Science Illustration

Earlier, while dodging an issue on work ethics and ignoring a spurious request to block That Social Network from the office internets, I stumbled upon California State University's Science Illustration Graduate Program. It was a eureka moment that was almost about two decades too late. It was the perfect marriage between two interests - science and art. Had I realized while selecting the course I wanted to take for college that there was such a thing as a science illustrator, I think I would have moved my lazy ass to actually work getting into that program. Never mind that it's in another country and that the course year would cost a whopping 43,000 USD, travel costs not included.

But still upon further reflection, science illustration is such a niche market and I probably would have spent the rest of my life as a proverbial starving artist, making ends meet - though that's not much different from what I have now. Also, it's never too late.

So now I'm practicing for a retirement vocation, making up for lost time and trying to regain those old drawing skills I had when I was younger which I ignored since my studies as an engineering student.

Plate 1. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Drawn right after I volunteered for Balyena.org's Humpback whale research in  the Babuyan Islands.

Plate 2. Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
Drawn as a birthday gift for a friend and one of the many dolphins we spotted in Babuyan during the survey.

Plate 3. Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Just because I missed seeing a whale shark this season.

And maybe, just maybe, I can gather enough portfolio material to actually apply for that program and maybe even get a scholarship. Libre naman mangarap.

DIY: 5-minute Apron

This was initially posted in an old blog of mine - reposting here just because. (It still is my favorite apron.)

In a house-cleaning frenzy one Saturday motivated by the presence of a clean-freak friend, I hastily made an apron from an old pair of jeans. It was a bit late in the making but it still had its use.

Ingredients

• An old pair of jeans, preferably one that fits your hips or waist
• A pair of scissors

Steps

1. Make a jean skirt by cutting along the dotted line as shown in the picture. Be sure to cut the crotch of the pair of jeans to turn into a skirt. Also, trim the hem of the jean skirt to make it straight.
   
   
2. With the front side facing you, cut a little to the left side of the fly from the bottom. Upon reaching the waistband, cut across the zipper thereby separating the two sides of the front.
   
   

That’s it! All done! Wear the apron buttoned from behind, so you’ll have use of the before-back-pockets in front for the putting of various cleaning implements.

Happy New Year's Crafting!

Happy New Year to all! (And a super belated Merry Christmas. Derp.)


I'm eschewing all pretenses at new year's resolutions and have decided to embark instead on craft projects throughout the year, to be logged and documented on an old Starbucks leatherette planner that's been gutted and refilled with nice blank pages.

Lesson 1: Make it pretty but not perfect. So I won't be afraid to make mistakes and be frozen with fear instead of actually starting the doing.

The leatherette planner was an old 2008 planner that has been sitting around for ages that I've been meaning to refill and use for something. Several trips to National Bookstore yielded no premade refill paper that would fit the rings. So I said screw the search and started punching holes on standard bond paper to make my own refills. Problem solved.

Lession 2: Start the doing. Never mind that the materials aren't complete or if a crucial step is missed now and then. Just start doing.

Project 13A is a white shirt embroidered with a whale shark (yesss, addictions...) in bright blue embroidery floss. Inspired by the designer Aida Coronado's mexican clothes with its exquisite embroidery, I wanted to start practicing embroidery again. Last time I held embroidery floss was almost 15 years ago when cross stitch was all the rage. I finished after 4 nights of sewing.