ACRYLIC POURING: THE FINER SIDE OF CRAZY!!!

Greetings my CRAZIES!!!  It's the last post of April and a couple days past my birthday!  Getting older is always bittersweet, but lately, it's been inspiring me to try new things: New foods, new books, new clothes and, more importantly, new art forms!  Last Christmas, I tried my hand at acrylic paint pouring while making Christmas ornaments for my nephews and nieces.  It was a lot of fun and created some very striking marbling patterns.

As cool as the ornaments turned out, there was one downer: LOTS of paint got wasted!  It's a fairly inexpensive technique to try, but it does add up after awhile, especially considering how many ornaments I made!  When I recently tried paint pouring on some masks for potential sale, I placed them on top of some canvases, thus creating TWO works of art, with vary minimal paint waisted!  These are the final results of the canvases.  I'll share the masks at a later date.  Enjoy...

First two efforts used a mix of canary yellow, emerald green and imperial violet.  There are a million tutorials on how to do acrylic pouring (With Mixed Media Girl on YouTube being VERY highly recommended), but the Cliff Notes version is layer different colored paints in a cup and slowly pour on a blank canvas or object.

More of my mix of canary yellow, emerald green and imperial violet.  Although I liked how these came out, they just weren't very striking visually.

For this piece, I switched out canary yellow with gold and was VERY happy with the results!  You may have noticed I was on a bit of a Mardi Gras kick when I was making these!

This piece was largely inspired by the color scheme of Mike from Mike & Mindy, though I didn't get color of his shorts in.  Still, it does have an awesome ocean vibe to it.  Almost looks like a wave crashing!

Lastly, we do a Mike piece without a piece inspired by Mindy's color scheme as well!  This one I wasn't too thrilled with as the Lavender color overwhelmed everything.  I guess one thing I learned during these attempts is that you wanna be sparing with the darker colors, though I can see the flip side of things too.  Just remember while trying ANY art form really: It's all trial and error until you find your flow!

And that's a wrap on the month of April!  It's been a long hiatus, but the blog art returns next week, so be sure to come back and see what I've cleaned up for proper viewing!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

SEED STARTING... CRAZY STYLE!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Yeah, WonderCon's over and done with and while it his sad, that just means even more cool stuff is on the way and back to full strength no less!  But before we can do any of that, we gotta take care of some stuff at home, like our gardens!  What's that?  You have trouble getting seeds sprouted?  Well kind reader you just happen to be in luck, for I know a good method of starting seeds, especially in climates and seasons when it would be more difficult to do so?  Wanna learn how?  Scroll down and see!  Enjoy...

STEP 1: Get a CLEAR plastic, lidded cup.  As you can see, this particular cup came from McDonalds and yes, it had a Shamrock Shake in it.  What can I say?  They're freakin' delicious!  It's important that the cup be clear because it helps create the greenhouse affect that keeps the soil moist.  Any fast food joint that sells milkshakes will likely have clear cups though Taco Bell uses them too.  What makes the cups at McDonalds and Jack In The Box Particularly appealing is that they are domed and already have a large hole in the top which, once again, helps create the greenhouse affect.  It's also helpful for any watering that might need to happen, so if the lid doesn't have a hole in it, cut one in about the size of a quarter.

STEP 2: Drill about 4-5 holes in the bottom of the cup.  Some folks drill holes in the sides too, which is perfectly fine, but keep in mind these are fast food cups and thus don't have much flex to them.  It also goes without saying that Steps 1 & 2 should be done WITH parental supervision if the youngsters are the ones giving this a try.

STEP 3: Take some potting soil or seed starter and wet it to the point where it's moist, but NOT soaked.  It should be formable in the hand, like clay but still crumbly.  This is kind of a winging deal, but any left over soil can simply be dried out and used for other plants.

STEP 4: Place soil in the cup and gently compact it.  You'll want between 2in-3in.

STEP 5: Next, place the seed in!  For this particular cup, I'm sprouting a pumpkin!  Be sure to cover the seed with soil/seed starter and lightly compact.  You don't need a lot on top, maybe about 1/4in of soil tops.

STEP 6: Lightly water the seed and lid the cup!  As you can see, the inside is already fogging up as the water evaporates, and these pics were taken in the evening time, so this method works quick!

STEP 7: Lastly, place the cup in a sunny spot and wait for nature to take its course!  As you can see, the sun ups the evaporation, which causes more condensation, keeping the soil moist and thus helping the seeds sprout!  You shouldn't need to water much, but the top of the soil can dry out, so lightly water as needed.  The above pic has the seeds of watermelons, cantaloupes, zucchini and two different types of pumpkins sprouting!

In a few days, sometimes just over a week, you should see some results!  Once they outgrow the cup, plant in the ground or a larger container!

Results will obviously vary, but I've had a lot of success getting seeds sprouted using these mini greenhouses!  And best of all, this method not only helps plants, but it also finds new uses for old plastic cups, thus keeping them out of landfills!  We are all about conservation here at the CRAZYVERSE!  I hope this tutorial has been helpful and that y'all will feel inspired to give a mini greenhouse a try!  Good luck and share any results you might have with me on Twitter at my handle @JonsCrazyTweets!

And that's all for this week, but never fear!  I promise we'll end April on a very colorful note!  So be sure to come back and see what I'll be pouring out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WONDERCON 2022 HAS PASSED, BUT THE PICS ARE FINALLY HERE!!!

Welcome back my CRAZIES!!!  We are just over a week past WonderCon 2022 now, but still coming down from it!  It was a wild weekend up in Anaheim with plenty going on all over!  But the time has finally come to take a look back at our most recent past, so let's go ahead and dive on in, shall we?  Hold on to your Cheetos and Code Red Mountain Dews, because WonderCon 2022 is a go!  Enjoy...

YABBA DABBA DOOOOOOOOO!!!

Mecha-Godzilla was there and just like the movies, he had a bigger roar than bite!  Actually, this was a costume on display that YouTube personality Odin Makes made and hot damn was this impressive to see in person!  I watched as he made this in a series of videos over the course several months but to actually see it up close was a different experience altogether.  Hard to believe that's by and large craft foam and paint!  Just an amazing build!

Sallah knows how to enjoy the Con!

Funko was back and had the largest booth in WonderCon history!  It also had some insanely long lines!  I admit that I do have a few Funko Pops toys, but I've never totally understood the obsession some folks have with them.  That there are people willing to wait hours on end just for a piece of plastic that MIGHT have value someday is really baffling.  Everybody needs a hobby I suppose.

RABBLE RABBLE!!!  No burgers were safe that weekend!

This Gundam was revved up and ready for battle!

Up at the WonderCon Hospitality Suite, Guinan was there and was kind enough to tend the bar!

I've seen MANY Jokers in 20 years of attending comic cons, and this is definitely among the best I've ever seen!  Easily Top 5!

WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  You know who ELSE likes Muscle Man?  MY MOM!!!

Bunsen and Beaker...  MEEP MEEP!!!

With step-sisters like these, who needs enemies?

They really do make a cute couple, despite being possessed!

A convention first for me: Jughead cosplay!

Sensational Sheri and her "boy toy," Shawn Michaels, broke a lot of hearts in the aisles of WonderCon!

Another convention first for me: Lucy and Ricky cosplay!  The only thing that would've made this better was if they'd had Fred and Ethel with them too!

Jedi Santa Claus!  In addition to Christmas, Santa celebrates Life Day as well!  His candy cane lightsaber even lit up striped!

He bought his tickets for... ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!

I definitely appreciate their dietary expertise!

And finally, a little nod to Kamen Rider, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, but is only just now getting a global celebration as many cons were still postponed in 2021.  It was among the original Tokusatsu shows to come out of Japan and in 1995, Kamen Rider made its US debut as Masked Rider and even spun off from Power Rangers in American continuity, but the franchise never quite caught on stateside, mainly because the producers here just didn't get the property.  Many years later, a second attempt would be made at an American adaptation and while it was better received critically, it came at a time when Saturday morning lineups were heading to the tar pits and the audience just wasn't there anymore.  In Japan though, the series is still very much revered and beloved and proudly fights on!

And that was WonderCon 2022!  It went by so fast I'm still kinda questioning whether it happened or not!  It was a bit smaller than in the past as some big name venders are still on the fence about in-person shows, and rightfully so.  The con's staff and security though were on the ball about everything and much like this past November's Comic Con Special Edition, everyone behaved and followed instructions and wouldn't ya know it?  Nobody got sick!  That might be the biggest take away here is that we're figuring out ways to do these cons safely.  It certainly bodes well for the BIG show in San Diego this Summer that's for sure.  Still, it was a great experience.  I hung out with my pals Matt and Riki, saw a lot of great Cosplay and discovered a lot of great new comics and books which are proving to be fun reads!  Thanks again to the folks Comic Con International for putting on a good show after three VERY long years!  Can't wait until next year!

And that's a wrap on the CRAZY WonderCon Countdown!  Things are looking good right now for next year, so fingers crossed!  And don't be too sad that it's ending.  In seven weeks, we'll be kicking off the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown, the first one in three years, so the Con Fix ain't too far off!  In the meantime, come back next week for a little Do-It-Yourself demo that'll hopefully plant a seed of interest in your garden.  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WONDERCON 2022 IS STILL IN TRANSIT; ENJOY 2019 INSTEAD!!!

Welcome to April CRAZIES!!!  Hot damn what a show WonderCon was!  At least I hope that's the case.  As of this writing, I'm in the process of packing, so it hasn't even actually happened yet!  Yeah, I know, I make the same joke every year but dammit, it get's a chuckle out of me, so I'm gonna keep doing it!  I can tell you for sure though that my future self is no doubt exhausted from the whole thing, so let's just get to the pics shall we?

Since 2019 was the last year they had a WonderCon pre-pandemic, that's where this week's journey takes us!  Hold on to your novelty video game shirts folks, because the CRAZY WonderCon Countdown is technically still a go!  Enjoy...

Always good to see the whole family getting involved in the cosplay!

The Fourth Doctor stopped by looking for a new Tardis!  

This kid's parents are clearly raising him right as he already knows how awesome Mystery Science Theater 3000 is!

He doesn't make monkeys, he just trains them!

The Average Joes are without their top player!  They already decided!

MEEP!!!  MEEP MEEP!!!  MEEP!!!  Wonder if Muppet Labs has good health coverage?

She found her Courage!

Hot Rod surely would've approved...  So long as he remembered to pay the piper!

You know the day's gonna start off right when you run into Kingpin in the Hilton lobby!

Always love to see some Batman '89 cosplay!  Jack Nicholson will always be the definitive Joker for me.  Yeah, two other actors have won Oscars for the roles, but this was the movie that sparked my interest in the superhero genre to begin with!

This Muse was inspiring all who passed by!

Mystery Ink loves them some steeply discounted Disney pins!

Check it out!  It's the Slash Street Boys!  That pun would've worked a lot better in the late 90's I assure you! 

And lastly, the Hat Box Ghost finds his way off the ride again!  Fun Fact here, the Hat Box Ghost WAS a part of the original Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, but his practical effects never quite worked, so he was pulled shortly after the ride opened.  After realizing that he had in fact existed,  Disney Imagineers added him back into the ride several years ago after a refurbishment, using newer projection and LED technology to finally pull off the disappearing head trick!  This was among my favorite cosplays at the show that year.

And that was WonderCon 2019!  It was a very fun show, despite some of the troubles of home following me there.  If I'd know several huge problems would be solved within a month of coming back, I might've been able to relax more, but that's hindsight for you.  It was still a good time had by all, highlighted by frequent, impromptu dance-offs held out front every day of the show!  It's a tradition I hope will continue as we move forward and heal.

That['s all for this week, but fear not!  We still have a bit of late WonderCon fun as the Countdown concludes next week!  So be sure to come back and give it a look!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!