Use your pocket change to make something worth more than what you could buy with it.
My fall ultimate team, Employee of the Month, is a riot. Yes, we get together twice a week and play some frisbee, but this team is so much more than that. Most of us are BigFish alumni, so on top of having played together for years, we're also good friends who tend to have a really fun time over these hour-and-a-half time slots. Thinking back on last year's season, I don't remember our games so much, only that we joked and laughed our way through them every single time. There were many times I was laughing so hard I couldn't run. I love these guys and gals.
So tonight, CA suggested we go for ice cream. Megan and I have both had recent breakups, thus Ice Cream Was Needed. I should note here that we first went for wings... before six of us ended up at Marble Slab. We each threw in some money (pocket change alert!!!) and CA bought a large ice cream cake (feeds 12-16 people, according to the box) and asked for six spoons. Crazy? Yes. We giggled our way from the first bite, where our plastic spoons could barely make a dent in the frozen top layer – to the last, final bit of melted ice cream on the tray. It took about twenty minutes. It's something I'll never forget... or ever attempt again. So really, the $5 I threw in towards that cake resulted in priceless memories. Thanks CA, Tim, Jon, Gavin and Megan!
Go back to the future. Make something that seems like it has come from the future.
Doh!! I wore these rockin' futuristic silver tights earlier today at the Zodiac tournament, but completely forgot to take a picture while on the field :( This is a recreation at home... try to picture grass under my cleats instead of hardwood floor!
Work with, or be inspired by, a tin can or soda can. You can decorate on it, shape it with tin snips, or punch holes it it with nails – just be careful with the sharp edges. Try adding a light for an added effect.
After a long yet fun day at the Zodiac ultimate tournament, I got a chance to visit my good friend Jo in the evening. She and her girlfriend Heather have recently moved, so on top of catching up with them I got to check out their new digs – as well as finally meeting their adorable pets! It was easy to get Ledger to pose for this pic (yes, that is a tin can with Sharpied stars in the foreground), but unfortunately Callahan the cat would have none of it. Maybe next time?
Make something inspired by and/or that goes over a hand (yours or someone else's).
It's always a challenge to execute daily assignments when I'm away from home and most of my art supplies. So for today, I used hands to document some of my activities of the day: throwing a frisbee, hanging out with friends, eating a fantastically delicious burger (believe it or not, that patty is made entirely of ground bacon!), and going to a party. Big thanks to Rookie for hand modeling with me! :)
Add a door where one wouldn't normally exist. Extra credit: Make it functional!
Happy birthday to me! I'm currently on the Greyhound, on my way to St. Catharines via Toronto for a night of birthday fun with friends :) But first, doors. The first thing that came to mind is the doors in Monsters Inc, so I decided to doodle what my door would look like if it was part of the movie. It's a little shaky as it was done on the bus on the way to Toronto!
Work with ice cubes today. Bonus: document the piece while it melts.
Today was a rather long workday, and I'm beyond tired... Looking forward to tomorrow. This said – my freezer is frozen over again, so doodles of ice cubes melting is about as good as it'll get tonight.
Make a pie chart, flow chart, Venn diagram, or other business graphic in an unexpected way. Perhaps it's made out of an odd material, or it diagrams something that's not at all business related.
I'm cheating a bit today by using a Venn diagram made last spring. This diagram documented the make-up of my spring ultimate team - there was thoughts of making it into our team jerseys but unfortunately it didn't happen. Either way, it was super fun to make and the team loved it :)
Get sandy! Use sand as your medium or inspiration today. You or a friend can collect sand for free at the beach or from a sandbox, or you can work at one of those locations. Craft stores also usually sell colored sand.
Since I have a game tonight at a turf field – and since I've already done two assignments using sand - what better material to use than those little rubber pellets that are part of the turf? I have a love/hate relationship with them as i somehow manage to take what feels like pounds of the stuff home after every game!
Since my Monday team doesn't really have a logo, I recreated BigFish's famous fishbone on the sideline. It was also left behind for others to enjoy :)
Recreate a famous work of art using the material and technique of your choice. If there are people shown, why not recruit your friends to participate?
I received a magnetic mosaic kit as a present years ago, and wouldn't you know, it was perfect for this assignment. This is my recreation of 'Girl with a pearl earring' – you might have to squint a bit, but I think it does come through okay :P
Work with just corrugated cardboard or cardboard boxes today.
I picked up a rental car this morning or the weekend, and was pleasantly surprised when the rental place offered me a Volvo C30 as a free upgrade! This explains the Volvo logo 'carved' out of a paper box lid... and now, I'm off to Kingston!
Make a unique miniature golf hole in your home or outside and get someone to play it. You can even make the golf club and ball yourself if you don't have any on hand.
Oh, memories... When I was younger, summer holidays with my family usually included at least one miniature golf outing. It was always a much-looked forward to event - and a challenge to see if anyone could finally beat dad :) I also remember building miniature golf courses on the beach at the cottage, where sand traps were abundant and the ocean made a great water hazard!
Not having that much room to work with, I opted to do a miniature miniature golf hole out of felt. Penny included for scale.
Work only with Legos or other building blocks today. If you don't have any on hand, rather than buying them, why not borrow some from a friend with a child? Bonus: Try collaborating with a kid on this one.
Sweeeet, I *love* Legos! I spent a lot of time playing with them when I was younger, so being told to use them today was easily done!
Make your own unique chess set. If you don't like chess, how about checkers?
Tonight was the Ottawa premiere of Chasing Sarasota, a very enjoyable ultimate documentary. Inspired by a fun night out with friends, I made this checkers set where the usual player pieces have been replaced by little white and blue Discraft Ultrastars – that's frisbees for all you non-ultimate peeps :) I printed it out on heavy card stock, and am now waiting for my first opponent!
You may have carved a pumpkin before, but what about a turnip, an apple, a bell pepper, or...?
...or a pear? Done!
Start something, then have someone else complete it today.
This was super fun to do, and I'll upload it extra large so you can print it off and complete it yourself! :)
How now brown cow? Work only with brown materials today. Try working on a brown surface for a real challenge.
Still having a blast at the Harvest tourney today! I've often thought how artistic layout marks on jerseys and shorts can be. Since most of the ones i've seen today are brown, it was perfect for this assignment. Thanks to my hard-playing models – from left to right: Dave, An and Mike!
Make something that would normally be considered cute and cuddly into something that isn't.
Finally at Harvest! Camping, ultimate, starry night skies, good friends... what could possibly be better?
But back to today's assignment! We always take some trashy magazines to read on road trips, and for once they had another use... I've tried making this tabloid pic of Jennifer Lawrence less cute, but am not too sure how successful it was :P
Create an artificial window and install it in your home or somewhere in public. What can be seen on the other side?
This was done quickly and isn't my best work, but it will be hanging on my office wall! The scene out the window is the beach at my family's cottage... always a very relaxing one. It's worth noting that this is roughly 12x18 inches in size.
Put pen to paper and draw for at least 30 minutes without stopping. If you get stuck, just doodle until an idea comes to you. For an even greater challenge, don't lift the pen from the page until the time is up. Extra credit: Increase the time to sixty minutes, ninety minutes, or...?
The closer we get to the weekend, the more excited I am about the upcoming Harvest ultimate tournament. It's one of my favorites, and I'm really looking forward to playing in it again this year – especially since it means seeing/playing with friends I haven't seen in a while. It was easy to make this the theme of my doodles :)
Use duct tape or packaging tape to make something three-dimensional.
Inspired by the ever-popular duct tape wallet, I now have a slim ID card/money holder. It'll be great for those nights when I go out and don't want to carry my bulky wallet! This was surprisingly easy and quick to make... maybe I'll make some more, in colours other than clear/silver?
Make a good luck charm. Bonus: Make it wearable and wear it all day!
I've made a lot of hemp necklaces over the year, so it was fun to dig out old supplies to make a little keychain charm. It's now permanently on my keychain :)
Be animal friendly. Create something involving, or inspired by, a pet (yours or a friend's). It could be something for them to wear, a scene for them to appear in, or...?
I don't own a pet, and today's packed schedule won't allow me time to visit a friend with one :/ The next best thing was a quick jaunt into Wag, the pet café next door to my work. It was easy to convince these pretty pooches to pose for me :)
Create something that can transport you across a room. Bonus: See if you can construct it so that it can transport you and a friend.
The background story... I bought this hat five years ago. Four point nine years ago, one of my best friends 'borrowed' it for ultimate, and I never saw it again apart from firmly planted on his head. Of course, his melon is larger than mine, so the Flexfit got stretched to the point where it didn't fit me anymore. Finding a replacement cap proved futile. Then, last week, I unexpectedly got it back. Amazing. I promptly stitched the inside elastic to itself to tighten it, and thought that maybe adding some wings would allow me to fly... Wishful thinking!
Be unnatural. Work only with natural materials to make something that would not normally be found in nature.
Now, if only leaves naturally fell this way... :)
PS. I left it behind for others to discover.
Make a pair of shoes out of an unexpected material. They don't have to be functional. Extra credit: Wear them in public!
This pair of GStar-sized flip flops was made out of brown Kraft wrapping paper, and follow the current minimalist trends very closely ;)
Narrow your focus. Pick a small area indoors or outdoors and inspect it very carefully. Use the details you would normally overlook to inspire you.
I really struggled with finding an idea for this one... I'm not super happy with this, but I've learned to take the bad days with the good. These all are textures found in a new Canadian $50 bill.
