Office Buddy

he lost his whiskers two years ago :(...
photo kindly donated by office-paparazzo Heiko

tiny details...

unfinished stuff for work. Just a small detail of a cute skirt on a chubby teddy. I love those tiny details like stitches or patterns.

the disappearance of tissues

my normal computer crashed two weeks ago and now it´s *finally for the first* time at a maintance and repair service. And of course those guys won´t call back or tell me a final "you will get your baby back"-day. This sucks so much...
I still have my netbook *thanks god* and it´s okay to work in but I guess trying to work with photoshop on a netbook won´t be such a good idea. :(
But it´s cute, ne?

Anyway, I called in sick today and I really wish I can be back in the office tomorrow. After being @ home for 11 days I feel like I have cabin fever. I want to work, I want my normal working-mode back. Think I´m not made for staying home :/

In the mean-time and while humming nervoursly over 5 illustrations I realized that my last portfolio update was in 2005. :( And since I got an agency-request (weeee!!!) I guess I have to do a new one. Which is annoying. In four years I made so many things I don´t really know where to start.
Put everything in? -> The "I impress you by mere mass" way
Selection? -> The "I have sooo many more but I won´t show" way

I even start failing at the cover and headline. o_o
Showcase? Portfolio (now, this is lame... of COURSE it´s a portfolio), Works of.. (lame as well), ... I think I have to call Sarah and tell her that she won´t get the new portfolio before Christmas. >_<

So... when you have a flue the tissues disappear just like socks in the washing-machine. I can´t have used a whole package o_o ... have I?

The Stretcher Frame

So... some people asked me if they really have to use the wedges attached to a canvas. The answer is simple: Yes, you have to, if you don´t want to have a tottering canvas when you work on it.

Two examples... left is linen (my favourite) with very strong and small wedges. Rhe right one is cotton canvas (which I use because I´ll run soon out of linen and can´t buy new before tomorrow..). The cotton wegdes are cheaper than the linen ones and tend to twist and break. One reason why I hate to use them. :(



So, how u use it (example on linen canvas)

1. Step Put the wedge with the angled side slightly into the pre-cut space left for the wedge. There are two spaces for two wedges, you have to start *of course* with the lower one.


2. Step take the hammer and try to hit it evenly. If you have "scratches" on the front showing up after hammering don´t worry. Those will vanish when you start to work on it. Just... try to hit the wedge straight - or else it might break or you might hit yourself.


3. Step put in the upper wedge (again the angles side "sliding" on the frame).. take the hammer and drive it into the frame.


4. Step admire the wedges :) you can see that the frame slightly departed. Don´t worry, this is absolutely ok. You frame won´t fall apart. This happens while strecthing and will stay like that. The wedges will keep everything in place.


When if the canvas perfectly strechted? If you are done with all wedges and tap lightly on the canvas with your fingers it should sound like a drum. I love the vibrating sound, it shows you that the canvas is ready.

If you want to buy canvas with plastic wedges attached: Don´t buy those. The worst quality available. I bought those once at the very beginning. You can´t really use the wedges and the canvas will start sagging sooner or later >_>

So, back to work, I have five canvases waiting to get primed. Dang @_@ The flue got me, I guess it´s normal in spring to run around sniffing and coughing.

This is just so wrong...

When you have a fullt-ime job painting is a bit complicated. Mostly because I´m really tired when I come home from work but also because you have to puzzle around with things like "doing the dishes", "crap, I need to wash my cloths", "oh my... we wanted to go to the cinema", "birthday?! Which birthday?!!!" and just the normal stuff most people manage in their freetime. The only problem is: What do you do when the "freetime" is down to 4 hours. Which you might better invest in getting your illustrations done.

So I took some days off. Which might be cool. But now I have a constant headache due to bending just centimeters over the canvas. When I bought my drawing I thought: "Oh so cool, you can change the angle. Never again pain in my neck! Weee!!!"

The only problem: it doesn´t work if you have like 30 tubes, a water-glass and dozens of brushes lying around. Try that in a 45° angle (without gluing everything to the table). So i have like 4 unfinished canvases, a heavy "burn forest burn"-color problem and headache.

I thought a lot about the copyright problem too...
On the one hand: Obviously I can´t make the watermarks bigger and uglier because normal people won´t accept and understand it and honestly I don´t do pretty illustrations just to destroy the whole image thoroughly with a watermark.
On the other hand: There will always be people stealing. Ever. If you don´t do things non-compatible with a so called "mainstream" taste, people will steal. Sure...

Dang, why do my neighbours have to start making out next to my window just now... and crap, that woman stresses me out. If they are not trying to procreate, they are fighting.. arrggg!

Back to topic *using earplugs...* so if .... rah, I don´t want porno dolby while working on children´s book illustrations! I can´t concentrate.... the two might be happy but you don´t have to entertain the whole STREET. >_>;

So, anyway, I hate legal stuff, it is annoying that I have to spend hours on the phone, hours at the lawyer just to make sure somebody who spend five minutes with stealing will stop.
And it doesn´t make the whole situation any better when I get mail like that:
"Hi, I would like to have XY as a poster. Can I order it? Or.. if you don´t have time, could you send me the high resolution file so that I can print it on my own?"... what? O_O ... sure I send you my highresolution files. You want the pin for my bank account as well?

*looking deep into my bunny mug and wish that all those things will vanish and evaporate*

Copyright? Like I care...

somebody from deviantart was so nice to link me an ebay-store which sells tattoos for nails. Yes.. nails. And if this isn´t bad enough: The owner steals art. I would gladly drive to her hometown *which is in Germany* and slap her for that. Wtf? I know you can´t earn that much money with a nail studio but isn´t it enough so that you have to STEAL?

The item was sold 4 times before I even knew about it and all I can hope is that the little creeper looses her selling-rights on ebay.

Why do I make it public? Because she doesn´t deserve anything else and even this isn´t enough. And because she´s much more interested in making illegally money than contacting people and ask about a license.

I know I am not behaving any better with this post but if you ever were in the same situation you might understand.

Happy Coffee

Last Friday @ Wasabi
Lao borrowed me a slice of carrot (she got it back) for my happy face coffee. Hehe...

For those who ever happen to be in Berlin:

Wasabi
Friedrichstraße 114
10117 Berlin
how to get there: U6, M1, M6, Tram 12, S Oranienburger Str, S Friedrichstraße