MelBergInk

Part 2 of 3: Advent Numbers

2012-01-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah! I am hoping this was the most tedious time-consuming aspect. Each pocket has a hand-embroidered number and was machine-sewn into pockets. It was very awkward fitting this under the sewing machine.

Phew.

My next goal is to get the birds done. Sometime before November 30th. (Yay! The fun part!)

Part 1 of 3: Advent Background

2012-01-03T21:07:00.001-08:00

Part 1 of 3: Advent background, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Okay, so it took the entirety of the last day of break to figure out the measurements of this relatively simple design (plus another trip to Hobby Lobby). My only not-so-small problem is that I realized after sewing everything that felt has its own bias of sorts... that I did not use. The result is buckling around the edges and around the base of the tree. I must put that knowledge in the experience bucket and accept a little awkward bulging in areas. I hope it does not worsen with the pockets sewn on later!

Part two will be to embroider the numbers of each day on the pockets and then sew them onto the backing. While I wanted a 24 day set up, a 4x6 or 6x4 just did not look right, so I opted for all 25 days (5x5). I hope to finish this part by the end of the month.

Part three will be the fun part! Making the "ornaments" for the tree! I hope just to do them as inspiration hits, and my goal is to complete them before November 30th (logically!).

Adam's Christmas Ornament

2011-12-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

CookieOrnament.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Felt, buttons, and ribbon - hooray!

Oh, and a little bit of stuffing.

Man, now I need my ACTUAL chocolate chip cookies looking this tasty.

2011-12-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

I finally get to post! Hallelujah! And, it's work related...for Archery shirts! The archers wanted this concept and requested an "old school" illustration style like you would find in books. So below are the two images and finally the complete design for the back of the shirt. Get it? Haha. We are such proud nerds.

Specimen Jars of DOOM!

2011-10-10T21:09:00.001-07:00

Specimen Jars of DOOM!, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

I found a great "how to" on Instructables! My dollar tree did not have the same goodies, so my prices were a little higher, but not by much. My little addition was a drop of yellow and a drop of green food coloring for some nice preservative flair. All the color - none of the smell. Unlike the worms in my classroom's fridge. Somehow the fetal pigs and hearts are not as stinky...

Thanks for the great idea Shotgun3295!

Twenty minute sketches practice

2011-10-02T11:52:00.001-07:00

Twenty minute sketches practice, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

I want to start noticing details in faces quickly, so I am going to try to draw these great faces from an old west book I have. Dad gave it to me from his Time Life "The Old West" collection. Amazing pictures! They inspire me to draw.

I ruin faces by a combination of overworking and frustration. The rule of walking away after 20 minutes may alleviate both. Hopefully after many many faces, the frustration will lessen.

Saratoga

2011-09-27T15:27:00.001-07:00

20110904_Saratoga, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Watched Secretariat this weekend! It was neat to see Saratoga and say, "I've been there!"

East Valley Invitational Results

2011-09-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

On the way home I sang along to the Spin Doctors as chlorinated water seeped through my towel and into the driver's seat. Autumnal equinox or no, it's still summer. In 1997.

100 m free - 1:18
50 m free - 37.75
50 m breast - 49.97
200 m free - 2:55.54
50 m fly - 41.23
100 m IM - 1:32.86

Chewbacca Defense LLP

2011-09-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is in law school and needs to make a faux law firm. As a riff on a South Park episode, their group name is Chewbacca Defense LLP. While I have not seen the episode in reference, I do know Chewie! She asked me to make a little image that could be on letter heads and other items. Here was my favorite result:

Swim Practice in a Faster Lane

2011-09-14T07:49:00.001-07:00

1x 150 warm up

8 x 50 on :50

4 x 100 on 1:40

8 x 50 on :45

4 x 100 on 1:30

4 x 75 kick (flippers) on 1:15

1 x 200 on 3:00

8 x 25 on :35

1 x 200 on 3:00

8 x 25 on :30

1 x 200 on 3:00

8 x 25 on :25

1x 50 cool down

All down in about an HOUR! Woot! 3300 yards of swimming! I was swimming in a faster lane than normal, and they wereeven commenting on how that was the highest yardage workout they’ve done in anhour.

Julia's Hair

2011-09-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

20110611_JuliaHair, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Unfortunately it only lasted less than a week - bummer!

At the Zoo!

2011-09-06T21:42:00.001-07:00

20110517_GlendaleZoo, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Way back at the end of the school year, we took a field trip with the seventh graders to the zoo. It was a great opportunity to try some REALLY quick small sketches of different organisms since I needed to keep up with the kids. It was actually a nice chaperoning tool because I could be right next to my group, but did not feel like I was breathing down their neck - the kids seemed relaxed and chatty with their friends (like this type of field trip should be!). Plus the kids kept asking me what I was drawing - they seemed excited about journaling!

Guess that teacher!

2011-08-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

So after a conversation about creating caricatures of friends, there was one teacher-friend that I immediately could picture in a fun way. One tough cookie wrapped up in a cheery, benevolent package. This is my summary of her:

Before and After Classroom

2011-08-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

Before..., a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

And after some tweaking and elbow grease...

After!, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Over the last few weeks I have been planning and working on some improvements to my not so science-y science room.

Curtains: There was horrible glare in the classroom, so we needed to take that edge off. Another fabulous life science teacher and I picked out fabric for some curtains. Sewing them myself was way cheaper than buying them!

Curtain Rods: Now we needed to put UP the curtains. After finding out how ridiculously expensive curtain rods are for large windows, I did some DIY research. In the end, I took conduit piping and basic hardware bracket materials. By gluing cabinet nobs onto the ends of the pipe and spray painting it black, the curtain rod looked just as nice as $40 dollar sets, but with less than half the price.

Silhouettes: The walls were BORING. I wanted to add something clean, modern, and FUN! We are a school! So I thought, silhouettes! Us two life science teachers picked out favorite silhouettes in four categories: Terrestrial large, terrestrial small, aquatic, and microscopic. Using a projector, we traced on the outlines. The next morning we came in and painted everything in.

Now you can definitely recognize that this is a Biology room! All of the materials (fabric, paint, curtain hardware, etc.) ended up costing about $120.

The Last Page

2011-08-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, we have come to the last page of the journal. Just a little half-spread. After 35 whole spreads, with at least an hour or two each. A lot of time. This journal did not only record my trip, but became an integral part of the trip.

Best souvenir ever.

Day 33: The Long Journey Home

2011-08-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am SO terrified of drawing faces! My Ma and my sis have been exercising a face challenge, and I am very proud of them. I drew Adam because by this point in time I had drawn a lot of plane things (since before this trip as well). I figured I should also acknowledge the colors I have been using on this trip. The kit was quite tiny. I put it and the moleskine together in a Zippy bag for most of the trip since so many things got wet. Classy.

As for the trip home, it did not seem as long as the way to Ecuador. No road blocks, we got through simply enough. Although, once back in the Houston airport, Adam and Julia were immediately absorbed into their phones. I realized how much I LIKED being disconnected. However, over a month later, I am addicted myself again to my phone.

No more pictures anymore! Very sad. On the plus side, today has a bonus entry that I have been building over the last few weeks to remember little details I may have not drawn.

Day 32: Cock of the Rock

2011-08-19T23:40:00.001-07:00

Today we woke up verrrrrry early to see the Cock of the Rock. They are weird. Noisy. Very noisy.

I will admit, while I loved watching the hummers at the feeders, by this point in time I was dreaming of heat waves in the shivery moist cloud forest. I wanted to walk around without mosquito netting.

I was ready to go home.

Today was the last full day of the trip. Good timing, eh?

Pbthbhth., a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 31: Hummers and ferns and bugs, oh my!

2011-08-18T07:33:00.001-07:00

So many amazing things seen today! I'll let the pictures and journal entry speak for themselves. Photo d-u-m-p.

20110713-412.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 30: Up to Bella Vista

2011-08-16T08:10:00.001-07:00

Today we made it to the Bella Vista cloud forest station. It was not that cold, yet I was COLD! It was a mosquito laden dampness. Brrr. But bird heaven! Watch out, the next entry will be a photo dump - cereal.

Coronet, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 29: Peguche

2011-08-14T14:07:00.001-07:00

The drawing for today was really challenging because I did not draw it while observing. Rather, I focused on observing and retaining those observations for when I was back at the Hacienda. Details like sleeve-styling and shoes were tricky!

This was the extra "add-on" day at the Hacienda, so we visited a nearby town to see waterfalls and native instrument making. On the way home, we stopped by Otavalo again to pick up a few more presents and hunt for this ADORABLE little alpaca toy. I turned into a little girl once we found it. Evidence: for the rest of the trip I pulled him out of the luggage and sat him near a window so he could have a good view. Last Saturday, Otavalo was CRAZY packed, plus I had a major headache. The market was much more toned down, and I felt better this time. Much enjoyed.

20110711-298.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 28: Cuy, Llamas, and Gardens

2011-08-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

Today we explored a volcanic crater lake (lame boat tour), but the food was, um, interesting! Poor Squeakers! Guinea pigs were on the menu today, and we swore that we heard their little squeaking as we hiked up to the restaurant. They are wild there.

That evening at the Hacienda, I went on a photoshoot of the gardens. Of course, it does not capture their beauty. The only bummer aspect of the Hacienda were the meals; $20 per person for bland food. We even tried their cuy (guinea pig), but it was not nearly as good as the other restaurant's. I did enjoy the majority of the Hacienda's soups though!

I enjoy hanging out with llamas but was very wary of their spitting capabilities...

(Note on the sketch: I am bummed, but the scan leeched out my light grays!)

Cuy, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 27: Otavalo Market

2011-08-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, today I had an enormous headache, and what was on the agenda? A giant market. Ugghh… too many people, noises, and colors! It was still a great experience, but it could have been enjoyed a lot more. We did have an EXCELLENT brownie. Melty, gooey, steaming, with vanilla ice cream. We ordered another one right after. Then we relaxed more at the Hacienda by playing Carcassonne in front of the fireplace.

Day 26: North and South

2011-08-11T07:45:00.001-07:00

Today we jumped hemispheres! Our taxi driver stopped at the equator for us on the way to our next destination. He showed us some neat tricks that I wouldn't believe if I weren't there. For instance, when on the equator line, if you make a circle with your thumb and pointer finger, someone else can pull them apart super easy! Off the equator line, you can hold those fingers together. We thought it was just the demonstrator, but Adam, Julia, and I all tested each other - so true!

The organization that runs the equator also wanted to change the orientation of maps so that the equator runs vertically. In other words, the west side would be on top - weird.

After standing on El Mitad del Mundo, we made our way to Hacienda Cusin. An hacienda near Otavalo built in 1602. An Englishman owns it now and filled the place with beautiful gardens. We started off in a small room, but they ended up moving us to a larger room with a loft and a fireplace. Swanky! We stayed an extra night since we were so relaxed there.

20110708-120.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 25: Antisana

2011-08-10T18:20:00.001-07:00

20110707-117.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

The next biggest highlight of the trip would be Antisana. What a surreal ecosystem and awesome volcano. Awesome appropriately used. Giant picture dump - from magical moss to burnt sock evidence.

I have such strange fears that develop at night. I don’t know why, but I have such a detailed, active imagination. And you know when you think, “Don’t think of the color red!” then all you can do is think of the color red. That’s how my fears manifest and stay. So as I was lying in the hostel trying to think of everything but all of the horrible things that can occur in a foreign country, I pictured Antisana. The concept of it was like trying to visualize geologic time with cool snowy goodness and smothers out puny, little human worries. Blissful sleep.

Day 24: Adios San Cristobal, Hola Quito!

2011-08-09T16:01:00.001-07:00

We drove super early to the airport to drop off our bags and then walked backed for one loop around the port. It's so strange to visit some place that you get to know well for potentially the very last time. I was better health wise, but thinking of food still made me queasy. We flew back to the mainland, and I was able to give Adam a big hug.
Adam + Julia + Latin country = SOCCER!
Even on our first evening on the mainland, we watched a game at an English pub. It was actually quite enjoyable!

Day 23: Last Day at Jatun Sacha

2011-08-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

Since there were too many volunteers (sudden influx), we stayed for kitchen duty help. In other words, squeezing vast quantities of fruit! This picture is not the best, but it captures Iris, Kathrin, and Julia. They were so wonderful to volunteer with. I may have gone insane with some of the volunteers, but K, I, and J were my sanity and fun!

Tomorrow would be our flight early in the morning, so I had only one more page to capture the essence of Jatun Sacha - the BATHROOM! (Of which I had become very familiar with...) For some reason I felt the need to paint this only in B&W. To make it more film noir-esque?

Kathrin, Iris, Julia, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 22: Sick Sick Sick

2011-08-07T10:37:00.001-07:00

Stairs, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Last night and all of today I was being ravaged by a horrible intestinal bug. Awful! Yet, somehow, 24 hours of explosive diarrhea was more tolerable to two hours on a boat.

When a volunteer is sick, they are NOT allowed to work. Anyways, we had an enormous batch of new volunteers, and Julia mentioned that Jatun Sacha was just giving busy work. I stayed in my cocoon of mosquito netting trying to sleep with the exception of getting to the bathroom, which required me to untangle myself from the net, climb down the top bunk, run down the stairs (steep with no guide rail), jog down the path, peel off the layers of clothes and use the toilet while watching the cockroaches.

More than slightly nerve wracking if you feel like you don't have much control of your digestive system!

By the end of the day, I was able to eat some rice and nibble some other goodies. I drank a LOT of water. My friends took great care of me. I also finished "Octavian Nothing" - what a trippy book! I think I drew my journal entry the next day actually (two in one day to catch up), which would be the last full day at the station. I wanted to capture some of the aspects of volunteering that would not translate to camera.

Day 21: Last Day in the Port

2011-08-06T08:42:00.001-07:00

After this, a few days in Jatun Sacha, and then we would fly out. Crazy. Everything happened so fast!

After a four-day trip and nearly three weeks of being surrounded by people, Julia and I were ready for quiet time. We just wanted to read on the beach and relax. Everywhere we went though we were followed by some volunteers that could not stop talking. It was incredibly annoying! We tried to give hints and tried to lose them, but gabber gabber gabber! It got to the point that I said, "Look, Julia and I are going into this restaurant to read quietly at the table. You may join us if you want to read quietly, too. If you come and talk, I will give you dirty glares."

We were free for about ten minutes. Then they came into the restaurant and sat at the table next to us! Gabber gabber gabber! The restaurant was empty! They could have sat anywhere. Julia and I were not content. Some people are quite oblivious...

Besides that, saw some more adorable sea lions! Kisses!

Aaaaa-dorable!, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 20: Four-Day Trip Recap

2011-08-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

No pictures today! A lazy day to recuperate from highly active travel. Nice to be home in San Cristobal!

Day 19: Busy, busy Santa Cruz

2011-08-04T13:23:00.001-07:00

20110701-445.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Isabela was a gorgeous peaceful island, so it was strange to go to the populated Santa Cruz. More adventures with Galo narrating the observations. I think we were very fortunate throughout this whole trip because we saw A LOT of organisms, and he mentioned that usually only one or two sightings occur of some species. Later that night we boated back to home, San Cristobal. It was nice to be home!

Day 18: Isleta Tintorera

2011-08-03T08:02:00.001-07:00

20110630-420.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

As frustrating as yesterday was, today was AMAZING. We boated through little islands next to Isabela. We jumped off on to Isleta Tintorera and discovered a cornucopia of wildlife. Huge picture dump on Flickr. HUGE. I’m not even going to try to describe the stuff we saw!

Day 17: Great View, Horrible Guide

2011-08-02T08:03:00.001-07:00

Cierra Negra Volcanic Crater, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Today we ventured to Cierra Negra on Isabela, which was a fantastically slippery, muddy trail that lasted about five hours there and back. Kathrin and Iris, our fabulous German friends, had only flip-flops, yet forged through with hilarious squeals of almost slips. I was really cranky that day to be honest, and they helped me keep up in high spirits. Why was I cranky? Part of it was tiredness, part of it was sick of being around a group of people all the time (since we arrived in the Galapagos), part of it was the mentality of marching to a destination without enjoying the journey, part of it was the obscene amount of mosquito bites I had on my now swollen, red arm, etc. In other words, I was not pleasant, and I’ll be the first to admit it.

And then we had not only an idiotic guide, but a dangerous one. Yes, I restrained from correcting his elaborate explanation of the habits of the Barn Owl we saw (it was really a Short-eared Owl). But when we LOST a group member and he wanted to CONTINUE the hike, I nearly had a conniption. We ended up finding the hiker, he was feeling very sick though. Later this guide told us about how the tortoises were flown in from zoos and sterilized (?!?!?!). I could not let that slide and asked him to clarify, which he could not. The 19-year-old group members did not care about that detail, and I remember one had a simple explanation including a “DUH” to support the guide and quiet me. I’m sorry, but I cannot believe that anyone would sterilize an endangered species! The next day, to rolling eyes, I asked our regular guide Galo about yesterday’s information. He just put his head in his hands and started rocking back and forth saying, “No no no! We sterilize cats and dogs, NOT endangered species!” Turns out the tortoises were hybrids from a botched breeding experiment, which were sterile ALREADY (like a mule), so naturalists put them on barren Pinta island to reestablish the vegetation that needs tortoise digestive systems to help with germination. Now Pinta is flourishing.

Which makes sense.

Overall, it was a frustrating day, but the shining light were my friends Kathrin and Iris. They are such free spirits, and while youthful 19-year-olds, they were aware of the people around them. Compassionate and optimistic. With a side of sass and sarcasm. I miss them a lot!

Day 16: Four-Day Trip Commence!

2011-08-01T07:56:00.001-07:00

Green Shirts!, a photo by melbergink on Flickr. Left to Right (back): Anna, Katie, Killian, Lena, Julia, Me, Becky, Mateo (front) Iris, Jack, Kathrin

Most people went through SharkSky to get boat trips, but we were recommended to a small company run by an older Ecuadorian very fond of short shorts. It was like switching from “The Man” to that dude that lives around the corner. While slightly sketchy, I felt good about it. SharkSky rubbed me the wrong way.

Once we got our tickets (last week), the boss (with the short shorts and a huge smile) said he had presents for us. He pulled out a pile of neon green shirts with incredibly tacky Galapagos designs. Most were blatantly photoshopped images. They were the types of shirts that you see people wear and as you pass them you wonder how people BUY that stuff. Well, the boss was so adorably excited for us to have them that you couldn’t help being a little excited to be that tacky tourist. The neon green had a function too because he used it to corral us all on the first morning on the pier. We were required to wear them on the first day - pretty smart way to identify all of his customers to be directed onto the boat!

Any way, today was BIG. I learned some unpleasant things, like my abysmally bad sea sickness, but also I had my favorite moment of the entire trip – my first REAL swim with the sea lions. I’ve snorkeled with them so far, but I just was watching and they just checked us out and moved on.Today there was a secluded cove area without many of the snorkelers, and this time I played with the sea lions; I mimicked their loops, and they mimicked mine. Once I started interacting with them, it was like they woke up – “Hey! This one wants to PLAY!” At one point one of los lobos and I were moving underwater parallel to each other at a decent pace. His face was less than two feet from mine, and even though we were both swimming, we did not move in relation to each other. We just gazed into each other’s eyes. Amazing.

I’m typing this up in a still wet swimsuit since I just got back from MAC practice (Mesa Aquatics Club). Los lobos inspired and reminded me of my love of water and play. I will be forever thankful to them for sharing their bright spirits.

2011-07-31T10:22:00.001-07:00

Whoa - no pictures today! We headed back last night to the Jatun Sacha site, but Tuesday EARLY in the morning we'll head out on our four-day tour of some of the islands. Most volunteers go on this tour, and Jatun Sacha really promotes it. That essentially left only this Monday, next Monday, and next Tuesday for volunteer work. How quickly time flies! With this ever present countdown, I wanted to capture some of the essence of the site that became home away from home. This turned out to be one of my favorite pages because it really brings me back to the kitchen.

Day 14: Relaxing with Darwin Finches and the Ever-Present Lobos

2011-07-30T22:44:00.001-07:00

Sundays were always challenging because we were officially "checked out" of the hostels (though they stored our luggage). When siesta time hit, everything was shut down. Everything. What to do? Where to go? It's hot, muggy, and not the most pleasant time of the day. Time when you really want some A/C. However, Julia and I found a fairly comforting ritual of falling asleep in a nook under some bushes. Like a children's fort on this amazing, relatively unvisited beach.

We had visitors. Many different bill shapes amongst them. I asked them to hold still while I was sketching, but they did not seem to listen. After working on Spanish, I'll need to brush up on Finchish.

Droopy Wings, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 13: Depressing Museum, Making Friends with Locals

2011-07-29T12:07:00.001-07:00

20110625-256.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Lots of dialogue in the journal, so I'm going to be brief here. Flickr has pictures of some of the sun bleached displays at the Interpretive Center if you are feeling the need to be depressed! But here's an upper, tomorrow is a DOUBLE journal page day!

My art challenge for the below image was trying to make it look like night on the harbor without using much gray and black. Tough! I think the harbor worked, but the pelly looks too orange/chocolate (trying to get the orange light reflection on him).

Day 12: Back to Town and the Loberia

2011-07-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

Flight, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Today was good.
I became friends with a booby.

Below are a lot of little things that need to be shared to get a better picture of the Port!

Day 11: Heavy Lifting with a View

2011-07-27T09:03:00.001-07:00

Part of the Journey, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Today’s work was one of the most challenging of the whole trip. Baby plants needed to be relocated up to El Junco, a large freshwater lake in a volcanic crater. Because San Cristobal is the only island with a reliable freshwater source, the locals get fresh water (and mosquitoes!). To relocate these plants, we carried them up an inclined trail in awkward crates. Soil is heavy when wet! I was very sore. For most of the day, it was misty, but we had a brief glimpse of the lake and surroundings occasionally.

Today's journal entry was done after returning and provided the reminder to look at things closely. Surprises come from all over!

Julia also let me upload her underwater camera pics, so I posted photos from days already covered (to the Loberia and from the Kicker Rock day trip). Sharks and turtles oh my!

Day 10: Routine Settled

2011-07-26T08:16:00.001-07:00

By now the routine was pretty set, and Jatun Sacha was a stinky, wet home-away-from-home. Today's journal entry was a combination of missing home and shock at how even nice people can be oblivious of the people around them. Not the happiest day, but I got to practice some Spanish with the cook!

Leisure Suits, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 9: Looking Up Through the Sweat

2011-07-25T15:38:00.001-07:00

At this point I finally felt like I had a routine at Jatun Sacha, so I was finally comfortable enough to really notice the details around me. I randomly picked a tree to draw, and it happened to be the tree that identifies that habitat.

Today I went on a horrible hike to a fantastic destination. The path was not horrible, but the marching pace was. I felt like I was jogging! Anyway, it was a scary experience for me, but I actually chat about it on tomorrow’s page. Why let you know now? Because I am posting pictures from it today. We hiked to the spot where Darwin and the Beagle FIRST made land on the Galapagos. How cool is that!?

In the evening we had a large bonfire that took forever to start because it was so damp out. One of the volunteers was an extraordinarily talented musician. He not only serenaded us with songs we all loved, but some of his own creations. He was so good that I forgave him for playing the oh-so cliché, Hotel California.

20110621-188.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 8: Taming the New Area

2011-07-24T12:50:00.001-07:00

Back to the site - No photos today! Too much work to do! Julia actually took some photos of the work today, so in the future I may post some up. Not much to explain, the drawing relays most of the info for today.

I miss having fresh juice every day.

Day 7: Escape to Kicker Rock

2011-07-23T12:22:00.001-07:00

Kicker Rock, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Today Julia and I took a day trip with Chalo Tours to Kicker Rock and Los Lobos island for snorkeling fun. We snorkeled in between those two giants rocks - what a crazy channel! While we did not see any hammerheads (no one did the weeks we were there), Galapagos sharks checked us out and immediately decided we were boring. Better that then edible!

Los Lobos had marine iguanas and one was nomming underwater. Beautiful and graceful - one of the highlights of the trip. On Kicker Rock there is ONE marine iguana the guides all call Georgina. She looked quite empowered actually!

Day 6: Becoming Familiar with Town

2011-07-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

First full day in town. By the way, when I say "in town" I mean the few streets that are there. Not very big! Today Julia and I got our laundry done and just got comfortable with our surroundings.

If anything got wet at the station, which happened often, there were lines to dry clothes. By the end of the week the clothing item was damper than when you hung it up. Weekend drop-off to Sebastian laundry was CRITICAL to get anything dry. Plus, everything smelled faintly of pineapple afterwards. Better than that bug spray smell!

Shade, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 5: Friday = Head to the Ports!

2011-07-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

Friday’s work was quite simple; we filled little bags with dirt (see yesterday’s illustration as an example). Jatun Sacha took us to Puerto Chino for the afternoon, which was a lovely beach that started out rainy. The clouds cleared soon, and we enjoyed floating on the waves. It was a day of firsts for a lot of the animals. While body surfing waves, I saw my first blue-footed boobies diving for tasty fish. I was so excited that I kept screaming – “BOOBIES!” in 100% earnestness. Considering that my companions were on average 19 yrs old and not there for specifics on the biological organisms in the archipelago, they just thought I was strange (in an adorable Biology teacher sense).

Puerto Chino was just a beach, but later we went to the little fishing town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Note: spelled incorrectly in the journal). They had tourism too, but nothing like Santa Cruz’s city. There I got to see los lobos marinos (sea lions), a marine iguana, and all sorts of frigatebirds and pelicans. The port is where we spent each weekend because no one stays at the site on the weekend. The hostels were not fabulous, but there was a lot more to do at the port than the station and a lot less mosquitoes!

The sea lions were like bison at Yellowstone. Everywhere. As you can see in the Flickr photos. They were adorable and smelly.

Pelly Preen, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 4: The Work Begins

2011-07-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

Click pic for larger.

Today we started working by helping out the National Park. More often than not, we stayed at the site for work, but some days we hopped into the truck and barreled down to the National Park nursery. We moved plants, pulled weeds, packed soil – basically whatever they pointed and told us to do. Actually, with rough Spanish comprehension, it was more of a miming of the task. Comical and sad! I also had a splitting migraine that day, which made me very nervous. Would I have one every day? What triggered it? I’m not stressed. Plenty of water drinking. Gah! Plus, I did not bring Excedrin migraine with me on the trip – what was I thinking?? I used some

pathetically wimpy ibuprofens that did not help. I did not want to seem week and cranky on my first day on the job.

After the manual labor, we got to visit the tortoise breeding center right across the street. Another perk of being a Jatun Sacha volunteer. Fortunately I got to see another breeding center later without my head throbbing. The migraine did go away and it was weeks before another hit. Yay!

A note on machetes – another group of volunteers used them today, but I don’t think I have other pictures of them. Machetes were a regular tool throughout the volunteership. Sort of like a stapler at the office. On that first ride they were quite shocking to see, even if wedging them under the tire prevented them from accidentally wedging into someone’s calf. After the first time seeing them around, machetes were totally normal.

How cool is that!

Machetes, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Day 3: Flight to San Cristobal and Settling In

2011-07-19T08:01:00.001-07:00

20110615-054.jpg, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

Needed to be at the airport VERRRRRY early, so Patricio picked us up. He had to leave early because at a certain time, he was not allowed to drive. To lower congestion, people are only allowed to drive on certain days. I guess on the other days it encourages carpooling. Interesting system – brilliant, but I would probably be frustrated with it.

After landing in San Cristobal, we saw a double doppelganger – a mesh of TWO friends. She was stylish and cool in her own way. Julia and I were both fascinated. We were happy to get off the flight, which contained an entire class of late elementary school kids. It was very difficult to not try to be responsible for their annoying antics. I wanted to go all teacher all over that bunch! They were crawling over everything!

We hopped into the first truck ride of many to the Jatun Sacha (pronounced Hah-toon Saw-cha) site. About 45 minutes, half paved / half muddy and bumpy. The folks we rode up with were not too friendly (not the norm, they were the one-week Brits and exclusive in nature). At the station we lugged our packs to the bunkrooms and found everyone in hammocks. They were already done for the day! The schedule was as follows:
7 Breakfast
8-10 Work
10-10:30 Break
10:30-12 Work
12 Lunch
2-4 Work
6 Dinner

If the morning work lasted until 1, therefore delaying lunch, then afternoon work was canceled, which was the scenario today. Non-work times were usually spent recovering from heat, humidity, and labor. Also known as the SIESTA. I think I may campaign for it here in the US. Fabulous.

Day 2: A Day in Quito

2011-07-18T06:36:00.001-07:00

Basilica Iguanas, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

We needed to go to a 30 min orientation in Quito before going to the Jatun Sacha site on San Cristobal, so that meant one day in Quito! I never felt entirely safe there, especially since we were such obvious tourists. I learned later that quite a few of the volunteers were mugged at knifepoint, but it was always when they were walking alone. We explored with two other Jatun Sacha volunteers that would be going to one of the other of the five total volunteer sites (such as the Amazon or San Cristobal). They were very strong, independent women to be traveling alone! Very kind as well. What a great way to start meeting new people.

We visited Itchimbia, which was this cool glass building with a great view. After that, a visit to Old Town, where the Basilica’s native gargoyles like iguanas were fascinating. We hunted down authentic Ecuadorian food and made the discovery that Ecuadorian food is not terribly flavorful. Tasty food with variety was one of the biggest things I missed over this trip. One thing I loved about Quito was the graffiti. Most was generic for sure, but so often I found either ingenious or extremely well-crafted pieces. Some just made me laugh.

Patricio worked with Jatun Sacha and took us to orientation and stores to get rubber boots (ESSENTIAL). He told us all sorts of fun and interesting information and made us comfortable in his city. I was very thankful as a new traveler. He taught us "Chévere" which essentially means "Awesome!" We heard and used it a lot over the trip. Now Adam and I are calling our home "Casa Chévere".

Click for larger image!

Day 1

2011-07-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Click the image to see a larger version. I'll also be posting all journal pages in a Flickr set. I WILL NOT DIGITALLY EDIT ANY JOURNAL PAGES. I will tweak the color so it is as close to the original as possible, but any mistakes, errors, etc. will be left as is.

First day of the journey - mostly traveling. We did not get in until verrrry late that night! I brought my Pentel pocket brush, but changes in altitude made it temperamental. It was smudging/exploding randomly, so I decided to shelve it for the trip. Also, after this page I decided that I need to start thinking about layout. In general, all future pages are either horizontal or vertical, not a mix like this one. No pictures today, but tomorrow was the first day in Quito, so pictures will be coming manana.

I need to go back to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to see if that magically named tea really exists, or if it was just a special day!
Added note: I went to Coffee Bean's website and found Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl Tea listed, but when you click on the link, it goes to a File 404. Magical mystery continued!

Ecuador Journal

2011-07-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am officially BACK! Hurrah! I have so many pictures and a jam packed journal that I need to share. To avoid overwhelming myself and you, I am going to update one day, every day over a span of about a month. My journal has 35 full spreads and two half spreads. I was gone for 33 days, so I have one spread a day, two "bonus" spreads, and two half pages (sort of like intro and a "The End" pages). For each entry I'll let the journal page tell the story and will add little comments to either the actual occurrences of the day or contemplations on the actual drawing itself. I'll also add a link (or actual photo) to my Flickr account of my favorite picture of the day. If there is not photo or link, then no pictures were taken that day. If there is a photo, that suggests that there has been an update to my Flickr account with MANY new photos. I went a little nuts, but come on, it's ECUADOR! So check out m Flickr account to see the rest.

Below is the first half page ("Intro") that I worked on in the airports and airplanes. I wanted to get a lay of the land, literally. This way I could start recognizing the islands. I added in some animals that I hoped to see. My reference was the guidebook to Ecuador, but I tried to use an olde world style for fun! Doesn't Isabela look like a seahorse? Our guide pointed that out later in the trip.

Galapagos Post #4 (The Last)

2011-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Waaaah! I am sitting in the internet cafe counting down the two hours before we leave the Galapagos. It is so strange how quickly this place became home. San Cristobal specifically. If there were island sports teams, I would wear San Cristobal's jersey with pride. The other islands were amazing, but I loving this little island of fishermen and volunteers.

It is also amazing how close you get with people that you only know for three weeks. A few individuals were especially hard to leave. Vivacious and compassionate people! There were quite a few people that rubbed me the wrong way, but that provided entertainment.

What happened this week? What every true travel should experience - a gastrointestinal explosion! Not pleasant, but I would rather have that than be seasick again. At least my head is not being whacked across the deck! I basically curled up under the mosquito net for 24 hours with occasional bolts to the bathroom (crawl down the top bunk, hobble down the stairs, skitter through the woods to the shack). At least I got sick at the station where I could recuperate peacefully. A lot of volunteers got sick on the four day tour. I felt so bad for them! I had it easy.

I got one of the best compliments yesterday! One of the volunteers, besides wanting a picture to remember Julia and I, said she needed a picture of me because I look just like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. She wanted proof with a pic. :)

Okay, off to have my last San Cristobal batido while watching lobos marinos (sea lions). Then to see my wonderful husband in Quito and begin the next phase of our journey!

Galapagos post #3

2011-07-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am swaying at the computer right now! Just finished a four day tour to see Isabela, Floreana, and Santa Cruz. Isabela was by far my favorite, but I am oddly glad to be home at San Cristobal. By now I feel like it is "my" island. I know where to eat, where to sleep, etc. Jatun Sacha volunteers are everywhere, so there are always friendly faces. It is so small that you are not nervous walking around (but I am still traveling smart and safely!). Once I get back, I am going to scan all of my journal pages in to give you a much better understanding of what's been happening. My favorite moment from the tour was visiting a small islet off of Isabela named after the white-tipped sharks that you can see right off the shore. The island has no snakes, so it is where all the baby marine iguanas are - hundreds of them! I also saw the Galapagos penguin and wild flamingos. Way pinker than the zoo ones!

Over the last four days, over 10 hours were on a boat. Turns out, I get really sea sick. I wanted to shoot myself. Tried a different type of pill each time and on the last trip finally found something that worked. Ugh. Boats are for reading about only. Lost my sunglasses in one hurling event.

Probably my favorite part of this whole trip so far was swimming with the sea lions again. This time there were three, and I actually swam with them instead of watched. I twisted and curled around them. Snorkeling was limiting me to the surface, and I suddenly remembered how I am a water baby and am more comfortable in water than on land. Got rid of the snorkel tube and when to diving and leaping, it was like dancing. Constant eye contact. It was like the sea lions were happy to have someone to play with instead of just watching them!

After this weekend, where I'll let my body recuperate from the boats, we only have two more days at Jatun Sacha fighting evil mora (invasive blackberry). Then back to the mainland to see what Adam has planned for us!

Galapagos Post Dos

2011-06-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all! This week was a week of hard work volunteering. I have blisters and a sore back for sure. Life at the site is interesting, fun, and challenging. There are so many interesting people to meet, but you spend every minute of every day with them. That's tough for someone like me that likes quiet time. In our little mosquito infested jungle, there is is always music or something loud on, and even though we are in the middle of no where, I am surrounded by people. Yet, I feel very solitary.

What's most shocking to me is that I assumed that other volunteers were coming for the same reasons I was. Silly in retrospect, but why choose to come to the Galapagos if not for the history and biology? Most volunteers are 19 and are much more interested in being away from home to do what they want (drink, party). Many are very nice, but it feels like being at high school. Thank goodness no drinking is allowed on the site! The weekends are another matter for those young volunteers. I'd say, what a difference 10 years makes, but I wasn't interested in those things when I was 19 either. Yes, I think learning is awesome. And yes, it is what I like to do in my free time!

Julia is an excellent balance between both worlds. I envy her ability to partake in the social scene in not a weird way and then be great company with me as I tell her random facts about birds. She has been a wonderful travel companion and friend. We have our grumpy days, but so far we have been able to help each other out of them.

My favorite birds are hands down the mockingbird and the BF booby. They have such personalities and are a delight to watch. The finches are crazy hard to differentiate, but I an starting to notice differences. I can't find a nature guide in town to help ID them. Crazy! I also enjoy the vast quantities of Lava Lizards hanging out.

This next week I am going on a four-day tour to some other islands to hopefully see some new things. It will be with 8 other volunteers and starting Tuesday. That means we'll miss most of next week's work, but this tour seems to be what every volunteer does, the station director even signed us up!

Last week, I swam with sea lions (so swift!) and sharks (terrifying, thenks for making me watch Jaws, Dad!). I have not seen a hammerhead, which is a bummer, but it sounds like they are really hard to find. My favorite snorkeling moment was watching a marine iguana munch on algae underwater. They are oddly graceful there!

Love you all! Pets to the kitties!

Galapagos ahoy!

2011-06-17T15:23:00.001-07:00

So, I am in the Galapagos finally! Julia and I perused Quito, but I am glad to be out of the big city. I get nervous and always feel like I am watching my back! It was pretty nice there, and our hostel room had a lot of random doors. One was converted into shelves.

Now in the Galapagos, the Jatun Sacha site, pronounced Hah toon Saw cha, is in a very jungly place. Clothes never dry there, so we need to take them to town on the weekend to get laundered. We work during the week cutting back invasive mora, blackberry bushes, and other misc activities. Insects are EVERYWHERE. It's a bit of a hopeless battle actually. No matter how much you cover and spray, you get bit. Oh well, it's stylin' out here. The evenings involve hanging out with the volunteers. There are about 24 of us right now, and it is a mixed bag of characters. Last night we played movie charades for hours, but since we are from so many different places, US, Germany, UK, etc, it's hard to find a movie we've all seen. I thought everyone had seen Die Hard! Apparently not!

The weekends we head to the Puerto to do laundry and chill. No one stays at the station to be eaten alive, and the shore does not have the vile insects. We just arrived after visiting Puerto Chino, a beautiful beach where I saw my first Blue Footed Booby. Oddly enough, most of the volunteers are not obsessed with organisms like I am, so it was unusual for them to hear someone scream with delight "BOOBY!!!" I saw it catch fish and everything! My favorite animal so far though is the endemic Chatham Mockingbird. I thought he was going to be super secretive, but he hangs out with us at the station and is just as entertaining as a mockingbird should be. Except a tiny bit smaller, which makes him that much more adorable. I call him Checkers.

Next weekend, we have the option to go on a four day tour to the islands, and volunteers get a serious discount. Sweet. Locals like the Jatun Sacha volunteers. By going on this tour I hope to check out the other islands too! I'll update the next time I can! Buenas tardes a todos!

Prep for the trip and sleepin' cat

2011-06-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Jazzercise, normally Jazz, likes to flaunt his 1980's leggings. He is the lankiest cat ever!

This was my test with a new Altoid's tin filled with higher quality paints (Winsor and Newton). I've been backing off the painting to be rejuvenated for the Galapagos trip. I hope to go all Potter on nature and record it with watercolors.

Bird on Nibs

2011-05-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

Bird on Nibs, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

New bookmark fun as a quick evaluation-writing break. I'm enjoying making bookmarks with a specific book or a person in mind. It helps focus my options.

Caught up with journal sketches!

2011-05-17T15:50:00.001-07:00

Hurrah! Another picture dump! Image from a sushi joint, two from a trip to Montezuma's Castle (another park!), and finally some instruments from the Musical Instrument Museum (www.themim.org)

Stormy City

2011-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy stamping bookmarks. Sometimes I just don't feel like drawing, but I feel crafty. Voila! There are my stamps. It's an evil hobby because of the price tag associated with it. Generally I make the bookmarks and give them to someone I am thinking of or they sometimes get lost in the current book of choice. Either way, there is no pressure. Which I need sometimes.

Also, I really like making ominous, weird stamps. It's hard to do since most stamps are so obnoxiously cute. This bookmark gave me my first opportunity to play with crackle paint - I learned not to stamp words on it. To hide the messed up blurry words, I added funky circles. Sometimes I like covering up mistakes more than any other part of the process.

Sedona and Grand Canyon sketches

2011-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here are all of the sketches I did during our honeymoon/first anniversary! A lot of these sketches were in moving vehicles, which was a fun twist. Yeah, fun. I love how national parks have their stamps for the "National Stamp Passport" books - what a great idea! I'm just stamping them in my entries for PROOF.

I feel like I am still searching for a style, and that's why there is a lot of experimentation going on. Thick pen, thin pen, layouts, etc!

Picture Dump!

2011-05-08T15:13:00.001-07:00

It's been over A MONTH? No excuses Ms. Narish! I actually have done some artsy things. My sweet man got me some new watercolors to play with, and I made a new more "up-scale" travel kit that I will unveil later. The only thing I'd like to edit is the carrier. A purse or generic bag does not cut it. You know what I want? A fly-fisherman's creel. How cool would that be to carry watercolor stuff? I just don't know where to get one or if my new palette would even fit in!

As a default, I still rely on my trusty travel kit, and to get a fresh start, I am going to show a lot of missed postings. Some are even from Christmas in WI. The last one was in the backseat of a moving car. Unfortunately the scan washed out some of the more interesting grays. I've noticed my scans lose a lot of the original picture. Tips anyone?

Catch up and mustard day!

Lift

2011-04-05T22:16:00.001-07:00

Lift, a photo by melbergink on Flickr.

My husband and I went on our honeymoon the weekend of our first anniversary! We went up in a hot air balloon ride, visited Jerome, and hopped on a train to the Grand Canyon. I am lucky to be in such an amazing state! The hot air balloon ride was something on my bucket list since I grew up watching the Great Reno Balloon Races. There is something magical about hot air balloons that transcends time. Pics from the ride are up on Flickr!

8 month anniversary!

2011-03-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

From this...
to this!

Aw, it's been 8 months since I started using my kit. It's so messy now! The contents have evolved a bit. Lightweight paper has become all-media paper. I switched brands of waterbrushes (Koi to Niji), and I added a Pentel pocket brush (black). I am SO much more comfortable with mixing colors, but have SO much more to learn! I have to admit that I am backing off a little bit recently because I am also trying to increase time for two other activities: running (jog/walk achsually) and learning Spanish. However, I do not want to lose the continuous momentum I have had for 8 months. I have 58 pages (29 front and back) filled in my all-media journal, and I love recording my memories with it.

I will be taking a trip to the Galapagos this summer, and I think I may buy a new journal (less pages though) solely for that journey to try to fill with comments, sketches, paints, and taped tickets/ephemera. The first journal I ever really completed was for the wonderful trip I took with Erin in Europe. I treasure that book so much now. I can't write a diary for the life of me, but I love sketching it out!

Two social events of the past

2011-03-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

At a friend's place. This reminds me of Orange Crush floats at Scooper's in Sparks.

Watching the Rose Bowl with a lot of Badgers.

Misc.

2011-03-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics that I don't think I have uploaded yet!
1. Hoopoe bird. Would like to see one some day, but they are definitely not in Mesa, let alone this continent. If I were working the music scence, MC Hoopoe would rule.
2. Middle school soccer sketchies. Now Adam is coaching high school too!
3. Amazing (or boring) coinky-dink at Pei Wei.

4. Memories contained in a tea pot.

Random old unloaded pics.

Skulls

2011-03-14T15:44:00.001-07:00

So much business! I have actually been trying to direct my creative play time into learning Spanish, but I have not relinquished the watercolors! Since I have a back log, I'll drop them in over the week.

To start off the week, playing with color schemes on skulls. Bones rule.

Long time, no post!

2011-03-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I am buying a new scanner today. I know the combo printer/scanner/copiers are a pain, but now both the printer AND scanner are busted, so we are getting another combo to help with the expense factor. Today we also have to purchase a bed for Adam's family that is coming into town! Something we need to do anyway.

Anyway, the last scan of this printer is my first acrylic painting. The reference was a picture from the internet of a stack of books. I used only orange, black, and white acrylic paints and some very battered brushes. I learned A LOT from this process thanks to Neil! I had never even heard of priming a canvas (I'm a doodler! That is hard core!). The vertical lines are the goodbye message from my scanner - adios!

Ug the Slug

2011-02-09T15:54:00.001-08:00

20110131-010.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

I finally have a table that I can leave my sewing machine on! I got it off of Craigslist, just a plain utilitarian table with two legs. No drawers or anything to bump my knees on!

I needed a quick and fun project, so I made a sock creature with the sewing machine. Tracey brought up the idea of a stuffed slug way back during the holidays, and I was excited to give it a try! I also got to use some new stamps.

And raffia. What is crafting w/o raffia!

Pentel Brush Pen

2011-01-31T17:20:00.000-08:00

May I say that I am in LOVE with my brush pen. Move over Adam! This brush is getting the other side of the bed! I love varying the thickness of ink, even to the point of excess. It lends a sense of emotion and dynamic. It also can make things messy and juvenile. Nice.

Also, the twenty minutes I spent with the rooster was awesome. I finally think I get the fascination with chickens.

Sketchy Doodle and Sketch Crawl

2011-01-22T16:47:00.001-08:00

I've gone out for two more events with Sketchy Doodle. It's nice to mingle with other doodlers and fun to chat with people that are new. The first is a "Drink and Draw," which was more like an "Eat and Draw" with cheese steak and peanuts. The second was my first Sketch Crawl! Hurrah! I've read about these so often, and did not really understand what they were. Basically, a date is given on www.sketchcrawl.com and artists all around coalesce to a location (decided by someone with assertiveness). Then people draw and share their sketches. The valley artists met at Talking Stick Casino. Because I grew up in Sparks NV (near Reno), casinos are pretty bland and ordinary to me. I was shocked when I moved out of the state and the constant din of slot machines weren't in grocery stores. Anyway, I'll admit that the location was not of interest to me, but I made it a mission to find some interesting angle that did not scream casino. There was a neat chair set up with a curved patio that opened up onto saguaros and a cool outdoor hanging light with a backdrop of sandstone tiles on the building behind it. I cozied up and sketched with holiday Peet's Tea from the little coffee shop (with uber nice baristas! Though the guy dropped a pile of plates - bummer!) and listened to Speaking of Faith on my iPod. Later the sketchers shared their drawings and had lunch. They were all so nice - what a success!

Gathering dusties

2011-01-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

My scanner is driving my nutso! However, I will push through. Soon I will be branching out of the watercolor world (out of necessity) and into good old acrylics. I've never really used them, so we'll see what happens.

Older stuff! Since the scanner is on hiatus, thought I'd put up some older scans I have not shared yet. I think the Light Rail guy is demonstrating that cut-off's are ALWAYS in. :)

My first tutorial: Postage Bracelet

2011-01-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

20101231-041.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

I recently came to having loads of ancient stamps that the previous owners don't mind me crafting with. Yes, maybe one of them would be worth thousands of dollars and covering it with Mod Podge will destroy that (as seen with new fancy vanishes that produce hilarious "noooo!" faces on Antiques Roadshow). Ah well. I like the images and colors on the stamps more than cataloging them.

The neurotic individual in me is slowly dividing all of the stamps into color piles. There are a helluva lot of stamps. While going through them, I picked out some nature/organism stamps. These are surprisingly difficult to find! The vast majority have some dead guys head or a large number.

To make this bracelet:

1. Find stamps. I am a biology dork. Things with cells rule (not prison cells).

2. Glue stamps onto card stock using Aleene's Tacky Glue. I do this so the stamps don't buckle. In fact, I didn't do this for the red Kiwi stamp, and it buckled AND became translucent in parts. Boo. (Note: Can't see it in picture - haha)

3. Once dried, cut them up into squares to fit in the bracelet and set the stamps into the "frames." This bracelet's company is "The Jewelry Shoppe," and I bought it for like $4 at Hobby Lobby in the finding's section (my new BFF). These are pretty popular; I picked up some earring versions as well.

4. Cover with Diamond Glaze. After the first glaze, what a few hours and glaze again to make sure you have a smooth finish. There are other products, but if you want a nice clear layer, this is quick and easy. If you want a really thick layer, get some of those mixes and prepare to have a lot of projects to fill in all at once since I think you use it all at once.

5. Wear it. When someone asks you about it, you can make all sorts of great stories up. From the simple, "I got it at a boutique for $50" to "The stamps were on the envelopes from love letters written between Churchill and FDR".

New Journal

2011-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

I got a new natural-toned sketchbook last month and have finally started to add in to it. I want to draw with only gray tones and white. I picked up Faber-Castell's brush pens in shades of gray and two pens for white. One was a poster-paint Sharpie white and the other a gel pen. I'm still experimenting with what to use. I'd like to keep this journal mainly imagination based without references, but of course I already broke that rule. One of the drawings was a challenge from a student. He sent me a picture of a crazy car to draw. I did not have a pencil with me, so like my watercolor sketches I drew it straight with pen in the airport terminal waiting for my flight back to Phoenix. It was really, really hard. The other sketches are to keep my imagination active now that I am continuing my other journal that is all from reference.

Christmas Eve Fireworks

2010-12-31T16:20:00.001-08:00

20101224-034.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

I know that New Year's Eve is when we get a lot of fireworks, but I was right underneath a fantastic show thanks to Uncle John. I think the cold air produced some neat effects. Anyways, head on over to my Flickr page for loads of fireworks shots. Here's the link to the photo set.

Scenes at the school. AZ in winter, chilly!

2010-12-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

So the last few weeks have been insane, as they are for many are in the Holidays. My fingertips feel bruised from typing up so many evaluations. I feel like I should have a degree in psychoanalysis!

Children and parents are giving us teachers loads of sugary Christmas food, so my stomach is delicious brick mode. Don't know when green and red food coloring will saturate my organs, so they are Christmassy too.

Here are some sketches from before the rush.

More traveling drawings

2010-12-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

One in the airport, one on the plane. I drew the clouds from my Denver trip, but the clouds turned mushy and gross. On the trip to Reno, I took what I didn't like and doodled with ink all over it. Mwahaha. Take that for censoring the blah. The other drawing was the engine from the window. I liked how you could see the reflection of the plane in it. My brother in law told me that you could identify the type of plane because I had drawn that parts accurately - sweet!

Going back to doodle concepts!

2010-12-03T20:48:00.001-08:00

My! I am way behind on posting! I actually have quite a bit to put up, I just have not sat down with the scanner. What else to help me procrastinate on my last eval I need to work on today? I'm going to go out of order because I wanted to put up recent creative contributions. I went home during Turkey Day and got all fidgety and excited to be creative with my drawings since I have been drawing mainly from observations. I still need to continue that, but I don't want to stifle my personality. So last week the art journal theme was "Silly Hat" resulting in this (words were added later):

Looking for some more silliness, I had one person give me a organism and another different person give me a verb. Then I had to draw something around that. So much fun! Art Madlibs!

Then this next week's assignment is some sort of composition that must include a turtle and a hand in some way, and here is the result:

Love and Logic Conference Trip

2010-11-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

Went to the Love and Logic conferences to brush up on my relationship/management skills. Learned a lot and came away with ideas - some for use, some to ponder. Anyways, I really tried to get in some drawing. During the second full day at the conference I had a hard time focusing (not much interaction at these things, they basically talked at us the whole day without discussion). Drawing helps me stay focused, so I brought my kit in case I needed it. The second day I was distracted for about an hour by a really annoying humming directly behind me. I tried to look around to see what it was, but got cold stares from the ladies behind me. It was after wondering what it was for about an hour that I checked again. The SWA drawing was a big step for me since geometric lines terrify me. Maybe I can try buildings again...

Babe Ruth

2010-11-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

Babe Ruth
Originally uploaded by melbergink

To demonstrate my drawing process (which I am still tinkering).
1. Get the stick skeleton
2. Find the edges
3. Then finally add values

This was tricky because these colored pencils didn't erase! Any mistake is difficult to cover (i.e. stick of left elbow stuck out too far).

Halloween has passed...

2010-11-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

So sad! Alas, the spirit of the strange and weird will be strong in me even if October has passed. This year's spirit was recharged by Edgar Allan Poe. I have not read his stories in probably a decade, but the students were reading his stuff in Lit/Comp. Thankfully, I have a ridiculous collection of books that sit and wait for such inspirational moments, and I pulled out my ancient collection of Poe stories. I read the "Red Masque of Death" for the first time. Fabulous!

Now I am sick, which provides for late-night NyQuil-induced delusional drawing time. So I gave my opportunity to say thanks to Poe by drawing him. I think it was a decent effort for two hours, but there are edits I would make in retrospect. I don't draw real people's faces in general because it scares me. I think I should take on the challenge more to get better at the subtleties of the human face. (Pencil only. Here's a link to the reference photo.)

Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:09:00.001-07:00

20101031-073.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

Hurrah! Our first official Halloween at HOME! It was so wonderful. Our party had everything from the U.S. Constitution to jellies to Pink Ladies! Add that to the awesome season that embraces weird makes Melanie very happy. I'll post up a few things over this week, but feel free to check out my Flickr account to see the pics!

Halloween Time!

2010-10-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

20101024-036.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

Time to decorate for Halloween! Today I carved FIVE pumpkins with a theme of emoticons. If I am going to clean out five pumpkins, the carving must be relatively simple. I've never been an overly talented carver, so smarmy simple is more my style.

I also put two graves in the front yard, and Adam put hooks in to hang orange holiday lights (after buying a new power drill since the Craftsman drill broke after less than a year - grr). Adam went to many stores to get more lights, but most were out! Good thing we bought most of our supplies last week!

My costume is pretty much done, but no pictures will be shared until AFTER Halloween (prying friend's eyes must be surprised at our party!).

PS - Look at the "black" cat named Eleanor in the window!

MPA Monsoon Football

2010-10-23T17:27:00.001-07:00

Hurrah! It was awesome to hang out at our own school to support the Monsoons. It was also neat because the game was right after parent/teacher conferences, so faces were more recognizable. That made it easier for mingling. It was also nice to see Mr./Coach Faint getting compliments from parents while he was there with his whole family!

The dragonflies were everywhere. It is clear that insects support MPA.

An overcast day in Laguna Niguel

2010-10-16T16:36:00.001-07:00

20101014-054.jpg
Originally uploaded by melbergink

Brought the camera to an outing in Laguna Niguel with a lovely overcast day. I really played with aperture settings the most. I love overcast days because shadows are softened, but they make for potentially horrific skies. Many pics were deleted, but I saved a few and posted them.

I am also learning how to use Photoshop Lightroom (henceforth LR), and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the photos were well exposed. Checking my D90 histograms is starting to pay off.

I still can't SEE what I need to edit, but that will come with practice!

Trip to Barnes

2010-10-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see the traditions that I had when I was little carry on to our new little family. In other words, "going out" means hanging at Barnes and Noble. While I was there, I got "An Illustrated Life" by Danny Gregory. Inspiration ammo!

Desert Botanical Gardens

2010-10-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

I finally got my trip to the DBG since I got a year long membership. This place rules. I could hang out here all the time. Rumor is there will be a chocolate and chile celebration this year!

When making entries I am finally trying to think about where they will be placed on the page. Hopefully my compositions will become more natural with time. I also want to incorporate words more. Finally, dates can look so sloppy and awkward, so I will be experimenting with ways to integrate them with the page. Too much thinking! Just draw!

Table? Chair? I'm a teacher, I don't know!

2010-10-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, last week we had an in-service among all of the schools, so I got to hang out and discuss strategy with all of the biology teachers. It was great! Afterward, I waited in the lobby and drew this table. Normally I crop the image, but Jazz jumped up on the scanner while it was scanning. It was too entertaining watching him chase the moving magic light, so I left this uncropped.

Students at work!

2010-10-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Oh no, I am starting to run out of back-logged sketches. This next week MPA teachers have off, and I plan to get my art on. This weekend I planned on going to the botanical gardens and drawing for hours as a birthday present to me, however, I ended up with food poisoning instead. I haven't had that type of reaction to food since the KFC incident when I was in middle school. I normally have quite the tough digestive system. My tonsils and allergies are my physiologically weak spot. ANYWAYS, botanical garden excursions will be moved to next week. This week I need to get through evals, exams, and projects to grade. Creativity must be put on the back burner temporarily. Unless it is teaching creativity, of course.

These drawing were from a few weeks ago when the students were working on a project that worked on their self-editing skills. In other words, I couldn't butt my nose in! To restrain myself, I sketched them at work.

V-ball!

2010-09-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

So, I am insanely busy this week (and next week will be nigh "double" insane). In other words, I am going to post some old stuff. Wee! Here are some v-ball players. The fun part was when some students tried to identify themselves. The couldn't! Because the players moved so fast and rotated, I had to draw the legs of one girl, the jersey of another, and the head of another. After all of that, the color of the hair and skin was determined by another girl. Phew!

Life Drawing!

2010-09-26T19:21:00.001-07:00

Today I attended my first figure drawing course! A group called "Sketchy Doodle" meets about every week to draw something. This week they hired a model to stand in different poses in Victorian dress. The timing was five 2-minute poses, two 5-min poses, two 10-min poses, and finally two 20-minute poses. What I really focused on was folds in her dress and the general poses/proportions. I had a great time with he sitting STILL. The 2-minutes were too fast, but I started losing attention at the 20-minutes. Sometimes they do full 2-hour poses, and I wonder what my discipline will be for that. I haven't tried for detail like that!

Windrider

2010-09-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

A Bio student wrote an amazing story that paralleled photosynthesis (on a molecular level!!) where a young man named Marcus (representing an electron) learned how to ride griffins (representing an energy boost) with Windriders (photosystem I). Of course, that was only part of his story, but I had fun drawing it. Flashback to old comic days!

Jazz's Week

2010-09-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

I'd like to add more narrative to sketches to help me remember the situation and details that may not be captured in the photo. Words can also add visual texture. Normally, I don't have much to write about, but not this week!

The Rotifers!

2010-09-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

When Adam needed a name for his band in RockBand, I suggested "The Rotifers", which he gladly accepted. Rotifers are adorable minute animals smaller than a period on a sentence. Seriously, Kingdom Animalia! They aren't protists even. Does it not blow your MIND?

The funniest thing is that there is a Dwarf Rotifer.

Anyways, Adam also made that our Fantasy Football team name. The ESPN website allows us to have a team image, so I drew up some rotifers. Which should I make our avatar?

Here's the avatar of choice by Adam:

Grandparents

2010-09-14T20:13:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine posted a fabulous picture of her grandparents. I loved it so much that I wanted to draw it. Just to get an excuse to look at the picture more. I went through multiple versions (all done in the last sketchbook). The first one (below) had issues, the second was an abomination, and the third was okay (last pic). It did not satisfy me completely because it did not do justice to the picture. If I drew any more, I would get angry at the picture though, and I like it too much.

Art Room!

2010-09-12T19:09:00.001-07:00

Art Room After
Originally uploaded by melbergink

I now officially have an art room! What a dream! Not seen in this shot are a bookshelf full of art books and a cube storage shelf set with El Jefe's tank on it. Adam and I tried to move our old desk to the room, but it shattered into pieces from age. I'll be checking out the Salvation Army stores for a cheap table to set up my sewing machine on.

Sweet!

Now I need to use it.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2010-09-07T21:40:00.001-07:00

My first professional baseball game. Now I know what to do when I am hot - AC baseball! The first drawing took me quite a few innings, and the second drawing took 'bout 10 minutes or so. I like how baseball players put all of their weight on one leg while waiting for play to start.

Drafts at draft

2010-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sketch at Buffalo Wild Wings to determine Fantasy Football draft. I generally did not know what was going on. Adam will be the brains, and I will be the mouth.

ALSO, the office and art room are mainly done! They just need some decor. BUT, I can finally scan once more! I actually have a little back log, so look forward to lots of entries this week.

Sushi Kee

2010-09-05T19:03:00.001-07:00

Even though we are in a new area, I hope we still visit Sushi Kee. A few weeks ago, to celebrate the first day of school, Adam took me out to sushi. The chef made the most fabulous dragon roll with octopus tentacle eyes! I drew it since I loved it so much, and the waitress stood over my shoulder most of the time I was drawing. It was my first experience as a "travel journalist" with a stranger watching. After I was done, I gave it to the chef as a thank, however, I drew it again after I left to remember it.On another note, I can almost see the den and art room in a useful state. Once they are, I can upload pics and putz again!

Art for Babies (and me!)

2010-09-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

In the process of moving - I promise to post art soon! I really am trying to add in a little each week. My only free time feels like when I am eating, hence most is food.

Anyways, wanted to share an awesome website. Love the art here!

Summer unfinished business

2010-08-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I am crazy busy with the new school year, but to fill the gap I wanted to post some things from the summer that I haven't put up yet. These were items that I didn't complete, but I like them already and didn't want to overdo. However, they need a tiny little something, and I still want to ponder them more.

This pelican stamp was in the dollar bin - insane! It is adorable! I would eat him up if I wouldn't be choking on plastic stamp. I used the bamboo from an Asian style stamp set to make a dock look. However, something is still missing. Ideas?

The sailing adventurer that I wish I could be (thanks to reading the ENTIRE Aubrey/Maturin series) makes me love this. I used a Tim Holtz stencil for the compass rose. Isn't it lovely that it is called a "compass rose"? How romantic and utilitarian - just my style. But once again, not happy yet, but I don't want to ruin it...

The "Blech" pages revealed!

2010-08-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

I have two pages left in my sketch book - hurrah! Granted, the book wasn't the biggest in the world. I've already purchased the next one, and it has heavier paper to resist warping. Anyway, the nearly last pages of this journal are filled with sad, sad drawings where proportion has no communication devices such as the iPhone. Some pages I want to rip out and through away, but if I can learn from them, then they may be worth keeping. There was one page that did not survive that high notion and my primitive impulses destroyed it. I just have to keep drawing though. Just keep swimming!

BTW, I have not posted my favorite page yet in case the last two pages reveal nothing but a horrid (but educational) stench. I want to end on a good note.

Worst Coke can ever. I feel I shamed the brand that I am so loyal too! Yes, when I ask for soda at a restaurant I say, "Coca-Cola." When the waiter says, "Pepsi okay?" I say, "Water." I am one of those. I will conquer the look of a full-size can. My loyalty is on the line.

You know those glasses that eskimos wear so they don't sunburn their eyes? Apparently Adam does. And he wears them while playing Rock Band. Actually, glasses have always been terrifying for me to draw (as well as hats), so I have avoided them all my life. No more! Just avert your eyes until I get more practice!

Not consistent with the round perspective yet, but the dinner (red chile steak and beans by Rick Bayless) was DELISH. Ate the leftovers tonight. Totally love that Le Creuset pan too.

What a hoot!

2010-08-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

A hilarious person I know just had a lovely baby boy. The combination of my excitement for her and me being in full-throttle craft mode resulted in little owlies. I looked at all of her baby room pictures and pulled out all of my fabric to see what would match the best. She posted about it in her highly entertaining blog. Here is where I got the tutorial on how to make them.