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sparrow70.bsky.social
Sparrow
@sparrow70.bsky.social
1.3K followers 2.1K following 910 posts
Cells and molecules held together by love and spite experiencing the universe from this earth in this current time. Lifelong artist/crafter, scratching out an existence by creating something out of nothing and waving it in people's faces till they smile
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sparrow70.bsky.social
#sensoryarts #masks
Red Dragon mask. Hand sculpted, carved and painted out of leather. 3/4 facemask, textured with a scale pattern, gold edging and highlights Raven mask. Hand sculpted, carved and painted out of leather. The mask is a black raven silhouette, highlighted with purple metallic. Seawitch mask. Hand sculpted, carved and painted out of leather. The base color is a deep sea green. The mask is heavily textured with gold paint spikes, and the overall design is reminiscent of a blue ring octopus Group picture of a few masks
November 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Instructions on how to make barrel armor embedded in alt text. From a friend of a friend 😉
Share the FLOCK out of this
#armor #crafting #reenactment #protest
FACEBOOK ARMY MOBILIZE!!! Get this info to protesters in all areas, particularly San Francisco. This is the pattern for the impact munitions resistant body armor I made in 2020 for the Portland BLM protests. It will stop pepper balls, baton rounds, clubs and other blunt weapons/munitions. Here's how you make it: Acquire plastic barrels, in 55 gallon size. You can usually find sellers on Craigslist for pretty cheap. Most often you'll see them advertised for rain collection or whatnot. Use a handheld scroll saw to cut the pieces out, and a blowtorch or scotch Brite grinding wheel to deburr the edges. To form them better to fit the body, I originally used a heat gun to soften the plastic and make it more pliable, bend it to shape and then cool it rapidly in a storage bin full of water, but eventually switched to putting the pieces into a 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) oven for 15 minutes. From there you shape them as rapidly as possible (I recommend oven mitts), and then quench to cool the plastic and set the shape. Glue foam floor mat to the inside for additional shock absorption and assemble with straps. I used leather myself, as I work leather as a hobby and generally have some lying around. I used Chicago screws to attach them, and Loctite to secure the threads, but really the attachment and assembly method isn't a hard line to make these work, so use whatever method you prefer. You can also get these barrels in black or white (I used white to make armor for medics). FACEBOOK ARMY MOBILIZE!!! Get this info to protesters in all areas, particularly San Francisco. This is the pattern for the impact munitions resistant body armor I made in 2020 for the Portland BLM protests. It will stop pepper balls, baton rounds, clubs and other blunt weapons/munitions. Here's how you make it: Acquire plastic barrels, in 55 gallon size. You can usually find sellers on Craigslist for pretty cheap. Most often you'll see them advertised for rain collection or whatnot. Use a handheld scroll saw to cut the pieces out, and a blowtorch or scotch Brite grinding wheel to deburr the edges. To form them better to fit the body, I originally used a heat gun to soften the plastic and make it more pliable, bend it to shape and then cool it rapidly in a storage bin full of water, but eventually switched to putting the pieces into a 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) oven for 15 minutes. From there you shape them as rapidly as possible (I recommend oven mitts), and then quench to cool the plastic and set the shape. Glue foam floor mat to the inside for additional shock absorption and assemble with straps. I used leather myself, as I work leather as a hobby and generally have some lying around. I used Chicago screws to attach them, and Loctite to secure the threads, but really the attachment and assembly method isn't a hard line to make these work, so use whatever method you prefer. You can also get these barrels in black or white (I used white to make armor for medics).
October 24, 2025 at 12:36 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Not saying that I'm over my art-block, but here's my first painting in over a year. It's not super cheerful or extra spiffy on technique, but it IS. #artsky #painting
Image of detail on the moth wing. This shows some of the details on the flowery vines. Details on the lace veil Image of the whole painting. It shows a secluded flower of life behind a lace veil and flowery vines. A deathshead hawkmoth takes the foreground. I primarily used sepia adjacent tones throughout the painting.
October 20, 2025 at 6:13 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
It's finished
Hand sculpted Raven skull headband/crown made from leather. Predominantly black, some red, and gold highlights.
September 15, 2025 at 9:21 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Hmmm, should I paint the skull or leave it red and black?
Sculpted leather headband/crown with sculpted Raven skull. Entire piece is black and red. Should I paint the skull white? Sculpted leather headband/crown with sculpted Raven skull. Entire piece is black and red. Should I paint the skull white?
September 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
In case anybody was wondering where I've been hiding... 🌱 Please forgive the mess.
Picture of a spring garden
April 16, 2025 at 10:07 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
When you get a rainbow over your house you take pictures.
Rainbow over the top of an A-frame cabin with oaks and hope mountain in the background.
April 8, 2025 at 1:32 AM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#print is the theme today. Here's a set of pouches utilizing laser engraving, and a belt that was ran through a base relief rolling press. #MakersmARTch #ArtYear
In the booth snapshot of a pair of brown leather pouches with my dryad design laser etched on them, and a buscadero belt with ammo loops and embossed Celtic knotwork. The belt is brown with a green and gold overlay. Yes, I make gun belts and holsters, and I do my damnedest to ensure that no right wing nutjob will buy them. Art is nice that way.
March 20, 2025 at 6:03 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#fire is today's #MakersmARTch. years ago, I volunteered to make a dozen of these armor grade helmets. They weren't made to be pretty. They were made to protect, to be warm, and easy to reproduce. Hardening the wax soaked pieces holding them in the belly of my roaring wood stove was special #ArtYear
Photo of a very basic cuir-boillez ("boiled" leather, but in reality, wax soaked and fire hardened) helmet. The one shown is lined with sheep skin, when I ran out of that, I used blue camp foam for the rest of them. I based the design on the peasant grunt helmets from HMMV. It was the easiest way to make something that would work in a reasonable timeframe. These helmets went where I couldn't go. To oceti sakowin.
March 19, 2025 at 4:06 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
March 19, 2025 at 3:50 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
🤔 hmmm. Whatevs. Don't know what I did to get on those lists. Fuck'em.
March 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#glass pendant made with my art and a glass cabochon. #MakersmARTch #ArtYear
And yes, I've worn this one for a couple of years, I was too lazy to go and dig through the stock boxes to take a picture.
Image shows an oval glass cabochon pendant featuring my dryad art (tree lady with her arms/branches above her head in ink and watercolor). The pendant is wrapped in copper and a cushioning layer of soft leather.
March 18, 2025 at 4:23 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
March 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#thimble. Umm yeah.
I guess this mosquito rider would fit into a thimble? 😬😅
#MakersmARTch
#ArtYear
Pointillism drawing with mostly sepia toned watercolor overlay. Round medallion showing a detailed macro mosquito eye in one half (did you know skeeters have eye lashes?) and a woman/vampire face in the other half. She's wearing an old fashioned pilot's hat with goggles. In the foreground is a detailed mosquito with a belly full of blood. Overall, I've been told the piece gives serious b-movie poster vibes.
March 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#collage is today's prompt for #MakersmARTch. That's an art form that I never got into. The closest I have is the back of my tarot cards, where I digitally spliced together parts of the elemental #mandalas and put them on a background of fractalized versions of the same images. #ArtYear
Image shows a round medallion formed by quartering four mandalas in elemental colors (red, yellow, blue and green). The medallion has a heavy drop shadow and is placed on a desaturated background of the same mandalas after they were sent through a fractal generator.
March 16, 2025 at 4:18 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#sculpted leather masks should do nicely for today's #MakersmARTch theme
#ArtYear
3/4 face mask, red dragon. Hand carved, painted in red and gold with a dry rub of black in some places to give it more depth, then wet sculpted into shape and heat dried to set the shape. 1/2 face mask, raven. Hand carved, painted in black and purple, then wet sculpted into shape and heat dried to set the shape. 1/2 face mask, blue ringed octopus. Hand carved, painted in green , turquoise and gold with a dry rub of black in some places to give it more depth, then wet sculpted into shape and heat dried to set the shape. 3/4 face mask, purple dragon. Hand carved, painted in purple and silver with a dry rub of black in some places to give it more depth, then wet sculpted into shape and heat dried to set the shape.
March 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#MakersmARTch. #clay. No kidding. About once a decade or so, I kid myself into acquiring some clay like substance, thinking that, maybe, just MAYBE, all my other artistic endeavors, discipline and muscle memory may have miraculously improved my handling of mud pies. NOPE 😂 #ArtYear.
Image shows a hexagonal canvas painted blue with white sculpted (I use the term loosely) clay reef like texture and a tentacled something or other.
March 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#MakersmARTch. This UV reactive flower of life #mandala was painted by extruding acrylic paint from a fine tipped jacquard bottle. The texture can definitely be #felt. (Y'all are killing me with these prompts, I'm barely adhering to them by the tips of my fingernails) #ArtYear
Bright UV reactive colors compose this flower of life mandala and the decorative scrollwork border.
March 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Today's prompt for #MakersmARTch is #ink. Here's the cavalry 😉 #ArtYear
Ink drawing of a lionfish mermaid with her trusty steed, a seahorse, of course.
March 12, 2025 at 4:52 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Today's prompt for #MakersmARTch is #paint. I love playing with paint, but I also have a bad attitude about paint pours. I love the results people are getting with the technique, but there's too much waste, IMO. This is an experiment I did with small amounts of paint in restricted areas. #ArtYear.
Whole image. Round mandala made by pouring various UV reactive paints into circles. The innermost circle is a combination of purple, white and pink teased into a spiked wheel. The space between that and the next circle of rounds is filled with a flame pattern, the rounds in that circle are teal, green, blue and purple. The in-between space from those to the outermost circle of rounds is filled with yellow and green squiggles, and the last circle of rounds is primarily filled with purple, green and orange. The background is a chaotic dark cloud. Close up of the fiery center.
March 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
Today's prompt for #MaketsmARTch is #glazed. Not sure if this qualifies, but I make these suncatchers with plexiglass and clear stickers of my art. #ArtYear
March 10, 2025 at 5:24 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
I'm late posting for yesterday's #MakersmARTch 😅 this is one of my very few #carved pieces. Honestly, that opal was almost the right shape already, I just polished it and gave it a butt crack #ArtYear
Wire wrapped feldspar cabochon with a carved opal woman's back attached to it.
March 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#pin is what's up today for #MakersmARTch. Had to dig deep into the archives for this one. Forgive the ancient fuzzyness of this image #ArtYear
Cold forged 14k gold filled wire wrapped pin with a turquoise cabochon and moonstone and amethyst drops.
March 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
My usual attitude about #glue is that, if you need to use it, then your process is lacking technique. However, in some products one can't avoid glue. For this style of floggers I laminate two different pieces of leather together for a neat color/texture effect. #MakersmARTch #ArtYear
Picture shows 4 different Spanish twist floggers decoratively draped over a dark cloth.
March 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
sparrow70.bsky.social
#soft is today's prompt for #MakersmARTch. Really not my strong suit 😅 here's another set of pauldrons, this one's made from the OTHER recycled pimp coat. #ArtYear. More info in Alt text.
Close up of one pauldron. This set is made from upcycled Arctic Fox fur backed by Veg tan leather. The reinforcement plate on the upper edge of the pauldron is dyed pearlescent white and has a labradorite and 2 turquoise cabochons set in white deerskin on it. This image shows both pauldrons and part of the hand stitched harness, made from doubled up textured patent leather. A large, pattern etched tack center ring finishes the ensemble.
March 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM