I Can Fix What I Break.

     I have an interview tomorrow, which is for that photography job, and then I should have my orientation this Thursday for the new job that I actually have. After that, I have about 5 days or so of trainman, and hopefully officially start in my new position the following weekend. This is going to be a blast. 

     Speaking of photography. Like how I made that segue into this whole thing. I have been working on photos all week from the skateboard shoot, and I'm still not fully done with them, but I'm getting close. I did one today, that I'm pretty proud of, and I'm going to post that on CSP on Wednesday, but I'm going to give you the free preview right here, and right now.

     A little bit about this photo. When I started making adjustments to it, I began to see certain little details going wrong, but the overall effect was looking good. The main problem was in the details of her face. When I toned the luminance of the orange in the picture, it created dark blotches on her face, and that was a definite no go, but as I said before, the overall effect was really good. Once I was done adjusting color, tint, detail, and all that good stuff, I broke out the paintbrush. I only masked out areas on her face that were only skin tone. The eyes, features of the nose, and mouth were all left out, then I simply adjusted the dehaze and clarity. Bringing them both done, and got the effect that is above. It smoothed out the blotches and brought the proper color back into her face. I'm really happy that it all came together, because I really wanted to get this picture right.

     I completed my other test piece on the, let's call it, The Deathly Hallows wand stand. I do believe that I will do one more test piece before I call it a go. If the next test piece comes out right, then I'm going to make that one side of the stand and start on the other one. Then I only will have 8 more pieces of that puzzle to put together. Yeah, this is going to be a complicated piece, but when it is done, it is going to look great. Anyway, here are the side by side comparison of the different ways I can go with the piece.

     Ok, you have to ignore the shape of the piece on the left. That is only a piece of wood that I could carve out the symbol on. the next piece will be the final test piece on shape and design. The one on the right is a great deal easier to do, and I truly believe I can recreate that again and again. the piece on the left, is super complicated, and I'm not quite as sure about recreating that one as readily. Guess which one Elie chose to do on the piece. If you were going with insanely complicated one on the left, then you are correct. I will have to refine it a little more. I did still make some mistakes on it, with width of certain border lines and what not, but I do like the overall look of it. 

     We are going to stain it the same color red as my wand stand, and then I'm going to hand paint the inlay. We haven't settled on a color for that yet, but it is all about making the symbol pop. This is going to take a long time to complete, so don't expect to see the finished product anytime soon. Especially if I get the photography job. I will only be able to work on this in the evenings and light will be an issue. Even though the lounge is extremely well lit, when the door is open, it blocks a lot of the light, and I like doing all the carving and sanding by the entrance to the lounge. It's kind of like I'm that old man whittling wood on the front porch. It's really fun and relaxing working with you hands in this way. A little dangerous too. I get really intimate with the Dremel and have my bare fingers really close to where it is taking material away from the area of the symbol. A sane person would clamp it to a table and move around it, but what is the fun and sense of adventure in that. Before you ask, yes, I have ground down parts of my fingers on a few occasions. None on the last piece though. So, I'm getting much better at it.

     One last note, before I call it a night (or day, which is what it is). I got to have lunch with one of the best people I know yesterday. She is one of the three. If you have been reading this for any length of time, you know of the three women that saved my life when I was at my lowest point, and hours from calling it on this thing called life. She has a new baby that is absolutely precious. It is always great to catch up with here. She is one of those friends where there is no beginning or end to a conversation, it simply picks up where it left off when we see each other. She is currently having some health concerns right now, that doctors don't quite have a grasp on. It is affecting her diet and how she has to eat. As of right now, she is in no danger, but as long as they don't know what is going on, she still has to watch very closely what she eats. It would mean a great deal to me, if you just simply send some positive vibes her way, so that she can get clear off all this, and live the stress free and happy life she so deserves.

     That's it for me. I need to wash some clothes, and then sit back and watch some tv. I got an interview tomorrow, and I want to be fully relaxed and ready for it. Peace in and goodnight.