「ザントカ」は私のスプーンフラワーのショップネームです！
文学の研究した経験はあるならば、種田山頭火（Taneda Santoka)と言う詩人を思い出すでしょう。
「なんとか」 ＋ 私の下の名前ザンドラのコンビです。 そしてわたしのTwitter 名前@zan_toka ! :)
ちょっとまって。。。「スプーンフラワー」というのは何でしょうか？？ Weblioオンライン辞典によると「ヤムイモまたはじゃがいものように料理され食べられる、食用の塊茎がある熱帯アメリカの里芋」です。自分の布をデザインしたり売ったり買ったりしているウェブサイトです — この下ご覧ください！
Zantoka is my Spoonflower shop name!!
It’s derived from a phrase in Japanese — “nan toka” — which means “something or other.” Students of literature may also be remided of the Japanese poet Santoka. Or my Twitter handle @zan_toka ! 🙂
Wait, what’s Spoonflower, you ask? It’s a fabric print-on-demand service, where artists from around the world design, buy and sell fabrics, including yours truly — take a look!
I haven’t drawn flowers for about a decade, and that was a single three-foot wide tulip.
Where these latest ones came from, I can only guess. I think it’s the spring flowers everywhere — they kind of demand one’s attention, bursting out between concrete slabs, clawing their way over chain link fences, getting in in your face. Very aggressive NYC foliage demanded a place on my piece this week.
Update: 5/10/14–
I finished the final piece today, and here it is framed:
…was reading, back when library cards were blue cardboard squares. It took me on quite a long detour in life, as instead of continuing fine art after LaGuardia HS, I ended up majoring in English.
The third page of my newest pad of paper was devoted to words, and the word “word”. Literally, kotoba, in Japanese, and in shining fuchsia, purple, and red. UPDATE: Customizable prints are here via Zazzle. Add your name, a greeting, etc.
UPDATE 7 June 2019: I’ve closed my Zazzle store due to their April 2019 change of policy. My Redbubble store is still open here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/studiozandra/portfolio/recent
A trip to Sam Flax on Third Avenue in Manhattan turned up yet another silky surface for pens — Borden and Riley #234 Bleedproof Paris Paper For Pens 11X14. It’s 108 lb weight, rich and heavy and the pens just dance across its surface. I highly recommend spending some time with this paper. Use caution when erasing pencil guidelines after inking, though; you will pick up some color if not thoroughly dry, and if you favor kneaded erasers, use a fresh one to avoid smudging.
Prints and other reproductions are now live! I only receive a 10% commission on each item, but it’s nice to be able to finally offer prints.
UPDATE 7 June 2019: I’ve closed my Zazzle store due to their April 2019 change of policy. My Redbubble store is still open here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/studiozandra/portfolio/recent
Last week I finished my drawing called “Futari”. I drew on two 5 x 7 inch Clayboards, using pencil and Sakura fine point pens.
As it will soon be two years since I got hitched, I wanted to play with the concept of marriage. Trying to capture the strangeness of being married; there is some whimsy, constant movement, implied forms, negative space…puns intended.
September 25, 2014 UPDATE: Postcard AND greeting card prints of this work are here!
UPDATE 7 June 2019: I’ve closed my Zazzle store due to their April 2019 change of policy. My Redbubble store is still open here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/studiozandra/portfolio/recent
I spent many recent evenings reading about 3D design and software. Then I decided to download some free software; first I tried Design Spark, then Sculptris, then Blender. Blender 2.69 seems to be the most powerful of the three, and unlike the other two, it hasn’t crashed on me yet.
A great thing about Blender seems to be tons of helpful tips contributed by its deep user base. I found this coffee cup tutorial from LittleWebHut.com’s YouTube channel. The speaker is very clear and precise, yet avoids being condescending. With much pausing and rewinding, I was able to complete both the cup…
…and the alarm clock tutorial in one evening:
Can’t wait to learn more!
As my office job quit date nears, I am re-developing my artistic muscles, which DO indeed atrophy!
In order to get back into art making, I thought I’d enjoy some basic drawing, and my mom gave me an old Koh-I-Noor rapidograph which had lain in a drawer for years. The worn sticker on the plastic box still reads, “Made in USA, Bloomsbury, NJ.” Good times.
Rapidographs are great, but they are pricey and fragile. After much cleaning, soaking in Speedball Pen Cleaner, and threading with fine wire from an old pair of headphones, I was only able to get about 30 minutes of continuous operation from the old pen. So I picked up a set of Sakura fine pens. (There may be some other factors affecting the Koh-I-Noor’s operation, but darned if I can figure them out right now.)
The Sakura pens flow beautifully, especially on the 5″x7″ Claybord I’m using. If you want to feel pure wonderfulness, take a mechanical pencil to some Claybord! Doodle away!
1. The name you will give your artifact. — I would call it the “Bri-Den” (because it brightens my den,) but that is just too cheesy…
2. One or more nice images of your prototype. — Well, I used the wrong type of material for waterproofing. The thick coats of paint were adequate, but the construction adhesive turned our NOT to be waterproof. So when it rained the other day, the edging sloughed off and doesn’t look very pretty! I have to scrape it off and re-seal with caulk.
3. Some background on the gap — I live in a basement apartment, so there’s not much natural light. I wanted to devise a way to increase the amount of light entering the room. (Mirrors inside the room only bounce the existing light around. A mirror placed outside the room can direct more light into the room.)
4. next steps to further refine and develop your artifact — re-seal the edges with caulk for better waterproofing.
5. Any other information — For grading purposes, please keep in mind that this application is for personal use. This was not designed for mass production.
The Coursera class is now finished — phew! No more homework and midnight deadlines for a while. While this course was bent a bit towards commercial product development, I did learn quite a bit and revitalized my interest in 3D printing and fabrication. More on that later…
For my needs, this project is complete this week. I may continue making a prototype for retail if I can gather the materials in time.
Waterproofing by adding a few coats of paint…
Sealing edges with a waterproof construction adhesive
