Hello all! Long time no blog. I've decided to expand my horizons, and start posting more than watercolors. Lately, my life has been a flurry of artistic activity, between being a junior in the Graphic Design depart at Western Washington University, working at a stamp store, and using what little spare time I have to have FUN! Some of those funtivities include calligraphy, making books, and the constant reinvention of my room. Since I'm always learning and making mistakes, I thought I'd take that very next step. Sharing.
The current project is a jewelery stand. Robot. A jewelbot if you will. I got the initial inspiration from Mark Mantano's book, The Big Ass Book of Crafts. The project I adapted was for a candelabra made out of copper pipes and glass bowls, but I just built upward to create a new organizational friend.
The second place I went for inspiratation: Hardware Sales, a locally owned and operated hardware store a stone's throw away from where I work (read: lunch break fun). I could talk about the 30,000 square feet of hardware bliss, shelves stocked with supplies, and a new surprise every corner you turn. But what really makes hardware sales so great is the staff. Every time you enter a new section, you'll probably get asked within seconds if you need help. And I did! Several different people helped me gather all the things I would need to build this little fella'.
Thanks to the fine folks at Hardware Sales! In this post over at an open [sketch]book, they recognize that "excellent work should be noted, valued, and appreciated." I couldn't agree more. When people take a genuine interest in helping, it makes all the difference in what could be a very daunting project. Instead, I just want to go back, armed with pictures of my finished robot and ideas for a new project! And I know if I hit any snags, I have somewhere to turn. Places like Hardware Sales make Bellingham a great place to learn and create.
Production time:
Time to turn all these pieces into a whole robot. So what I learned how to do: cut copper pipes! With a really simple pipe cutter, I fit the piece snuggly against the blade, and twirled it around, tightening with each rotation. It usually only took two or three full turns.
Here's the cut pipe. Easy-peasy. The rest was just connecting the pieces, easier-peasier.
The assembled bot was much bigger than I anticipated, so I'll probably shorten the torso, and possibly the legs. So I'll get to glueing it all with E-6000 soon, but right now I need to get back to designing book covers (Ah, the bane and the bliss of my program). In the meantime, this lil' guy needs a name! I know I've got at least a few readers, he needs a name! And if anyone reads this wants help on a pipe project of their own, I've got a cutter and advice you can borrow.
