and the work continues.

So I just spent some time writing and trying to embed images into this post only to have it all deleted with no draft saved.  I don't know why I have such a difficult time with Live journal and  images.  I can link to them but they don't show up if I embed them.  I can upload images to Live Journal but that ends up being a pain. eerggghh  So I'll describe what I've been working on, include a link to the Picasa album and call it a day. I finished doing what I suppose are a combination sketch and page layouts for each page.  Then I hit a wall.  I knew that what I really needed to do next was to make a mock-up of the book.  What I wanted to do was tear down paper and start printing.  What I actually did was log in quite a bit of time with the PS3.

Anyway, I finally got back to work and put together the mock-up.  I will probably end up doing another one to tweak a few things but you can start to get a sense of the project from this one.  The book will be square and the binding is essentially a modified accordion binding.  I've used this in my other larger book projects because it allows me to print full pages with out trying to figure out how they would collate.

For this particular book, I'm leaving a quarter inch on each page to fold over onto the next page so there won't be any "rough" edges showing.  This will all make more sense later on, I promise.  I also started to lay out the text, although it is by no means finalized.  I haven't decided if I'm going to hand letter it or use an actual font.

The next steps will involve doing the final layouts for each page.  Most of this work is done in Photoshop so I can start working on the print separations and get more of an idea what it will take to put the book together. 

To see photos please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/SnailBook?feat=directlink

Weeding

One of my self-assigned projects at my new job is to weed and update (when possible) our VHS collection.  For those outside of the library world, weeding is the process of removing items from the collection that just don't fit in anymore.  Different types of libraries have different weeding procedures but at the end of the day, no matter how many policies or theories are in place, it is a very subjective practice.  In fact, it is often avoided because it is hard.

Sometimes I can easily tell what should be removed. In other cases, I need to screen at least part of the film before I can make a choice. Today I watched parts of a documentary about a silent film movie producer (keep), an educational movie entitled "The Medieval Mind" that I think had been transferred from 16mm by the Encyclopedia Britannica folks and featured a cool jazzy soundtrack (weed) and what appeared to be home movie footage of several different installation pieces by the same artist (?).  The art was really cool but since none of these pieces were on MICA property nor does the artist appear to have any MICA affiliation, I'm not sure if we can keep it. 

This leads to trying to track down the artist, politely asking about the footage and hoping that they don't get pissed about the bootleg footage in your collection.  The alternative is just trashing it and that seems inappropriate as well.  You can start to see why the process is time consuming and is put off until "later".

Anyway, there is a great blog about weeding written by two public librarians.  Since the public library is supposed to be the source of good current information, they are constantly appalled by the extremely outdated materials still available on many library shelves.  Today's offering might be one of my favorites.  The cover is AWESOME!!

http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/good-old-boys-drinking-whiskey-and-rye/

Starting projects

For years I have been telling myself that THIS is the year I'm going to start another book project.  And for years, I have allowed various side projects to distract me.  I'm not really sure why.  I admire people that can do many small book projects in the course of a year but that has never been me.  Things that I think will be small and easily accomplished quickly turn into monster projects that eat my life.

With grad school out of the way and my job situation being stable I think THIS will actually be the year that I get another book finished. For nearly 10 years I have had a copy of a  micro-story written by my dear friend,  .  The copy has been lovingly transferred from sketchbook to sketchbook and yet I have never moved beyond the very rough sketch stage. 

I think I have mentioned it before when I posted process pictures, but posting works in progress makes me nervous.  In this case, although I am still nervous, I think posting progress photos and updates will keep me focused and moving forward. 

In other project news, we are finally ripping out the VERY pink bathroom.  I will also be posting photos of our progress on that project.  I have it feeling it will move forward much faster than my book!

Snowpocalypse 2010 Moviethon Part 2

Wednesday (so much snow, so little inclination to do anything but watch movies and so.....)

1. Strange Days (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/)

It seems weird that I haven't seen this movie before.  I'm not sure how I missed it.  OK, so not the most amazing piece of cinema but certainly an enjoyable way to spend a snowy morning.

2. The International (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963178/)

Fun, fluffy thriller.  Again, not the most interesting thing ever but it is amusing.  Plus, there is an absolutely wonderful shoot-out in the Guggenheim.  You just don't see enough of those.

3. The Arabian Nights (http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/video/lang2.html)

Not exactly a movie, I know.  I saw this at work and couldn't resist watching it.  It's a Discovery Channel presentation in which parts of Arabian Nights are re-enacted. Then various historians discuss the stories and the history behind them. Educational and kitschy all at the same time.  Love it!

4. The Element of Crime aka Forbrydelsens Element (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087280/)

I'm sure real movie buffs will yell at me 'cause Lars von Trier (the director) is reasonably famous but I just couldn't get into this until almost the end.  It was pretty and all but it was soooo disjointed I just didn't get it.  By the end I was a little more into it and I'm willing to watch some of his other movies but I don't think I'll ever sit through this one again.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Moviethon Part 1

I have been watching  a lot of movies and TV lately.  I could try to pretend it has to do with my new job (I'm supposed to know about movies..) but really it has more to do with wallowing in my new free time and the joy that is no more grad school. To give you a taste, allow me to present my movie choices for my snowbound long weekend:

Friday (Left work at noon)

1. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318627/)

2. Resident Evil: Extinction (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432021/)

Finally saw the last two Resident Evil movies.  Not my favorite zombie movies and certainly not my favorite plague movies but worth spending a snowy afternoon watching.
 

3. The Butterfly Tattoo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032747/)

Ahhha movie all about the dangers of obsessive teen love. Interesting but not even a little bit cheerful.

 

Saturday (so many inches of snow, can't leave the house......)

4. Zombie Wars (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0897444/)

Not much to say about this.  It's pretty bad.  Think "made for sci-fi channel" bad.
 

5. Insomnia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119375/)

Beautiful, moody, creepy.  All about a cop going crazy and screwing up a murder investigation due to lack of sleep. I suppose it also has a little bit to do with the dangers of teen love.  It's worth watching if you enjoy foreign crime dramas.
 

Sunday (stopped snowing, but still can't leave the house. Car is uncovered but street is not)

6. Mephisto (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082736/)

Lengthy and slow moving, yet somehow I was completely sucked in.  It's about the impossibility of being an artist in a vacuum.  In this case, being an actor in Nazi Germany.
 

7. Walled In (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104006/)

Hilariously bad "horror" movie with Mischa Barton.  Was this even released into theaters? Not scary, not good.

8. In the Realms of the Unreal (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390123/)

Documentary/Art film about Henry Darger.  I've always been a little creeped out about his artwork.  Watching this made me like it a lot
more although I suspect they glossed over some of the creepier, child molest-y aspects.  It also made me very sad for the lonely, lonely man that created it.  Well worth watching.
 

Monday (No work, so much snow, streets still icy and unplowed)

9. Them (Ils) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465203/)
 

 

Them (ils) is a French horror movie and is actually very good.  Creepy and suspenseful without being the least bit gory.  I think it is the movie The Strangers was based on (or ripped off from).  I haven't seen The Strangers so I can't compare the two but I'm willing to bet the American version is not so good.

10. Fear dot com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295254/)

Almost unwatchable and clearly, I will watch almost anything......

I also finished up Season 5 of Lost and watched several episodes of Law and Order SUV.  If it makes you non TV watchers out there feel better, I also read a couple of books. 

I was going to wrap up my movie journal since I actually had to go to work today but the snow continues, I don't have work tomorrow and I may not get to leave my house until spring.  Look for part 2 of the Snowpocalypse Moviethon coming soon!
 

 

 

Valentine's Day 2010

Remember how I used to update this blog?  Apparently the last time I did anything with it was in AUGUST!  Crazy. Anyway........

Here it is, the yearly call for addresses and address updates!  I am over halfway through printing this year's Valentine and I'm pretty sure they will go out on time.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with my Valentines Day tradition, allow me to explain.  Every year I send out a hand printed Valentine to everyone on my mailing list.  To get one, all you have to do is send me your current snail mail address and I will send one your way.  As long as supplies last of course!

This year has been fairly quiet art-wise but in the coming months I will be spending more time in the studio so stay tuned.

Thank you all for your continued interest and support!

Jodi

wwww.jodihoover.com

Because we need a new hobby...

So today instead of staying home and prepping for my classes on Tuesday, I allowed Mickey to talk me into participating in the MD Tag-O-Rama game.  Tag-O-Rama is basically a form of Geo tagging except with motorcycles.  To claim a tag you must be the first person to correctly decipher the clues and then post a picture of your bike in the location.

After the tag has been claimed, the person who claimed it is responsible for creating the next tag location and posting clues to help others find it.  To see our "claimed" tag  and the new tag go here: www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php

I'm hoping it takes you directly to the right page.  If not go to the last page and scroll to the bottom.  Mickey's screen name is Dynamick (it refers to his bike not a weird spelling of dynamic).

Spring/Summer Update

Hello all-

In case you thought perhaps I had squandered my summer on video games and homework, I decided it was time to send out an update.

After the show I threw myself back into grad school, did another bowling pin for the Pin Projekt (photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/PinProjekt2009?feat=directlink0) and worked on a couple of commissioned pieces.

One thing I did not do was update my Shop.  I have FINALLY taken care of that little detail and with the exception of about 4 large drawings, everything I have is now online and available for purchase.  Please visit: www.jodihoover.com and click on SHOP.

I don't have much in the way of upcoming events.  I am finishing up my second summer class and will be starting my last semester of grad school this Fall.  Hooray!  

Keep an eye on the shop section of my site.  I will soon be offering various drawings as high quality digital prints.  Feel free to peruse my online photo archive (first link in the LINKS section) and let me know if there is a particular print you'd like. Of course, they would be reproduced without my watermark all over them.  My goal is to have a price schedule for a couple different sizes worked out by the end of the month.

For your viewing enjoyment, I'm attaching the two new drawings that have already found their new homes. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Jodi Hoover
www.jodihoover.com

  

Super Late Notice.....

Hello all-  Just wanted to let you know that I have a couple of pieces in the Mt. Royal Tavern Annual Salon Show.  The show opens Thursday night (yup, tomorrow) from 6-9.  I will be there from 6-ish until I need to get dinner, so 7:30-ish.  Perhaps longer. 

Seriously, the Salon show has a little something for everyone so swing by sometime this month to check it out.

The Mt. Royal Tavern is located at 1204 W Mount Royal Ave in Baltimore.  It doesn't have a website but these reviews are kind of dead on: www.yelp.com/biz/mount-royal-tavern-baltimore  I have a lot of love for the Tavern and maybe I'll see some of you there.

THIS WEEKEND- I am updating my shop.  I'll send out the usual emails, blog entries and Facebook cries for attention......

House projects

After our return from Alaska I drove headlong into summer classes, a couple of commissioned pieces and actually managed to complete a few small household projects that have been hanging over my head for awhile.  Okay, so mainly it involved hanging some art that has been floating around my house for awhile but that counts right?

I thought I'd share this since I'm rather proud and pleased with how it turned out.  Most of you probably know that I have been involved with the Art-o-mat project off and on for the past eight years or so.  Art-o-mat turns old cigarette vending machines into art vending machines and so becomes a great way to collect original pieces of art.  But after you have amassed your Art-o-mat collection what do you do with it?

When I was a kid my Mom re-finished an old milk crate for me to use as a shadow box.  Mainly she wanted to keep all of my junk off of various dresser and desk surfaces.  Well the shadow box was packed up in the attic after I moved out and I forgot about it.  I re-discovered it a couple of years ago and realized it was the perfect size for displaying Art-o-mat art. 

I quickly filled the first one and started to scout around for another crate.  However, it turns out that the crates that are perfect for Art-o-mat pieces are a little bit difficult to come by.  They are not the coke bottle sized crates that are in every antique store.  The "right" ones have larger openings and only 12 squares.  Perhaps they were used for quarts of milk, I'm not really sure.  At any rate, I finally found one on eBay and convinced my Mom to re-finish it for my birthday.  She says she forgot how annoying they were and that I am on my own for the next one. 

Here's how it turned out!

                                  

The other project is not really mine.  I just nagged Mickey until he finished it.  Due to a huge amount of carpet glue left on our stair risers when we removed the carpeting, it was impossible to have them refinished when we did the rest of the floors. That was over three years ago.  We have debated many solutions but finally settled on wallpaper.  I know it sounds weird but I am in love with how it turned out.

So that's what we've been up to.  Hopefully the summer continues to be productive!
If you'd like to know more about the Art-o-mat visit www.artomat.org I am beyond sad that we don't have one in Baltimore. 

Home Again, Home Again

Our Alaskan adventure has come to an end.  After the whirlwind of the Beard and Mustache Championships it was nice to take some relaxing time for ourselves.  We left Anchorage and headed to Sitka for a few days and then took the ferry to Juneau.  We spent a wet day or so in Juneau and boarded the loooong flight for home. We are re-inspired to start some sort of beard pub night in Baltimore so stay tuned for more beard (and art) related fun.  The rest of our vacation photos are up and even labeled! 

http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/Alaska02?feat=directlink

The World Beard and Mustache Championship

I will try and cover what I can with regard to the show but in all honesty it was so overwhelming that I'm still trying to figure out how to write coherently about it.

The day started with pre-judging at the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage.  Pre-judging is not used to weed out contestants, instead its purpose is to make sure that the many bearded and mustached faces enter themselves in the right category.  Any and everyone gets their chance to show off on stage.

(the line for registration)

The judging for the mustaches and partial beards started at 2pm.  The competiton was held in the third floor ballroom in the Dena'ina Center.  One of the most impressive things about the space is the beautiful bead chain walls.  You can see it in many of the pictures. The whole time we were in the room I was fascinated by the gentle movement of the walls. 

Anyway, the mustache groups always have far fewer participants and so are usually run first.  Everyone goes up on the stage and in this case down a huge catwalk to stand in front of the judges.  Behind the judges were camera crews from all over the world.  Mickey said there were so many flashbulbs that he couldn't even really see the cameras or the people.  As the contestants stood in front of the judges their images were projected on two giant TV screens that hung above the runway.

There were many notable contestants but special props to Ben from Hanover, PA (now LA) who won for having the best Imperial Mustache.

There was a break in the action from about 5:30 to 7pm.  At 7 there was a grand entry of all the participants divided by country.  There were over 300 contestants in the Championships.  They came from Italy, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Canada, Austria and many more.  It was really amazing to see the pride on everyones faces as they marched in.  The Euopean teams in particualr take this event very seriously and it's a big deal to participate let alone win.

Then came the full beard judging.  These categories are huge.  I think there were over 40 in Mickey's category of Girabaldi. 

Mainly I was happy that Mickey got to stand next to Fritz from Austria, who spoke no English and didn't place despite having one of the most impressive Girabaldi beards I have ever seen.  Mickey did not place but as you can see had a great time anyway.

Let's see, there were the natural full beards, Verdi, natural full beard with styled mustache and free style.  As a point of interest for reality TV fans, the dude dressed in flowers and leaf costume is BJ, the Amazing Race season 9 winner.  The winner in freestyle and the overall champion was David Travers of the South Central Alaskan Beard Club.  Although, it did seem a little weird that the overall winner was from the host club, the guy wove a snowshoe pattern into his beard.  I have no idea how he did it but it was impressive.  Here's a link to a better picture of it.   http://www.tmz.com/2009/05/25/2009-world-beard-champion-the-wicker-man/

We had a great time at the event and don't regret any part of it.  The next Championship will be held in Trondheim, Norway.  We have two years to save our pennies and for Mickey's beard to grow even larger.  We are even hoping to entice some other Baltimore beards into the world of competive beard growing by starting some sort of Baltimore facial hair club.  Although, I will say my ultimate dream is to have Mickey featured in one of those "weird people in Maryland" lottery commercials. 

I will be posting some more Alaska pictures so check back soon. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/Alaska?feat=directlink

World Beard and Mustache Championships 2009

 Well it was amazing.  Mickey did not place in his chosen category but there were over 40 competitors and he was up against some really impressive beards.  He still has the distinction of being the only Marylander in the competition.  Something we hope will not be the case when we go to Norway in 2011! We are leaving in about 15 minutes to go on a day trip glacier cruise.  I have uploaded a bunch of new pictures but with no editing and I don't have time to write an explanation.  I will do so as soon as I get a chance.

Anchorage Evening 2

Last night was the official kick-off party for the World Championships.  Anchorage has it own traditional beard competition called "Mr. Fur Face".  This year they decided to hold the competition as part of the Kick-Off Party. Instead of being divided into particular styles the categories have more to do with the color of your beard.  There was Red Fox, Honey Bear and Polar Bear to name a few. Mickey was, of course in the "Black Bear" category.  He seemed to be a crowd favorite.  In fact the people next to me were cheering for him to win even before they knew he was my husband.  Alas, this particular honor went to a gentleman on the Canadian team. After the competition, the Australian band The Beards took the stage.  They sing songs about beards for people with beards and they are musical genius.  Our friend Ty said he would have come to Anchorage just to hear them play and I must say I agree with him completely.  You can check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/thebeardsclub

I think my new theme song may be, "Beards Don't Kill People, People With Beard Kill People".

Pics from the parade and the kick-off party are posted: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/Alaska?feat=directlink

Our evening began with a delicious dinner at Glacier Brewing Company.  Salmon just plain tastes better in Alaska. I totally keep sending pictures of my dinners here to my friend Miriam to make her jealous.

 Afterwards we met up with my friend Jeff, who I haven’t seen since I left the North Carolina School of the Arts.   Jeff grew up here and has been living in Anchorage again for the past several years. 

As it turns out, Jeff’s friend Ben was also in town for the championships.  They came to pick us up and we all headed out to get a drink. In a completely weird “the world is such a small place” moment I realized that Ben grew up in Hanover, PA and knew my cousins.  Crazy.

So going to a bar in the summer in Alaska is a pretty weird experience.  Number one, it doesn’t get dark.  That doesn’t sound like a big deal but it totally is.  We were standing outside talking and completely lost track of the time.  It was 10:30 or 11 pm but still looked very much like it was maybe 7.

Also, the people are super friendly.  We had more than one person, show up, put their drink on the table and proceed to hang out for a while.  At first I thought maybe they knew Jeff, but no they just wanted to know about the beards. 

The beard competition is a pretty big deal here in Anchorage.  As we walk around town people come out of stores or stop us on the sidewalk to ask where we are from and about the beard.  It even made the front page of the local paper. 

Anyway, after we had been at the bar for a bit Phil Olsen, head of Beard Team USA and half the German beard team wandered in.  So now its 11:30 pm, still light outside and I’m surrounded by German dudes with beards, none of whom speak English.  It was right around then that jet lag really set in and we decided to head back to the hotel.

This morning we got up, ate breakfast (reindeer sausage is excellent) and wandered around the town some more.  I took a bunch of pictures of buildings both because I liked them and because they will probably turn up somehow in my artwork.  We attended a Beard Team USA meeting and a World Beard and Mustache Association meeting.  Apparently there is a certain level of beard politics.  I won’t go into it here but I think Mickey and I were happier being unaware.

 

The afternoon activity was the parade of beards.  I don’t have words to describe it.  It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  I will sort through and upload the pictures soon.  I took so many I'm not even sure what I have.

Tonight is the official kick off party and tomorrow is the World Beard and Mustache Championships.  Whewww…

I almost forgot the most important part- tomorrow an article about Mickey and the Championships will appear in the Baltimore Sun!!

Anchorage Day 1

We arrived in Anchorage last night around 6:30 local time or 10:30 EST.  We were pretty exhausted but did some walking around mainly so we could find somewhere to eat.  The first thing that struck us both about Anchorage is how much it reminded us of an east coast beach town.  There is just a certain feel to the place.  It could be the numerous T-shirts shops, the amount of tourists or the fact that it is actually on the water, I'm not sure exactly.  Mickey already loves it. He loves beach towns, especially off season but he HATES the feel of sand. So for him, finding a beach town with out the beach is a dream come true. We woke up fairly early this morning, got breakfast and the made our way to the Tony Knowles Coastal trail.  We ran into fellow beard team USA member Marty,( http://www.beardteamusa.org/btusa/martygehringer.html) who was not up for a bike ride but did walk with us to the start of the trail.

We rented bikes and made it about 2.5 miles out before turning around to come back.  Although it was no great trek, I was happy that my knee seemed to hold up pretty well.  Hooray for physical therapy and the elliptical. 

After our bike ride we wandered in and out of a couple of stores.  You might not know this about Mickey, but he absolutely loves to look at stuff in crappy souvenir shops.  If its got novelty t-shirts in the window, animals made of tiny shells or any other bits of junk from China, he wants to go in.  So be prepared friends and family for some very tasteful presents from Alaska.  Mickey is also a huge fan of penny smashing machines and finally purchased his very own Penny Passport.  Sometimes I feel like I am vacationing with a small child. 

Anyway, the first round of pictures from our morning out and about are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JHooverArtwork/Alaska?feat=directlink

Enjoy!

and so it begins.

Our beard adventure has officially begun. We have successfully made it through BWI security and are waiting for our first plane of the day.  Overall a fairly painless process and after breakfast and coffee I’m feeling ready to deal with the plane.

There are several main questions Mickey always gets asked about his beard.  “Is it itchy?”, “Is it hot?” and my personal favorite, “Is it a problem at the airport?”  I don’t know if beard related discrimination is a big problem for people going through airport security, but Mickey has come up with a perfect way to head off any problems. He always wears a Harley Davidson t-shirt. 

It’s not just any Harley-Davidson t-shirt.  It’s the only one he owns with a giant American flag on the front and a huge eagle across the back.  He feels that way people look at him and think “biker” rather than “shady scary dude with a giant beard at the airport”.

The special airport shirt was a present from Mickey’s mother and is from a Harley dealership in Lancaster, Pa.   Last weekend Mickey wore it to Indianapolis for the Do-It-Best Hardware Spring Show.  He said several guys walked up to him at the show and made some variation of the following statement, “Hey man, we saw the beard and then we saw your were from Lancaster and it all made sense.”  Apparently people saw beard and Lancaster and assumed he was Amish. 

My question to them, how many Amish men do you know with a Harley?

May Update

Hello everyone-

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who, supported, stopped by and sent good thoughts to my show at Minas Boutique and Gallery.  The show went really well and I had a blast at the opening.  A special thanks goes to my Dad who surprised me by bringing most of my aunts, uncles AND my grandmother who is 96. 

I will be updating my online shop soon.  The goal is to have it done before I leave for vacation on the 20th, but we'll see....

Some upcoming art related events:

May 17th (that's right this Sunday!!)  Mickey and I will be attending the Tour de Vine MS Fundraiser at The Parkside Fine Foods and Spirits (http://www.theparksideonline.com/).  I will be donating two prints for their silient auction, so if you are in the area come on by!  There's no cover for the event and ALL proceeds will be donated on behalf of Team S’Myelin Peddlers to the National MS Society and Johns Hopkins Project Restore.  The flyer should come to you along with the email.

May 29th Fifth(?) Annual Pin Projekt Auction in Durham, NC. The auction benefits the Troika Music Festival.  This auction is always fun and as usual I had a great time creating my pin.  For pictures of the finished piece and the process photos visit the NEWS section on my site.  This year's auction will be held at Pinhook (http://thepinhook.com/), it starts at 6:30 and there is a five dollar cover.

Sadly, this year I will not be there but if you are in the area swing by and bid on my pin!

Beard News

For those who are interested in Mickey's beard growing endeavours-  We are leaving for Anchorage, Alaska on May 20th to attend the World Beard and Mustache Championships.  I will try to update my blog (better known as the NEWS section on my site) everyday so that everyone can follow along with our adventure.  The direct link is here: http://jodihoover.livejournal.com/   For those of you who are also my friends on Facebook, the blog should update there automatically. 

For more information on the Championships- http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

I hope everyone is having an amazing spring and I'm looking forward to a pleasant and productive summer.

Jodi
www.jodihoover.com

Here are the pics of the finished pin:

 

Now that its finished I guess I don't really have much more to say about it.  i'm really pleased with the way it turned out and as usual I'm completely surprised that it came together at all.  As soon as I have it, I will post information on the Troika Pin Projekt  2009 Auction.

And in case you've missed any part of the process or you'd like to see all of the finished photos- a complete slide show!

Here's the run down of what I accomplished last night.  I want the "face" of the creature to look sideways rather than front.  I realize that it will mean the piece will be directional with regard to placement options but since it's so long with the tail I think it needs a little twist.  So the challenge became, how to make it look like the creature is twisting its neck.  I ended up making some neck stripes that will be lightened up to be more visible when I do the touch up paint.

  

Then I went on to create a neck ruff.  I'm sure there are a million ways that I could have done this so that it would have gone faster but as I said before, I'm not much of a seamstress. Right now its removable and I haven't decided if I'm going to attach it or not.  It sits on the pin rather nicely and if it gets dusty the ruff could be removed for cleaning. 

   

Tonight comes ears and maybe even a face!