Virtual Brush Box

Art of the outside world. Istanbul Modern.

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Process Notes

What could be more city than graffiti?

I was going for something that could be executed swiftly & fluidly.

My first iteration had the bottom of the V & the B coming together at a point. Then I started wondering if I was channeling the Warner Brothers logo. So I turned the B the other way. Then – perhaps the under the influence of cartoons – I saw the branches of the Vs as duck feet and could not unsee it.

Time for a redo.

I went through 37 iterations, although I do save versions early & often. I never know when I will want to go back a few steps. Contrary to my usual design habits, much of this was drawn by eye rather than onto a grid. I did use guides to line up points, thinking it might give an underlying structure.

Things I learned

A slightly shallower curve makes the ends pointy. In the past, this was an attribute that popped up randomly where I didn’t want it and then I had to figure out how to get rid of it or to live with it. This time, it was an element I wanted to keep and had to adjust the curves carefully to make sure I didn’t lose the points.

Which goes to show that different features have their place. This was the WB/duck foot version.

Pointy bit management also figured in the final design, There is the slightest bulge in the bottom left of the V. Turns out that a straight line made the bottom point go away. Conversely, getting a point on the middle bar of the B meant losing the shape of the middle interior space. I decided this was where a marker would be going one way and then reversing the other way, so a blunt end made sense. Apparently designs have internal narratives.

Inspiration

Current online class, UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East. Was on hiatus, hence generalized city instead of Cairo or Istanbul.

Onwards!
Katherine

Cities of the outside world. “The boundary stones are the oldest federal monuments.” Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia

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In my childhood, getting around meant walking and public transportation. I spent zero time waiting around for an adult to drive me somewhere. School, ballet class, orthodontist appointment, a friend on the other side of the city. I was expected to get myself there and back.

Driving was something that adults did, like drinking coffee, I figured I’d pick it up eventually, like drinking coffee.

Afterword

Current online class, UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East. Was on hiatus, hence generalized city instead of Cairo or Istanbul.

Previous Post. [Knowing the Rules, Growing Up City]

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography of the outside world. On This Date In Photography: Psychography.

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Tree Trunk, Wallace Center, Harpersville AL

Tree Trunk, color original

Cat
Pamplemousse
Chez Nous

Cat, color original

All photos by Greg Walcott

Technical Details

Taken & edited with phone camera by photographer. Further edited by me to crop out phone info, resize, & add watermark.

Taken while I painted. The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation. [En Plein Air Workshop]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Flickering candle. I reinstalled Instagram on my phone. I kept running into folks who show their work there. I found I had missed seeing a few accounts, e.g. @elizabethwheatley, an author with humorous book videos, & @dressagequeen_of_memes, as it says. Unfortunately for my ability to stay away, I immediately found links that I wanted to use. I also check Facebook occasionally, mostly to see what is happening at Stepping Stone Farm. OTOH, I have not shopped at Walmart or Amazon since swearing off. Mediocre on voting with my eyeballs. Doing better voting with my dollars. [Driving Envy]

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Stating the obvious, but the horse search is taking a sabbatical. No way I’m getting on a strange horse when I have a bum foot.

There are a few horses I would have ridden while I was on injured reserve. Horses I knew well. Horses I vibed with. Horses I had logged saddle time with. Previous Horse. George. [The Whatever Horse]

Sales horses, not so much.

It’s not just me. Looking for a new horse is an energy-draining voyage into the unknown. “this one bucked me off right there at the mounting block” Braymere Custom Saddlery: March Marches On.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. JAC: Jackson Hole Airport Becomes First DarkSky Certified Airport in the World, 17th April 2025.

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Repost [Whip Hand, Wordless Wednesday]

Milton is driving again. In this most recent iteration, he has hitched 3 times, and trotted over the weekend. He is slowly getting getting back to where we were pre-pause. [Delay Of Game]

There were small signs that he might be starting to believe us and deciding that he can do this. If his feet and gut are in a better place, that would likely show up in a happier attitude and a more consistent approach toward work. As it would with any of us. [Shoes That Last, Weighty Considerations]

Conversely – and this is most likely my foot making me grumpy, see yesterday – I am fed up with Not Horrible counting as victory. I want to ride and drive and have fun with horses who enjoy their jobs. I want progress to be more than a glimmer. But hey, you get what you get. [Cumulative Effect]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “Greyhound Lines, Inc. does not consent to, or provide permission for, warrantless and/or suspicionless immigration enforcement activities on its buses or in its non-public property at bus stations.” Greyhound: Our Policy on Warrantless Bus Searches. Also, Greyhound: Your Rights & Rules on Board. Go Greyhound! Hat tip, @drneuro.bsky.social, May 4, 2025.

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Up to 3 laps for our morning walk with the horses. That means we can alternate lunging with walk days. Less of an option when I was only walking one lap. Normal is 5 laps, or one mile.

The foot is gradually getting better, I assume. Doesn’t feel much different, but I’m told these things take time. I’m still capable of overdoing, either walking too much or spending too much time with the foot down gravity.

Most of the time, it doesn’t hurt terribly much. Which is good. It is occasionally sore or achy. The only outright, stop-the-presses pain is when I take a bad step and inadvertently twist the bottom of the foot out of plane. The brace helps. As does knowing not to do that.

The problem is that healing takes energy. I forget this and get on with my life. Then I pay for it.

The foot doesn’t hurt as I overdo it – which is good! – but I have no warning that might cause me to slow down or take it easy. Instead, I become cranky and irritable and vile, without any increase in foot pain. Which is good! If I remember to rest my foot, I find I don’t hate the world quite as much as I thought I did. Still with no change to how my foot feels. Which is good! But weird.

The fifth metatarsal. Such a small bone to have such an outsized effect. [Foot post archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Happy Square Root day! Unlike Pi day, this works for both US & International date styles. Furthermore, “Only 9 dates every century qualify to be a Square Root Day.” timeanddate: Fun Holiday – Square Root Day.

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I was going to be gloomy about how long it’s been since I’ve needed the helmet, i.e. how long it’s been since I’ve ridden, but seriously, nests can appear overnight.

Onwards!
Katherine