Silly Life of a Art geek

The things I get up to!

[oldkiddthoughts-blog]

☆DIY Stickers☆

So recently to celabrate the release of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 I felt like making a sticker of Meow Wow. It's a little sloppy since I've become rather rusty at drawing nowadays what with my busy schedule but it still looks cute.

As such today I am showing how I make stickers!

To make stickers you need the fallowing:

◇ Pensels or markers

◇ Stickerpaper or blank adhesive labels(works for smaller stickers)

◇ Adhesive plastic film

◇ Scissors or scapel/hobby knife

First of, draw on to your sticker/label paper whatever you wish. Do remember to be cost sufficient with the paper by working your way from one end or corner to another when making your stickers. Otherwise alot of material might go to waste and sticker paper can be expensive. Once done you'll want to cut the image out of your sheet with some tiny extra space around it like the picture you saw above.

Time for the adhesive film!

This adhesive plastic film can be found in most hobby or office supply stores. It is optional though since it's mostly to protect the sticker and it'll give it a more pro like look. If you have a laminator it works just as well but the film is a cheaper solution if not.

When you stick the film ontop I find it easiest to stick the middle on first and work yourself outward. This way you may prevent bubbles from build under the plastic better. Just slightly hold it as if folding it between your hands making the bending middle touch the sticker first then gently spread it out with your fingers.

Once done it's time to cut it!*SnipSnipSnip*

And then you're done!~

[oldkiddthoughts-blog]

A DIY project for thy!

Today I'm sharing a DIY Project with you!

Making a regular poster tube...

Now I'm abit of a hoarder and any time I find something I think is practical or useful in some way I will take it home! 2 years back I was at a one day event that was like a mix between a convention and a flea market for TV-games. They even had Charles Martinet, the voice of Super Mario, there as a guest of honor(got the chance to take a photo with him and even eat pizza with him after the event hehe).

Anyway, during the event I got my hoarding paws on a pair of poster tubes from his signing during the event for free. They were going to throw them away anyways so I took a pair. They are super useful but a little bleak so I decided to decorate them!

I used wrapping paper I bought from my local Hobby & Crafts store. Really liked the oriental look to it. I covered the tube in a thin layer of modpodge with the help of a sponge. Then while keeping the paper taunt just rolled the tube in. I used a wide brush on top of the paper as I went to prevent bubbles from building but that’s optional.

Note: This project can be really tedious and you have a very short time frame to work with before the glue dries over. If not well practiced then you might need a second pair of hands so ask a friend to help out!

(FYI: It is possible solo but you’ll probably need to get abit creative with the process. I personally just did the whole thing on the floor holding the ends of the tube with my ankles. I had one end of the paper in my left hand and shifted between brushing out bubbles and turning the tube with my right.)

Second note: Remove the lids before you start and also pre-cut your paper making sure you have some over to fold into the openings later.(see last photo at end of the entry.)

Once done you can either cut or fold the excess paper and glue it down. If you are like me with minor obsessive streak you might not like that the pattern doesn't align and look seamless. It's hard as it is to get a perfectly straight pattern all the way and I assure you it will most probably get crooked.

I cut along the hexagons in the overlapping end and glued it over the other like so:

To the left uncut ends comparison, to the right exactly how I cut the ends.

From a distance it really looks seamless! So pretty!~

To finish it all off just cut some slits to the ends I mentioned in the second note. Glue the inside and fold them snuggly inwards. Optionally after you can either modpodge or clearcoat the outside of the tube. You can also put down a strip of black tape on the lip of the openings to help prevent the paper from riping from all the times in the future you’ll be opening and closing the lids. If not, BOOM!! You’re officially done!~

If you’re looking to do this project but don’t have a poster tube you can probably get them at some convention or perhaps the local cinemas or electronic store. Gamestop is otherwise probably the most promising place to check. They seem to advertise alot by posters.

[oldkiddthoughts-blog]

Protip hack for them scrolls and posters!?

If you are like most artists whom draw pieces in bigger formats like A3's, A2's or something in those ways, or maybe you buy alot of posters and/or wrapping paper you know how much of a pain lugging these around can be when moving from Point A to Point B. They are too long and keeps moving around in your grocery bag, maybe even falling out. You rarely find one of those stores that have those special plastic bags that are designed just for those rolls of paper that have been showing up more and more recently. Packing them in your backpack doesn't work either since it keeps opening the zipper leaving your bag open for your inconvenience.

Not everyone has the extra money to buy those sleek and expensive tubecases that architects usually have.

What is the point of my little tirade here? Oh right, like the title says I have a protip for this problem!

Now I have a design related solution to the problem and another that works for all occasions that I’ve personally used for ages.

Not long ago I bought this bag here of ebay:

Now what's interesting is that I discovered you can use the netpockets on the flanks to put them scrolls in. I wouldn't go for the regular sized posters though if you don't have those adjustable side straps most bigger backpack have. I have a similar backpack from Asaklitt that's bigger with the said straps and it works! Another thing that is special with my bag though is the outer front pocket. 

It's a pocket most likely for you to put a pad of paper, a tablet, maybe some spare clothes or something thin like that. But I found that the space on each side of the two velcro bits are perfect to put scrolls in!

The velcro is strong enough to keep it tight and closed preventing the scrolls from moving around and the bottom of the space is deep enough so that the scrolls can't pop out upwards either~

I bet there are other bags with such pockets out there so keep an eye out for them or if you are crafty and good with needle and thread you could probably modify a bag to do the same.

Now, as for the second solution I wanted to share!

What you'll need is a bag with a double end zipper, make sure you have a strap in each end, and one of those Reflex snap bands you can get in most stores or even for free during events and such.

Remember when I talked earlier about how putting scrolls in your backpack was a lost cause because it would most probably just leave your bag wide open? Fear not for this trick will solve your problem! close the zipper and slide one of these snapbands through the loops in your zipper like so in the picture under.⬇

And just snap it shut around the scrolls, done! The snapband will keep everything in place and no matter how it is jostled it will not fall open! Yay!~

Anyways, hope you all found this useful and I will see you in the next entry!

Bye for now!~

[oldkiddthoughts-blog]

Project Artscape 2016: Bringing life to  public space

Before starting off this blog's first entry I want to say welcome and thank you for looking in! this is a blog where I just want to talk about things I love and percieve as art in some way and whenever I'm up to something fun worth mentioning. Hope you will enjoy!

 So let's jump into it!

 To start of the blog it's first entry will be about something that is going on locally in my hometown. See I'm from Sweden, specificlly Gothenburg. About three weeks ago we celabrated our yearly Cultural Festival(Kulturkalaset in swedish), previously called the Gothenburg Festival(Göteborgskalaset in swedish).

It's a festival hosted by all of Gotheburg where different activities, concerts, workshops, multipal museum visits, etc take place. All open for the public and most of it is also for free and even educational. So if you ever decide to visit Gothenburg I recommend doing so during the festival there are even sightseeing tours hosted for free or cheaper than usually during the event, so it's a win-win.

 Anyways, during the event I went on a short tour that they offered for free to see the new murals that are being painted by artists from around the world all around the city due to the collab with a non-profit organisation called Artscape!

These are the ones I've seen so far but there alot more scattered out through the city and also alot more to come since it's still an ongoing project.

  ⬆Location:Kungsportsplatsen, made by Koralie & Supakitch

⬆Location:Väderilsgatan 44-56, made by Yash

⬆Location:Mandolingatan 39, made by Rone

⬆Location:Mandolingatan 33(house next to Rone's), made by Jarus

⬆Location:Sunnerviksgatan 21(two facades facing eachother), made by Disk

⬆Location:Bruksgatan 13(buildings side by side), made by Ollio

⬆Location:Karlavagnsgatan 7, made by BLISS

As a graffiti lover I look forward to seeing more of these murals. Graffiti and Streetart has such a stigma so it really thrills me that there is an actual local movement that is trying to encourage it and trying to portray it in a better light.~

That is all for today! Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next entry!

If you are interested in knowing more about either Gotheburg's Cultural Festival or about Artscape and other locations of additonal murals just click the fallowing links:

 Gothenburg Cultural Festival: www.goteborgkulturkalas.se/in-english

Artscape 2016: www.artscape.se/about/