Happy Ffffriday

[stolenmilkcrate.livejournal.com]

O dear, another "metal" dino


If you are known for being the only one in your family able to do something, sooner or later someone comes to you with a request for free advice or labor in said specialty. Some people get their aging parents asking them why their computer screen is spewing pornographic pop-ups.

I get art requests despite feeling that my skills are terribly inadequate.

This one completely confused me.

Mom calls.

Mom: So, I was wondering if you could do me a favor.

Me: Like...?

Mom: So I was at our tax guy's office, we got totally screwed in taxes this year by the way, I mean, it's not even funny, we're going to be hurting, we really need to move-

Me: *silently worrying that I am going to have to bail my mother out financially*

Mom: -and he was saying how stupid we were for moving from southern Missouri where it's nice and warm up to cold Illinois-

Me: *silently thinking the tax guy sounds like a double-douche milkshake*

Mom: -and he said how we would know winter was over because the first robin of the year would be seen skiing! Ha ha!

Me: *silence*

Mom: So I was wondering, if maybe you could do a little drawing?

Me: Of...

Mom: A robin skiing!

Me: ...uh, that-

Mom: It would be so cute, I know you can do it.

Me: Skiing. What kind of skiing.

Mom: On snow! Maybe he can have a little scarf around his neck, that would be cute, don't you think?

Me: Mom this doesn't even make sense, why would a robin be skiing in the snow if warm weather is coming I mean

Mom: I just thought it would be cute! Do you think you can do it?

Me: Uhhhhhh kinda busy-

Mom: It only has to be 4x6 or so, not big.

Me: IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Mom: It's cute!

Me: Fffffffffffff I'll see if I have time.

Mom: I know it will be cute!

---

So anyway this is the angriest I've ever been while drawing a skiing bird. This just made me SO ANGRY. I have no real reason why, it was just so stupid.


(Note, my brain works in such a way that it's perfectly okay for ME to do things that are nonsensical, but when my mom does it, it's RIGHT OUT)


I made these stylized gecko tiles to go into my new lizard enclosure, which was a creation in itself.


I started with an Exo-Terra tank (upper left).

Picked up black 100% silicone, spread it thin on the background and part of the sides. Allowed to dry.

Got grapewood and corkbark, and 3 small peat pots. Figured out how I wanted those to go.

Got Great Stuff foam. Sprayed it around the items as I wanted them. Had to do this in three stages; back, side, other side. Had to allow each side to dry. (1 day a side.)

Used a Dremel sanding bit to cut back some of the larger blobs of foam.

Spread more black silicone on in small patches, covering each patch with bits of coco fiber substrate. Allowed to dry in patches (this step took 2 days).

Vacuumed excess. Patched places where Great Stuff was still showing.

Scraped glass free of excess silicone.

Added hydroponic balls, dirt, and sphagnum peat, and planted. Misted heavily.



A veritable rainbow of dragons:

Main Entry:
ver·i·ta·ble
Pronunciation:
\ˈver-ə-tə-bəl\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from verité
Date:
15th century

: being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary —often used to stress the aptness of a metaphor

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See, I TOLD you dragons were real.

And the Tricera-Cogs: