A while back , I wrote an article about Boids , a flocking algorithm. I didn’t actually implement it at the time; I just talked about it. Now I have some ideas for using it to create some interesting art, so I thought I’d implement it in Rust and Nannou. There many examples of Boids implementations on the internet. Mine is a straightforward translation of Ben Eater's javascript example into Rust ..read more

I find myself, when I start a new project, spending a lot of time setting up a basic app before I get to the point where I can create something fun. I have to create a Rust application, set it up to use Nannou, create a basic Nannou app, test it to make sure it’s working (typos are inevitable, it seems). Then I have to add in any cool features I may have come up with from past apps I have done, which means remembering where I did it and copying in the code ..read more

I skipped over pants and shorts to get to the T-Shirt, so that my doll would have a top to go with her skirt. I chose a varigated yarn that I thought would match the skirt. IRL, it matches better than the photographs. The color changes didn’t work out as well as I hoped… I wanted the turquoise up higher on the shirt so it had a different color right next to the blue ..read more

Sol LeWitt was an artist who worked in many mediums. and was known for his association with the conceptual art and minimalism movements. As you know if you have been reading my posts here, I am interested in generative art. While Sol LeWitt was not a digital artist, he did do some interesting work in algorithmic art: his Wall Drawings . LeWitt believed that the idea behind a work of art, rather than the act of producing it, was the actual art work ..read more

The next article of clothing in the Crochet You book is a cute skirt with a scallop trim on the bottom. I liked this blue color with the hair and skin of the doll. I also have a varigated skein of yarn that I think will look cute used for a tshirt to go with it. The skirt is worked in continuous rows around, except for a few rows at the beginning ..read more

The first clothing pattern in the book was for Underwear. Because I’m not using the same weight of yarn called for, it required a bit of experimentation, but I settled on ILTY from Hobby Lobby in white, and a 3.75mm hook. The pattern is simple and works up quickly. However, the way the “legs” were done seem a bit awkward to me. The pattern is worked from the bottom to the waist ..read more

While working on another project (stay tuned!), I came up with this. It’s not what I was shooting for, but I think it’s kind of interesting. It looks a bit like a city street map from a time before urban planning. What is going on here is that a single particle is placed on the canvas in a particular position and with a particular direction. At every iteration, the particle moves a small amount in its given direction ..read more

I posted the first installment of this project on March 4th. Finally, after almost two weeks, I’m back on track. Unfortunately, my whole family came down with a nasty virus, and we’ve ALL been sick, including me! I sincerely hope that is in the past, and I can move on with this project! When the body is finished, the next step is to give the doll hair. A kind of wig cap is crochet, creating “rows” by only using the back or front loop of the rows ..read more

L-Systems can be used to draw plants! To make this work, we need to add some capabilities to our Turtle structure. Up until now turtles could either move ahead or turn. To draw plants, we need to be able to save a turtle state, do some drawing, and then move the turtle back to the saved state. This has the effect of magically teleporting the turtle to someplace it has already been, restoring its position, direction and color ..read more

This spread is in the Micky Mouse journal I made last year. One year ago, on this date, the kid got her braces! She chose to have hot pink bands around the brackets, but the technician wasn’t paying attention and she ended up with purple! I found this image of Minnie in my stash with a big smile, so I modified it to include the braces. I showed it to the kid ..read more