Chore Day, September 12, 2020: It's Hazardous to Breathe

Fun with blending modes and Clip Studio Paint EX

At 6:45 pm the air quality in the Rogue Valley is 506, hazardous to all breathing things.

Today I made two batches of purple sweet potato flatbread. It’s surprisingly good, a lot like naan bread.

I also did the laundry and went outside for about 15 minutes to water a few suffering shrubs and trees, then I scurried back to safety. I feel like I’m visitor to dystopian world now. The smoke never goes away. All of the news is grim, about the Pandemic, about the fires, about the reckless, uncaring politicians.

But I’m still excited about my book and about Japan. Every day I spend time practicing Japanese. I can say things like “I like yellow cars,” and “My aunt doesn’t like cats.” How cool is that?

Al Fresco Art Club Challenge, Aug 23, 2020: Noses

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Reference: Jack Hamm, Drawing the Head and Figure

Today’s Alfresco Art Club Challenge was held indoors. It’s wildfire time in Southern Oregon and it’s so smokey outside that it’s harmful to the lungs of all living creatures. Beside the challenge of dealing with foul vapors, we had an artistic challenge: sketch a body part, such as hands, feet, eyes, and so on. I chose noses. My reference for this exercise was one of my standbys: Jack Hamm’s Drawing the Head and Figure. Jack Hamm worked at Warner Brothers on such masterpieces as Bugs Bunny and later was a teacher at Baylor University.