Poem: Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break your bones
But words cause lasting pain.
Their impact’s soft, you brush them off
But your bones they irradiate.

Sticks and stones may bruise your skin
But words are a cancerous fist.
They grow inside and though you may hide
The damage, it’s hard to miss.

Sticks and stones may build a home,
But words give warmth and light.
So choose your words with grace and care
And be aware: they are tools abused in fights.

Painting With Coffee, Part 2: Painting Seattle

Now that you've made your coffee ink, it's time to paint something with it. I decided on a stylized rendering of the Seattle skyline based off of this photo:

As you can see, it's not an exact replica so we don't need to worry too much about precision.

How To Paint Seattle With Coffee

First, gather your materials. You will need: several small paintbrushes, watercolor paper, pencil/eraser, paper towel (for blotting), a jar of clean water, and your coffee ink (this can also be done with liquid India ink and/or watercolor).

Block out the buildings with a light pencil and a light hand. Don't press hard; your ink will pool in places where the paper's been dented. Afterwards, lightly erase your marks so they're only just visible (I recommend a kneaded eraser but pink's fine, just don't press too hard).

Ink should be applied from light to dark, so give your dark areas a light underpainting first. Always allow to dry before layering any ink on top.

Begin adding detail and darkening, working your way from the top down (background to foreground) to create the "dripping" affect.

Continue at this, allowing time to dry between layers. There's no shortcuts, just pay attention to the details and keep a relaxed hand. Start to add in details.

Darken certain areas you want to stand out. Actually, here's an artist's tip for you: if any part of your drawing ever doesn't make sense, make it darker. I do this aaaaaaall the time.

When you're happy with how the city's turned out, it will then be time to add in the water. To do so you are going to need to create a wet wash. First get the affected portion of your paper wet and then prop it up so it's sitting at an angle. The next thing is to take your brush and apply ink to the waterline, adding more in areas you want to drip further or be darker. You may have to work it several times to get the look you want. Just be patient, and wait for it to dry before adding more layers.

The very final step is to add a subtle sky with just the hint of clouds. Normally, you should do the background first, but it's such a light background that it doesn't make much difference to save it for last.

And there you have it! I hope you had fun.

Painting With Coffee, Part 1: Making the Ink

Making your own ink can be a fun and creative project as well as a very personalized approach to art. You don't need to be a chemist to make it work either. Think of drawing with ink as no more than controlling a stain on a piece of paper. Anything that creates a stain potentially can make ink.

One of the simplest inks to make is coffee based. Coffee is relatively easy to get a hold of, and it doesn't require much equipment to work with. As an added bonus, it just seems an appropriate medium for drawing something like Seattle (coming next week) and creates a beautiful sepia tone.

How to make ink from coffee:

1. Gather equipment and ingredients.

Equipment: saucepan, spoon, means of filtration (cheesecloth, french press, or a good old fashioned coffee filter will work fine) and a little glass jar for final storage

Ingredients: coffee (beans or grounds), salt, and vinegar

2. Take three cups of water, heat to boiling, remove from heat, and add approximately 1 cup ground coffee. Allow to steep for thirty minutes or so (the longer it steeps, the darker your results will be), stirring occasionally with a spoon.

NOTE: Coffee should be as dark of a roast as you can acquire and be ground coarse. (Fine ground steeps darker but I find coarse ground easier to filter out. The difference is minimal.) If you have no means of grinding your own beans you will need to buy preground coffee.

3. Strain out all coffee grounds and return the solution to your saucepan.

4. Now you need to reduce your solution. Simmer on medium heat until mixture is reduced to desired thickness and darkness. Be careful it does not burn. I reduced 3 cups of liquid down to 3 ounces (3/8 of a cup), which took about forty five minutes.

5. Once you have reduced the solution enough, place the desired amount in your storage jar. Include your additives, which turn your solution into coffee ink and not simply thick, burnt coffee. For every ounce of coffee solution, add 1/8 tsp of salt (this acts as a preservative) and 1/8 tsp of vinegar (this acts as a mordant).

6. Stir well, allow to cool, and enjoy your new ink!

NOTE: There is no need to worry about your artwork molding. If you are still worried a fixative can be sprayed over the finished picture. If you have no specialty art spray, simple hairspray will do fine. Make sure to spray in a well ventilated area and test it first.

That's all there is to it! Feel free to play around with this formula somewhat. Making ink doesn't have to be an exact science, but there are many possibilities for tone, thickness, and viscosity that can be achieved. Have fun!

Poem: Pilot

I always wished to be a pilot,
(Although I'm afraid of heights)
To tear down the runway
And rocket into the sky.

To feel the motor rumbling,
Unconstricted by highway signs.
To point my nose and boldly go
Wherever I had in mind.

To see a new perspective
On the land below.
The shifting moods of the restless air,
Rising first, then sinking low.

But my stomach rises to my throat
On a roller coaster ride.
I don't think I'd have the nerve
To ever truly fly.