Categories
Uncategorized

K-2SO Sketch

Hey Rebel Scum, it’s K-2SO your favorite droid from Rogue One. Well, it’s my favorite droid from Rogue One at least…

I’m a big fan of Rogue One. I saw Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in the theater on opening day with my dad and my brother when I was a kid and it changed my life. Star Wars has had its ups and downs over the years, and some has been better than others. Andor and The Mandalorian have been my favorite series in recent years, and I try to not think about the bad stuff.

I draw these with an Apple Pencil on an iPad in Procreate, in case you’re curious. Anyway, I went with a thicker line for this sketch, and again tried to use a linocut/woodcut sort of style. I did a little more blending of color for the bady, but I still have plenty to learn in Procreate, though I do seem to have found some brushes I use over and over again.

Categories
Uncategorized

Fire Hydrant Sketch

I’m going to call this one a tribute to mkefirehydrants on Instagram because why not? The photo used for reference was taken by me, and it’s a fire hydrant I’ve walked pasted hundreds of times near Enderis Playfield.

I’ve got a lot of variations on this one because again… Why not? Just like digital photography is to film photography, digital illustration is to paper sketching. Make more, try different things, let things multiply.

Besides that I don’t think I have much to say about this one. It’s a fire hydrant, and just like the sewer cover it’s not exciting or amazing, it’s just part of everyday life, but sometimes that’s worth celebrating. The average, the mundane, the things all around you. The things some people don’t notice, but I do…

I really didn’t expect to enjoy sketching on an iPad so much. I did like using the old Wacom tablet a decade ago but this is so much better. I still have a lot to learn about Procreate, and yeah, there’s a zillion tutorials and videos out there, and I watched a bunch at first, but now I just explore and experiment, and there’s something to be said for that.

I probably just went “meh” when I first heard about the Apple Pencil but wow, I really do love that thing now! Being able to lay in bed at the end of the day and sketch silly things is pure joy. I think it’s like those “adult coloring book” or just coloring in general that people seem to like. And honestly I feel much better sketching and being creative than I do about doom scrolling while lying in bed.

Obviously as a Serial Enthusiast I’ll do this until something else comes along but that’s part of the game, and maybe I’ll quit doing this in a month and pick it up again in the future, or I’ll just keep going. Who knows!? Perhaps the unknown is what makes it interesting and exciting and fun.

As always (at least recently) I used an Apple Pencil on an iPad along with Procreate because that’s what I am doing right now. Enjoy!

Categories
Uncategorized

The Enshittification of Affinity

I am dropping this post here on the day it was announced that Serif was acquired by Canva. Here’s a link to the statement. We’ll see how long that link remains. (Here’s a new article about it.)

Here’s a link to a screen capture of the page in case the original disappears and you want to check it out.

Here’s my original post about Affinity Photo which I’ve been using for four years and have recommended to people who were sick of Adobe’s subscription model.

I’m tempted to go through the acquisition statement and give my thoughts on parts of it, but I’ve got other work to do right now… I’ll update this post if I get time.

Update: Here’s how I imagine acquisitions work.

Company A: Hey, I like what you built.

Company B: Why thank you!

Company A: But you know what I like more? Money. Do you like money?

Company B: Oh, okay… Well, yes, of course…

Company A: How about I give you a big pile of money for the thing you built?

Company B: Well, what does that mean for me?

Company A: You get a big pile of money, we’ll make you head of a new business division, then tell you to fuck off in a year.

Company B: Well that’s…

Company A: Look at this big fucking pile of money.

Company B: You son of a bitch, I’m in!


Update: Enjoy this post from September 2022.


Update 2024-03-28: Supposedly all will be fine… Canva’s Affinity deal will shake the Adobe status quo

After launch, we contacted the Serif PR team and were assured that the pricing structure for Affinity would stay the same. They indicated they had heard users’ complaints and were steadfast in their plans to keep buy-once, use-forever pricing.

In the statement, the newly combined teams said they would remain committed to fair pricing and perpetual licensing, resources would be put into Affinity to accelerate development, and the company would continue to use customer feedback to shape the product.

But hey, it’s not all good news. “Canva also invests in AI-based tools, which will certainly come to Affinity in one way or another.” So yeah, I hope I can disable and fucking AI bullshit that gets added to Affinity products in the future. (Though honestly I’ll probably just use V2 as long as I can.)

Categories
Uncategorized

Tiny Travel Humidifier

I recently got this Tiny Travel Humidifier, and I’m calling it that because those are three of the words included in the 25+ word product name listed on Amazon. The reason I got this is because I’m doing a lot of traveling for work and staying in hotels for multiple nights and since I use a humidifier at home (as well as the one in my CPAP machine) I wanted something for the road.

On a recent trip I noticed that I kept drying out in the hotel room and combined with the amount of talking we do all day at a tradeshow I got a slightly sore throat so I thought a humidifier might help. I had some requirements…

I wanted something small. We travel with no checked luggage, so it would need to fit in my carry-on bag. This thing is 6.7″ x 2.1″ x 2.1″ in size. That’s pretty much the size of the box I toss in my bag.

I wanted something that was USB powered. Some of them have batteries. I don’t want to charge it. I’m at a hotel, I have lots of USB plugs, so a USB cable is all that is needed for power.

I wanted something that I could put into a container full of water. Some of of them are made for an inverted water bottle, or have a container built-in. I had read that you don’t want it to run out of water as it may damage it. I can put it in a cup or an ice bucket that’s found in every hotel room. I did have a small issue with it standing upright in the ice bucket and used a modified cup, but I could easily fab a piece of cardboard or use some tape next time.

Those pretty much cover what I needed. It makes no sound, it runs for 8 hours, and you do need to soak the wick for 10 minutes before use, but otherwise it’s pretty darn simple. I don’t know how effective it is, or how to measure that easily, but it’s definitely putting moisture into the air. On my recent trip I was there for two nights and kept it running most of the time and kept adding water to the ice bucket. I’ll keep trying it out on trips and update this post if anything changes.

Categories
Uncategorized

Pressing Handmade Paper

In a previous post titled Handmade Paper I mentioned my process of pressing the paper I make:

Once the sheets are fully dry that’s when I press them. I put each piece between a sheet of 3mm thick Baltic Birch plywood and then put the stack between two steel plates in a hydraulic press. (Here’s a press similar to the one I have.)

At least one person has asked about this so I figured providing a bit more information might be helpful. I’ll try to outline the things I use and the process below.

The mould and deckle I use makes sheets of paper that are just shy of 7″ x 7″. I make the paper, let it dry, and then peel all the pieces off the couching sheets. I then place each sheet between a piece of 3mm thick Baltic Birch plywood. (The pieces of wood are 8″ x 12″ so the paper fits with some room to spare.) I then place the stack of wood (with the paper between each sheet) between two 12″ x 12″ steel plates.

Here’s all the stuff:

This whole “sandwich” goes into the hydraulic press, and I crank it down hard. I let it sit for at least half a day, though it’s usually a full day, and if I remember I’ll go crank the press tighter if possible. After time has passed I remove all the paper and marvel at how flat and smooth it is.

The things you need (besides a hydraulic press) are the paper, which should be just dried, sheets of wood, and two pieces of steel.

The steel goes on the bottom, then a piece of wood, then the paper…

Repeat the process of stacking wood with paper in between each piece…

End with one piece of wood on top of the last piece of paper, and then put the other piece of steel on top of all that.

Stick the whole thing into the hydraulic press and crank it down! Wait a while (a few hours) and then come back and try to crank it down even further. I tend to thick paper because it does get compressed down a bit thinner in this pressing process.

This is DIY handmade paper made with junk I have in my workshop, there’s no professional equipment or methods at work here. Still, I get some good, flat, smooth pieces. Not all of them, but most of them for sure. If I can find new ways to refine and improve the process I’ll let you know.