Making Progress

So I have made a decent amount of progress in the past couple of days.  I have finished all of the process books for one class (four in all), the two process books for my models, completely labeled the first of four  project books, and I am fairly certain I have settled on a binding/labeling design for the project books.  I only have a couple of things left to touch-up and redo (only one thing left to redo!).  I have a few photos left to print (but alas! my printer ran out of ink) and I feel like I am in good shape.

The lamp and table are inspired by Emanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design's Sugamo Shinkin Bank.

I even have time to make up some pages for projects that aren't required to be put into my portfolio.  Like the coffee table, these projects will help add some content into my misc. project book.  My time management is doing good, and it is greatly reducing my stress level.  Yay!

Oh, and I forgot to mention! My portfolio is due on the 1st of February, so its not due tomorrow, its due next Friday.  I would be able to get everything done by tomorrow, but its nice to have a week of breathing room.

Yikes!

Wow ... 

These past couple weeks have been extremely hectic.  I had 3 days of jury duty (I was chosen for the jury panel) and it was my first.  I got to help convict someone of DUI. In fact, that was a whole week ago!  It seems like that was so long ago!  I didn't get much of a chance to do much for my portfolio, because I wasn't 100% on bringing my laptop on the first day of jury duty, and after that I had to pay attention, as well as markers are banned items in the court house ( I assumed for graffiti purposes).  I managed to spend the week finishing up shading some playsets, and my RV project.

Sorry about the spacing, but I didn't crop the photos.  Enjoy the playsets though!

Then my parents came to town that weekend, and they have been here all week (and will be here for a couple more days).  We enjoyed a couple days together, and then I found out something about myself.

Monday, I spent the day in the Emergency Room.  I ended up being diagnosed with an atypical migraine, and it was absolutely terrifying.  All the tests came back normal, so I have been told to manage my stress and headaches, and I should be okay.  Fingers crossed!

My dad then took me to Disneyland on Wednesday.  It was a lot of fun, and I haven't been since I was a kid. Here's some shots from "It's a Small World".

I got a lot done today too.  I finished three process books, and sent like 20 something pages of work to be printed at Office Max (much better than Fed Ex Kinko's, for sure!) So by Sunday, I should be like 80-90% done with my portfolio, and it's due next Friday!  Eek,  that deadline is creeping closer!  Although, I am feeling good that I am mostly done!

Freaking Out

Today was a day of stress.

Yesterday I had gone to the art store and picked up portfolios in order to be able to start sorting and organizing that massive mound of papers that was stacking up in my living room.  I figured it would give me a better idea of what I needed to redo and accomplish.

Well today, I was busily working on my largest book and the Kitten (her real name is Boo), started slowly encroaching into my work area.  Yes, I know I could have locked her up while I was working, but she had never really been a big nuisance before and usually she shooes away quite easily.  Today, she was a bit more ... energetic.  She saw one of her favorite toys across the room and decided to use my open portfolio book, that I was slipping pages into, as a ramp to launch herself across the room.

A tear in the protective plastic sheeting.

She tore the plastic sheeting with her back claws.  I am not sure if I am overreacting and the perfectionist in me is having a panic attack for no reason, or if I am justified in worrying about a minor scratch in something that may not even be seen or counted against me.  When it happened I was pretty much inconsolable.  Now I am just sad thinking about it.  I am waiting until Duck comes home to see and judge for himself.

On the whole, not so bad? Right?

The page is quite large, so it might not even be noticed? Maybe?  I know it's there and the perfectionist is being quite adamant that it is a VERY bad thing. But if you weren't looking for it, would you even notice it?

One thing is for sure though.  The Kitten is getting her claws clipped today.

Going Through Old School Work

Phew!

Today is my day for sorting through all my old school assignments and projects and deciding what I want/need to redo.  I feel buried under piles of oversized paperwork ... pretty much all of the papers are at least 11" x 17" with a decent chunk being 14" x 17".

These are from just one class!

I almost had a panic attack earlier when I couldn't find the majority of projects from one of the more important classes ... in fact it was the class to which the stack of papers (shown above) are from.  That's a lot of work to be missing!

Also, I had to start a list of which projects I wanted to touch up and redo ... and I already have ten projects ... eek! The good news is that most of them just need some touch up's or shading.  The other good news is there are at least three projects that I don't have to redo, so every little bit counts.

My living room is basically chaos right now as I am sorting.  My cats think its playtime, and I keep having to shoo them away, or they would make my projects into cat toys! My kitten, of course, is the worst.  She thinks if Momma is home, that means she gets all-day entertainment.

Just a small portion of the chaos.

Why yes, I am wearing holiday Spongebob PJ's.  I figured if I have all-day work to do, I might as well be comfortable!  I have had these (admittedly tacky) PJ pants forever and they are nice for a cold day at home. Although, I will take them off before I leave the privacy of my house ... tee hee!

Today is the day of making lists and battle plans so I can complete this all in a month!

The Dreaded Portfolio Review

I forgot in my last post to wish everyone a Happy New Year!! I can't believe I forgot, I mean its like 2013, wow ...

Moving past that, I can't believe I have only a month to get my portfolio together and ready to turn in!  Eek!  Its stressful and more than a bit nerve wracking!

I have to put together books from at least five classes, two models and their corresponding process books, but an assortment of process books from another class.  That's a lot to organize and make pretty, am I right?  I have to decide what projects from my assortment of classes are needing to be redone, so that I can perfect them for portfolio.

I have a lot of books that are basically done, with only a couple things needed to be redone.  At the same time, I have a couple process books that should be completely redone.  I need to make stickers for the outside of the books so that can be easily identified as mine, as well as I need to annotate all of the projects so that the reviewers know what each project was about.

Its a lot of work, and I hope to keep you all appraised of my work as I go!  Its probably going to be a rough month, but I am going to power through ... (I hope!)

Um ... Hello?

Hi potential blog readers ...

I have never really had a blog before (except one for school in order to document and turn in assignments, so I don't really count that one) ... so I don't really know where to start.  Should I jump in and pretend that I have been doing this forever?  That doesn't really seem like me at all.  Should I introduce myself? Well, I am leaning towards that so...

I'm Carol, but you can call me Duckie.  I accidentally branded myself with ducks, and I decided to run with it.  I even use Duck as a pet name for my boyfriend, so I am kind of stuck with it, not that I mind.  I love ducks, I think they are adorable and I absolutely love rubber ducks ... so I am smitten.

One of my previous assignments.  Did I mention I am smitten with Steampunk too? And pin-ups?

I love to create, and that's what I love to do.  I have been an avid crafter since I was a little kid, I have been sewing for a veeeeery long time, and I love to dabble in anything fun and creative (hence the name!).  Coincidentally, I found out that when a duck sticks it little butt in the air and forages below the water's surface it is called a dabbling duck!  I thought that was just perfect, but I am getting off topic.  I have chosen a major at university that fits me, Industrial Design. As most of you probably don't know what that is, I will explain.

Industrial designers are the middle "men" between engineers and the consumer.  They will either innovate designs and propose them to engineers for feedback or they will take schematics from the engineers and make them appealing to the consumers.  Industrial designers can do anything from automotive design, medical design, product design, to toy design.  That is what I want to do, toy design.  I would love to work with engineers and children to make kids everywhere happy.  Kind of a nice dream right?

A prototype toy I made in one of my classes ... sensing a theme?

Well, I am at the tipping point of my schooling for Industrial Design, or as my fellow students and I often call it, ID. I am just finishing up my lower division classes and now I basically have to audition to get into the upper division classes and graduate with a degree in ID.  If I fail to pass this "audition" I will get bumped down from ID to a degree in general Design. Still a degree but not as specialized, so definitely not the end of the world. This audition is a submission of my portfolio of work I have completed in my lower division classes. I have to impress a gaggle of professors and professions and earn a place in the upper division classes.

Whew!  That is a lot of information.  But that's what I plan to blog about.  My adventure through Portfolio Review, crafting, sewing, baking, and being myself ... who knows where this is going to go?