In September 2014 I made a button art tree by sewing colored buttons to a stretched canvas.
My button grandma had a high distain for anything that destroyed buttons, such as glue or cutting off the shank, since that makes them unsuitable for button collectors. So all the buttons are recoverable from this art, should they need to be. I do like how I used the lighter colors to indicate light direction.
Today is the sixth anniversary of my blog! I did have a name change over that time from “of chickens and craft” to “critters and craft”. I do still have four chickens, and Wing Ding the Black Star hen is still laying eggs, even when there is snow on the ground, but things aren’t quite so chicken centric over here anymore. Now critters, we’re all about the critters, and making things.
The sixth year anniversary token is iron. I found a photo I took of old rusted farm equipment and did a little Photoshop magic. I like using AI generation to change the ratio of photos and fill backgrounds on my own photographs and work. No fleecing other artist’s work in a dodgy way, and it is hard to anticipate all the potential uses of a photo when the shutter snaps. The original photo is below.
I also appreciate the search function in photo apps. It is still improving, but it only took a minute to find this photo in my gallery with the search terms “rusty iron”.
Here’s to more posts on critters and craft!
One of my friends enjoys painting and has quite a flair for it. She had painted rocks at the chorus craft fair and I just had to buy the one that looked like Wing Ding! And then take a picture of Wing Ding with her effigy.
Last year I bought a sturdy plastic skeleton and secured it to the back of the wire deer in the meadow as if the deer was the skeleton’s steed. I had a different idea this year.
Twice a year we make bookmarks for my youngest’s teachers. Historically they have featured a picture of her and some Photoshop work of mine. One year, a shot of her lying on a bench became her flying through the sky. This round, though, she didn’t want her photo on there, instead requesting “clouds and snowflakes”. Um, OK. I used the AI generator in Photoshop, mainly to test it out. Do I have pictures of my own of clouds and snowflakes? Yes. Could I have Photoshopped them together? Yes. Could I have done it in less time? Maybe not. It takes time to come up with a phrase and cycle through generating images. This AI doesn’t understand exclusions, so when I typed “open blue sky with white fluffy clouds and sparkling snowflakes no trees” I was bombarded with fluffy snow covered trees and undulating landscapes. I couldn’t get it to let go of the landscaping so I cropped it out. I also used the usual digital techniques for adding the words my eldest requested, with an outer glow to have it stand out from the background. See, my digital skills are still required even with AI assistance. Hm.
What I would really like is to specify the reference set the AI uses to generate the image. Then I could feed it my own photographic library and know where the images are coming from. The snowflakes would be better, and it theoretically would save me time. My biggest time vortex is searching through my photos for what I want. I would also know that I wasn’t relying on some other human artist’s unknown participation. I’ve read that images used for AI training aren’t always compensated or legally used. I wouldn’t ever claim those snowflakes though, but they did make my youngest happy. I could go on and on about AI snowflakes.
I also bought the tassels this year rather than making them. Time ran away from me, so it was a desperation measure, but I’m pleased with the purchase. They are nice tassels, well constructed, and a pretty metallic gold. As requested.
Critters and Craft 