Category: Lottie Bynum

My Way To Annotate Books

By: Lottie Bynum

To annotate a book there are some supplies that would be helpful:

  • Page Tabs (in lots of colors)
  • Pen that won’t bleed through book pages
  • Clear sticky notes
  • Pencil

To annotate I start by reading through the whole book and dog-earing pages I like or want to tab. After that I go back and find book tabs that match the cover of the book for aesthetic purposes; from those tabs I designate each color to a theme. For example I have a purple themed book with a range of purple and pink tabs, the lightest is classified as cute, a more lavender is noted to be funny, and each has a description of what they mark. At the beginning of the book I put one tab in each color with what it notes written on it to mark an index if someone wants to see what the tab colors represent. After that I go through and start placing tabs at the top of the side of the pages in descending order to where they are in the book. Page ten starts at the top and on page twenty the next tab goes below it. It takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to finish tabbing a book of 300-400 pages. You can continue by writing notes in the margins or if you don’t like marking in the book you can write the notes on clear sticky notes and stick them in the book. I have also considered drawing in the book if that’s what I feel like. In the beginning of chapters it’s fun to decorate and draw in the extra blank space on the page, it gives the book a sense of life to add pictures, descriptions or notes. Tabbing and annotating a book is up to whoever does it and is open to many different ways of tabbing and annotating. It takes time to find your own style of annotation whether it’s similar to this or not. It’s supposed to be a fun and helpful way to enjoy a book.

How to Paint With Acrylic

By: Lottie Bynum

To paint with acrylic you need materials.

  • Paint (The primary colors and white)
  • Water
  • Brushes
  • Canvas or Paper
  • Paper towel
  • And news paper or a trash bag
  • A pallet or plate to put the paints on.

While assembling the materials you will need to set up a suitable space to paint with the trash bags or newspaper. Lay them out on the floor or on a wall if you want to set your painting against it while you paint. Then get your area ready by setting out your water and pallet/ plate with paints. Make sure the water and paint are close so you can clean and switch colors quickly. Cover the canvas or paper with an “underpainting” by painting the canvas in one color; underpainting helps the colors blend batter and makes sure the painter doesn’t miss any areas while painting. Sketch your design or drawing in on the canvass or paper then start laying in base colors in the areas you want to paint. I usually start with a lighter color and then layer darker colors on top and build layers and depth. You may lose some details this way but it is a method to paint. The other way to start a painting is to start with three base colors: one for the regular, one for light, and one for dark to separate the painting. Painting this way the painter will keep more details in their painting. After getting the base colors in, start to build in darker or lighter colors to shape and add values to the painting. It’s helpful to start to work in sections instead of the whole painting at once, especially with acrylics as they dry quickly and blending becomes more difficult. Working on the sides of the canvas for people who paint on canvas, they can do two different things: either black edges or continue their painting on the edges. Both methods look pretty, however to save time the black edges will help if the painting is going into a frame.

Pokemon

By: Lottie Bynum

Pokemon’s popularity has ebbed and flowed during its time. With shows, movies, and games, the company has a wide range of audience from adults to young children. This year has been declared the year of the eevee/eeveelutions, a pokemon that has several different evolutions and is quite popular because of its cute appearance. With this declaration they have released special card packs with full art cards which can sell for over a thousand dollars, however due to the popularity of the cards many people have taken to buying as much as they can and reselling the cards for more than they have sold from if bought directly from the pokemon website. Some can double in price. Pokemon the company has commented on the bulk buyers and tried to crack down on them so consumers can buy their cards at fair prices. The wider child audience or casual collectors try to find fair prices during this time.

Some of the ways pokemon bulk buyers make so much money is that they buy the newest sets of cards out of all their local stores as well as on the pokemon website. While pokemon does say they are cracking down on bulk buyers their limit for the amount of the same packs bought is twenty-five. It is a limit but it’s still quite a lot for some people to buy. For example Pokemon Surging Sparks and Prismatic Evolutions, two recent packs, sell for over $5.30 and $10 versus what a regular price of $4.50 per pack. 

People love pokemon and their continued interest drives bulk buyers because of the value of some of these cards. Old or new, cards can be valued over hundreds or thousands of dollars. For example an ungraded mega lucario can go for $55, or a full art card whether EX or just a full art can go for$ 50-70 or even over that cost. Foil art or reflective shiny cards are usually 32 cents a card, but that can build up over time amassing large sums of money.

EPIC: the New Hamilton

By: Lottie Bynum

Casual musical enjoyers of musicals often say Hamilton was their introduction into theater and the performing arts. Due to its catchy songs and historical plot retold in a modern way through theater and rap, it caught many people’s attention. Now there is a new playwright looking to tell the story of The Odyssey in musical form. Jeorge Rivera-Herrans started writing EPIC: The Musical In 2019 as part of a project for college. Over the past two years, he has since finished it and finished the recordings of the songs which have gone up on Spotify and other music platforms. 

The true work of completing such a task as this is aided by TikTok and YouTube where Rivera-Herrans posted his progress on the musical and did casting calls to find his voice actors and singers for his recordings. EPIC is very similar to Hamilton, but it’s a much more modern and pop-culture way of writing, casting, and producing unlike Hamilton which Lin Manuel Meranda had more professional casting and producing processes. Because of the casting calls for singers and voice actors as well as Rivera-Herrans posting updates, snippets, and easter eggs of the musical while in progress and opening up about how he wrote it and what inspired him, EPIC has gained a large following on TikTok supporting the creator and his musical; A modern way to get his audience involved in the musical. While EPIC isn’t yet at the same fame of Hamilton it isn’t a stage musical where they perform it on stage, rather it’s the collection of songs other creators can build upon with their own visuals such as animation or creating their own stage performance for the songs. These two plays have many similarities in that they are both historical events/stories turned into musicals for the modern day audience and push each other forward with their growing followings. Overall, EPIC has a larger relation with young adults because of the experience of the making of the musical being so public on TikTok and the original  content it’s based on being more well known as well as the sheer musicality in the production.

How to Draw in AutoCAD

By: Lottie Bynum

AutoCAD is a software for 3D modeling and “drawing” in a sense. People use the software for engineering and professional purposes, however I use it for school and to make fun items to 3D print. To work with AutoCAD there are a few commands to know:

  • “L” enter – starts the line command to draw straight or diagonal lines
  • “C” enter – creates circle
  • “Extrude” enter – extrude command to make a drawing 3D
  • “Join” enter – to join lines together to make one line or shape
  • “Region” enter – creates a region to be able to extrude a shape
  • “Tr” enter – starts the trim command to trim pieces of lines that intersect
  • “Sub” enter – starts the subtract command to remove parts of an extruded feature
  • “M” enter – starts the love command

To start a drawing click new in the application. After, draw whatever shape you want. For example if someone wanted to draw a cup they would have to draw a circle base and two more circles to be the sides. Then they would region all three circles so they would be extrudable. After regioning, they would extrude one of the circles  as the bottom of the cup and the other two as the walls/ sides of the cup. The circles will extrude into a large cylinder up, to hollow them out to make them sides start the subtract command (“sub” enter) and select the outer circle/cylinder first which saves that one and press enter and click the inner circle/cylinder to remove it. Then you have your walls. Move the walls to the bottom of the cup with the move command (“M” enter) and select the centerpoint of the circle and snap it to the centerpoint of the base of the cup. There is a cup! Similarly, to make a box, start the line command (“L” enter) draw a rectangle, use the join command (“Join” enter) and then the region command (“Reg” enter) and extrude it (“Extrude” enter) and copy the steps of how to make the base and hollow out the walls with rectangles instead of circle like the cup example for the walls. Then you have a box! Drawing in AutoCAD has many steps to get used to but worth the effort.

Drawing in Colored Pencil

By: Lottie Bynum

Drawing in colored pencil is different from drawing on other mediums such as pastels, charcoal, or graphite. Unlike those, colored pencils cannot be blended with blending stumps, instead they are blended with other colored pencils. It’s perfect for vibrant or strong colors in a piece.

To draw in colored pencils you need:

  • Paper that works with colored pencils(most regular or sketch paper works)
  • Colored pencils (wax or oil based)
  • Sharpener or X-Acto knife (to sharpen)
  • Erasers (regular and electric eraser to get the color lifted from the paper)

To start a colored pencil drawing start in graphite pencil and sketch lightly, then add colored pencils.Have scratch paper on hand to try color combinations if you are unsure because colored pencil doesn’t erase as well as other mediums (it’s similar to 6B charcoal and leaves behind a tinted page). Another tip to consider is start lightly and build up the lightest parts before moving to the darker parts so the values in the piece can be fully recognised. Value can be added not only that way, but also when considering the color wheel and contrasting colors. Red and green, orange and blue, and purple and yellow can darken each other and add contrast instead of shading with black which can flatten instead of adding depth to the drawing. 

Depending on which colored pencils you are drawing with can impact the care of the drawing afterwards. Regular or wax based colored pencils can leave a residue on the piece after it is finished that needs to be wiped off, but oil based colored pencils have less of a problem with the residual sheet it leaves on a finished piece. 

Style is another factor of how someone can draw with them. Many people prefer to draw lightly without marking the paper fully which has the piece with some of the paper, showing through the colored pencil. That is not the only method though, colored pencils can deepen in color and coverage the harder someone presses when drawing with them like charcoal, pastels, or graphite. When pressing harder with the colored pencil it is helpful to blend with several other pencils, possibly complementary colors to add shades of color instead of the color being flat. 

Overall colored pencils are fun to work with and can be drawn with in several styles.

Drawing Processes for Charcoal

By: Lottie Bynum

To draw in charcoal, people should have a few things:

  • Charcoal pencils (2-6B to start off with as well as white charcoal)
  • Blending stumps(if you can’t get them blending with your fingers is okay!)
  • Sandpaper (to clean the blending stumps)
  • Paper that works with charcoal (a thicker more textured paper, not like printer paper)
  • Various kinds of erasers(kneaded, normal, electric, and any other you would usually use)

Other than that there are other decisions to consider: the way to sketch your drawing or if you are going to sketch in the first place. I like to sketch in graphite pencil to get all of my ideas and shapes down before going into darker charcoal because pencil is easier to erase for mistakes in the first iteration. Also from the list above it lists blending stumps which are kind of soft rolled pieces of paper to help blend out the charcoal. Blending stumps are very helpful in drawing with charcoal, however blending with your fingers if you don’t have blending stumps still works! Unlike with graphite, charcoal is less impacted by the oils on skin and doesn’t cause the drawing to yellow over time, like it does with graphite. Another alternative is using paint brushes to blend. Although that is a different method of drawing in charcoal, it usually involves powder charcoal on paper where the artist “paints” with charcoal to create beautiful images. Sandpaper, as stated above, can be used to clean blending stumps and get them back to a fine tip, but isn’t totally necessary(I don’t use it, I never learned how to haha). Paper which works with charcoal is usually a more textured thicker paper to hold onto the charcoal as something smooth like printer paper or notebook paper could cause the charcoal to not adhere to the page correctly and cause it to smudge easily. Erasers are a crucial part of charcoal drawings as they cover up mistakes but also add to the ability to add value to the drawing and fine details. 

To draw in charcoal try and stick to small lines as charcoal spreads far so, a little goes a long way! For charcoal pencils I almost never use the 2B as I find it hard to blend but try it for yourself and see how it works with the style you are going with. Since charcoal is so dark, work with the considerations for your lights in the drawing as to not become too dark where it will become hard to lighten it back up. White charcoal can be used to lighten places but it often adds a cool tint to wherever it is added to so keep that in mind. Another thought for the pencils is to keep a good sharpener or X-Acto knife on hand to sharpen the pencils for a fine tip. Charcoal is brittle so it can easily break and X-Acto knives are great for handling the pencils when a sharpener is too rough(on this note try not to drop your charcoal pencils too much because of their brittleness their charcoal core can break inside the wooden exterior and cause it to be hard to draw or sharpen them). After that, just have fun drawing!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

By: Lottie Bynum

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on TikTok listed as “The Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Of All Time” and this is my version and experience of making them!

The ingredients needed are:

  • ¾ cup of butter
  • 1 cup of light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup of white sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

The way I bake these cookies differs slightly from the original recipe.

Steps

  • To brown butter you can either brown it in a pot, double boiler, or put it in the microwave; I put mine in the microwave for 1-3 minutes depending on how long it takes it to brown. If you do it in the microwave like I do then make sure to check it every 15 seconds or so after the first minute to avoid it burning(I’ve burned the butter before!).
  • After that, add your brown and white sugars to the browned butter and mix. I usually do this while the butter is being browned in the microwave. I usually don’t bother measuring the exact amount because sometimes there’s a little extra sugar on the top of the cup that I don’t dust off for added sweetness!
  • Then, add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla! Yes it is important to add just the yolk because the cookies end up kind of lumpy if you just add an entire other egg. Yes the amount of vanilla is important too if you add more than you should of that then it’s fine everyone loves baking with vanilla.
  • After that add your flour, baking soda and salt and mix. Salt is the one ingredient I never measure because it’s honestly what you feel deep in your baking soul to add. I usually add quite a bit because it enhances the sweet flavor in my opinion. I use sea salt in the larger chunkier flakes for the vibes but also because it tastes better that way in my opinion.
  • Here is where my version of the recipe differs. My dough is still warm at this point so I usually put it in the fridge to cool for around 15 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips, however this step is always being changed for me. Last time I added in a handful(or a few, measure with your sweet tooth!) and mixed them in while the dough is still warm and let them melt to add chocolate streaks in the dough and then refrigerated them and added the other chocolate chips afterwards! Another thought is melting some in the microwave and mixing in pre-melted chocolate chips into the dough and seeing if the taste differs any from the ones melted in the dough. Also when adding chocolate chips or whatever chocolate you add try a few different types of chocolate chips at the same time! I usually add semi-sweet and dark!
  • After mixing the chocolate chips, put them back in the fridge so that they can firm up a bit and deepen in flavor. In the original recipe you put the dough in for 30 minutes but the way I do it I put them in for another 15 or if I have the time 30 like the recipe said. I do this because they already went in the fridge to cool before adding the chocolate chips, but do whatever you would like in this step! Also note to self turn on the oven to 350 degrees during this to give it time to heat up instead of waiting for a while when you take your cookies out of the fridge.
  • After the fridge, roll the dough into balls whatever shape or size you think is right(the original recipe said 2 oz balls but I never measure!). Place the balls on a baking sheet in a pan and place them in the oven at 350 degrees and wait for around 18 minutes depending on how crispy you want them and how large or small the cookies are.
  • Now you have cookies! This recipe usually makes around 24 cookies but you can stretch them depending on how small you roll them out to be.

3D Prop Making

By: Lottie Bynum

People have been making screen accurate props for years to mimic their favorite movie or TV shows for years, however with the advancement of new technology available for these types of hobbyists can take their craft to a whole new level of accuracy and efficiency. 

In prior years prop makers have used materials such as cardboard, clays, and fabrics to mold their props. Since clays, cardboard and fabrics are so versatile they are still used today, but they have more specific uses. 3D printing and plastics are the new tech to improve the hobby. The plastic is able to be printed in shape rather than needing to mold or cut cardboard for these props. 

Props can range from full Ironman suits to weapons or even life sized character models that these hobbyists can make. Some of them run businesses or media accounts helping others to get involved with the hobby of prop making as well. For example, Frankly Built, a prop maker in Raleigh, North Carolina, has built two full Iron Man suits of armor and 3D prints smaller props from various shows and animes such as Demon Slayer(Katannas), Spiderman(Green Goblin Mask), and a Mandalorian helmet. He runs a channel on youtube teaching others how to start prop making and reviews the different 3D printers he has. Other creators focus more on a specific niche. Spartan052, a halo cosplayer, runs a Tik Tok account posting about the video game Halo and how he 3D prints his Halp armor and other Halo props. He also entertains his audience in his armor, sharing encouraging videos reminding viewers to drink water and funny skits as if he was in Halo. 

Others in prop making opt for less industrial projects and props such as screen accurate cloth and fabric costumes. Screen/ comic accurate Spiderman, Red Hood, and Mandalorian suits work more with fabric than with 3D printing or cardboard props.

Overall, 3D printing has improved the prop making community and allowed there to be easier ways to achieve their goals.

3D Printing: FDM Printing and Resin Printing

By: Lottie Bynum

3D Printing in its many forms is now an accessible hobby to the public. Print farm businesses are one way people use them. They are able to buy the rights to print files for daily uses or something fun they are also able to make their own to print then sell. Props and fan merchandise are another use for them, whether it’s a full suit of Ironman armor or another prop from a show or movie, people make it on 3D printers.

There are a few different ways to 3D print: one is FDM(fused deposition modeling) printing where spools of plastic or other material such as ABS or Nylon are melted and come through a nozzle that set down thin layers of the melted material in whatever shape the person who is printing it wants. The thin layers cool before the machine puts on another layer allowing whatever it is making to be durable. Resin printing is the other main type of 3D printing many hobbyist’s know how to operate. It builds parts by curing resin in layers where a light is shined in the resin to harden it at different places and heights. 

Each method of 3D printing lends itself to certain types of items it can print. For example, FDM printing is able to more efficiently print larger items whereas a resin printer takes longer the taller a print is. Although, a resin printer can produce higher quality prints than FDM printers can. Both can be finished by sanding and spray painting or can be used after printing; Resin printed pieces need to be processed in alcohol to cleanse it for 20 minutes to an hour depending on how large the print is. PLA, which is what most FDM printers use as filament to print, is durable but can melt or weaken due to heat or too much UV light. Similarly, resin prints can weaken because of UV light as it over hardens it but doesn’t react as much to water as PLA does. 

Choosing which kind of printing to do depends on what would be printed and what kind of conditions it can be used for. Both methods of 3D printing are useful in many ways and are fun hobbies to pick up.