancing. After years of participating in art critiques, I'm pretty good at not getting offended at comments, instead just taking them as they're meant, analyzing them, and then applying those that I feel will actually be helpful--all without getting all hurt and offended.

Actually, I think this was one of the biggest reasons that I chose to major in Art rather than English (which, when it really comes down to it, are the only two majors I really considered--I can't see myself actually majoring an anything else.) I enjoy both. But I knew that I would have a much harder time accepting critiques of my writing than of my art, and would therefore have an easier time in art. Did I choose the easy way out? Maybe in this specific aspect of the choice. Overall, I don't think so. I chose the one where I knew I would be better able to learn from my mistakes.

Is that strange? It seems like someone should either be good at getting over any mistake, or not. You're either prideful, or not. I guess people aren't that simple.

Anyway. So I want to get back to writing a blog again, just as a way to do a little low-pressure writing.

Farmers Market

This week was my first time actually going out and selling my artwork in person--I've sold art online, but not really face-to-face with potential buyers. It was a great experience! My main goal first off was just to get the experience, to get an idea of what to expect with this sort of thing in order to do it better in the future. Goal achieved---huzzah!

I learned some things that are maybe obvious to some people, but are new to me, and hopefully helpful in future. Some of them are:

• -People aren't just going to line up to give you their money (duh). You have to catch their interest first. This can be a problem when your art is the you-only-get-it-when-you-look-again (upside-down) kind.
• -Clouds are one of those good-or-bad, awesome-or-terrible things when you're selling outside. They either mean rain (no!) or shade (yes!). Fortunately, we had the shade kind of clouds for most of the day.
• -People like to buy things when they have a 'thing'. Like, some people have a cat thing, or a book thing, or a dancing thing, or a mustache thing, or something. This is why fanart sells... and also why people get in trouble for selling fanart. I want to figure out some "things" that people like that are NOT trademarked and design things they might like.
• -I sell like a missionary, and so does Normandie. We tended to focus alot more on the person than the product. Which lead to some fun conversations, but I have no idea whether things would sell better if we had focused otherwise. So far, I've enjoyed using my missionary conversation skills so I'll stick with that for now :-)
• -Sitting/standing around and doing nothing except greet people is tiring. 
• -You don't know if something will sell well just because you like it. You just have to see how people respond when they see your work, and notice what catches their eye. It might not be what you think.

This I Believe essay

For my Writing about Arts and Humanities class, we had to write a "this I believe" essay. These are essays collected and published by http://thisibelieve.org about (of course) peoples beliefs. Here is my essay--though imperfect, I'm mostly happy with how it turned out, and I feel that I was at least able to communicate my belief clearly.

Sketchbooks and Stick Figures

-->

We’ve all experienced hundreds of getting-to-know-you conversations. We all know the questions you’re supposed to ask. What’s your name? Where are you from? And for me and most of my peers, this next one is inescapable:

What’s your major?

Illustration, I answer.

Oh, Illustration, they say. Is that, like, art?

Yes, I confirm, Illustration is art.

Wow, they say. I can’t even draw a stick figure. You must be really talented.

After participating in variations of this conversation hundreds of times, it’s really got me thinking. What do they mean by that last comment—“You must be really talented”? Sometimes it seems like an explanation, or even an excuse, for being good at something.

I do believe that there is such a thing as talent—raw natural ability in a certain area. What is strange to me about the comment “You must be really talented” is that, in the end, I don’t feel that talent has very much to do with my success as an artist. Talent, or raw natural ability, is just that—raw, unrefined, and untried. Even a person that apparently doesn’t have talent can excel beyond someone who does—if they invest the required time and effort.

So, you can’t even draw a stick figure. This doesn’t prove that you’re not talented and could never do “good” art. It simply shows that you haven’t spent much time drawing stick figures—yet. You could, though. And you could get really good at it, given enough time. This is why artists carry sketchbooks.

I first learned the value of sketchbooks from my high school art teacher. Every week she would collect our sketchbooks, not to critique them, but to make sure that we were drawing, observing, and recording ideas constantly. “You don’t have to show your sketchbook to anyone if you don’t want to,” she’d say. “This is where you mess up and make mistakes. It’s where you think. It’s where you learn. It’s not to show off how talented you are to anyone else.” Through sketchbooking I learned how much time and effort is required to produce good art. The merely talented who aren’t constantly sketching get left by the wayside. Artists succeed because, even when they’re not in front of a canvas with brushes in hand, the have a sketchbook that they carry everywhere.

Believing in effort over talent is extremely liberating—just think about it. I really can do, and be, and accomplish anything I want, provided that I am willing to put in enough time and effort. And so can you. Your hopes of what you want do and be and accomplish can be realized, if you are ready to do what it takes. Try it—invest a little time and effort. I believe in you.

The storm before the calm

So my last few weeks have been pretty insane, one thing after another on top of another.

So first I had finals. The Sunday before finals week (I had two finals left) my roommate Michele told us she was NOT getting married in Brazil in a few weeks as planned, but THAT THURSDAY. Being the awesome roommates we are, we helped her put that together--THAT was quite a week. I had to bother and annoy all the people necessary in order to get my temple recommend so that I could actually BE at the wedding, as well as clean up our house for the reception.

This was during the time that I was GOING to be packing up and moving out and finishing up my last project at work.

So.

I worked until mid-afternoon on Friday and got my last project finished, then I went back to the apartment and started packing up.

Then I got a call from mom.

Breanna had a special Lagoon day the next day, and she'd only be able to stay until 1 o'clock, unless I could come supervise her and her friends... so could I possibly get all my packing and moving done that night?

I drove home at two in the morning.

We left Lagoon at four, and I slept.

Sunday was Sunday, and Monday morning it was off to CA with Kim, Becky, and Michelle to meet MWT. Who is made of awesome, just by the way. And my mom is awesome, for making it possible for me to go.

I got home in time to unpack and re-pack to head off to Florida. This was good practice for the mission, I believe--it was hot, and humid, and we walked and walked and walked and walked (though we didn't really sing much as we did). I can't say I really liked the climate, but I do think I could get used to it. I'll have to. (I'm very glad to be back in my dry mountainous desert, where my hair actually gets dry and I know North from South again.)


So this is all one of those hurry-up-and-WAIT scenarios. Because now I'm home, and I do have a few things on my to-do list, and three months to do it all in. The original plan was to have a month to do it all in, because my avalability date for the mission was June 1st. So I have nothing planned for June and July. I'll just... read, and paint, and shop for missionary clothes (etc.) and cook dinner. And go on a couple family vacations I didn't think I'd go on.

*yawn*

Well, off I go. To do... stuff. Yeah, stuff.

I really should be working on finals right now...

...but I really want a break. This is the second-to-last day of classes, after which we have reading days, after which comes... finals. Argh.

Speaking of reading days, our first reading day is Wednesday. (On a side note: I love that they're called Reading Days. I just wish that they, you know, actually WERE reading days. Ah, well.) And guess what is probably going to arrive on Wednesday.

Yep.

The call has been made, now the post man just has to DELIVER it. I no longer just HOPE they call me on a mission--it has happened.

I have this weird sort of feeling, like my fate has been decided for me and yet I have no access to it. And I'm nervous and excited and... nervous. And excited.




Back to finals.
*headdesk*

I have
absolutely no words
that can fully express
how totally
and completely
AWESOME
my mother is.

No really.

You all wish you had a mom as cool as mine.


When I called yesterday morning, all excited over the possibility of flying to California and meeting my favorite author, Megan Whalen Turner, in the company of (and with some help from) my other Book Friends (who are awesome, just by the way), I was informed that the exact dates of our family trip to Florida had JUST BARELY been definitely set... for the EXACT SAME DAYS as this trip to CA would be.

Now, I've really been looking forward to the family trip. I have. But MWT's series has been my favorite since 2007, and my roommies can attest to the extent of my obsession with these books. (As I read KoA just before officially moving down to BYU, my family has only had a watered-down version of this obsession, but knowing me, I think they get an idea of what my roommates go through in dealing with it.)

So hearing that I couldn't go meet my FAVORITE AUTHOR before she moves out of the country (and thence to the other end of the country) and I go on my mission and who-knows-what-else happens was kind of... disappointing. Except without the 'kind of'. Actually, maybe we should replace that 'kind of' with 'EXTREMELY'.

I'll just swallow my pride, own up to my absolute spoild-ness and admit that a few tears were shed over this. I blame Annie for being so understanding and sympathetic. Aren't you supposed to cry when someone is being understanding and sympathetic? I think that is some kind of rule.

Anyway, when I asked mom desperately if there was any way to change it, or maybe I could go to FL from CA, I would even make the phone calls (AND I ABHOR PHONE CALLS WITH A DEEP, DARK LOATHING... well, maybe not that extreme) or, or SOMETHING... she kind of got the idea that this author event, which would seem silly and unimportant to most people, was actually important to me. More important than a family trip to Disney World which I had seemed reasonably excited for. (Yeah, my priorities are completely wacko. Most people would take Disney World over Favorite Author and book Friends any day.)

So yesterday I was making stupid suggestions and making phone calls and... well, basically I felt like I was being an absolute pest and being the worst, whiniest, botheringest daughter ever. ("Oh boo-hoo, I have to go to Disney World. Everyone should waste time and energy and money over me. Boo-hoo." Gosh, I sound disgustingly spoiled. Yuk.) I HATE asking people to make changes for me, I'm an "ok, whatever works for you works for me, it doesn't really matter" kind of person. (At least, I think so. Maybe this is only an illusion I have of myself, and I'm actually an absolute pest. Urgh. I hope not.)

So by yesterday evening (it somehow seemed a longer time than just from morning-to-evening, but thats as long as it was) I had resigned myself to the fact that require too much bothering-of-other-people and being a self-centered pest, and that I would just content myself with sending my books to be signed and seeing the pictures of everyone else being there. And really, I would have alot of fun with my family, and it was probably for the best. I was still really disappointed though, and went to bed with a headache because I'd worked myself up over the whole thing. I mean, really, what did I have to be disappointed about? I would get over it. Really. It would just... be awhile.

But I ascended from the depths of the HFAC after class today and my phone buzzed to deliver me this glorious text message:

After all day on the phone and computer, I CHANGED ORLANDO TO MAY 2-6 SO YOU CAN GO TO CALIFORNIA!!!!!!

I called my mom. The conversation was short, but, well... you know.



Oh
my
goodness.

You guys.

I've been walking on air ever since. Not even finals stress can bring me down.


NOTHING, EVER, CAN TOP THE AWESOMENESS OF MY MOM.



Nothing at all.

Finals.

Three down. (Dance, Narrative, New Testament)


Four to go. (Digital Painting, Illustration, Life Drawing, Judaism)

FINALS

One down. (World Dance)

Six to Go. (Narrative, Life Drawing, Digital Painting, Illustration, New Testament, Judaism)


Oh, and Happy Birthday to me. I'm legal now--yay.

Back to studying. Or rather, preparing for finals--art majors have less studying and more painting like crazy people.

moody

Lately I've just been... less happy. I've been frustrated with classes and work and just kind of for no reason at all. I was feeling this rather acutely during my evening class tonight (Digital Painting). Not for any particular reason--I just was generally frustrated, for absolutely no good reason.



Leave class. Turn right instead of left when leaving HFAC. Enter Library.

And hour and a half passes.

Exit library, with a new spring in step and absurd grin on face.



Oh library, how I love thee.

I have previously demonstrated the greatness of my ode-writing skills (which is to say, non-skills) so I shall fall back on what others have said on this subject.

I have never known a trouble that an hour's reading would not dissipate.
-Charles Louis Montesquieu

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accesible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
-Charles W. Eliot

When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.
-Michel de Montaigne



I collected these quotes (and several others) from a quote book mom had on the table in the living room last time I was home. They are of course always true, but I didn't anticipate how very applicable they would soon be.

pet peeve

I can't really call it a Pet Peeve, because that is just something that kind of rubs you the wrong way, but doesn't really make you extremely angry.

Last week one of my roommates had one of her guy friends over. I talked with them a bit, and he seemed nice enough, though not exactly the type that I could really hit it off with, if you know what I mean. (Which is to say, he was very not nerdy.) So they continue chatting while I go over to my usual end of the couch with the lamp and start reading. He's kind of on his way out--they're gradually getting closer to the door while conversation continues--when they get on the subject of their aspirations, etc. and my roommate admitted that what she really wants to do is write for children.

"Oh," says her friend, "thats easy." He made a motion like he was just scribbling something really fast. "I mean, you just... you know?"

This is far from the first time someone has made a similar suggestion to/in front of me when someone admits to aspirations in childrens literature--either writing or illustration. Its hard for me to believe that they don't realize how utterly tactless, and of course wrong, they are. (How would you like me to say in a sort of brush-of way that your major sounds easy?) But what is also hard for me to believe is that, knowing how unthinking and common, etc., this thinking is, I still become, like, swellingly angry whenever someone makes this kind of comment. But, probably fortunately, I am not a person who yells, or even one who shows much emotion or says much of anything. So when my roommates friend says that writing childrens books is "easy", its only inside that I'm screaming,"EASY? Yeah, well you know what ELSE is EASY? JUMPING OFF A CLIFF IS EASY. So why don't you do the world a favor and go DO that. And be sure to aim for those SHARP ROCKS AT THE BOTTOM. And by the way I've decided to HATE YOU FOR ETERNITY." But while I'm thinking this, I'm still apparently calmly reading, though they probably never noticed that I've stopped moving my eyes over the page, or turning pages.

I waited for my mostly-suppressed explosion until after he was out the door, which was fortunately not long after.
"How can he not know how utterly tactless that was? Not to mention entirely wrong," I said.
"What was?" asked Annie, who had entered just as I said this. I told her what he said, and how this has happened to me several times before, and how it always makes me see red, but I never, ever say anything. So in a very small way it is my fault, for not correcting this thinking when I encounter it, right?
"Well, kind of," Annie said, "I'm not saying that that kind of thinking shouldn't be corrected, but really, I think it's better that you don't say anything when you're as angry as all that. And I know it's hard, but you should probably try to get used to the fact that you're going to keep encountering this kind of thinking and you should try and just let it roll over you, or you're going to keep getting angry about something you have no control over."
And of course she's right, but that doesn't make it any easier.

First day of classes!

So today was the my first day of classes--woot! Not really all that much to report about it, to tell you the truth. I had work all morning (8-1) and right after that I had Advanced Life Drawing with Brother Hull. I'm pretty excited about that class. I feel that I'll learn alot, and most of the work will be in class (drawing from models) or stuff that I already do (sketchbook). Then I had my Advanced Computer Applications for Illustrators class, which might be more accurately titled "Digital Painting". If you want to see my teachers work, his blog is http://davemcclellan.blogspot.com/. It seems like most of the work for this class will be done in class. In addition, we can basically paint whatever "interests us". This means FANART.

On a completely different tangent, I've lost my phone chord. You know, the one you charge your phone with. This means that I am Without A Phone. So if you've tried calling me in the last few days and were sent straight to the answering machine, thats why.

Another completely different tangent--Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Center Theater THIS FRIDAY. I am really excited to see it. Becky went to see it and told me that she thought they did a GREAT job. (Of course they did. This is Hale Center Theater we're talking about.) So that is one BIG THING I've been looking forward to for MONTHS that is Coming Right Up.

I'm planning--hoping--to try out for the folk dance team this Wednesday. The catch? If girls want to try out, they have to bring a Man with them. I have two days to find a man...


The Second Semi-Annual Utah Thief-Con was AMAZING. I now have a Nerd Rock. Well, its supposed to be Hamiathes Gift, but somehow in the two days since I've made it it has acquired the endearment "Nerd Rock."

"Hey, I like your necklace."
"Thanks! Its my Nerd Rock."

This amuses me immensely.
I'd show you all a picture of said Nerd Rock, but the way I would do that would be with my Handy Dandy Camera Phone which, as I said, is out of battery and not likely to be charged until next weekend (when I'll go home to Witness the Awesomeness of Sir Percy.) So maybe later.

Also, I'm planning on having Annilyn the Amazing help me make some awesome Nerd Shirts. They will be hilarious and nobody will really understand what they're about unless they've read Awesome Books.

Speaking of books, I'm going to be getting a couple free ones in the next couple weeks. I am rather pathetically excited about this.


Yes, it's been awhile since my last entry. But thats because not much has been going on. Now that friends and roomies are back and classes have started, hopefully there will be more Things Of Interest (To More Than Myself) to share.

Fianls

Public Speaking, Dance, and Typography done.

Life Drawing, D&C, Illustration and Computer Applications to go.

Apologies

It has become rather clear to me in the last couple days that over the last week or so I have been becoming increasingly short tempered. I have responded less than kindly to roommates, family, and acquaintences when they have done nothing wrong. I am sorry. I wish that I had the time to call and tell everyone individually how sorry I am, but the very reason I am short tempered makes that completely out of the question. (In fact, I really should be doing something other than writing up this blog entry right now...)

Letter of Intent.

I don't want to write it. I don't know how to write it. I wish I had known about this earlier. I guess it is my fault, but they also conveniently and completely failed to mention it when they went over the requirements for the BFA Application. They mentioned basically everything except the letter of intent, I think.

So thats why I'm writing it now, when it is due tomorrow. Or rather not writing it now, because I don't know what to say. Or, most specifically, how to start.

I'm missing dance for this?

I have to get into the Illustration BFA program. That is what will make it all worth it. I need to keep telling myself this.

Besides, there is still August.

*headache*

Thumb drive Nightmare

I haven't really put up any entries lately, but thats because so much has been going on. And I haven't had a whole lot to say. But I guess I could tell you all about my thumb drive nightmare, because it was pretty exciting.

Our most recent project in my Intermediate Computer Applications (for Artists) class was to illustrate a fairy tale together--my teacher found a fairy tale and divided it into 20 sections and each of us chose/was assigned a section to illustrate. We needed to do a good job on these, because the whole story with our illustrations would be put up in the Juvelile section of the library.

I worked very hard on my illustration. My normal tendency would have been to procrastinate a bit more (though not until the last minute! I'm not that bad!) but since I'd never really used photoshop (the program we were required to do it in) and the picture would be on display I wanted it to be my best work. So from the day I knew which part of the fairy tale I would be working on I started work on my picture.

The day before the picture was due I had some problems saving it onto my thumbdrive, which had never really given me any significant problems before. I kept getting an error message telling me that there was not enough space on the drive. I ended up deleting all old/obsolete files, e-mailing the important ones to myself, and deleting an uneeded layer of my picture before it would finally save. Doing all this took time that I would have been in my D&C class.

Fortunately, mom was visiting that day. After hearing a long tearful account of my thumbdrive woes, she took me to the computer section of the bookstore and got me a new, bigger thumb drive. Halelujah, I thought.

So the next day I moved all my files from my old thumb drive to my new one. Most of them I still had in the form of e-mail attachments, except, of course, my fairy tale illustration file, which is like ten times to big to be attached to any normal e-mail.

The next day I planned to watch the George Pratt demonstration. I went to the HFAC early and worked in the computer lab to put the finishing touches on my illustration before printing it to be hung that night. When the demonstration was going to start, I saved the file and went up to watch the demonstration, but it turned out not to be in the place I thought it was going to be. Rather than wander around, I went back to the computer lab to finish my illustration.

It wouldn't open.

It kept giving me an error message:"This file was created in a different version of photoshop and cannot be opened on this computer." A different version of photoshop? No way! I was sitting at the exact same computer I had just saved it from less than twenty minutes before!

Well, long story short, the file had become corrupted. And I had backups of all of my other, less important files, but not that one, not the one that was due in a few hours. I tried whatever I could think of to recover the file--opening it on a differend computer, in a different program, anything... nothing.

So I started over.

But I only had a couple hours, and the illustration didn't look presentable in the least. Since I had done the whole picture before and figured out the program in the process I got much further than I would have done, but even so, the illustration looked... bad.

So in class that night I told my teacher what had happened and, fortunately she was very understanding about the whole situation. She told me that I had until the next Friday to have something up.

A week. I could finish again in a week.

I won't go into all the details of how it happened, but in trying to recover my original illustration file, the one that I had started new with ended up getting ruined. So I had to start over again over again.

And I swear the new thumb drive mom got me hates Mac programs, because it ruined my Indesign File, as well as both Photoshop ones. So I have another thumbdrive, and I'm saving all my files on BOTH, as well as e-mailing them when possible, to prevent another nightmare like this from happening.

So yesterday I finally got the illustration up with the others. And it looks.... not very good. Especially when I compare it to the piece that I was actually able to put the time into. But I did learn my lesson with this.... NEVER TRUST YOUR THUMB DRIVE.

Cowgirl Painting

Well, I spent basically all day I wasn't either doing inventory or eating on this painting. Most of that time was just trying to DECIDE ON A COMPOSITION. I decided on one, started painting it, saw that it was actually really bad, started all over. Took alot longer deciding on a composition the second time around, because I didn't want to have to start all over AGAIN. *sigh*



My desk light is over on the right side, that is why it looks alot lighter on that side.

Post Number seventy! (yay randomness!)

I started a new painting today. I was working on my still life for Illustration 1, but... that painting is soooooo boring. Not only is it a still life, but we have to do the stupid thing in black and white. And I'm sure everyone reading this blog knows how I feel about black and white.

Even though I don't like it much, I'll let you see what it looks like. As well as a camera phone will let me, that is.

The assignment was to do a still life about either child abuse or the commercialization of Christmas. I did Christmas (if you can't tell.) Its a manger, but instead of the baby Jesus, it's holding candy and presents. The animal at the manger scene is... a piggy bank.



The painting I started today... well, I was looking though our Mexico pictures and... I liked this one. So I did a painting of it.



An inch or two from the top and like 1/4 inch from the bottom aren't in the photo. But here it is. Dunno when I'll finish it, but I really should do real homework now.

Life is good.

It's insanely busy and difficult and tiring, but even so, life is good.

I've set myself up for a pretty insanely busy semester. Or maybe I should say awesomely busy, because although my schedule is very tight its chock full of a whole lot of awesome, not to mention that I set myself up for it all, so I can't really complain.

Monday through Thursday the day starts at eight in the morning. Monday/Wednesday its Illustration 1 from 8-11, Tuesday/Thursday its Intermediate Life drawing. After Illustration on M/W I have D&C from 11-12.

After those classes I go home for 1 (MW) or 2 (TTh) hours and head to work from 1-4:30.

My Monday Evening Class, from 5:10-6:50, is Beginning Social Dance. Lots of fun.

Tuesdays I leave work early for Public Speaking from 4-6:30. Swing Club lessons are from 7 to 8:30 ish, and Swing Team practices are right after that. On busy homework days I can skip the club lessons, but not the team practices.

Wednesdays I'll go to Writing for Children from 5:10 until 7ish, unless homework really needs to be done. From 7-11 is Typography, but usually it doesn't go the whole sheduled time.

Thursday nights I have Intermediate Computer Applications (for artists) from 2-10, but I leave early for Swing Team Practice.

Friday I have NO CLASSES. *wipes forehead* WHEW!I do still have work, though. This is my do-homework day.

Saturday there are no classes, of course--another homework day. Swing Kids Club Saturday nights, lessons at 7, dance starts at 8.

Sunday is 9:00 Sacrament meeting and ROommate Dinner sometime late in the afternoon.




And that is life.

Letterpress Studio

Typograpy yesterday was totally awesome. Gah. I loved it so much! It was really, really hard though.

We went to the Letterpress studio and actually hand-set type to print. How are you at reading upside-down and backwards?

Most people did shorter messages than I did, so they didn't have the problem of multiple lines of type. My own fault, I guess. So, so, so.

It took the teacher explaining it to me twice before I understood in what order we were supposed to do the letters. You start with the first line but at the end of it, then you put in your leading, then start at the end of the second line, etc. And you're putting this all together upside-down and backwards. And if that doesn't get your brain all tied up in knots, you are more skilled than I am.

When I was getting close to finished setting my type, I realized I had my camera and could document the experience with photos... sweet.



They had lots and lots of drawers, each drawer being a certain font and point size. The font I chose was size 36 optima. We were each given a chart, showing how the letters were arranged in the case (if they had been put back correctly.)



Finally, the whole message was put together. It is a scripture, but after getting all of that on there I hope you'll forgive me if my mind was too tied up in knots to transfer it to a big tray just to do another line upside-down and backwards. So I didn't put the reference on there.



I did a rubbing to make sure I did it right. After doing a rubbing, it is still backwards (but fortunately you can turn it rightside-up... phew). To see it the right way you have to hold it up to the light and look at it the wrong way. Fortunately, I'd done it correctly and didn't need to make any changes.

I bring it over the table so I can... well, I dont remember the term for it. You put pieces of lead around each side of the message and get all the letters in snug enough that they don't drop out if you lift it up by the edges, then tie a string around it. More easily said than done. I probably spent more time on this step than any other, but at least it was a straightforward concept (don't let the letters slide out!) rather than an upside-down and backwards one.



I figured out the trick after spending far too long doing this. What you do is get the letters in all snug, then tie a string around it, which won't ever stay as tight as you want when you pull the knot snug. But this doesn't matter, because once you have the knot tied you wedge in a few more pieces of leading on the edges, which pulls it all tight again. Keep that in mind if ever you are setting type. The teacher did comment afterward that my message was the most successful in keeping all the letters from falling out... hooray!

My message was finally ready to print. There was a bit of a line, so I got to watch a few people do theirs before I did mine. Brooke and Tanner had used a really large type face with big letters and they just completely skipped the Tying the Letters Together step, because the letters were big enough that they just stayed down with their own weight. Which was a little frustrating, I'll admit... but I did do it the right way!

I got Brooke to take pictures of me when I printed my message.

I bring my try of letters over, waiting for the previous message to be removed before placing mine on the press.



The teacher helps slide my message off the tray and onto the press.



Here it is, on the press.



I ink the roller...



Then ink the letters.



The teacher checks to see that I've inked all the letters evenly.



I place a piece of paper over the message...



And crank the roll over it.




I do this eight times.





So now I have eight copies... ta-da!

If GOD be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

That thingy by the D is called a dingbat. Not necessary or even very nice-looking, but I just really wanted to use something called a dingbat. Probably would have looked nicer at the end of the message... ah, well.