Category Archives: art

Daily Creativity: Ramen

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Daily Creativity: RamenDaily Creativity: Ramen

Ramen is happiness in a bowl. Most people think of it as that instant thing college kids eat when poor, but there is a whole art dedicated to making the most complicated noodle soup. It takes 12 hours to make just the broth, and it’s more than just making stock, there is a whole process of steeping, and stock, and building up a tare, it’s intense. Now this kind of Ramen, is the real deal. If there was a shop in town I’d be blowing my budget there for sure. For now I have to settle for Pho and the few times Tek is willing to take the 12 hours to make it. Pencils on Paper.

Daily Creativity: Cass Elliot – Big Mama Cass

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Daily Creativity: Cass Elliot - Big Mama CassDaily Creativity: Cass Elliot – Big Mama Cass

Cass Elliot was an amazing talent, and she was also fantastically out there as a fat icon. Just a quick google search will show you how she had some amazing outfits and photoshoots, one that stuck with me is a nude she did in a bed of daisies. Flower Power, right? Sadly she didn’t get ti live in a world that wasn’t fat phobic and she wasn’t able to stand the pressure. A mix of crash dieting and drugs contributed to her passing, and I wish I could hug her and tell her how important she is to fat people to see and look up to. I am so please to add this to my Love Your Body collection.

One thing I learned is she didn’t like being called Mama Cass, but wanted her full name used. So in that respect I have titled this Cass Elliot.

I painted this with watercolors and was very light on the paint. I left the pencil marks because I wanted to use them to convey the daisies. Painting tons of tiny daisies I think was the hardest part of this piece, I hope it looks ok.

Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni – 95 degree pivot

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Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni - 95 degree pivotDaily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni – 95 degree pivot

Tai No Henko Ni is the second of the basic movements in Yoshinkan Aikido. In english we call it 95 degree pivot, it is used when uke is pushing on you and you need to get out of the way to let uke follow that energy. I know this looks a lot like Tai No Henko Ichi, but that makes sense because most of these movements we start in a classic kamae stance, and end in an altered stance, but still kamae because everything is on the center line. The difference here is the figure is lower to the ground, knees bent more, and hands at a different position. Yes, you may have to be an aikinerd to see the difference, yes I am that aikinerd. The photo I used this time was not someone I knew personally, but someone from the hombu dojo.

Ink on Paper.

Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi – Cross Step and Body Change

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Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi - Cross Step and Body ChangeDaily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi – Cross Step and Body Change

Tai No Henko Ichi is the first of the basic movements in Yoshinkan Aikido. In english we call it cross step and body change. It allows you to divert your energy around something, like a person or a strong point, to find the weak point, and end up on top of uke.

Funny thing, while looking for photos to work from for this, the one I used ended up being someone I know I have worked with at a previous kenshu. I found other pictures of him with the sensei running the kenshu I was at last weekend. Yoshinkan is a small world.

Ink on paper.

Daily Creativity: Ida B Wells – International Women’s Day

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Daily Creativity: Ida B Wells - International Women's DayDaily Creativity: Ida B Wells – International Women’s Day

In honor of International Women’s Day I normally draw a woman of influence, this year I drew Ida B Wells. Ida was an editor and activist. Ida was a suffragette and a civil rights activist. She is proof that Feminism was always intersectional and that there were always white feminists that ignored that intersectionality. Ida is also proof that sexism was rampant in the civil rights struggle (see her name being left off from the founding of the NAACP and other slights). She didn’t pick or choose which was more important and she didn’t fear speaking her mind about all of these issues. She’s a role model for sure.

When we honor women we need to include ALL women, and all of the struggles they face. All races, religions, cultures, and physiology. There is no right way to be a woman, all women who identify as women are women, and we honor them all.

Pencils on Paper.