:time enough:

I did not find as much time for creative work last week as I should've, but some of that lost time was for social reasons, which I find I have to take advantage of for as long as they still appear. If I'm actually going to receive invitations from people, I try to accept when possible. The approaching holiday weekend possibly means more of the same, although I hope to fit in creative time as well. I've read that it's best not to think of this as "sacrifice," as that could make one resent it at some point. I tend to think of the job search in that way, though, which is probably one reason why it's so unappealing to me. But I do feel the need to change jobs this year, somehow.

I did manage to go through a fair number of shots from Theresa's photoshoot, right now just quickly touching up and some adjusting of levels, and I'm pleased to say, I haven't been changing that much in them. Later on will probably come whatever crazy Photoshoppery that inspires, but I thought I should at least get the basic shots done and off to the model for now. Maybe I'll even get some positive feedback for a change.

So far my search for film for the Polaroid camera that I scored at a recent yard sale has been more difficult, at least locally, and I had to resort to ordering some online. There aren't a large number of shots in the film pack, so it'll have to be used sparingly, until I find a more reliable source for film. But then again, it's not going to become my main camera.

:double living:

It's all about photo stuff this week.

I finally got another roll of film from the Holga camera developed. I've been taking advantage of how easy it is to create double exposures with it, as the film doesn't auto-advance. There's a local toy camera gallery show coming up soon, so I will most likely submit some shots to that. I'm also eyeing possible places to show the Homunculus dolls, but I don't want to jinx it.

Quite randomly, I came across a Polaroid camera at a yard sale and couldn't pass it up. It's interesting how it seems to be making a bit of a resurgence. We'll see how difficult it is to find film, or how expensive it might be. I think I have some around here...somewhere. 

I have not had ample time to really delve into shots from my last photoshoot, other than to weed out the less-than-stellar ones. I'm mostly pleased with how just using one light worked out. Now I find myself wanting to try it with an even darker room, but I'd have to seal the windows and doors in my current setup. Unless of course that dreamed-of studio magically appears.

I mentioned last week that while I liked the top hat that became used in both shoots, I now wanted to find a "real" one, so that became a bizarro quest this past Saturday, and I was successful. 

I have also said that I wanted to be further along in my website redesign this month, but I haven't gotten to that either. Oops. Finding out time and time again that to get things done I have to blatantly schedule time for them.

:good busy:

Despite any possible trepidation I may have felt prior to last Friday's photoshoot, I believe that it went pretty well. The plan was still for an outdoor shoot, and I had chosen a nearby place in mind to cut down on travel time, but considering how rainy it had been all week, I set up my lighting and such indoors just in case. When Friday arrived, the rain did indeed stop, but I received a morning text from the model asking if we could have it indoors instead, as it was still not terribly warm out. So it was fortunate that I had foreseen this possibility. If I'm learning anything from each successive shoot, it's how to improvise.

The model in question, Theresa, is another one of those who pretty much makes her living by traveling and setting up shoots in each city. She was slender and had quite a few interesting tattoos. Another reason for her wanting to move indoors was that she didn't want to be unclothed out in the chilly weather, which showed that a bit of miscommunication had happened along the way, as I wasn't planning on shooting her nude while outdoors, and the place I had in mind would've likely had a fair amount of passersby, so it's just as well that events happened up as they did.

We only had an hour and it went by quickly, which I think is a good sign that it went well, time flying when you're having fun and all that. No deep concept for this shoot, she just moved from pose to pose, and I got to use a few props that were as of yet unused; an interesting chair that I had found, a cow skull, and a top hat. The latter was a cheap Halloween costume version, now I want to seek out a real one.

I was going to have company afterwards to celebrate my birthday, and since I already had the lights and backdrop up, I said why not do another quick shoot? I've worked with this model many times before, so we just proceeded into it right away. Pretty much just more practice for both of us, but it was fun. The chair, skull and hat got put into use again.

In the aftermath, while I can appreciate the things that I did right - it seems that I work fine with just one light, and I put my reflector to use - I'm already looking to see how I can improve for next time. I still think I need better lighting. The ones I have can be harsh at times, and I don't always want extreme shadows. I did manage to diffuse it somewhat with a screen on the second shoot. And the plain paper backdrop is, well, a bit too plain at times. Time to find different ones. And oh yeah, that top hat.

I hated putting away everything when I was done. Again in an ideal world I'd have a place where this would remain set up. I actually got another modeling request the same day, so there's the possibility that it could all go back up again real soon. Would that most of my life was this way.

:pause for breath:

To be frank, most of this past week's free time has been spent preparing for the photoshoot that I have planned for this upcoming Friday. A fair amount of it has just been monitoring the weather, as I'd prefer to do an outdoor shoot, but we've been getting April showers all during this first week of May. I'm prepared to do it indoors, but, again, not my preference during this (alleged) springtime. I have a nearby location in mind since my time with the model is limited and I don't want to waste any of it in traffic, although I did find a location a few weekends ago that I'd love to use, but is not the easiest place to get to, least of all to someone who I presume has limited knowledge of our roads and drivers. I've offered to do all the driving, but she has refused, claiming to not want to get into a car with a "stranger." I guess I can see her point, but it does make things a bit more inconvenient. Here's hoping that any misgivings that I'm feeling prove to be wrong on Friday, along with nicer weather.

I have started work on other past photos, but just subtle changes so far, in the background.

I have one of those birthdays coming up tomorrow. I'm not ashamed of my age, nor do I feel it, but I also don't feel like announcing it. Let's just say that I'm nearing a certain decade milestone in a few years, and I'd really like to be living a better life by then, so I'm seeing more of a need to map out and plan out how this will happen. Despite my not liking to schedule my life too much, it appears that it'll be necessary to get things done.

:2 the dawn:

So we lost another one this past week in what seems to be becoming the Year of Death, at least amongst musicians and other celebrities. Maybe it's not more than your typical year, or perhaps our 24/7 news cycle makes it feel more prominent, but when a fair amount of them seem to be not those who are in their later autumn years, it does give one pause. Naturally no one is immortal - that we know of - but some you just assume will be around forever, somehow. And I believe through their works and music, they will be.

I'm speaking of course about Prince. To be perfectly honest I hadn't followed his output since the 90s, but I was well aware that he was still making music. Like another one who left us, Bowie, he was always an innovator, and if he tried on some other musical style, he managed to make it sound like his own.

I don't know yet if I'll do any tribute artwork of him like I did for Bowie, but that one came in a flash of inspiration, so it certainly could still happen.

I attended Dr. Sketchy's again, twice in a month, that's a record. This one was in a new location that they're trying out in Somerville, MA, and to judge by the attendance, it looks like it'll do well. I did not get in as much drawing as usual due to my sometimes bad vantage point, but I got a few good renditions. Our model was a returning one, Belle Gunz, and she was as entertaining as before. If it weren't already obvious, this isn't your typical life drawing session.

So far I still have a photoshoot coming up next week, and when I'm out and about on the weekends, I sometimes try to find locations for outdoor shoots. I think I found another one, though I don't think I'll be able to use it next week, as it's a bit of a drive to get to and the model's time is limited, as is my session with her.

As stated last week, I feel that I'm done working on shots from Tiffany's photoshoot. I've informed her and hopefully I'll get some actual feedback for a change. Time to look through shots from October's shoot and see if I can't do something extra with them too.

:instagrammit:

For whatever it's worth, I've created a second Instagram account that will just be dedicated to my artwork and works in progress, pretty similar to this blog, but primarily visual. So what's my original account for? I consider that one more for whatever random things and scenes catch my eye while out and about, using a smartphone's camera.

I had been toying with the idea for some time, but I could no longer find a valid reason why I was waiting and just did it. And I'm even considering giving in and making a Facebork page too. It's still the most used site that I'm aware of, though I do hope something better appears some day. Further down the social media rabbit hole.

One reason for this fire under me, is to hopefully get off my arse concerning certain projects. I noticed that someone I know has a website up and running pretty quickly, and I've been dragging my feet on my redesign for way too long. So, to hold myself accountable, I will state that I aim to be a lot further along, if not fully completed, by the end of May.

One thing I'll need to take care of when posting recent artwork to the new account is censorship, sad to say, as Instagram still has issues with female nudity, even if it's not a sexual depiction. Maybe I should Photoshop male nipples over the real ones and see what they do about that.

On that note, I believe that I'm done working on this photo of Tiffany, and I think it might be the last of the ones from that shoot that I'll be messing around with. For now? I have photos from an October shoot to look through now, and also have a new shoot coming up in early May, although I hope I didn't jinx it by mentioning it here.

I've separated the progression of layers of the photo below.

:still life:

I returned to the Boston chapter of Dr. Sketchy's this past weekend. I've already gone more this year than in previous ones combined, so yay for consistency. Our model this time was a local burlesque performer, of which we seem to have no shortage of, going by the name Madge of Honor. She had many inventive outfits and stories to go along with them (unlike at your typical figure drawing session, talking is encouraged). One was pretty much an outfit consisting of balloon animals, which looked great, but not something I could do justice to in the five minutes allotted to draw the pose.

In the interest of time, I tend to not bother drawing the chair or stool that the model is sitting on, so it looks like she has amazing balancing skills.

I believe that I'm nearly finished with working on photos from the photoshoot with Tiffany last year, which is good, as I feel the itch for newer ones, and in fact I may have one set up for the beginning of May with another traveling model. I'm unsure of the theme or location yet, it may just end up being in my apartment again. Insert perpetual desire for a separate art studio here.

I hope I didn't overdo this one, but I could add hundreds of layers without trying too hard.