Pre-Vet Creative Thread

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That is hilarious.

I came across an article one time that talked about a course at some university somewhere that integrated biology and drawing. Essentially the idea behind it was that when you have to draw something very accurately, you tend to notice more details about and thus learn more about your subject matter. It talked about how the biologists of old didn't have cameras, and thus being a good artist was quite useful for recording the appearance of specimens. Let me see if I can track it down...

Edit: found it! http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/rediscovering-the-forgotten-benefits-of-drawing/

Cornell had a scientific drawing class, and we had to draw all the fish we learned about in ichthyology. I enjoyed it. It really did make you learn the details.
 
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The finished product for my O.O.P.S painting that I'm giving my parents for Christmas.
 

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Loving this thread! I recently drew this for one of those "melted crayon rain" art projects. Me, my fiancé and, of course, our border collie.
 

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I think this mildly counts as creative!

I hate baking, but many moons ago I made a cake for my little bro's birthday and it's now tradition (tradition!) in the family for me to whip out the fondant and make a cake of his choosing. We had some last minute waffling with the theme this year (skyrim > vader > skyrim > minecraft > r2d2 > bb8), but this is this year's result:

N6V1zOo.jpg


It looks a little less messy in person, so is real cute. :) (I also added his antennae after the picture was taken).
 
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Look at all this beautiful stuff everyone is up to! What a neat thread.

I write science fiction novels! I don't write any short fiction though so pretty tough to share... Maybe I can find an excerpt that will do. Right now I'm finishing up my first novel and plotting a second. 120k words, four or five dafts, and a couple years now! Just getting the last of the feedback from beta readers now, and I have maybe a month's worth of minor changes and polishing left to do. Trying to write the query letter, and my next big step is querying agents (oh jeez!). They say it takes months to hear back, and a lot don't respond at all.

Oh, I guess that's actually something I could share. Here you go, the current iteration of the query:

Iari Lenerian wanted to help make the galaxy a better place. He was supposed to be a small cog in a big machine. A palace guard, an informant, that’s it. He didn’t mean to attract the Emperor’s attention, didn’t mean to gain his trust. And he didn’t mean to fall in love.

The rebellion is going forward as planned. Iari is the only person who can get close to the Emperor--and the only mindfighter strong enough to challenge him. Iari still wants to see his impoverished homeworld free of Imperial interference, but he’s not ready to kill the man he loves. Desperate, the only compromise he can find is to take the Emperor hostage aboard the insurgent fleet.

Any chance he might have had for the Emperor’s forgiveness is blown up along with the capital planet when Iari’s new allies make a last minute change of plan. If he wants the Empire to fall, he needs to stand with them: a foreign Premier, the head of a monopoly, and a religious fanatic, each looking to further their own ends. Now, with the death of a planet on his conscience and the Emperor’s vengeful sister chasing them across space, he has to decide how much he’s willing to compromise his integrity for his ideals.

THE PULL OF GRAVITY, a science fiction novel of 120,000 words, is told through two alternating timelines, Before and After.

Thank you for you for your time and consideration.​
 
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So much good stuff in here!

I painted this a while back.
 

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I'm starting a new system tonight. Going to take photos I shoot, sketch them, scan them, then tablet paint them using nothing but colored dots. I want it to have somewhat of a messy feel. Hopefully it'll turn out good. Going to scan this later, his face looks a little long, oops lol:



I also heard a story/interview on the news program I listen to about a refugee girl's life. I started a song about her, this is the first 2 verses + chorus:

This is a song of a girl
A page in a book that's telling her to move on
For its spine is cracked
And weathered by the life that's come and gone
Oh she's dying, trying, crying

Born in the fiercest of flames
A country torn by times and lost at war
Kept by love at home
While violence keeps it knocking at the door
Fly as far as you can fly, fly

In a fight that's down to the wire
And you've got no place to go
Pick yourself up by the fire
Towards a future lesser known
 
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Little pen doodles of dogs I made last week :)
tumblr_o2u5feulKk1r151gfo1_500.jpg
 
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Could use some critiquing. I officially started a non-profit with my Aunt and Uncle last year, but now I'm getting to designing the website and stuff. I came up with the name "Iconoclast Sport Corp." because I think the word iconoclast cuts to the heart of a lot of extreme adaptive-athletics: guys/gals getting out there and taking part in sports that most able-bodied people wouldn't think is possible.

Anyways, the focus of this non-profit will be providing full parachute and sit-ski gear for disabled athletes. It's pretty niche, but I want it to be. Operation Enduring Warrior works with wounded military peeps to put them through AFF training to get their skydiving licenses, but after that, they're on their own. I want to step in there and buy them gear.

Here's a logo idea I've come up with, but I don't know how I feel about it. The parachute might be a little too cartoony compared to the sit-ski. Let me know.

test.jpg
 
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Found my old high school sketch books last night and spent the morning doodling. This doesn't compare to a lot of what you guys are posting, but it's something. I wish I used my larger book so I could have at least attempted to do the hands better.
 
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Could use some critiquing. I officially started a non-profit with my Aunt and Uncle last year, but now I'm getting to designing the website and stuff. I came up with the name "Iconoclast Sport Corp." because I think the word iconoclast cuts to the heart of a lot of extreme adaptive-athletics: guys/gals getting out there and taking part in sports that most able-bodied people wouldn't think is possible.

Anyways, the focus of this non-profit will be providing full parachute and sit-ski gear for disabled athletes. It's pretty niche, but I want it to be. Operation Enduring Warrior works with wounded military peeps to put them through AFF training to get their skydiving licenses, but after that, they're on their own. I want to step in there and buy them gear.

Here's a logo idea I've come up with, but I don't know how I feel about it. The parachute might be a little too cartoony compared to the sit-ski. Let me know.

View attachment 201452
Overall I like it, by the parachute looks like teeth to me. Maybe make the tops a little more pointed?
 
Do creative histology pictures count?

You know what lurks in cat testicles....

944731_10151748430512873_984531097_n.jpg



That's what.




(yes, yes, ok it's technically an epididymus, but it's not as funny as saying testicle)
 
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Do creative histology pictures count?

You know what lurks in cat testicles....

944731_10151748430512873_984531097_n.jpg



That's what.




(yes, yes, ok it's technically an epididymus, but it's not as funny as saying testicle)

Epididymis is so much fun to say.

Sometimes I think pathologists (or whoever's in charge of naming things) must be an insanely creative bunch. How else do they get so many syllables and odd letters into their terms and names?
 
You guys are all really talented! You should sell your stuff. Like, if someone were to draw pics of my dogs, I'd totally buy them.
 
Eheh.

Funny enough, photography is taken very, VERY seriously in pathology. To the point where you can tell even tell sometimes where someone trained and who they trained under based on how they take pictures. It's like an art. I was put through the wringer in residency about how to take proper pictures of lesions. And I don't mean a $100 portable dinky thing on the floor. We had a professional DSLR easily worth over 1k, with multiple lenses, a professional black background setup, stage lights, adjustable mount. I shot a lot of things on full manual which super fun and played into my intrinstic anal retentiveness on getting the perfect shot. It made me really love photography.

Probably my favorite picture of all the ones I have ever taken (then I promise I will stop posting pics of gross things) an ovarian carcinoma in a chicken:

398876_10102072236054151_491901082_n.jpg
 
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We had a surprise for our supervisor last night, who is leaving our college this May. Mysteriously, her door tags disappeared Wednesday night at approximately 9:15 pm. No one knew what happened to them or where they went. Until they were unveiled as a collage for her to keep in a picture frame. :). She had 30-some door tags and they almost didn't fit. I needed to trim down some of them. The picture frame is 2 feet by 3 feet for reference.
 

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Started a Harry Potter themed afghan, and finally finished the main square. It's not perfect, but it's been a super long time since I crocheted and it's more complicated than anything I've done before.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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We had a surprise for our supervisor last night, who is leaving our college this May. Mysteriously, her door tags disappeared Wednesday night at approximately 9:15 pm. No one knew what happened to them or where they went. Until they were unveiled as a collage for her to keep in a picture frame. :). She had 30-some door tags and they almost didn't fit. I needed to trim down some of them. The picture frame is 2 feet by 3 feet for reference.

This is really sweet and it's giving me ideas for what to do with all of my own door decs when I graduate!
 
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This is really sweet and it's giving me ideas for what to do with all of my own door decs when I graduate!

My kiddos made me some this year and I still have all of mine from when I was an RA. So I am thinking about doing the same thing or hot gun gluing them to these picture frames that will be my new "floating headboard".
 
I'm gearing up to reface some of my Ikea furniture. A couple of years ago I did this to a pantry cupboard I purchased for pretty cheap at Target. A month ago, I added some vinyl chalkboard pieces inside so I can keep track of my grocery list and supplies.

I love doing this anymore because it has a pretty big visual impact without spending a lot of money. Plus, I like playing with miter boxes and power tools.
 

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Fell in love with a papercraft technique called Folding Iris at an art show this past weekend and now I'm doing some pieces for my new apartment. I really love rainbows, and I thought I'd do a ROYGBIV series where each color is one of the primary animals we're responsible for as vets.

Here's my first attempt/proof of concept:

13654362_10154250060519361_8386517468948923556_n.jpg


Tomorrow is an orange cow. :artist:
 
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I love this thread! I didn't know it existed until today!

I love creative writing as well. I love writing fiction, romance, and historical fiction. I have also tried writing some fanfiction. I have attempted short stories, but because of how much detail I like to go into with description, I have never succeeded in keeping the "short story" short.
I have some stories that even date all the way back to kindergarten. Yes, I saved all of them. Some of those kindergarten stories are hilarious when I reread them now. I also wrote a lot in middle school and high school. However, many of these stories have never been finished because then the story idea dies due to lack of time, lack of inspiration, or if it was a romance the story died because the crush ended. I have had writers block for a while with writing stories. No new ideas. :(

Now, I write mostly poetry. I have even tried parody writing. What I have always loved about writing poetry and writing in general is that it is a way to express myself and release my feelings onto paper. Whenever I'm stressed, sad, happy, in love, etc I write poetry, and it helps me feel better. Even after I was rejected from Vet School last cycle I wrote poetry. It helped to get me back on my feet to push myself to get out of my depression and start thinking about a masters program (I call it my detour), and to apply again.

I'll share some poetry later. I have to find my poetry journal first. I'm old fashioned;I prefer writing out my poetry by hand. I eventually type my poems, but I don't often do so until I'm sharing them with someone.
 
Ok well here is a poem I wrote about my favorite Brown Swiss Steer. His name was Alejandro. I knew him since he was a calf (Born Fall 2012), and I worked at my undergrad's dairy feeding calves when he was born. My avatar is Alejandro as a calf. He was the friendliest steer ever, and he was the reason I became a "Brownswissfanatic." I worked at the dairy feeding calves throughout the rest of my time in undergrad (graduated August 2015), and he would always come running to greet me and nudge me to make sure I would scratch his neck when I was cleaning out drylot (where he lived). Whenever I was stressed after class or just to relax on Saturday afternoons, I would walk down to the dairy and cuddle with Alejandro. When I called his name, he always came to me when I called him. After I graduated on August 2nd, 2015, I left my undergrad university and said goodbye to him. I was crying my eyes out, and I noticed him shed a tear as well. In October 2015, I learned he had been sold to the beef industry, and that is when I wrote this poem.

Dear Alejandro,

I know for certain it's a lie,
When they say animals can't feel.
'Cause every time I was with you.
Love was undeniably real.

The way you came to me quickly,
Every time I would call your name.
The way you got my attention,
With your head-nudging-my-arm game.

The way you comforted me when,
I was feeling stressed, sad, or weak.
The way in which your ears perked up,
Whenever you would hear me speak.

The way in which you somehow knew,
I was saying my last goodbye.
The way you showed you understood,
When you also started to cry.

Sure some say you were but a steer,
That was meant to be disposed of.
But they will never understand,
'Cause you taught me a steer can love.

Love,

Your [insert my name here]
 
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Ok well here is a poem I wrote about my favorite Brown Swiss Steer. His name was Alejandro. I knew him since he was a calf (Born Fall 2012), and I worked at my undergrad's dairy feeding calves when he was born. My avatar is Alejandro as a calf. He was the friendliest steer ever, and he was the reason I became a "Brownswissfanatic." I worked at the dairy feeding calves throughout the rest of my time in undergrad (graduated August 2015), and he would always come running to greet me and nudge me to make sure I would scratch his neck when I was cleaning out drylot (where he lived). Whenever I was stressed after class or just to relax on Saturday afternoons, I would walk down to the dairy and cuddle with Alejandro. When I called his name, he always came to me when I called him. After I graduated on August 2nd, 2015, I left my undergrad university and said goodbye to him. I was crying my eyes out, and I noticed him shed a tear as well. In October 2015, I learned he had been sold to the beef industry, and that is when I wrote this poem.

Dear Alejandro,

I know for certain it's a lie,
When they say animals can't feel.
'Cause every time I was with you.
Love was undeniably real.

The way you came to me quickly,
Every time I would call your name.
The way you got my attention,
With your head-nudging-my-arm game.

The way you comforted me when,
I was feeling stressed, sad, or weak.
The way in which your ears perked up,
Whenever you would hear me speak.

The way in which you somehow knew,
I was saying my last goodbye.
The way you showed you understood,
When you also started to cry.

Sure some say you were but a steer,
That was meant to be disposed of.
But they will never understand,
'Cause you taught me a steer can love.

Love,

Your [insert my name here]
I love this thread! I didn't know it existed until today!

I love creative writing as well. I love writing fiction, romance, and historical fiction. I have also tried writing some fanfiction. I have attempted short stories, but because of how much detail I like to go into with description, I have never succeeded in keeping the "short story" short.
I have some stories that even date all the way back to kindergarten. Yes, I saved all of them. Some of those kindergarten stories are hilarious when I reread them now. I also wrote a lot in middle school and high school. However, many of these stories have never been finished because then the story idea dies due to lack of time, lack of inspiration, or if it was a romance the story died because the crush ended. I have had writers block for a while with writing stories. No new ideas. :(

Now, I write mostly poetry. I have even tried parody writing. What I have always loved about writing poetry and writing in general is that it is a way to express myself and release my feelings onto paper. Whenever I'm stressed, sad, happy, in love, etc I write poetry, and it helps me feel better. Even after I was rejected from Vet School last cycle I wrote poetry. It helped to get me back on my feet to push myself to get out of my depression and start thinking about a masters program (I call it my detour), and to apply again.

I'll share some poetry later. I have to find my poetry journal first. I'm old fashioned;I prefer writing out my poetry by hand. I eventually type my poems, but I don't often do so until I'm sharing them with someone.
I love poetry/creative writing too! I actually got a few pieces published my sophomore year, but I've been so busy lately I've let it fall to the wayside a bit.
 
I love old naturalist/zoological prints so I've been finding illustrations that are in the public domain online and using them in various craft projects with fabric transfer sheets. So far I've made two pillows and various appliques. I also have three canvas pieces and frames ready for some stairwell art in the near future. I'm not sure if I want all insects or a mix of insects, mammals, and birds.

Here are the pillows I recently made. I used shuka cloth I picked up in Kenya to back the pillows.
DSC04877.JPG DSC04881.JPG

I also cut and stained a simple frame for one of my purchased wall hangings.
frame.jpg Stairwell.jpg
 
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Successfully knitted my first ever baby blanket, I just need to block it. My friend has no idea I've been knitting it for her and I can't wait to surprise her! :biglove:

Blanket.jpg
 
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Now that my school's Open House is done, I can post my and my friend's eye fundus models here!

Raptor fundus.JPG Dog fundus.JPG Reptile eye no speculum.JPG Rabbit fundus.JPG Human fundus off-center.JPG

Can anyone guess the species? Last one is human (since I'm not sure there's good identifying features).
 
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I...write novels for a living... :p

Poetry confuses me, though.
 
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At first, I thought the third one from the left side was a large black olive.

Is it an eyeball from some type of reptile?
Yep! Supposed to have Saran Wrap on the outside to represent the spectacle (part of the skin that goes over the eye, and can be retained when the rest of the skin sheds if humidity isn't right).
 
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Yep! Supposed to have Saran Wrap on the outside to represent the spectacle (part of the skin that goes over the eye, and can be retained when the rest of the skin sheds if humidity isn't right).
Do you know which reptile? Name please?
 
At first, I thought the third one from the left side was a large black olive.

Is it an eyeball from some type of reptile?
Such as a reptile, with a paintbrush, and a carton of eggs?

Or, did you get a rabbit to paint some colorful "eggs" for everyone on SDN? ;)

bunnyandeggs.jpg
 
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