Blood Draw part 11

 We are expecting some wet weather in the coming days, but not today, so it seemed like a good day to head up to the Studio.  This time I made sure to have my good tools, and I brought along some sharpening stones in case I needed them. It's been a long time since I used these tools and had no idea in what shape they were in.  

Took care of a first errand, then got up to the building in Ocean Grove. My works were still hanging on the wall and looking good.  There were a bunch of tables and things set up in the main hallway on the first floor, which did not surprise me- they are having their big fundraiser of the year this Saturday- a big run thing.  (not for me, and the wet weather expected wasn't sweetening the deal) I continued downstairs and set up for work.

I had brought a single disc with me, something featuring the Arctic Monkeys, a home burned thing with the first studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which came out in 2006.  My disc also includes several of the early demos, done in the years leading up to this first album, courtesy of my friend Doug.  He's the one who first turned me onto this obscure English band.  The story is that before they signed to a label, the band used to record songs and distributed them on discs they used to give away at live shows- fans shared a lot of these among themselves via the internet, and it was how Doug got them.  They rerecorded (more professionally) many of the songs on the first album, so for my Studio disc, I put on the first real album, and several demos that they didn't record again for the new album, and one that they did, but was very different in lyrics and overall sound.  I bought a used cd of the second album, but didn't like it as much, and I don't think I ever acquired any subsequent ones.  (they are still active, and I occasionally hear new singles on the radio, but they don't have the hard edged rock and roll style of the early works, a common problem with bands)  I don't seem to have anything on this blog yet about them, so you get more now.

My plan for today was to start work inside the border, and start with the self portrait over on the far left. There's an IV line that hangs down from the top, a few inches to the right of my head, ending where it inserts into the arm.  That IV was always present as a port, and bags were plugged into it often, plus at various times of the day and night they would take blood samples out of both arms, up and down the length, so I had bandages on both arms when I finally got out of that hospital.  (this is reflected in my block drawing)  By comparison, cancer has required fewer IV's and blood draws than the brain surgeries did.  The results of today's cutting can be seen below:

I completed the face and head, some of the chest, and the background between the head and IV line, which was what I planned to do today.  In the end I decided that most of my tools were fine and so I didn't sharpen anything.  (sharpening essentially removes metal, so I try not to do it so often)  The one thing that might need it is my long narrow v-gouge, but it worked today.