life... fresh off the backburner

Right Brain Redux Crash Course: Projects 24-26

2015-09-30T01:51:00.000-04:00

Still playing catch-up. We have a few projects to post for you today. First up is a Wild Card project from Jessica. We put in a couple of blank pieces of paper so we could do whatever we wanted.

Jess's Challenge Projects for #24-26

#25 Create something using recycled materials

Sometimes you just feel like painting on a popsicle stick... well, I do. It's not perfect or my best work, but I'm okay with that. (That's definitely a big thing for me.) --Jess

#25 Random Photography

This is Jess's favorite barn to photograph. She really has an eye for capturing it. It sits around 3,000 feet above sea level on a ridge forming the state line between WV and VA near the southern tip of WV (The road is the state line.) --Kev

#26 Art Based on Scripture

I draw while studying my Bible. God made me a creator, so I remember what I read better when I connect it with doodles and pictures. It's not about creating perfect pictures; it's about connecting with God on a level that resonates with both of us. --Jess

Hebrews 12:15- "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."

Kevin's Challenge Projects for #24-26

#24

Today, I drew "Create and draw a new character". This bear will be the main character in a children's book I wrote with my son today. He is inspired by my son's teddy bear.

#25

"Create a newspaper blackout poem". This one is pretty random as far as poems go. To tell you the truth, I had a hard time wrapping my head around this challenge. Don't know if it was the lack of sleep the night before or if I just didn't get it. I can write poems, but the challenge of picking out words from an article... I think I could do a lot better, I'd just need to take more time and be more alert. Not being allowed coffee until they straighten out my heart is maybe one of the worst things about what I'm dealing with.

Here is the text of my "Poem"

No Choice! Go Home!

Racing for the exits

Blasted cat, Outrage! Ridiculous!

Oh, get over it.

The day is so backward!

Grow up. Unless you like ice cream

Ice Cream? Terrible

#26

Pulled a blank paper out today, so that's a Wild card. I got to pick what I wanted to do, so I decided to do my other idea for a t-shirt design based on a scripture verse. I do intend to put digital colors to this, maybe this weekend. The Verse(s) for this image are Ephesians 6:10-18, concerning the "Whole Armor of God".

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Right Brain Redux: Project 23 of 30: We're baaa-aaack!

2015-09-23T23:58:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Project 23 of 30

We're baaa-aaack. Sorry for the gap between posts. Lots to do and colds to fight (life with kids. Someone ALWAYS has a cold to share). So, post number 23.

For this challenge, Jessica pulled out the one-line challenge "Draw something using only one line" in which she had to draw a picture without lifting pen from paper. Kevin (that's me) drew "Write a one-page story based on a random dictionary word."

Kev: Well, I don't have a paper dictionary available, so I used a handy-dandy random word generator and got "Sloughed". For me, the challenge was writing a one page story. I just realized writing this that I missed the spirit of the challenge, sort of. I did USE the word in the story, but I was so focused on limiting myself to just one page that I forgot the story was supposed to be based on the word rather than just including it. But it is already written, so I submit to you:

"Exponential"

Brannix cracked open the containment unit, raising the internal temperature by more than a degree. Working quickly, he shaved off a razor-thin sample from the specimen inside and hurriedly resealed the cap. Transferring the sample to a petri dish, he carried it over the high-powered microscope manned by his colleague.

"Are you certain we shouldn't be working this under full containment, Ardon?" he asked nervously.

"What are you so worried about? This things dead for at least five thousand years. The only reason we keep it chilled is so it won't break down before we can study it."

The sample slid into place and Ardon adjusted the focus on the viewer as he continued "Something killed this thing outright, and it wasn't an EMP. The planet is covered with remains of them. Figuring out what kind of weapon did it will be a real boost in the fight, not to mention our bank... oh..."

Brannix looked up from stirring the noodles he was boiling in a beaker "Oh? What's Oh? Oh doesn't sound good. That was a bad Oh."

"Look here," Ardon tipped the screen around so Brannix could see "There's one nanite functioning. Barely. It looks like its eating one of the inert ones."

"Wow," he replied, slurping his noodles, "Guess after five k, he's pretty hungry. Why would it do that?"

"Reproduction cycle, you boneheaded idiots," boomed the voice of Professor Xedos through the intercom, "Who authorized you to open one of the alien samples?"

"Uh, we just thought we'd do some hands-on studying while we..."

"Look at the screen."

On the monitor, the first microscopic machine had already become more than two dozen. As they devoured the corpses of their ancient fellows, the number doubled every half-second. Then the screen went blank as a silvery mass surged up out of the dish and around the camera lens of the microscope. Within seconds, it was boiling out of the top of the cylinder. Plastic components sloughed off like dead skin as a form took shape in the center of the writhing mass.

"I'm sorry," the lab shuddered as Xedos explained, "Containment protocols have been activated. The lab has been sealed off and ejected from the station. You two... you knew better."

The lights went out as the lab was disconnected from the station's power, leaving only the red glowing eyes of the fully formed alien robot standing amid the ruins of the microscope.

Jess: Jessica's task for today was a true challenge for her: Draw using only one line. My love is a perfectionist, and using the single line means you can't fix mistakes. She is trying hard to embrace the imperfection, but it drives her nuts at the same time. I think she did great. Here are a few of her pieces.

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Right Brain Redux: Update

2015-09-18T23:19:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Update Hey everybody, I know we haven't posted any updates in a couple of days. We will be getting the challenge back on track over the weekend. The reason for the lack of activity is our preparation for a big event this weekend. We are the Children's Pastors at our church, and this Sunday, Kids' Church is taking over "Big Church". We are going to be conducting the service in the main sanctuary, but leading the adults through the service along with the kids. It's been some extra work, but it's going to be awesome. More project posts coming on the other side! Kevin & Jessica Rose

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Right Brain Redux: Day 22 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-15T23:59:00.002-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 22: Beware Robots Bearing Gifts... Hey, is that ice cream?

Challenges for today include:

Kev "Draw a friendly robot"

Jess "Create a newspaper blackout poem".

Robots. You can't trust em. Except for Optimus Prime. Totally trustworthy. Now, this little guy here, he looks right friendly. He's smiling. He's got ice cream. Real cute fella. But note the red eyes. The control panel on his chest looks like it's up to no good. That big grin... is it just his neck plates? Run. He's coming for you...

Pen & ink on 2.5"x3.5 Strathmore vellum finish Bristol

Jess: A newspaper blackout poem... pretty simple concept, blackout words and create something entirely new, a poem in this case. I can't get through it without laughing...

Done?
by Jessica Rose

Water is good for you,
But water in your wallet
Bad.
Instead, invest in a reusable glass.
Cheers to savings!

Ever use a tie?
Did you know they are reusable?
You can reopen a tie
Release the tie.
Once it's open, it's like new.
Since ties recycle.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 21 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-14T23:55:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 21: 3 Weeks In, and They Don't Suspect a Thing

Jessica's project at this milestone: "Make something for someone else".

Kevin's was "Post a picture of the most interesting thing you saw today".

Kevin: Now, I may be fudging a bit here, because I didn't actually take this photo today. I took it a couple of days ago. But I did not actually SEE it until today. It's a straight-down shot of a little two-prong ginseng plant my mother found when she, I, and mini-me were in the woods the other day (we didn't dig it, but we did plant the berries it had). Besides the fact that ginseng is, to me, the most beautiful plant in the woods, the way the picture turned out was very intriguing to me. To my eye, it almost seems as if the little 'seng leaves are floating above a printed paper backdrop of fallen leaves rather than an unruly pile on the forest floor.

Jess: My task: Make something for someone

I enjoyed making the Zentangles so much that I decided to do a bookmark for Kevin. It was small enough that I figured I'd be able to finish it. (Zendoodles take longer than I thought they would!) Also, he really loved my first attempt. He enjoyed finding all the little symbols and guessing what each thing was based on. I put the bookmark on a page of my notebook to take a pic of it.

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift my eyes up to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

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Right Brain Redux: Day 20 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-13T02:49:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 20: Blind Man's Bluff

At the 2/3 mark, Kevin had to draw while blindfolded and Jessica was challenged with "Draw Zentangles".

Kevin: "Draw without looking at the paper". That's what the challenge slip I pulled out of the jar for today said. Without looking? I knew that was impossible. So I grabbed a blindfold. Because I knew, jest knew I wouldn't be able to resist looking.

For my subject matter, I chose three characters that I have drawn before. Two of them very frequently and for years. I used a Pilot G2 gel pen on plain printer paper. I spent about 5 minutes on each drawing. Overall a fun little experiment. I used the fingers of my left hand as placeholders to give me an idea where I had drawn what, but it was still tricky, as Hulk's puny left arm and Warhawk's skinny legs attest. Here are the drawings.

First up is Marvel's Hulk.

Second was Optimus Prime.

And thirdly I drew one of my original characters that I've been drawing over and over since creating him about 25 years ago, Warhawk. Since most of you will have never seen Warhawk, I included a quick sketch of how he's supposed to look.

Jess: Draw a Zentangle

So what's a zentangle? "The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns." I think mine probably turned out more doodle than zentangle. Here are my results before I had to stop because my hands hurt too badly. I really didn't want to quit. These are a lot of fun actually.

Can't wait to finish it.

I love to create to music. Here's what I'm listening to tonight:

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Right Brain Redux: Day 19 of 30-Day Creativity Challenge (Thursday)

2015-09-11T23:24:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 19: Day late and More than a Dollar Short

For day 19, we both had photography assignments:

Jess: Post a picture of the most interesting thing you saw today

We had a long day ahead of us. I had an appointment for testing, and Kevin had a doctor's appointment. Afterwards, we headed to Sam's which about another half an hour away from our doctors' offices. While waiting for Kevin, the boys and I napped in the van. I noticed the parking lot had a lot of trees with these pink, spikey-looking fruits on them. I'd never seen anything like them. They were slightly larger than cherries, but not quite golf ball sized. The diameter was probably close to the size of a half-dollar. (It's weird that those aren't really a common reference anymore.) After Kevin got back, I stepped over to the tree and snapped some pictures. I also took pictures of them smashed all on the sidewalk. The pulp inside was yellowish and very hmm... gushy. (A very technical term there, I know.)

When we got back home, it was pretty late. Everyone was exhausted, so we just put the boys to bed and crashed. I couldn't go to bed without first looking up what kind of trees these might be though. Thanks to Google, ArborDay.org, and the blog Eat The Weeds, I found out these were Kousa Dogwood (Japanese Dogwood) trees. It's a cousin to the Flowering Dogwood, (definitely a tree this Georgia girl is more familiar with!) and their fruit is edible! (I thought about trying one when I found them, but logical adult-me won that argument. She's no fun sometimes.) Just to see, I looked up recipes too. They don't have a lot of yield, so mostly I found jam recipes. To me, learning or discovering something new is really interesting, so those were my photographs for this particular challenge. Fun!

Kevin- Find the letters of his name in everyday objects and nature

Finding the letters of my name wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but it was fun. I couldn't set up the letters or create them. I had to find them already there. Taking letters from signs didn't count either. The "K" was in the gate of a dog lot. I found the "E" in mossy logs deep in the woods halfway up the side of a mountain while hunting ginseng with mini-me. The "I" is a porch post. "V" showed up in a pair of Pex waterline crimpers leaning against the wall. Finally, I discovered "N" in a fence line.

This was a pretty cool project, and I had to stretch my imagination a bit to find them all, even though there were only five. I put them together so you can see how they turned out. Here it is in both color and black & white.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 18 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-10T01:23:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 18: T-Shirt 2-4-1!

As luck would have it, today we both pulled T-Shirt assignments. Jessica has "Design a T-Shirt based on a verse of Scripture". I drew "Create a T-shirt that a 'Dr Who' fan will recognize without using any character's face or name".

Inspired by my favorite character from the 11th Doctor's tenure, I submit to you this heavily armed potato.

The verse Jessica chose as inspiration for her design was 2 Timothy 1:6 "Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands." (HSCB) Especially focusing on the line "Keep ABLAZE the Gift of God that is in you". The idea behind this shirt is to create a piece that fulfills the challenge while also being a design that could be used for a potential future youth ministry.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 17 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-09T01:43:00.002-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 17: You want Catch-Up on that?

Just to recap for those who have joined us recently: Jessica and myself are just over halfway through a 30-Day Creativity challenge. We randomly choose a single project for each of us daily. Each chooses from their own Challenge Jar. We call this Right Brain Redux, for the old saw that creativity is a function of the right brain, and Redux from the Latin meaning "to bring back, revived". If you have any suggestions for challenges, leave them in the comments and we might add our favorites to the jars.

Today we are still working on catching up. Catching up on sleep (a sick toddler will put you behind on it fast) and catching up on projects. Those of you keeping tally will realize we are actually a day behind, even though we made a post yesterday. I'm also feeling much better after the major surgery I had back in July, so I am also trying to finish the house now (as I have the energy. Better, but still not fully recovered). Our projects for today took us to some interesting places.

For today, Jessica pulled "Color a coloring sheet" while mine was "Draw a Superhero".

Kev: For my challenge to "Draw a Superhero", I decided to go outside of my box a bit. When I do superheroes, I prefer to draw my own characters. I rarely draw ones belonging to anyone else, except for maybe in a doodle. So I elected to draw someone else's character for today's project.

It took me a little while to decide who to draw. Right off, I knew I didn't want to draw a big time super-popular ten thousand pieces of fan art character. No Deadpool (sigh), no Wolverine, no Bats or Superman. I tried to think of an obscure character from Marvel or DC. Even looked at some lists. I couldn't make up my mind. Then I started thinking about that small stack of comics I had when I was a kid. Now, I'm not trying to tell a sad story, but up until I was about ten, we were let's say, less than affluent. I didn't get to go get comics all the time. Mostly, I read other peoples' comics. When I did get one of my own, it got read and reread until it fell apart.

One of those treasures was an issue of the 60's comic "Dr Solar, Man of the Atom". In this issue, Dr Solar is invited to some sort of scientific unveiling and realizes that the hi-tech floating city this guy has built is in fact a giant nuclear bomb. The villain turns out to be King Cybernoid, Solar's arch nemesis. They fight and the human face gets torn off cybernoid to show he is a robot underneath. Now, this was pre-Terminator, so my seven-year-old mind was blown at the thought that a human could be a robot under the skin.

I read this story so many times, I can't even begin to guess how many. But one thing about the comic is when it was handed down to me, it was sans cover. I used to draw covers for it all the time in those years. I still have the comic somewhere. And it hit me; I would, for the first time in probably twenty-five years, draw a cover for that issue of Solar.

Pencil on Canson Bristol Comic cover sheet. 11"x17"

Jessica, for her challenge of "Color a coloring sheet", chose a printable adult coloring sheet with a geometric pattern. She had heard from a number of people that these "Adult Coloring Books" were fun and relaxing. Not for Jessica. She found that while she might find it fun if she was already relaxed, coloring the sheet did nothing to relax her. Quite the opposite, in fact.

First, she had to choose between crayons, markers, and pencils. Then once she chose colored pencils, she had to choose between three set of those. Then, she started counting blocks in the pattern to decide on a sequence of colors. The set of pencils she is using is a 36-piece set. After several false starts that included reprinting the sheet at least four times and starting over, she finally narrowed the color palette down to eight pencils. Then she told me that she'd like to be painting some watercolors. She did finish the center of the pattern, but it definitely did not make her feel relaxed. She thinks that perhaps a new twist on something she already knows she enjoys would be more calming or relaxing after a long day of not feeling well following a night of little sleep. Something as rigid as the geometric pattern is more stressful than relaxing. She feels it might have been less so if she had chosen a less rigid, more organic design.

It wasn't a bad project. Turned out rather nice. I t just wasn't "relaxing".

Source: "Don't Eat the Paste" Blog by Shala Kerrigan

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Right Brain Redux: Day 16 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-07T03:12:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 16: Sunday Poets

Good Sunday, great Kids' Church, relaxing afternoon. Today, both of us drew writing assignments in the poetic vein. I have to write a Haiku about the last thing I watched on TV, while Jessica writes a poem on a random subject chosen by Mini-Me.

Kev: Write a Haiku about the last thing you watched on TV.

It was almost Ninja Turtles. But after mini-me went to bed, we watched Episode 8 of Top Chef: Texas - Season 9 (We have this on Amazon Prime and are rewatching it as we originally saw it not too long before Little arrived. Blur time.)

Top Chef Season Nine

She Serv'd Bigfoot To LaBelle

Yay Sarah's Gone Now

Jess: Write a poem on a random subject chosen by our oldest son.

He chose "dump truck."

I do have some experience with dump trucks. My dad drove one for many years, and when I was little I definitely spent a long time answering "what do you want to be when you grow up?" by quickly replying, "a dump truck driver like my Daddy!" So, here's a little tribute on his random topic that turned out to be a very emotional piece for me.

Dump Truck

by Jessica Paul Rose

Your boots are by the door
Waiting for tomorrow.
Caked in clay and trials
Their soles worn to the floor.

Go to sleep in apprehension
Praying I don't miss you.
Early hours are no matter
They've lived here long before.

Ice crashes in the cooler
Sends me running with a push.
Imploring eyes to greet you
Please... can I go with you today?

Excitement doesn't compare
To that familiar bounce and sway.
The smell of oil and laughter
Sometimes drifts too far away.

You take me on a journey
And how my world looks grand.
That dump truck is a carriage
For more than just the sand.

We eat
And drive.
Then suddenly,
It's time.

Kids line the fence to watch you leave.
Do I have to go, Daddy?
I love you.

Oh, wait!
Please bring me a mountain
Today.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 15 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-06T18:51:00.002-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 15: Super Scary Saturday

Me n Mini-me hit the woods this morning to try and find us some ginseng (along with MawMaw). We only found two diggable plants (Have to be at least a 3-prong, so we couldn't dig the smaller stuff we found). Fun time, but it ate up a lot of the day. The projects for today were:

Kevin: Draw something that scares you.

Jessica: Create a timeline of significant events in your life.

(Kev): Right off the bat, my first thoughts were to draw a monster of something. To see what I could imagine that was super-scary (Hey, anybody remember/ miss "Super Scary Saturday" on TBS? Old monster movies hosted by Grandpa Munster.) But I digress. It dawned on me that I should draw what I am scared of, not just something scary-looking. So I thought about it.

I'm not really worried about monsters and a lot of stuff like that. Roller coasters, now... THEM'S SCARY! I used to love 'em. Would stay on them all day when we went to amusement parks. Then I got hurt on one when I was a kid and ever since then, they freak me out. I rode the Scooby-Doo kiddie coaster at Carowinds and by the time it stopped I was a heap in the floorboards. Is that still there or did I just date myself?

Clowns gimmee the heebie-jeebies. 'Nuff said.

There's a 3rd fear in there. Bonus points to anyone who spots it. Not a current fear, but a recurring childhood and young adulthood nightmare.

Jess: Create a timeline of the most significant moments of your life. I took a little bit different approach with this task in choosing a theme of "What I want to be..."

I freely admit to having some pretty random things on my timeline. Notice also a pattern of wanting to be creative. Random is definitely my style and how I think, and I no longer apologize for that.

1981: Alive!
1984: Read "Harold & the Purple Crayon" and decided that was the life for me, drawing everything!
1985: Full-time babysitter of my new little sister
1986: Head Playground Activity Coordinator (The Boss of Kindergarten)
1987: Dump truck driver just like my Daddy & Personal body guard to my two little sisters

1988: Jem's Personal Stylist- Truly Outrageous! and
A Dancer because I just knew I was better than Paula Abdul, straight up!
1990: Wedding Dress Designer (None of you fellow 4th graders called me up for your designs. What's up with that?!?) & Inventor of new art supplies (I totally invented colored glue!)
1993: Person who studies sharks because Ichthyologist sounded really cool and confused adults when they asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
1994: Fashion & Shoe Designer
1996: Writer / Journalist / Poet
1998: Dream school= Savannah College of Art & Design // Majoring in Textiles & Furniture Design

2001: Photographer
2002: Not a loser or failure at life // The best mommy I can be to my baby
2005: Founder of a non-profit- counseling children and teens utilizing the arts as therapy

2007: ??? Honestly, I had no idea. I felt really lost when it came to goals in life. I really had to pray and seek God for direction.
2008: Graphic Designer & A great, loving wife

2009: Branding consultant for small businesses, especially start-ups
2010: Jewelry Designer

2013: Artist // The BEST mommy I can be to 2 awesome boys!

2015: After a great deal of prayer and fasting, Kevin & I realized we were both being led to start a Kids' Church ministry. // Children's Church Co-Pastor & whatever God wants me to be

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Right Brain Redux: Day 14 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-05T01:09:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux Day 14: Bluebelly the Pirate

Started today out in the woods with Mini-Me, hunting some 'Seng (Ginseng). Didn't find any this time, but still had a good time. Today's Challenge projects were:

Jess: Create a new Pandora station, then create a piece of art inspired by the third song that plays.

Kev: Finger paint with the boys and post the results.

It wasn't hard to get Mini-me on board with the finger painting. He went to town as soon as we sat down. Little took a little more convincing. First he wanted to wave the paper around. Then as soon as there was paint on his finger, he had to taste it. Must've been pretty bad, based on the face he made and the fact that he didn't try to eat it anymore. After I put his finger on the paper and showed him he could make a streak, he lit up. He was pointing at colors that he wanted and holding his hand out for me to wipe when he got too much paint on it.

Mini-me finished his piece solo while I supervised Little on his first one. Then all three of us got our hands on the third piece (literally. All 3 of our handprints are on it). I even got Jess some of Little's handprints in her sketchbook before we were done. Then, Bluebelly the Pirate made his first appearance. Shortly thereafter, he began to Hulk out and then went for a scrub. But not until he painted MY belly, too.

Mini-me never said what he was painting, but to me it looks like the woods when the leaves start to turn. Which we did see one tree already changing color this morning, so maybe that was in his head still.

Who knows what Little was painting, but he was very deliberate with his color choices and placement on his solo piece. And belly.

Jess: Create a new Pandora station, then create a piece based on the third song that plays.

My song was "Freedom" by Warr Acres. This song brought into my mind the thought of "Crying out to God". So I looked for verses that fit that feeling. I came across "In my distress I called to the Lord". The image I chose was of a hand, reaching out for help. I placed the verse within the hand. Outside of the hand I added the verse "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. 2 Chr 7:14". After this, I needed to look up the reference/ location of the scripture on the hand, because I couldn't remember it.

It turns out this phrase appears in 5 different places in the Bible, giving me one verse reference for each finger on the hand. I did NOT plan this. God is amazing.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 13 of 30-Day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-03T23:49:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 13

It's T-shirt Thursday! Ok, so that's how it turned out, anyway. Today, both of us drew T-shirt design projects from our Challenge Jars. Jessica pulled "Design a 'Dr. Who' inspired t-shirt that a fan will recognize, but you can't use any character's name or face." I drew "Design a t-shirt based on/ inspired by a Bible verse."

(Kev) My first thought was to draw an "Armor of God" picture. I've imaged that in several different ways over the years, and I actually enjoy drawing it. But then again, that is a passage of Scripture, not a verse. Since this is a challenge, I elected to select a single verse to interpret. I went with Philippians 4:13.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. " (KJV)

The original image in my head was of the letters outlined in white with black and white images of people doing things inside. But it just didn't look right. So I went with the text instead. The tough part of these challenges is getting them done in a short time. The nice part is that we are getting something down as a design, but we intend on revisiting the good ideas and refining them to completed designs after the challenge is over.

The thought of "DO" has been on my mind for the last while, especially when I think of that verse. "Do" puts action to something. It is also a command or instruction. "Do this." We say "I AM a Christian." To me, I just keep thinking about "Being" verses "Doing". Are we "Doing" Christianity for the world to see? When "I am", it is a statement. When "I do" it is action visible to the naked eye. Just my thoughts.

Go Do.

(Jess) When I read my challenge, the first thing I thought of was the "Bad Wolf" graffiti because I love graffiti. And that's my favorite season of the The Doctor anyway. Then I realized that there was already a lot of those designs out there. After thinking a bit, I chose to do "Bad Wolf" in Gallifreyan. I found several sites with the alphabet and showing you how to read and write it. There seems to be a couple of different versions out there, but I settled on one and turned the words into this design. How you write it and form words is very interesting. It's far from just being a simple substitution alphabet. I found myself lost in studying how to read it, and I had to make myself stop in order to finish the project.

And as Kevin mentioned, the good ideas we will revisit and refine later. This is one I definitely want to give a second (and third and fourth and...) go over. I really like the concept, but I want to spend more hands-on time with this design and the writing itself. Most likely with my own hands instead of digitally, so I can give it my style. I like... need that control when it comes to design.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 12 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-09-02T11:08:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux: day 12 (plus Kev's Day 11 catch-up)

Day late and a dollar short.

Broken teeth are unfun. Right. Well first off I have some catching up to do from Monday. I actually did the project late Monday night when I couldn't sleep from the teeth pain. The challenge was "Draw a picture using only one line". So I had to come up with something I could do without lifting the pen from the paper. I actually wasn't quite finished when I lifted the pen, but I stopped when I did.

"Line Doctor" (Day 11 challenge)

Day 12 Challenges:

Jess "Fill a page with doodles"

She puts my doodles to shame. When Jessica doodles, she sees/ thinks in lines and shapes rather than complete images, and the doodle grows organically. She wasn't able to fill the page before her hand went numb (she's being tested/ treated for arthritis). But normally, she wouldn't try to do this all in one sitting.

Kev "Create a new Pandora radio station, then create a piece inspired by the third song that plays".

The idea was to create a piece inspired by music, but to have no control over which music, other than maybe the genre. I created a station based on the Christian Rock band "Red". The third song was "War of Change" by Thousand Foot Krutch. Now, "war" and "change" automatically make me think of Transformers. And the music to the song had a sound that reminded me of some of the TF movie music. Once that was in my head, I couldn't really find another place to go.

The concept of the piece is the past and future at war in the persona of Optimus Prime (G1 and Age of Extinction versions). The only thing that stops changing is something that is dead. That's growth. But do we cross a line where we "grow" to the point that we are no longer ourselves?

"War of Change: Optimus vs. Nopetimus"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdnTSXUWd3E

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Right Brain Redux: 30-Day Creativity Challenge Day 11

2015-09-01T01:09:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: 30-Day Creativity Challenge // Day 11 of of 30

Jess's task: Photography: Capture Opposites

First: God, you are the Ultimate Artist! I am absolutely in awe of your creativity. Thank You for giving me the desire to also be a creator.

When I (Jess) got this challenge, I had to think awhile on what I'd do. Driving around today, up, down, around, and even on top of the mountains, I saw the contrast of light and dark, sunlight and shadows. So I thought about how light and dark are opposites and took that approach.

I had to laugh at myself because it occurred to me that I'm really obsessed with light... always chasing it around. I'm usually thinking about it as we drive and as I observe everything. I know I'll never quite capture photographic perfection, but wow... the chase is fun.

Kevin is working on his project for today, but he will have to post it tomorrow. He's had a rough day at the dentist.

Right Brain Redux: Day 10 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-31T00:16:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 10

Today's assignments were for Kev to write about a time he learned from failure, and Jess to write a 1-page story based on a random word from the dictionary. This is also Day 3 of the Stomach Virus Challenge.

Kevin: Out of every challenge we listed out and put in our jars, I think that this was the one I felt the least prepared to do. I sort of hoped I might dodge it, since we have more than 30 in the jars. I'm not always the best at looking at failures. I tend to concentrate of the successes. So examining my failures and looking for one that I learned from wasn't really easy or comfortable. But I think I found something I could share that helped me grow as an artist, and is still working on me. Really, the core lesson can apply to much more in life than just art.

* * *

In the Spring Semester of 1995, I was in my second semester of art school (3rd year of college). One of my classes that semester was a sculpture class/ 3 dimensional design. Now, right off the bat, everyone starts off with clay, because hey, it's sculpture, right? So I picked up my blob of clay and went to work.

It wasn't nearly as easy as some of the other guys made it look. To put it simply, I struggled on that first piece. I saw other pieces taking shape that made what I was doing look like I was in grade school working with play dough. So I went silly. What I sculpted was deliberately cartoonish so that I could, I thought, finish that first assignment without showcasing just how hopeless I felt I was at this. It ended up being more obvious than I thought.

The instructor told me I would have to step it up for my second piece, and that one of our minimum three pieces would have to be displayed in the art show at the end of the semester. I figured out real fast that I wasn't going to be able to phone this class in. My second piece took a little while to take shape. What I worked on for the next month just didn't measure up and the instructor let me know that it wasn't going to cut it unless I really buckled down and applied the techniques he was teaching.

Up to this point, I was sort of skating through the class, showing up enough not to affect my grade, or at least I thought so. I would make it there a little late most days and miss the demos and just spend the lab time working. So I got serious about the class and got some of my friends to show me some of what I'd missed. The instructor also gave me a little catch-up once he saw I was being serious. I ended up working on two pieces at once (to fulfill the minimum three requirement). One was a figure of a superhero I had created. The second was a corner of a rooftop that was to serve as a base for the figure. I worked on these two from about the midpoint of the semester all the way up until a week or two before the art show and end of the semester.

Then disaster struck. The drying racks for the clay work were on the walls over the kiln in the kiln room. Both of my pieces were spending the week drying so they could be glazed and fired in time for the show. Now, if you have a hollow void in a clay piece, you have to have a vent hole or something to let the air out during firing. Someone missed that class I guess. A Large piece that was being fired in the kiln exploded due to the air and moisture expanding inside of it. It blew the top clean off the kiln and collapsed the drying racks directly over the kiln. Both of my pieces were shattered.

I was devastated. I had really poured myself into those pieces after sort of brushing the class off as an easy pass early on. The instructor told me he'd give me credit for those pieces for my grade, but that I still had time to make something for the show. He was still going to hold me to that for part of my grade, and he was NOT going to accept my first piece. I panicked. It had taken me almost two months to create what had been destroyed. How was I going to do something else in less than two weeks?

Then he pointed out to me that the class was "Sculpture/ 3-Dimensonal Design", not "Clay". He asked if I worked in any other 3-dimensonal medium. I replied that the only thing I had ever done besides that was to make robots out of scrap vcrs when I was in the electronics program before art school.

He said, "Well, believe it or not, that's sculpture."

A light went on inside my head. I had been confining myself to my predetermined idea of what sculpture was. Clay, or failing that, carving something out of rock. With that statement, my mind opened to the realization that taking anything and shaping space to create an image fit the definition of sculpture. Ok, not that articulate at that time. But I did figure out that I needed to look beyond my preconceived notions about art. It's so much more than just painting pictures and carving clay. More than just literal interpretations of things. I'd had no formal art training before starting art school. Just what I'd seen on TV shows on PBS or read in books. I thought I knew everything.

And memories of that lesson are still teaching me. Just a couple of years ago, I had the chance to go to the High Museum in Atlanta and come face to face with some of the art that I understood the least. I had read about many of these artists, and of course studied them in school. Pictures in books or on screens can only convey so much of the true spirit inherent in these works. Being present with the full sized originals, being able to see every mark and line. Seeing videos of the process of some of the creators. Reading journals.

I will admit, some of them I still just didn't get. But there were artists I had never understood or even kind of made fun of that suddenly became much more clear what they were trying to say. It didn't happen all at once, not just "Oh, ok, I see it for myself and it makes sense." But as I looked and absorbed, I thought back to the lesson I learned almost twenty years earlier. And call me crazy, but suddenly I saw how a shovel could be a piece of art.

Suddenly I realized that it wasn't that this guy had just bought a shovel and signed it. He wasn't saying the shovel was his artwork. The full three-dimensional space that was marked off for the piece was the sculpture and by placing the shovel in the space, he had transformed it. It's still not my thing, but I won't make fun of it anymore. Sometimes, failures and disasters can continue to teach us long after the dust has settled in the kiln room.

* * *

Jessica: Write a 1-page story about the top right word on a random dictionary page.

(Kev) Our dictionary is packed up still. Jess found a random word generator site instead and used the word on the far right of the list of generated words. I feel that good writing manipulates your emotions whether it be a song or a story. It can lift you up, make you feel happy, melancholy, angry, uneasy, romantic. To tell a complete story within a single page and leave the reader with that new emotional state shows great skill. Before writing this, she told me she didn't feel like she was a good writer. I knew better, and here is proof.

“I’ve driven off a bridge many times. That’s how I generally do it.”

“Why a bridge you think?”

“I guess of all the times you probably didn’t need to lose control, that would be it… I never thought about why a bridge before. I’ve lost control of and veered off the shoulder too, you know, right before a bridge, but mostly it’s been bridges. I guess you have farther to fall that way.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“Mostly it’s been at night. The darkness and fear envelopes me. It hasn’t even finished happening, but I can’t breathe at all.”

“How many times has this happened?”

“All my life. As long as I can remember. Even when I was child, I knew what it felt like. Every detail of what it looked like to do it, to feel it. I knew the violence of the crash, the glass, the water, the intense panic.”

“Did you ever tell anyone?”

“No… wait, yes. Once.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“I’m remembering a day in elementary school.”

“Oh?”

“You know those forms you fill out… What’s your favorite food? What do you want to be when you grow up? What scares you?”

“Ah, yes. What about them?”

“I knew exactly what to put for what scared me. I was very detailed in my explanation. It must have freaked her out, what I said. My teacher called me to her desk right before recess to discuss it. She said, ‘Is there anything you want to talk to me about? Is there anything bothering you?’”

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘I drowned.’”

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Right Brain Redux: Day 9 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 9

Coincidences do happen, I guess. One way or another, Jessica and I both have the same challenge today:

"Write a Haiku about something you can see right now".

Jessica drew hers in the living room late in the day, while I drew mine early in the morning in our bedroom/ office. This gave us a very different range of subjects to choose from.

Jess: When I pulled my challenge out and saw it, the first thing I saw was the living room itself. I had the indelible stamp of Little on it. All over it, in fact. Every time I looked back at the room to try and choose a subject, the only thing I could see was the room itself. It got cleaned up at least three times today. (Yeah, he didn't feel well today, so he was a little off his game.)

Epic Destruction

Home Lays In Ruins Today

We Have A Toddler

Kevin: I actually had a time picking my subject for the Haiku. What I can see from my desk chair gives me a lot of possibilities. Too many, actually. So I narrowed it down to my desktop itself. (Single letters are words)

Nine S D Cards Here

Fifteen G B Of Treasures?

Yep Mostly My Kids

Fun!

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Right Brain Redux: Day 8 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-29T00:43:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day Ate

Eighth day of the challenge. Gone all day long for Dr appointments. But that's life. So today, Jess pulled "Recreate a childhood art project" while I drew "Create a piece of art inspired/ based on an everyday object".

Jessica told me that when she was a kid, she'd take a ruler or an object, place it on the paper, and draw around it to fill the paper with geometric shapes. Then, she'd take out the crayon box and her self-imposed design parameter was to use every single color to fill in the shapes she'd made.

Tonight's project is a recreation of this using circles and restraint (hey, it's supposed to be a challenge, right?). Four different sizes of circles were overlapped to create a series of curves. Color was applied with watercolor pencils and brushed smooth. Some arcs were left white for negative space effects. Personally, I love the end result she came out with. I want to keep it.

Now, for myself (Kev), I actually had an idea for what I would do for this project when Jess drew it a few days back. I would have preferred to create this digitally, but Photoshop isn't a current option. So I went with gouache and pencil. I haven't worked with gouache much, but I think I like it. I laid down my shapes in pencil, then painted over and tightened back up with watercolor pencils. I actually agonized over my color choices for a while, knowing that once I put it to the paper there was no going back. Digital doesn't have that sort of commitment. It was sort of fun to just go with it, knowing that there was no turning back. Kind of like jumping off the bridge into the river (don't tell my mom I did that when I was 12... 30 years ago and I'd still catch it for that).

Oh yeah, my inspiration was a fork and plate. I had the thought of them so close up, they were just curves. This is another project I'd like to revisit later on. Maybe in a medium I am more experienced/ familiar with.

22 more projects to go. Ain't this fun? (Big grin goes here)

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Right Brain Redux: Day 7 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-28T00:36:00.002-04:00

Right Brain Redux
Episode 7: Revenge of the Sick

Great day for creativity. Every last one of us woke up sick this morning. Even Little slept till after 9, and he's usually up with the chickens. It's a challenge, right? Every day is a challenge of its own, and we keep on getting reminded of that. That very thing has a lot to do with the creative doldrums we are breaking out of here. Accountability and a structure keeps us rolling.

Kevin: Draw something left-handed

Jess: Cook something you've never cooked before

Jess // "Cook something you've never cooked before"

Honestly, it's been a rough day. I (Jess) know I'm sick because I'm sitting here in a long-sleeved shirt and socks. I DON'T wear socks in the summer... I rarely wear anything beyond flip flops/ sandals. Growing up in Georgia, it's easy to push that no-socks rule clear into October.

Anyway, I slept while our Little One took a nap, and then had to go back to bed again after dinner. I did end up making something I've never cooked before and learned something to boot. Anything in our lives can be seen through a filter of creativity... think "how can I do this different/ creatively"?

I had some leftover beef and broth from cooking a roast in the slow cooker. It was marinated in Soy Vay Teriyaki, soy, ketchup, onions, and some water. I mostly had stock and just a little meat, so I thought "how can I stretch this?" (Thanks, Mom, for that lesson of many.) Soup seemed a perfect solution, especially since we were all feeling puny today.

Tossed some stir-fry veggies (baby corn, peppers, peas, carrots, sugar snaps, broccoli, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots) with lo mein noodles, and that leftover stock in a large pot. Let it boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Done. Something I've never cooked before, Teriyaki Vegetable Beef Soup.

Kevin // My (Kev) challenge for today was the same one Jess had yesterday: Draw something left-handed. She set the bar pretty high on that one, but lucky for me we aren't competing. I wasn't quite sure what to draw, and put it off till later in the evening because I just didn't feel like drawing (see accountability above). A gunfighter and a dragon were both rattling around in my head, so I decided to try both, despite being warned that I was being overly ambitious. The results are below for you to see.

This one really was a challenge. One of the biggest difficulties I encountered was my hand wanted to move in the exact mirror image of what I wanted it to. Up and down were fine, but left-right was reversed. I did not finish. But I did write a story in my head while I drew it.

11x17 on Canson Bristol

Doc walked up on the porch and sat down next to the Marshall. The huge corpse in the street was already drawing scavengers both human and animal. Lots of meat and leather to be had.

"Hated to see that happen, Doc. Ol' Joe been a fixture around these parts as long as I can remember."

"Hated to have to do it, Marshall," came the sad reply, "Joe's the third one I've had to put down in the last month. Had to deal with that big finback out on the McKeever place just last week. Half their herd is gone."

"Doc, I ain't never seen anything like this. They're usually pretty even tempered critters, long as you give 'em wide berth. What you think's goin on?"

Doc leaned his chair back and took a long pull on his freshly-lit pipe, "I tell you this much, Marshall; No one's safe in these parts until we figure out what's got the dragons riled up."

What we're listening to // Music to create by

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Right Brain Redux: Day 6 of 30-Day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-27T00:31:00.001-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 6

Today's Challenges were for Jess to draw something left handed and for myself to create a timeline of significant events in my life.

For my challenge, I decided to jot down a quick list of events that stand out in my mind. Things that happened to me, not historical events. I eliminated a few items from the timeline as being too personal to share online, but the ones that I left are memories that, I feel, helped shape who I m now.

Just writing out a list was a little clinical, so I decided to represent it with a cartoon infographic. It's just a quick ink and marker doodle timeline due to today being crammed again. I am going to list out each event on the timeline just in case you can't read what it says.

First, Here's the whole thing:

1973: Issue #1, First appearance and Origin of ME!

1976: Broke arm, got first sister

1977: Watched a massive flood from my bedroom window. We lived up on the hill. I watched trailers go down the river.

1979: Started school. Principal's office on first day of kindergarten

1982: Got saved

1984: Transformers! Life would never be the same.

1988: Pawpaw Bill died

1989: 2nd sister, 1st car

1992: Graduate HS (Valedictorian)

1994: Bad wreck, wrecked truck

1996: Started Working first full time job

1998: Grandmaw died

2003: Appendix ruptured, died, came back (am I a zombie, then?)

2004: Met Jess online

2008: Broke leg, Met Jess for real, Married Jess, my Mini-Me called me "daddy", Move to GA

2013 Little arrives! (Name loosely translates to "Peaceful Builder"... answers to "Hurricane")

2014 Moved back to WV

2015 Children's' Pastor FWC Kid's Church "Spark Kids"!

Good start, eh?

Jessica selected a very detailed close-up of a dandelion scattering its seeds as her left handed art project. It's done on plain copier paper with a #2 mechanical pencil. Totally freehand and done completely with her left hand. She felt it was unfinished, but her hand was cramping too badly to continue (carpal tunnel). I think it is beautiful. Art is often like raising a child; you may not feel you are done shaping them, but there is a time they are mature enough to stand on their own. And this piece definitely is. She has set the bar quite high for me when it comes my turn to do this challenge.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 5 of 30-Day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-25T23:39:00.002-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 5

#1: We love you Aunt Dorothy. Rest easy in His arms.

#2: What we're listening to tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOzh0I3IHMg

Short day for projects today. Had to go say "See you in a little while" to a precious family member.

(Kev) My challenge for today was to cook something I had never cooked before. Everything I could think of I had the stuff to make, I've done before. I elected to make something in a way that I never had before. We have no working oven at the moment, so I decided to try making cookies in a waffle iron.

I took balls of dough and placed them in the iron and squished them down with the iron on high. It took about 5-6 cookies worth of dough to make an even waffle. Too much dough is messy. Found that out the hard way.

I timed the cooking at 4-5 minutes. The cookie had good color but was too soft to lift out so I had to flip the waffle iron over to get the cookie to drop out on the plate. This is NOT SAFE. I only made two so I haven't come up with an alternative yet.

After letting the cookie sit for a few minutes, it hardened up to a crisp cookie. I prefer them softer myself. I served the cookie topped with vanilla ice-cream. I would think servings would be best at 1/4 waffle with a scoop of ice-cream. I plan to try it again at some point with a lower temp to get a softer cookie. Jess found the final consistency to be perfect.

Jess' challenge for today is to write a Haiku based on the last thing she watched on TV. Well, the last thing she watched before making her draw was the Dr. Who Christmas Special "The Christmas Invasion" (2005). We've already watched through the end of Season 8 of new Dr. Who, and now we're re-watching with Kev's Mini-Me (our oldest son/ Whovian.)

Haiku Doctor Who

Christmas Sycorax

You know the Doctor saves us

It's a Fightin' Hand!

Posted from scribbly-wibbly-stuff.tumblr.com via Pinterest.com

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Right Brain Redux: Day 4 of 30-day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-24T23:26:00.001-04:00

First off, we want to tell Aunt Dorothy: Say hey to Pawpaw Bill for us. We love you. You got your healing when you crossed the river.

Monday. All day. So today gifted us with the challenges of Kev creating a set of inkblots (like an inkblot test) and describing what he saw in them. Jess drew out "Draw a friendly robot". Which immediately caused her to ask "Is there truly such a thing as a friendly robot? They all have ulterior motives." I submit to you Transformers G1 Bumblebee (cartoon version). So friendly you might get diabetes if you hang around him too long...

Anyways.

For my (Kev) challenge, I created about a dozen inkblots using plain printer paper with India ink and some of Little's finger paints. I pre-folded the papers then opened them back up and applied drops of black ink and in some case some blobs of colored paint. Then I folded the paper and smoothed it out to spread the pigments and unfolded it to dry. A couple of them ended up so full of paint they were almost useless, but I came out with ten really nice ones. Some of them I think made such nice patterns they are practically art and I may explore this as a method/ medium in the future.

That much said, I selected 6 blots to describe. I have numbered them 1-6 and will flip through them and give my immediate first impression of what I see. I will not spend time studying them or seeking patterns, just what jumps out at me.

#1. Alien woman in a black lace collar and a blue dress with pink ruffles and black shoes.

#2. Hammer-headed lobster

#3. Wolf's head

#4. Pelvis with a vertebra above it

#5. Mothra flying over islands

#6. Blue man with warthog/ elephant head

I give no analysis. Take what you will from what I see.

When I (Jess) pulled out "Draw a friendly robot", my initial thought was cutesy robot. But then I gave it a second thought and mulled over the idea of a robot that was friendly/ helpful but didn't necessarily look friendly. My first thought after that was of the terminator in T2. But even that character, though he was a father figure, wasn't really friendly. Picture an endoskeleton holding a balloon. Then I thought of Handles. Yes, we watch Dr Who. A lot. Cybermen are very very bad. But handles started out useful and even though we didn't get to see but the beginning and end of his story, he spent a long time with the doctor. At the end, he was clearly counted a friend and not just a tool. So without further ado, I give you "Handles." Well done, Mate.

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Right Brain Redux: Day 3 of 30 Day Creativity Challenge

2015-08-23T23:38:00.001-04:00

Sundays are busy days for us, so time for the challenge was definitely part of the challenge. My (Kev) Jar pull for today was to write a poem (length and type unspecified) on a subject chosen at random by Mini-me. He chose for me "Spider-Man". I debated for a while over what kind of poem to try. Now, I'm no poetry aficionado. I do enjoy a limerick every now and again, and I can appreciate good poetry. As far as writing goes, I'm merely a dabbler. So here you have it:

Superhero when he crawls the walls

Peter Parker when he walks the halls

Intent for evil brings his attention

Dumb crooks in police detention

Extra headlines for Triple J

Really makes for big payday

May never knows where he's been

Always honors his Uncle Ben

Never lets evil doers win!

C'mon, Monday! Bring it on!

Kev

Jess // Day 3 Challenge: Take a Photograph of Something Intriguing

I had originally thought I'd try to ride around to find my photography subject. I had an idea of something involving old bricks, unexpected pops of color, and/or something you'd most likely pass by with no second thought. Those subjects will surely find me another day though as I'm always looking for them. Like Kev said, Sundays are our busiest days, and by this evening, I was also feeling rough... that sinus infection is coming for me. So I grabbed my camera and headed outside before I lost the daylight. Hope for a couple of pics, probably macro shots, I had, but what I didn't expect was later choosing 1 of 80 shots.

I find unattractive things intriguing. I'm obsessed with rust and chipped paint. Algae, moss, and rotting things make for perfect subjects. Maybe it's drawing out their intriguing qualities that makes me feel like I've redeemed them in some way. I'm sure I could analyze why that's so, but to make this blog entry a little more succinct, I'll move on. Here's the picture I finally decided to post (no small task due to incurable indecisiveness.)

Here's where that indecisiveness hits again... what I like about it: color, rust, paint chipping, something you'd likely pass by or not notice, a bonus spider web, and even a hidden spider to find. Do you see it?

I might get this one printed, and I'll probably post a few of the other 79 shots at some point too. Day 4, I'm ready!

Jess

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Right Brain Redux: Day Two Updated Projects

2015-08-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Right Brain Redux: Day 2

Today was one of those days. You know the ones: those days where everything comes up and goes haywire (especially the toddler) and by the time that you've done all the errand running and putting out fires and hidden the matches (Jess, not really, this is a hypothetical situation) from the toddler again and maybe chased down a bite to eat (that the toddler carried through the house) there just doesn't seem to be any time left for, well, anything. Well, that's where we found ourselves today. Between the errands and getting ready for Kid's Church tomorrow, there really didn't seem to be time to squeeze in a creative project this evening.

We started this little experiment as a way to kick start our creativity after it's been idle for so long, but today it has also shown us that you CAN find time to create. You just have to want to. Maybe you give up something else for it. The relaxing bath. Another episode of Dr. Who. Part of your sleep. You just decide which one is the most important to you.

Today's challenges were:

Jessica: Create a piece from/ inspired by an everyday object.

Jess took her inspiration from something most of us see every day, and incidentally our studio name. She began with a stove burner/ eye from an electric stove and stripped it down to its basic shapes and curves. Framing a portion of the eye in the image and stripping out the colors, she added some old-fashioned halftones and created an image that I would almost swear was a domed city from one of my old Buck Rogers comics I had as a kid. I love it.

Kevin: Design a T-Shirt based on a visual pun.

I actually thought this one up yesterday without having any idea I would draw this particular challenge today. The phrase I punned was the title of the old hymn "Power in the Blood". I took the image of a blood bag and simply placed a universal style power button in the middle of it. I had thought of doing a blood splatter with the button in it, but I just didn't have time. I went old-school in the creation of this image. Light pencil sketch, inked over and the pencil erased, then colored in with some Twenty-year-old Prismacolor markers I bought way back in art school. The red one gave me its last I think. After coloring in, I went over the red with alcohol on gauze to feather it out a bit and blend.

Neither of these pieces took and extremely large amount of time to create. In fact, I'd guess about an hour apiece. Proof that you CAN find time to create. They may not be perfect design, but they are perfect imperfection. And that's art.

See you tomorrow for Round 3!

Kev

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Right Brain Redux : Day 2 Project Challenges

2015-08-22T11:04:00.001-04:00

Our challenges for day two have been drawn from the jars.

Check back to see how the challenge goes!

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