It took a long time, but at last, it is finished: I took an old camping mat and scrap fabric and turned them into a muppet character! One of my followers on Instagram suggested the name, so I'm calling him "Theodor". He's got a classic puppet mouth, as well as…
I just spent the weeks around and after Easter with my family. During this whole time, I deliberately didn't do anything for school and instead spent time for other things. Like, weeding the garden and watching our spring flowers come up. Or watching old Agatha Christie movies with my mom.…
Around two weeks ago I went to the dollar store to get some metal bowls. I wanted to try making a plastic bowl with them. It took some trial and error, but I eventually got a bowl shape. However, there were holes in it, as the plastic wasn't evenly distributed.…
I'm finishing up my last term at university. Some exams are done, others before me. Lots to do, but managing. Somehow, though I don't know how. I'm going to be real with you: I've been physically tired and sick with a sore throat and ears for almost a year. So…
I sewed a backpack out of recycled trash from Uganda and Germany. The backpack contains parts of a yoga-mat, many plastic bags, a plastic lid, recycled African fabric, and a bunch of other "trash". I am not a seamstress, most of the sewing is rough, and some things are not…
What are your hopes for 2021? Do you have dreams, hopes, possibly a list of goals? Or have all those things become pointless amidst a pandemic and other worries? A goal can be intimidating, even insinuate arrogance or the illusion of "I can do everything I set my mind to".…
Christmas is behind us (Merry late Christmas to you!) and 2020 is about to come to a close. As I looked back on this year, I was surprised: I know it was a crappy year for many people. I've had my own share of disappointments. But I don't look back…
School started two days ago. Time for reading and writing academic stuff. But on Sunday, I still had time to do a creative project: my favorite cardigan was falling apart around the elbows, and I wanted to give it a new purpose. So, I took up my sewing supplies and…
It took a while, but I finally got the story sketches ready for "Ryan's Truck of Eggs!". You would think that 12 sketches don't take so long. But I've got a busy life. Who knows how the book develops, if I can illustrate it myself or let someone else do…
I did some more watercolor tests for my book "Ryan's Truck of Eggs". One page was just random drawings, the other was a test illustration for the book itself. I experimented a bit with brown paper and ink. I like the overall look but am not quite sure how to…
I still have a few sketches to do for my children's book "Ryan's Truck of Eggs". But I decided to still go ahead and do some color/style samples: Sketches on their own don't tell you what colors you would I use, or whether to use watercolor or collage or digital…
I've been working on my children's book sketches. Every few days I try to get one sketch done. But at lucky number 7, I hit a roadblock: the original layout felt boring, so I tried again. And again. And again. Finally, I had to let it sit before I could…
I am working on some sketches for my children's book "Ryan's Truck of Eggs". So far, half of the spreads are done. So far, the story follows Ryan from his boss to the town with ballerinas, over a mountainous construction site, past a fishing party, and into a tornado! He…
It's been quite hot this week (up to 40°C/104°F). So, I spent part of the week watering our garden and getting rid of dry brush. We have a large compost pile, so I stacked parts of the old plant matter there. Compost may not look that interesting, but it's an…
Last Friday was my last day of school and I will not start up again until October. So, what do you do with all this free time? Relax, have fun, and do some things you haven't gotten around to. In my case, I had been very tired, so I started…