Well, it would seem I post here once a year. Well, technically, once every 11 months and 2 weeks give or take. Boy how the world has changed in the past 11 months 2 weeks and how many days. Ok, I'm already bored.

Holy cheese I haven't been here for over a year!!! Guess life got in the way, plus no internet for 9 months could be the culprit. I'll be back.

Croike!

Been a long time since I've posted, but it's largely to no one so it matters not. I won the airbrush contest, which was a huge surprise but it made me feel my efforts were appreciated, there were some great artists who participated!



I buggered it up by spilling dark blue paint on the lower left area, so I ended up painting the whole area blue, then putting white flames there to mask the dark blue that came through. I also got a big purple smudge across her forehead which took forever to cover, and a dark blue drip down her arm when I thought I was done, cleaned that up and there were two more down her forearm. Never did figure out where they came from but I sure was glad to get her done, that was a 40+ hour job I don't care to do again.

I've decided to get into custom motorcycle and automotive painting, I've always liked cars, almost went into autobody work when I was just out of highschool. I took to the airbrush like I'd been doing it all my life, so apparently this is where I'm supposed to be. So long as it's fun and a bit challenging, I should manage to prevent boredom and maintain an income, thus preventing a life on the mean streets of Hootersville. Great way to meet men with actual jobs and legal hobbies which is a big plus. I'm needing to choose which artist to study with for my contest prize, everyone says Nub seems to be the one for me, he paints for Orange County Choppers, so he is probably good, and I will be top of my field or not at all. It will be a good start for me.

I can't spend all of my day here talking to no one, so I'm off.

I Am Toxic

I sprayed semi suspensions for 5 hours yesterday in the shop, couldn't use the respirator, it was clogged, so I got gassed. Yeeech, I don't recommend that kind of high, today my lymph nodes are swollen, my nose plugged up and have a roaring headache!

Entered another airbrush contest, I'd like to win this one, the prize is a $900 airbrush class taking place in MA, in June. I have to pay the airfare to get there but should have enough time to save some money to pull it off. Since I was busy painting the suspensions yesterday I didn't have time to finish my entry, the rules said 8 Eastern time, didn't stipulate the am or pm. I thought I'd better investigate, good thing I did, cuz it was 8 am. So, at 12am I submitted my half finished entry. People seem to like it ok, so that was a big relief!

Ok the headache is kickin my butt. Later.

I'm Still Here!

I even check in and see if anyone's posted but just been too busy to say anything! Busy with what you demand to know? Well, my bossy lil pardner, I've been learning to use an airbrush as you would know if you read the previous post. Busy entering and winning contests for airbrushing, though by default on one so while it sucks, since I was the only entrant in my category, I did win some paint, the best paint in the industry, I might add.

I painted a toilet seat, did I already say that? I can't remember. Tacky? OMG yes, excessively so, however if someone will buy it, then I don't care, class doesn't put food on the table. Apparently fancy toilet seats do, go figure.

Here is the top, done with pearl paint, pinstriped emblem and green/purple and blue smoke though it didn't show in the photo.

This is the inside. I'm going to remove the smoke on the underside of the lid, and some of it on the seat toward the top, I think it's just too much.


This is detail of the emblem on the seat, after I pinstriped it but before I added the smoke and clear coat.


Now you know what I've neglected you for. My current project is a beach scene for a contest, I have a lot to do on it, and it needs to be finished by the 2nd of March. I also have to paint some logging truck parts tomorrow, not sure what they are but I will need my Big Guns for it. Should be interesting since I've never used one, in fact mine are still in the plastic. Brand spankin' new. If I have time and I remember I'll fill ya in on what kind of disaster is brought about by this venture.

Okey dokey, hinky pookie!

Daaaaaahhhaaam, what a friggen 2 weeks! Karma's kickin my butt, then changing it's mind and apologizing, I don't know which end's up or if there is an end.

Had my first fender bender about a week and a half ago, and well, ok, it wasn't a fender bender, no fenders were harmed, not even bent. I put 4 scratches on a guy's bumper, on the corner and it's gonna cost $570. INSANE. FRICKEN HICKEN DICKEN madness I tell you. I def need to get into auto body work, that's a tidy profit there. ANYhoots, (don'tcha hate that term?) I tried to have the scratches paid for in cash so the thing wouldn't affect anyone's insurance rates ( I was driving my dad's truck), but the people got all hinky on me and flaked out. The hubby and wife tag team were lying about things, she claimed (according to him) that I was trying to avoid her calls. I had just talked to her the day before, at about 3pm. She was supposed to call me back with her vin # and insurance #, and I told her my insurance co, being in Florida was closed by 2pm our time, so I had to call them in the morning and get the info, and I'd relay it to her home phone the next morning which I did.

Turns out she called my dad's insurance company almost immediately after she talked to me and turned in a claim! Friggen idiot, I tell ya, and dishonest into the bargain. I didn't know about this until later of course. The next day her darling hubby calls me, all bristling with attitude, calling me "missy" saying I'm avoiding his wife's calls. Now, I'm no marriage expert, but I'd have to gander a guess here that there's trouble in that little hell hole of unholy wedded hell. I told him I left a message that morning on their home phone, just as I told his ignorant wife I was going to do, and I had no reason to dodge her, in fact I'd been talking to her all along. He demanded insurance info, I gave it to him, who the hell cares? I told him I'd offered multiple times to pay their auto body bill in cash to keep it off the insurance. At the end I just told him to do what he's gotta do, I wash my hands of it all. Personally, I think either she's on heavy duty medication or she's your garden variety bloomin' idiot, and he's a moron for believing anything that vomits forth from her forked and vile tongue. I just KNEW I should have went the mercenary route when I tested high for it at high school career day.

Oh, just days before all this, I get a lab bill for $157 for lab work done in July of last year. Wowzers, someone dropped the ball there! The combined total of that and the car issue would have put a considerable dent in my lifestyle for February. As it turns out, my dad's insurance has no deductible for the accident (?! since when do insurance companies not want $$??) and the lab work "should" be taken care of by my insurance, though I do have a $145 deductible. All that stressin' over nothing (I hope)

AND...last Wednesday, Thursday & Friday I was working furiously on an airbrush pinup for a How To contest, ironic since it was pretty much only the 4th time I ever picked up an airbrush, but dammit all I wanted to win the Peak airbrush prize! Everyone seems to really like my how to, it can be seen at:
http://etac-airbrush.com/phpBB/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=920 and I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that I win the airbrush, cuz I worked my heiney off and need a good airbrush SOOOOO bad, but can't afford the Iwata Micron that I'd love to have. Free anything is an exceptional value in my book. :)

Here is a picture of the pinup I did, and while I was terribly disappointed in how she turned out, I think it was passable for the time frame and not knowing what in the hell I was doing til after I did it.



Oh, Yeager's a bust, btw, what a dink he turned out to be. He'll be sorry he screwed that up, and you can take that to the bank. :)

Here I Am.

*BORING ALERT* I didn't go anywhere. I've fallen on my buttooski 5 times this winter, the first time I can remember falling since I was in grade school. The first time was on an icy sidewalk. Where I live it is literally safer to walk in the street than on the slidewalks. I buggered up my back there. I hike "The Hill". The hill is a 1 mile hike up 1800 feet, I believe the equivalent of hot footing it up the stairs of a 196 story building. Well...3 times now I've slipped and took a good hit. The first time my feet came out from under me, and splat on my keister I go. I had a fluffy hat on which saved my punkin, but I heard my neck make a loud crack. Two more less eventful spills in the next few weeks polished me off, sciatic probs are driving me nuts, my lower back and leg feel like they are in a continual cramp, now it's spread into a stiff neck and a burning headache. Yeah, I'm a real sweetheart to hang with lately. So, there you have it, the whole sordid story. Got an appointment with the massage therapist next week so I should be posting here more.