Inktober, day 28. Sometimes the difference between "art" and "a mess" is presentation.

I just randomly painted sections of the paper. Once it was dry, I went back and outlined where colors change.
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Inktober, day 27. I've got a lot of pain today, so this is like notes for a future drawing. It's looking at a portal from a side view, so the portal is a line between two worlds.
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Mudball update : It's as round as it's getting. Now I'm sprinkling little bits of dry dirt on and gently rubbing it. The dirt acts as a fine abrasive, and it also gets massaged into any tiny cracks and holes to fill them.
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The town hates the pride flag I put up outside our very queer home. Yeah...we knew that would happen. It's a small town. We get told when somebody hears somebody complain.

A family friend in another town recently told us complaints were happening in a local VFW hall. And one of the vets - I'm guessing by age he's likely a Vietnam vet - quieted everybody.

He simply said, "No, we're not doing that here. We fought for everybody. We didn't choose who to fight for."

Inktober, day 26 - Lucky Charms, not the cereal.
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My mudball won't be as big as I thought. I'll need to make a bigger core next time if I want a bigger finished ball.

That glass vase is what I'm using to rub it. It's in the plastic bag now and will get another layer in a couple of hours.
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Inktober, day 25. My jack o'lantern is winking at everybody. Must be up to something.
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I started the core of my mudball. I was concerned about getting it compacted enough because of my arthritis, but the dirt being so fine and getting a balance of dirt and water that feels like cookie dough made it easily compact. Layers will be slowly added and the outer layers will be rubbed until shiny.

It feels like a damp rock slightly lighter than a baseball. You don't want me to throw a ball of mud at you! 😄
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Inktober, day 24. I have a lot of items to choose from for an "old key" prompt. I probably could have done a whole month of old keys.
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Inktober, day 23. I spent my childhood around pines, magnolias, and oaks. I only knew this leaf from pictures teachers pulled out for autumn art projects and identified as "example of a colorful fall leaf".

I got excited like a little kid at Christmas the first time I saw maple trees in autumn.

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My sister-in-law brought home one of those "air plants", but the company had GLUED it into a ceramic container! I got it loose, got my Bulbasaur out of his 6 year hibernation, and he has a plant again.

Welp, that's enough things going wrong for one day. I'm ready to just call it done early, go back to bed, and try again tomorrow. That's not actually an option, but I'm ready for it.

Inktober, day 22 - For "Lake Monster" I did a watercolor painting of a Tylosaurus. This is probably the best painting I will ever do. I might even get it framed.
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Inktober, day 21
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I've kind of been emotionally blocking out tomorrow. And now I can't anymore. It's almost here.

A beloved member of our family has The Final Vet Appointment tomorrow. I always wanted to be friends with a beagle. I waited 38 years, but I got the best beagle friend. I took the first picture 9 years ago when I met him, when he was 8 years old. I took the second picture today.

I don't think there is a word for this grief.

I have black walnut to work with!
I'm going to carve a spoon as a "thank you" for the woman who gave it to me.

Inktober, day 20. "Ancient prophecy" was a difficult prompt for me, but I tried to give it a feeling of how an ancient prophecy would be hard to interpret (or easy to misinterpret) when one is so far removed from how the elements of it would have fit together for the prophet, or prophets.
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Sounds legit.

I hope I'll enjoy the process and keep making them. The ingredients are dirt, water, and patience. I like the idea of being able to present a handful of dirt in a way that will be recognized as beautiful. It's already beautiful to me.

I'm preparing for making my first dorodango - shiny mud dumpling. I'm breaking down and sifting the dirt, picking out rocks and twigs. This hard, clumpy stuff and this fine powdery stuff are the same dirt.
#CoSoArt