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unaligned ant posted:First off, thank you for the Mod Podge lead, it's been absolutely perfect for my uses. I'm not sure what I didn't understand about it the first time around, or why I was avoiding it. Just use a cordless drill and a drill bit. High speed is best.
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Oct 15, 2017 02:53
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Use a masonry bit. Put some painters tape over where you're drilling.
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Oct 15, 2017 18:26
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Hey everyone. I was going to ask this in the DIY Hobby forum but apparently there isn't a general hobby questions thread.  Well, I'm looking for a hobby. I stopped drinking 2 weeks ago and I REALLY need something to do, mainly to keep my hands busy. I've been looking into a bunch of things but can't really figure out what to do since I'm not very creative or artistic besides music which I never do anymore. I want to do something that is somewhat useful or rather produces something. I have models and rockets that can be completed and displayed but I don't know, I need something else. I'm trying to think of some medium of doing Celtic art. Something I can create an put up on my wall. I know there is knot tying and I was thinking of something like a form of knitting or whatever it is that you can create a pattern on a piece of fabric that I could put up. I'm even thinking of wood burning. I don't know how well I'd do with painting. One problem is that my handwriting is so bad I can barely read it. My signature is different every time I write it. So that's an obstacle. But I guess practice makes perfect. Who knows, maybe my hands will move differently when something artistic is involved. So my question: does anyone have any ideas of a somewhat easy to get into hobby that would be a neat way to create stuff like Celtic art? How do I get into it? What materials would I need? I'm desperate here. Not drinking sucks and everything is boring now. edit: Just saw something called needlework (maybe needlepoint). That might be neat for making Celtic designs. Pennywise the Frown fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Oct 15, 2017 |
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Oct 15, 2017 20:48
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Congrats on making some positive changes in your life! Some general advice for starting a new creative endeavor: You'll get the most out of a hobby if you let yourself be free to make mistakes. I draw for a living, and I have sketchbooks full of terrible garbage that I will never show anyone because you can't make a good thing without working out a bunch of terrible ideas first. Don't be dismayed if what you first put down doesn't look the way it did in your head, keep practicing daily and give it a few weeks so you can see if you really enjoy it or not. As for a lack of fine motor control making your handwriting terrible or signature different each time, that won't really matter too much in the long run. Everyone starts out sucking at their art/hobby. The only way to not suck at something is to just sit down and suck at it until one day, you don't suck. It requires a time commitment, and the willingness to stick with it even though it's difficult and most of the time it doesn't turn out how you want it. If you're new to hobbies or building things, try starting out with some things that don't require a huge amount of money to start on. Woodburning would require some specialized equipment that can't really be used for anything else, whereas drawing just needs a couple pencils and a sketchbook. Painting can get expensive, but cheap acrylic paint sets can be found at Michael's or places like it, and watercolors can be found for very cheap as well. Likewise thread and needles aren't very expensive either. Specific advice: Seriously consider finding a class to take on whatever hobby you choose. Having other beginners of the same level makes making mistakes not as big of a deal, and the social aspect of it will help to replace a solitary bad habit with a better, social one. If this hobby is starting as a way to keep from drinking, doing it in a situation where drinking is not an option will help. Also, a hobby should be fun: if, after a few weeks, you're actively having a bad time with your hobby then don't be afraid to try a new one. Just make sure you give yourself a chance to actually see if you enjoy the hobby or not.
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Oct 15, 2017 22:30
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That is all fantastic advice. I'm going to see if I can find a class in my lovely area. Hopefully there will be something. Buy you're absolutely right. Having it being a social activity would also hit a major... major need.
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Oct 16, 2017 00:22
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Photography is relatively cheap to get into as well.
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Oct 16, 2017 04:38
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Ehhh if you get into photography it can become quite the slippery slope of costs with getting better bodies, lenses, and lighting equipment. Granted it’s rare to have to re-buy things.
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Oct 16, 2017 04:42
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Pennywise the Frown posted:That is all fantastic advice. I'm going to see if I can find a class in my lovely area. Hopefully there will be something. Buy you're absolutely right. Having it being a social activity would also hit a major... major need. Community colleges are good places to start, if there's one nearby. lots of times they will offer classes in a variety of subjects for relatively cheap. The Dave posted:Ehhh if you get into photography it can become quite the slippery slope of costs with getting better bodies, lenses, and lighting equipment. Granted it’s rare to have to re-buy things. A cheap beginner camera off ebay shouldn't be too hard to find. The nice thing about photography, drawing, and painting is that you can buy cheap starter materials and scale up when you need to, rather than having to shell out a bunch of bucks at the beginning when you're not sure if you'll stick with it or not.
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Oct 16, 2017 08:46
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I'm the type of person that would buy some crazy rear end camera and have it sit on my dresser forever and use it once a year. I've always wanted to get into photography but I don't know what I'd do with it. It'd be neat to take a class though just to learn how to take a decent picture. I have a lot of outdoor hobbies I'd like to pursue, it's just hard finding others to do them with me. I've been using meetup with very limited success. Plus winter is coming here soon and that really changes things. Then it's basically x-country skiing since it's flat here, snowshoeing which I enjoy and have my own shoes, ice fishing, and getting frost bite. I'm sure there's other stuff I don't know of that people do here. I'm sort of looking for something I can do at home while sitting around. I picked up a $10 7" x 5" counted cross stitch thing of two wolves from Michael's yesterday. I plan on doing that at night when there's nothing going on.
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Oct 16, 2017 12:57
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Hey everyone. I was going to ask this in the DIY Hobby forum but apparently there isn't a general hobby questions thread. Ohhh my friend have I got a hobby for you. I've been knitting since high school and turn 30 in a few months. I take yarn with me anywhere I expect to have significant downtime partly because it's so portable and because I often need to have something to do with my hands. Last year I also started dyeing yarn after some 15 years of knitting, which has been extremely rewarding because I love color and because I am a control freak. It's only a matter of time before I start spinning my own yarn and buy some sheep. I have the Rainman-itis and knitting is very often a single thing for me to focus on when I get sensory overload and a way to help me relax. I'm not the only one--there are multiple programs in US prisons where inmates knit as a means of meditation, relaxation, productivity and learning a new skill, and just recreation. Don't worry about your dexterity. It'll come with practice. The startup costs can be quite low. The cheapest way to get rolling is to buy one of those sets of 3 straight aluminum needles from Walmart or wherever and some cheap Red Heart yarn and knit a scarf. You'd be out about 10 bucks. You can pick up a pretty good complete set of aluminum interchangeable circular needles, which are the most versatile because you can knit nearly anything from flat scarves, dish towels if that's your thing, to sweaters and hats in the round on a circular needle for about $50. e: Singles are like $8 a pop. Knitting isn't a way to replace your wardrobe or home goods on the cheap by any means, but it's a way to make things you designed or from patterns you like and do something you enjoy at the same time. You can make Celtic designs either in your color work or in cables. It's also a good way to burn through audio books if that's your thing, too. Back to cost, most any hobby is as expensive as you make it. Some hobbies require expensive supplies to do it in any enjoyable way (I wouldn't want to do film photography without access to a darkroom, for instance) while with others you'll only acquire those tools as your mastery dictates it. For me, knitting was really in the latter category. BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 16, 2017 |
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Oct 16, 2017 16:36
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I'm the type of person that would buy some crazy rear end camera and have it sit on my dresser forever and use it once a year. I've always wanted to get into photography but I don't know what I'd do with it. It'd be neat to take a class though just to learn how to take a decent picture. Maybe you'd like woodcarved paintings/ink. Pick a design, get a block of wood, some cheap wood tools (at most art supploes shops, Target, etc.), and then you can do some quick prints of anything. So you can have your cool celtic designs, but it relies more on carving/hand work than the dexterity that comes with drawing or painting, and it's easy to make multiple copies for practice or gifts, etc.
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Oct 16, 2017 16:41
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NancyPants posted:Ohhh my friend have I got a hobby for you. Knitting sounds fun and would probably be a great fit but whenever I think of it, as you said, I think of big scarves and stuff like that. I really don't have a use for those. Well, not yet at least. I always picture these big fluffy yarn things when I think of knitting. Can you make designs with very thin yarn? Like could I make some sort of celtic design and press it into a frame so it doesn't look all frizzy? Sorry, I know nothing of this stuff.
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Oct 16, 2017 17:57
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Knitting sounds fun and would probably be a great fit but whenever I think of it, as you said, I think of big scarves and stuff like that. I really don't have a use for those. Well, not yet at least. I always picture these big fluffy yarn things when I think of knitting. Can you make designs with very thin yarn? Like could I make some sort of celtic design and press it into a frame so it doesn't look all frizzy? Yeah, you can pretty much do whatever you want with yarn. You can stick it in a frame and hang it on the wall, make wearable things out of it, make things for your house out of it, etc. Here are a ton of celtic cables: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#view=captioned_thumbs&page=1&query=celtic&sort=best If you go to the front page of Ravelry there is some intricate colorwork featured right now. It uses very fine yarn (laceweight) to get defined color patterns and you can see that they aren't fuzzy at all. Browse around a bit. If you see something you like, try it out. We've got a knitting thread in CC. If nothing strikes your fancy, no harm done.
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Oct 16, 2017 23:19
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Ravelry won't let you see anything unless you join. Just always goes to the sign up page. 
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Oct 17, 2017 00:46
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Ravelry won't let you see anything unless you join. Just always goes to the sign up page. It's a free site, just register with a throwaway gmail account. I'll just add another thing here. You have tons of options for hobbies. You know what you want to make - celtic knotwork designs - so honestly, there is no wrong choice for your hobby. Literally any of the hobbies posted above, with the exception of photography, would lend themselves really well to what you want to do, and why you want to do it. Pick a hobby to try, take $20 to a hobby store to buy some beginner materials, and try it out. If you don't like it, take $20 from your next paycheck and try a new one. If you like the one you picked, keep at it, maybe take $20 and buy some nicer materials next month. Also, forgive me if I'm projecting at all here. It just seems like you are SO CLOSE to making a really, really good decision an letting some minutiae keep you from actually moving forward on it so keep that in mind for the next paragraph: I've been in a similar situation before, and I understand completely how difficult it is to break out of an established, unhealthy-yet-comfortable routine. So take it from someone who's been there and understands your general situation: literally the only wrong choice you can make is to continue to hem and haw about which hobby is the correct one, and to let inconsequential barriers (like having to create a free account on a free site to get free patterns) keep you from doing something. Any hobby you choose is a good choice right now, because your goal at this moment isn't to find The Perfect Hobby That You Will Love Forever™, it's to start trying new things and get out of old habits and onto the path of finding something you love that will also not be a negative influence on your life. The first step towards that is the hardest, it gets easier each time until suddenly it's not a big deal anymore. Take it from someone who's been there.
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Oct 17, 2017 10:06
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gmc9987 posted:Also, forgive me if I'm projecting at all here. It just seems like you are SO CLOSE to making a really, really good decision an letting some minutiae keep you from actually moving forward on it so keep that in mind for the next paragraph: Holy poo poo you have me down to the T. Like, almost creepily so. You seem like a really good person and I'm going to take your advice. I'm going to sign up for that site right now and buy some beginning knitting materials. edit: I want to start with something small so maybe a coaster or something. When I google beginner knitting projects a scarf comes up a lot. I'm sure I'll find something interesting to get me started. Thanks again man. Pennywise the Frown fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Oct 17, 2017 |
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Oct 17, 2017 17:23
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Hi, i don't know if this is the right forum/thread to ask (please link me to the correct one if this isn't it, thanks!), but i want to start doing Youtube videos for gaming and i don't want to pay for Adobe Premier considering i am doing it as a once in a while hobby. Are there any good open source idiot proof alternatives? I just want to be able to add voiceovers, splice together different videos into one video, maybe do some scene transition effects... not sure what else i would need besides that, but i doubt i need anything super advanced. Thanks! Mister Fister fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Oct 17, 2017 |
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Oct 17, 2017 20:26
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I bought some needles and thread earlier today. The woman there game me some patterns for scarves which I don't know how to read yet. I signed up for that Ravelry site so I'll have to see what that's all about.
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Oct 18, 2017 06:18
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I bought some needles and thread earlier today. The woman there game me some patterns for scarves which I don't know how to read yet. I signed up for that Ravelry site so I'll have to see what that's all about. Don't forget to post your progress for advice and encouragement! Do we have a thread for threadwork? Traditional thread, maybe?
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Oct 18, 2017 12:06
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I looked and didn't see one but I know that have one in the DIY thread. I'll certainly take pictures of how stuff is going, good or bad.
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Oct 18, 2017 16:08
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I looked and didn't see one but I know that have one in the DIY thread. We have a knitting thread. It's called Show Us Your Knits. I'm going to come off as a huge bitch here: part of your quest to find a new hobby is, I'm assuming, an attempt to get your life right. You weren't born yesterday, so you have some resources at your disposal, not least of which seem to be a working internet connection and hopefully some initiative. You can do these simple things, you are not helpless.
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Oct 18, 2017 17:31
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NancyPants posted:We have a knitting thread. It's called Show Us Your Knits. Uh... I know this? I'm not sure what you're getting at or why. I'm looking for advice from goons who happen to be in a forum about creativity and hobbies. I don't know. Makes complete sense to me. Also: Pennywise the Frown posted:I looked and didn't see one but I know that have one in the DIY thread. The knitting thread is not here. It's in the DIY forum. As I said.
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Oct 19, 2017 03:31
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I'm getting old.... I have a grand-daughter who turns 13 next month and is an aspiring artist. I know nothing about drawing besides how to click the order button on Amazon. She does a lot of sketching in sketch books , mostly of anime stuff. She's asking for a stylus that plugs into her PC (Windows). Without breaking the bank, can someone recommend some kind of graphics hardware and software that might work with her computer? daslog fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Oct 20, 2017 |
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Oct 20, 2017 15:45
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Uh... I know this? I'm not sure what you're getting at or why. I'm looking for advice from goons who happen to be in a forum about creativity and hobbies. I don't know. Makes complete sense to me. You have everything you need to start knitting: supplies, patterns, online resources for beginners. Go forth and knit, my son. Make an ugly thing for your first try, then make the second one not so ugly. If you are still having fun in two weeks, keep at it! If not, try a different hobby! Post your results in the knitting thread or start a crocheting thread here in the creative convention. Your last few posts have't really been asking for advice, but rather updating us on the small steps you're taking towards starting your hobby. This is fantastic, and you're great for doing it, I mean that sincerely. But this thread also isn't really built to provide what you need/want from it - it's a stickied thread for asking quick questions, getting quick answers, and then getting out of town. Take a look at the knitting thread and start posting in there with questions you might have, and check to see if there are any knitting groups in your area that are meeting. Essentially, you need to actually start knitting now - you're not going to get much more out of this conversation until that happens. daslog posted:I'm getting old.... There's a wacom/tablet thread in this forum that has some specific info in it. I can tell you that a small Wacom Intuos is a little less than a hundred USD, and if you don't want to break the bank with software, Autodesk Sketchbook Pro is $25/year but also comes with a free (feature-limited) version to try out and see if she likes it. There's other quality software as well, but I only know Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop.
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Oct 20, 2017 19:23
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That makes much more sense and thanks for explaining that to me. I have some work to do. 
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Oct 20, 2017 23:57
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I used to write all the time and got out of the habit recently, when I had a kid and had to work full time again. I want to start a blog and maybe eventually do freelance writing, but that's a topic for the other thread. It's blogging a waste of time? What platform should I blog on if it isn't a waste? Do I need to pick a theme and stick with it, or can I just write about whatever is on my mind? I guess the goal I have with blogging is to be able to point to my blog when asked for a portfolio since I don't have any experience as a freelancer. Is that a terrible idea?
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Oct 23, 2017 14:56
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daslog posted:I'm getting old.... for software Fire Alpaca has been gaining a lot of popularity lately, which is nice because it's free. Sai and Clip Studio (sometimes sold as Manga Studio but works just fine as regular painting software) are also popular and both much cheaper than photoshop. Photoshop is the industry standard but certainly not required to make great art. Fire Alpaca is a pretty good starting point though, or if there's a sale you can get clip studio for around 20 bucks. Wacom makes good tablets, Huion probably makes the best and least expensive knock offs. Though don't go by manufacturer alone, look into the reviews for the specific tablet before you purchase. Also if she does a lot of sketching/traditional and likes comics and manga, you can also get her one of these at some point: https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Pocket-Brush-Refills-GFKP3BPA/dp/B002LJRKN8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8 A lot of people have learned to ink with that brush pen and it's much beloved by comic artists. Only downside is you do have to buy refills but they aren't too expensive.
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Oct 23, 2017 15:33
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wookieepelt posted:I used to write all the time and got out of the habit recently, when I had a kid and had to work full time again. I want to start a blog and maybe eventually do freelance writing, but that's a topic for the other thread. It's blogging a waste of time? What platform should I blog on if it isn't a waste? Do I need to pick a theme and stick with it, or can I just write about whatever is on my mind? I guess the goal I have with blogging is to be able to point to my blog when asked for a portfolio since I don't have any experience as a freelancer. Is that a terrible idea? What kind of freelance writing are you hoping to do in the future?
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Oct 23, 2017 20:13
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VelociBacon posted:What kind of freelance writing are you hoping to do in the future? I guess I haven't thought about that. A lot of what I've seen (and been interested in) is for articles on company blogs or for copywriters. I need to get started somewhere and most places want to see a portfolio, and I can't build up a portfolio of professional work if I can't get a job. My short term goal is to supplement my income and my long term goal is to do freelance writing for a career.
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Oct 24, 2017 02:05
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I'm not sure on apostrophe placement. Is it, I hope to expand my horizons while exploring a culture foreign to that of the United State's. or I hope to expand my horizons while exploring a culture foreign to that of the United States’. rizuhbull fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Nov 1, 2017 |
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Nov 1, 2017 20:55
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The latter.
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Nov 1, 2017 21:10
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ufarn posted:The latter.
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Nov 1, 2017 21:11
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rizuhbull posted:I asked my online friend (not an editor, but creatively writes for fun) who said the "of the" already marks possession so it's neither. Does that sound wrong? They exampled it with "We the people of the United States, not We the United States' people" I was about to write a post agreeing with your friend
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Nov 1, 2017 21:14
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"Of" is genitive/possessive, yes, so it's probably redundant with the apostrophe, if that's possible as an option outside the two. I just assumed it was for an assignment or something as the sentence construction was a little wonky as it was, and you could always have cheated with "the US" in case you could try something else.
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Nov 1, 2017 22:16
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What software do I want for writing a novel on a Mac? I'm writing a technical nonfiction book and want something that I can use to gather up different sections of different versions, rearrange them, A/B them, notate, etc.
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Nov 4, 2017 06:58
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Yeah there's no apostrophe there.
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Nov 4, 2017 10:45
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What's a good pen/stylus. It'd be for an iPad, probably ProCreate since it sounds so good.
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Nov 4, 2017 18:16
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PRADA SLUT posted:What software do I want for writing a novel on a Mac? Scrivener sounds like exactly what you want. Let's you do everything you mentioned, and also lets you view everything as a giant corkboard and move things around like they're actual index cards.
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Nov 5, 2017 02:36
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Where would one go to find professional or semi-professional painters and illustrators for something like a book cover? I've looked at Fiverr and Hire an Illustrator but I'm not seeing a lot of good matches for what I want, and much of the quality is quite low. Both of those sites seem "budget" oriented, while I'm willing to pay more for professional-quality work. I've found a few artist portfolios via random searching on Behance and DeviantArt but it's a huge job to sort the wheat from the chaff on those.
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Nov 7, 2017 17:59
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First of all, my portfolio is at https://www.mcthrill.com - Not sure what style you're interested in, but if mine piques your interest feel free to contact me and we can work something out for whatever budget you have in mind. If you let me know what style you're interested in, I may also have some illustrator/designer friends who better fit what you're looking for. To your questions, unfortunately that's what it takes to find quality candidates. Fiverr, Elance, 99Designs, etc. are all filled with budget designers from places with extremely cheap costs of living. Every one of those sites is a race directly to the bottom in terms of quality/price, but speaking as a freelance designer myself: 99Designs is the worst, every proposal you get there is finished but the only designer who gets any compensation for their work is the one you pick as the winner. It's totally degrading of my profession and the skill needed to create cool things.
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Nov 7, 2017 23:50
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