Fab, Rick!

My fairygodintern, Sophie began the task of blending the Answer Tree's branches with the hot glued-on leaf stems yesterday. She used flexible cement to make a start on the hundreds of mini sculptures needed. (will you look at that concentration! Love it!)

Proud to say, I just completed the book design/production project that I've been working on since January. It's finally off to the printer today. I'm gratified with the way it has turned out so far. and look forward to showing it to you when it's finished. The author came here to make watercolor illustrations to accompany her text. I also completed my first website design last week and my partner, Young Ron, is coding it for the next few weeks. I've got only collateral project deadlines, for these two projects, still on my plate. I've got to design and produce a print campaign to launch the website next month and give the book's author some further marketing direction as well. But after that, Paul and I are toying with the idea of my not taking on design projects for the next 6 months to see whether I can push through some major progress on Halfland. We'll see if it's possible to swing this financially. (Lawd knows I don't waste money on grooming!)

Yay, yesterday my lovely intern, Sophie, came over to work. I got her started (Sucka!--No seriously, Soph, thank you for this help.) on finishing the leaf installation by covering over the blobs of hot glue, that were applied with with blobs of FlexAll cement. The hundreds of blobs will then be painted to match the bark. (and any errant cement on leaves will be magically painted to look like natural outdoor-schmutz-on-leaves.)

Whilst Sophie was doing that I continued to sculpt a lip on the sides of the stream bed out of twisted sheets of newspaper and masking tape. Then we both took Sophie-torn pieces of brown paper and started machéing it into the set. I noticed that the lip was working but that the cello was too fragile to hold up to much animating. My latest brain storm for solution is now to use shades of shiny iridescent sheer pale blue and aqua fabric, wired on the edges to conform to the stream shape, covered by the lip as it rolls down. Made a few frame test with fabric I had on hand to test the effect. I miss the gloss of the plastic but am loving the material effect even more.



Also on board, Intern Sophie's big sister, Tash, joined us in the shop for the afternoon. She finished a wonderful colorful large canvas she'd been working on here. She completed it and took it home, still wet, to hang on her bedroom wall. Way to go, Tash.