What would YOU do for $5?

Do you know about fiverr.com? It’s one of the great values of being connected to the web, of staying current with what’s out there and what’s happening. It’s also one of the benefits of having a brother who stays out there and stays current since he’s the one who told me about it.

Fiverr.com has a list of things that people will do in exchange for $5. The commerce system is built in so that you choose the offering you want and pay through fiverr. They manage the rest. There are micro-products and services from around the world. A cute kid will record a video of himself delivering your bad news, ’cause as he says, it’s easier to accept when it’s delivered by a cute kid. People will create colorful QR codes. They’ll build web intros. All for $5.

Fiverr may be one of the last great values. For example, I found someone who was willing to create an original cartoon image from a photo. . . for $5.

Here’s the photo

Yes, it’s a rare thing, in and of itself.

And here’s the cartoon.

And here are two things that the cartoon has become.

All for $5!!!!

What would you buy for $5? I warn you, you can get lost for a long time on the site. And it’s dangerous! I just published the post and clicked the link to make sure it worked. When I got to the fiverr site, someone had posted an offer on the front page for two pieces of  felt breakfast toast.

I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I NEEDED THEM. But they’re on their way to me right now. Sigh.

Visual essays

I’m not going to spoil the effect by posting a image here.

Click the link to see some lovely visual essays. This is a site to get lost in. I loved her Dinner with a Stranger story.

Do you think this is done with Prezi?

I also had to add this one which I found about about through  Anuschka’s new blog. Fantasy foodscapes. Wow.

Graphic recording styles

Great examples of a variety of visual recordings from this year’s conference of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners.

I have to go back and study ’cause I know there are a variety of tricks here that I can use. What did you find?

Oh! And my new printer will print index cards so my very own set of metaphor images is beginning!!!!

Today, we draw

The next assignment was to draw how we would care for ourselves and post it near our desks. I always re-imagine my assignments ’cause they are for MY learning, not the instructors, just like I did when I asked my economics prof if I could answer a different question than the one he asked ’cause we had already covered that point. I wrote a haiku about real estate supply and demand. Well, someone had to.

So here is a drawing showing facilitation challenges and actions that I can take to address, compensate for or just redirect my attention away from.

I’m learning to draw big with these BIG Copic markers. I think what I need from them are light colors to use as washes. The ones that I love are these big brush markers — much more easy for me to control. What kinds of tools do you use in the moment on paper that work for you? I’m searching.

Journey Map

Our first assignment in my graphic facilitation course was to create and upload a video introduction. We could use anything we wanted and so far people had.

I started with a drawing and I thought I’d share it here. I’ll do the next one on paper. I have a 200 foot role of 4 foot wide paper and a bunch of OUTSTANDINGLY GORGEOUS big fat markers coming. Can’t wait to see what happens.

My favorite part is the kid with wildly flapping arms as I tried to fly. Ran into the fence when lift off fell a little short.

Do you have flying scars?

Cathy’s Doodles

Not many words here. Just look at these wonderful images. They draw you right in.

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When my very simple ship comes in

I’ve been watching my process of developing simple metaphors to use in Sketchnoting. For me, here’s how it works:

1. Look at a photo or detailed drawing of the object
2. Draw about 10 different versions, working to find the right one, that is simple, memorable and pleasing to me.
3. Let it sit for about 2 days
4. Draw it on a white board.
5. Wow! There it is.

Here’s how my ship finally came in. It reminded me of one I drew when we had to do a project on Columbus back in grade school.

Sketchnote Spoiler Alert

Based on observations and some very valuable comments by folks at my first ever Sketchnoting 102 workshop, I am changing the approach somewhat, moving into the actual Sketchnoting more gently.

One workshop participant suggested that the first Sketchnoting exercise be a song or something that people were already familiar with. Eleanor Rigby comes to mind.

But I used the 3 Little Pigs story and will likely do that at the short teaser workshop in September at Firecat Studios in San Antonio. If you’re coming to that, don’t tell.

Here’s the Sketchnote illustration that I came up with. And while I was drawing and thinking, I came up with my idea of the essence of pig. See if you can find it. Each time I draw I add at least one other symbol to my Sketchnote vocabulary.

Why don’t you try it? Or work on Eleanor Rigby? Or this one? Just don’t watch. Listen only.

Drawing out of the box in the box

What can you draw today? What else could this be besides ideas out of the box? What if you had to draw an actual idea out of the box? What might that look like?

And now, the camel body

Animal bodies are harder for me to draw than animal heads but sometimes you need the body. Like if I wanted to show steady transport of some object, I might need to put it on a camel to move it across my page. Camels’ nostrils are slits, again to keep out the sand. I forgot those on yesterday’s head. You should add them.
And then there’s the deal of the knees on the back legs going backward. Well, they don’t really but there’s an odd bend in the thigh to place the leg underneath the body.

Bodies have three sections more the most part, the shoulder, the belly and the rear. I draw them first as three circles with the belly the big circle. You can see that in this horse drawing I only used two. That works too.

The more familiar I am with the object, the less I use the drawn circles and the more I just imagine them when I draw the outside line.

Now I’m working to get this to an icon state. That seems even harder.

Draw a camel today crossing a desert carrying something important. They do that, you know.