New Drawings, Getting Organized, and Catching Up

It has been a long, tiring summer so packed with activity that I've let the house fall apart a bit.  I'm putting the pieces back together now that the busy levels have gone down somewhat.  The house is getting cleaned room by room.  Paperwork is being organized.  Even my stamp collection is finally getting into its album.

I have a few weeks with little Cub Scout responsibility beyond the norm so I'm taking this time to make sure the pack records are all up to date and setting in place systems so that I can give the Membership Chairman job to someone else.

I've also been invited to teach at the University of Scouting/Program and Training Conference in January.  My Wood Badge patrol did an awesome presentation about recruitment and I would love to work with them to expand it and teach it to a different audience.  It has also been heavily suggested that I teach a class about using music in Cub Scouts since I'm most often known outside my own pack as the music guy.  Not bad for someone who can't play an instrument and can barely carry a tune.

My art is progressing rather well.  I've been doing a lot of work with ballpoint pens and am thrilled that things are coming out so well.  I started out with that media oh so many years ago and am returning to it.

I've also been participating in a weekly figure drawing workshop at Arts Umbrella in Bothell with live nude models.  I think this, more than anything, has propelled my art forward.  I've done a lot of artistic nude and a few erotic artist trading cards but drawing from life while surrounded by amazing artists to draw inspiration from has been invaluable.  In order to keep them off my blog where kids and the morally outraged can see them I have put all of my NSFW drawings on their own tumblr.  Please take a gander if you like.    Comments are welcome.  http://brassduckstudio.tumblr.com/

Here are some of the other drawings I've been working on.

I love the Cowardly Lion

The following cards were made to represent the 7 Wood Badge Patrols at my recent course.

Bear

Beaver

Bobwhite Quail

Buffalo

Eagle.  The drawing is older but is one of my favorites and I shrank it to ATC size as a print.

Fox!  My awesome patrol!

Owl

Political Memes, A Better Way

I have Internet friends who are chain posting images this morning either slamming Obama or the Republicans or Congress in general.  You are angry and it seems to you that sending out a dozen photos of quotes, half truths, and general "rabble rabble rabble" will somehow bring attention to your point-of-view.  My feed is so full of all of these that it is getting tricky to find things people actually write.

I know that people are passionate about politics.  I am too.  I would like to offer you a couple of suggestions before you send out that next meme.

1.  Do a quick search to make sure the sentiment you are reposting is actually true.  I've seen 3 this morning already that a simple search of any of a half dozen de-bunking sites would show you are just Internet lies.  Just because it is on the Internet and you agree with it doesn't make it true.  No matter HOW much you want it to be true/have faith that it is true/"my faith in God is stronger than fact so shut up!"  Yeah, I've heard all of those.

2.  Instead of posting a half dozen meme like blurbs from other people take a few minutes and actually write your thoughts down and print that.  Make it personal.  Don't just spout anger aimlessly into the ether.  Direct it and start a conversation.  You will come across as far more intelligent, and people may actually learn something.  Until we actually engage our brains (which batch cross posting meme pictures does not do) we will never move past the anger stage and start working on a solution to our problems.

3.  If you are discussing Obamacare, do be aware that it is a nickname for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and not a different law.  You look like an idiot when you say how evil Obamacare is and wish we could just pass the ACA instead.  Even polls show people don't realize they are the same thing.  The ACA is way more popular, showing that a good name is worth a lot.

4.  Politeness will get you more people paying attention to your views than cursing and vitriol.  You don't have to reply to every comment someone makes telling you that your opinion is garbage.  Don't feed the trolls.  It only encourages them to breed.

Wood Badge

I spent the last 3 days at Fire Mountain Scout Camp near Mt. Vernon, Washington doing advanced Boy Scouts leadership training in a program called Wood Badge.  35 adult Scout leaders from Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts and Venturing Scouts were all divided into patrols (Woo Fox Patrol!) and given many challenges and lectures to increase our leadership skills and give us ideas on how to make Scouting even better.

We started off day one joining the Cub Scouts.  We played Cub Scout games and our Den Leaders directed everything we did.  Eventually we graduated to Boy Scouts and our den became a patrol.  Our Den Leader became our Troop Guide.  He acted as our advisor and taught several sections of the course.  As a patrol we elected a patrol leader, scribe, chaplain's aide, and assistant patrol leader and we rotated through the roles.  As the weekend went on our Troop Guide pulled back in increments until the patrol was pretty much doing its own thing while he sat back and nudged us when we needed it.  Just like a real Boy Scout Patrol.

We had team building exercises and had to write reports and make plans for a group project and listened to many speakers.  Through it all were songs, games, skits, stunts, contests, and the occasional flag thievery by mischievous Foxes.

We began at 7 am and went until 9 pm with only very short breaks.  To say it was intense is an understatement.  By the time we left late Saturday afternoon we were all exhausted but enthusiasm was high.  I somehow managed to injure my shoulder and it has been bugging me all day today.  Hopefully that will go away soon.

We go back in October for another 3 day weekend.  The difference with this one is that we will be hiking to a campground at the Scout Reservation and will be doing everything as a patrol including our own cooking.  We will be running a campfire service and an interfaith worship service.

One of the big aspects of Wood Badge is that each person must complete a major problem, called a ticket sometime in the next 18 months.  These projects are supposed to impact the Scouts around us and many consider them on par with some Eagle Scout projects as far as time invested and work completed.  It is one of the most challenging parts of the program.

I decided to make Cub Scout Day Camp my ticket.  Our outgoing Day Camp Director, Rosina, put over 600 hours into planning and implementing this year's program and since I'm already signed up to do it I figured there was no point putting in a couple hundred hours on a separate project when I could use my ticket to make this year's even better.  Thankfully Rosina was able to sit down and help me has out the multiple goals that the Ticket requires.  There is still some work to do on these but they are:

1.  To complete additional advanced training at BSA National Camp School in March.
2.  To implement an overview the "Leave No Trace/Outdoor Ethics" program into the nature study station including training the station leader.
3.  To implement the Boy Scout Slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily" as part of the Citizenship station, including training the station leader.
4.  To implement the theme of "Community Service" throughout the Camp, culminating in a "Scouting For Food" food drive for local food banks.
5.  To successfully complete the 2014 Silver Lake Day Camp.

This will be a lot of work but I think it will impact a lot of kids (150-200) as well as the community.

So while I am so tired I can barely move, I am excited for the coming months as the second weekend of Wood Badge comes and goes and I move into the Day Camp process.

Before that though, Tuesday is the first Bear Den Meeting of the new year!!!

This is a photo of the Fox patrol's rocket.  Ours outflew the other 6 patrols and won most creative use of materials award.  It was modeled to look like our totem but most of the decorations were inside the bottle to minimize air resistance in flight.

Professional Volunteerism

I am a stay-at-home dad.  My wife makes a good income as an accountant and it allows me to stay home and raise our son.  A few years ago I decided that if I was going to stay on this route I needed to give back to the community and I chose Cub Scouts as the means to that end.

Cub Scouts offers so much for young boys.  Aside from the many useful skills (knots, camping, building pinewood derby cars) they also learn how to grow up in a positive way.  One of my fellow Scouters says "We are raising men."  We teach boys how to protect themselves in a very dangerous world of online predators, and predators at home and at school.  Bullying is dealt with firmly but with an attitude of instruction to make both the bully and the bullied better people.  We teach that to live in a community one must give back to it through service.  Our Pack has many community service projects throughout the year that give the boys a foundation of giving that will last throughout their lives.

When I sat as a parent in my son's first Pack meeting and they put out a call for a Tiger Den Leader, I jumped at the opportunity.  I determined then and there that I was going to embrace Cub Scouts, not just for my son, but for my own betterment as well.  I'm going into my third year as Den Leader and also am an aggressive voice on the Pack Committee.  Our Pack has a phenomenal program with unbelievably dedicated leaders and I'm so thrilled to be working with them.

Last year I decided it was time to move to the next step of service.  That would start with training.  The Boy Scouts have a leadership program called Wood Badge.  It is an intensive series of meetings and a series of personal, pack, and community betterment projects.  I will be attending the first 3 day session at Camp Fire Mountain in a couple of weeks.  I am both excited and a bit intimidated.  This is a big step up because it moves me out of the Pack level of Scouts and into a larger one.

Just as I was getting my head wrapped around Wood Badge, I was approached to be Camp Director of the 2014 Silver Lake Day Camp. I had told myself a month earlier, inspired by the movie, "Yes Man," that I would accept any job that Cub Scouts offered.  Wow, was I not expecting this!  Day Camp is held over 4 days and can have up to 200 kids and dozens of adults and Boy Scout helpers.  Together with the Program Director and other key staff I will be responsible for organizing fun and exciting programs for kids going into 1st through 5th grades.

Part of taking the job as Camp Director is that I must attend National Camping School.  So this is the year that I move up in my volunteering level and take on more responsibilities than ever before.  I know I am capable.  I know the cause is awesome.  There is some trepidation, but overwhelmed by excitement.

Remember to do something good for someone else every day.

New Art Challenge And Adult Nude Art

My Wonder Woman drawing should be ready to post tomorrow.  I know I've said that before but I'm being a perfectionist.

In the next 4 weeks I have 25 artist trading cards to complete.  My goal is to have them all done a week before my September 20th birthday.

1 Naughty card for a "Play It Forward" swap.
3 Ocean critters (I'm hosting)
3 Super Women (I'm hosting)
6 Naughty Nudes (I'm hosting)
4 People Practice (face, hand, body)
4 Landscapes created en plein air
4 Lions

Goal:  By 5pm tomorrow (8/15) 1 Naughty card, 2 Ocean critters card, 1 Wonder Woman drawing.

The swaps I am hosting end next week so I really need to focus on those.  The tricky part is that I have Cub Scout Day Camp all next week so it is going to cut into my time a lot.  I may have to take a sketchbook with me for the non-naughty cards.

A fan asked me what I do with all the nude cards I have.  I have hosted several swaps and have a lot of cards.  I'm still learning figure drawing and it helps me to draw nudes.  On a shelf in my den are two notebooks.  One is labeled "Artist Trading Cards" and has all of my safe for children cards.  I will be starting a second one soon as this one is out of room.

Next to it is one titled "Nude Artist Trading Cards" on the spine  It has all of my not safe for children cards.  They are are high enough to be avoided by small children. I don't allow kids other than my son in the den anyway.  Right now nudes, even artistic ones, are icky to Caleb.  Once he gets old enough to be curious he is welcome to explore them if he wants.  None of it is pornographic.  I don't hide them because I think it does more harm to hide.  Nudity and body image and sexuality are things we all deal with and hiding them makes them taboo.  Only negative things come from that.

I don't post my nude cards on this blog but you can see them in my gallery at http://www.atcsforall.com/forum/gallery/index.php?u=2980 or on deviant art at http://sasjhwa.deviantart.com/.  For both sites you will need to create an account.  At ATCsForAll you will need to request access to the adult gallery.  At DeviantArt you will need to turn off the mature filter.  At both sites you can see my non-adult cards without membership.  If you stop in feel free to leave a comment so I know you were hanging out.

If you are interested in joining any of the 3 swaps I'm hosting, cards have to be to me by August 22.  Folks in the Pacific Northwest should be able to do that.  Hand delivery is okay if you contact me first.

New Art Cards, and Project Reports

I have been drawing a lot lately.  I've been forcing myself to draw at least a half hour a day.  Part of that involves the 30 minute timed session on http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/.  In 30 minutes I have to draw ten 30 second sketches, four 1 minute sketches, two 5 minutes 45 second sketches and one 11 1/2 minutes sketches.  All are of nude models, both male and female.  What I am finding is that by the time I get to the final sketch I'm warmed up and ready to put in a lot of detail and even managed to get some shading done today.

In July I had a lot of projects to do.  Some succeeded while others did not.

The 50,000 word novel - Fail.  I got close but decided victory by typing out something that didn't fit the plot wasn't true victory.

24 page zine.  Done.  I will have it in a printable form soon.

Wonder Woman drawing.  It vexes me.  It may be that perfection is the enemy of the good in this case.  I plan to do one final version and that is it.  I want it delivered as soon as possible.

1 Undersea Critter art card.  Not Done.

4 Flora/Fauna art cards. Done.  The seagull is older but was submitted for the swap anyway.

I am a fairly private person.  My wife is about the only person that I share the deeper parts of myself with.  This week I shared something with another person that I trust.  I won't go into details (you can't get my secrets that easily!) but sharing something that I have not voiced for so many years to an understanding soul is liberating.  Parts of it I have held onto since I was a teenager and saying it to my confidante has liberated part of myself that has been blocking my creativity for decades.  I am finding myself reflecting heavily on it in my sketch diary.  No, you don't get to see those drawings!  Stop trying to figure my stuff out!  

I've also been listening to a lot of Willie Nelson so that may be contributing to a shift in my mental state.  :-)

An Open Letter to Lynnwood, Washington

Dear Drivers in Lynnwood, Washington,

I love your fine city and I enjoy coming to visit.  I love coming to your mall.  I enjoy swimming in your pool.  I don't enjoy standing outside Games Workshop once again disappointed that they are not open in the morning but that's not your fault.

I love that your pedestrian signals all say "Please Wait" and then beep excitedly when it is time for me to cross.  I like using your crosswalks and I take advantage of these wonderful amenities many times each day when I visit your fair city.

A problem has arisen that you need to be aware of.  When it is my turn to cross the street and the alarm is gleefully encouraging me on; after I have looked both ways and also back to the turn lane to make sure it is safe; after I have taken my young son's hand and taken my first five steps into your crosswalks ...

...this is not the time to race up to the light and make that right hand turn without slowing down!  Maybe if you slowed down you would see that there are happy visitors to your town right where you want to be.  You could then have enough time to stop and let us have the right of way that our laws grant us.

What has happened five times in the last week is that you have not observed this civil courtesy.  Instead I have to violently pull myself and my son out of the reach of your two ton death machine while you wave "oops" at me while speeding on your way.

Perhaps  you are the one driver who actually on his brakes, leaving tire marks on the pavement in a friendly manner as you realized you could not accelerate fast enough to keep my innards off your bumper?  Flipping me off for stopping your speed record is not friendly behavior and will not get your car moving any faster.

I want to continue to enjoy Lynnwood for many years to come.  When you want to turn across a crosswalk, slow down.  Stop even.  Look for the vulnerable visitors who love to visit but don't want to be buried in your beautiful town.

Sincerely,

Michael Dyer
Mill Creek, Washington