We spent the whole Sunday together with Michel, disassembling an old Pentium 2.
I came out with the idea of making a robot figure from computer parts, and he did it nicely, so I am leaving him with the pleasure of tell you all the details in pictures and words later.
The robot was meant to be a very special present for a very special friend and I hope he likes it.
Inspired by the new opportunities to mess about (I couldn’t resist to try myself), I observed what was left from all of the parts and assembled my own mini-version of a robot, who is curiously looking at me from the desk right now:
FYI, he can turn his head and waist on 180 degrees and he is a very friendly one.
This weekend went totally under the shadow of the government elections here. What made it brighter were the birthdays of two of our closest friends.
I found a good idea in Papercraft Inspirations magazine. My .net colleagues gave me subscription for it as a present for my own birthday last year. I developed a bit the idea for this greeting card and that’s how it ended:
It was a lot of fun to make.
I was thinking how much she is going to like it, although not perfect – the reason is lack of some important tools.
I wanted it to remind her of a typical girlish childhood.
What was the present for the other friend in Sunday? Will show you right now, hold on for a while.
Just wanted to share some photos from a walk outside Sofia – we went to Svoge, away from the prose.
Unseen and strange spiders with human faces, huge and trusting dragonflies, tender poppies, imitating predatory plant – almost like fiction, but it’s true. You only needs eyes to see…
The photos are made by Michel, because the camera is always with him – my part (as usual) is to ask “Shoot this for me, please, no, no this way, otherwise, if you can”… One day I’ll have my own camera!
Twitter seems like the big fat enemy of the blogging these days… More and more witty thoughts, precious and funny links you can find mostly there. But this is also a good thing, at least in theory: this means, that probably the blogs will start to get filled with less “noise” and with more valuable content from the authors. In theory.
Very soon I hope I’ll be able to present you with the big changes in molif.com – mostly “the clothes”, but also some part of the functionality, which I want to improve. I am considering to add Twitter updates as well, it seems like a good idea to me.
Recently I found (blameTwitter again) link to animation in YouTube. It was a graduation project of a student from the Ringling College of Arts and Design. Where it’s obviously the students are people with amazing skills, or maybe the teachers are excellent, or maybe both, I don’t know.
Following “related videos”, I spent the whole morning watching short animations. Most of them are great – they show skills, good ideas and talent and some of the things are as good as Disney/Pixar’s.
I have to admit though, that I am not a huge fan of all this 3D hype – and I don’t mean bad for Shrek, but there are just too many animation movies lately, which for me feel distant and cold.
Maybe that’s the reason why I liked mostly this particular video (Author: Lindsey Olivares – great gift she has and amazing skills!):
Working and editing. Drawing, sleeping and dreaming. Digging up old drawings, memories and thoughts.
Finding unexpected and forgotten things, like these Rabbit Peter’s pictures:
I’ve met for the first time Beatrix Potter and her lovely little friends when I was in high schoold and a classmate gave me her book.
There’s lovely movie about this gorgeous woman, don’t miss it – “Miss Potter” will tell you more about her than I can.
I fell in love with her amazing and delicate illustrations and style. Often tried to redraw them from reference.
Also her name sounds nice to me, so close connected with pottery.
The bikes are dusted off and wait for us to ride away again…
Well, it needs good health to be able to do every little thing…
Among some of the best movies I’ve seen lately, there is one that I cannot simply watch & forget.
The first time I saw it, I didn’t know what to expect, at all.
Without checking imdb, almost all the time I was expecting for some deep drama to develop on the screen. And I was almost angry to every little detail that was not true from historic point of view or was too forced.
But somewhere around the half of the movie I realized that what you need to do is to get relaxed and watch it with one and only purpose: to enjoy it. To feel the real audio-visual satisfaction that it provides – with great music, stunning cinematography and amazing actors.
All the actors in this movie are simply wonderful – the young as the older ones. The seem not to act, but to live they roles.
Here you can enjoy two short music pieces from this movie:
“Stilyagi” deserves to be seen.
It’s a music movie, but not exactly musical. There’s difference, you know.
But the influence it gives over all your senses is huge – the bright scenes and characters will probably haunt your head for days.
Oh, and there’s this impressive site for the movie.
You need to know Russian, and thus you’ll learn more facts about the story and the characters, as the movie is based on a book.
But what left me speechless after watching the movie, was the soft and good-nature attitude towards the past times.
You can feel the nostalgia, but you cannot find disturbing things like hate or denial.
The end is also very unexpected.
When the movie is over, you can find yourself irresistibly drawn to dance – and to feel young, alive, colorful.
Every little piece of fabric could become alive. It only needs some imagination.
I was always very fond of handmade toys.
On places like etsy.com one can find amazing things – and of course, not only toys.
I am warning the novices there – you could spend days browsing.
Here I can show you one I’ve made, who even doesn’t know what kind of creature is:
And another rabbit. This one is particularly proud with his big ears, able to bend different ways when he is moody.
What’s left to say about his belt buckle? A rare vintage one.
Here they are, standing gently for a family portrait, together with the last year’s mouse.
Oh, and what about this cat? You probably think now “But we’ve already seen this guy”? Well, not really. This one is the almost-twin-brother of Alfons, and the difference between two of them are the bigger eyes on this one and his age – a week later he came. He is also very unsuspecting and ingenuous. I’ve made him especially as a gift to my mother, because every time when she sees me making something from fabric or clay, she ask with a very innocent voice: “And for whom are you making this now?”
I even don’t know how she named him, but I will surely ask.
Four years ago Michel happened to be sick like recently.
Actually, it was more serious then. Few times during the year he fell for more than a week with 40 degrees C temperature.
And nothing could help him, so finally we called for some alternative.
On the stage appeared this sumo hare, dedicated to scare the flu virus and to help Michel get well soon.
First times it was a success. That made him an honored member of the little hand-made society on my shelf.
Then it seemed like the flu got resistant to hare power, so we’ve changed the tactics and decided to visualize our dream little house.
Made with all our love and wish for good health and many more miles together on our bikes, here it is:
My man got well finally, just in time for his own wedding. Then… then we made thousands of miles together and it is very possible that we won’t stop.
The house? It still illuminates our evenings.
As much as I love to draw, I cannot resist making things from clay and from fabric.
I guess that all of the girls in high school today will laugh at the fact that when I was a teenager, still loved to play with dolls and toys I was often making clothes or houses for them.
Of course, it was partly because of the fact that there were many kids around me – and then it seemed to me that I was made to care and entertain relatives’ and friends’ children.
Don’t get me wrong: most of the time I was doing this gladly, and kids are good excuse for these games.
We’ve had many joyful days and I still love to dwell in the world of fantasy and toys.
My parents are also creative people and they influenced me a lot.
There is still somewhere in the attic an old puppet theater. My father once started to make it as a gift to my mother, but it ended not finished.
Sometimes I remember about it and I want to finish it together with Dad, but it seems that every time is not “the right moment”.
Maybe I don’t want to go too far from the childhood, as I enjoy making toys even today.
Let me introduce you to some that I still keep.
Here it is one of the very first I’ve made – it’s almost 13-14 years-old, I believe:
At that time I was drawing constantly, even applied for a school of Fine Arts. I intended to study Metal & Plastic Arts, but I couldn’t pass the first exam (graphics) and I didn’t go to the second one with the clay modeling, where I was sure I could be way better at.
Anyway, even today this little bear is keeping well the leftovers of my once huge collection of pencils. Some of them are so short now, you cannot even see them.
And what about this little piggy that we have here? Well, this guy also has a story to tell. He was made together with another one, and the other went as a present to a friend’s baby.
This one stayed at home as I considered it not so successful, but lately I found him and improved it a bit by adding the smile and the pants.
There is something strange about all these cats in my works.
In fact, if you say that I probably like cats than dogs, it won’t be fair and right.
I was a cat owner for eleven years, but dog owner for much more.
For my long-lived and unforgettable friend Sheila I have written here before, and Lovejoy is still alive and kicking and lives with my parents and my brother.
Let me not even remind myself of Frodo, who was one of a kind and who left both of us with Michel inconsolable (Michel promised to write the whole story one day, when his heart lets him do it).
I love all kind of animals, of course. But this way or another, somehow cats are coming out more often under my fingers – and that’s a fact.
Well, this one is really special.
I drew it two days ago, when I was in need of something specific and engaging for the front side of my own business cards.
How could I miss the chance to show it off the the whole Internet?
Do you like it?
At least I know I do!
