#cress (paper clip)

[wikipedia-main]

i think there's the idea that fishtanks are really expensive and hard to take care of but there are lots of ways to set up tanks that aren't like that- even if you often kill things or have difficulty remembering to care for them ! and im bored right now so im just gonna, write about how you can do that

what you'd need:

a glass or acrylic tank

dirt & sand

rocks, driftwood, & other decor (optional)

heater, filter, light

plants

testing equipment

you can get a tank for really cheap off facebook marketplace or craigslist or ebay! and you can use just about any dirt, as long as it doesn't have pesticides/herbicides (unfertilized organic garden soil is great). sand is easy to find at pet stores, but it's expensive--you can get silicate play sand or pool filter sand for cheaper (just make sure it doesn't have calcium in it). you can test rocks you find on the ground for tank safety with vinegar- if it bubbles, then it'll leach calcium (undesirable, messes with water parameters) and if it doesn't, it's fine to use ! (if you're worried about Things on them, you can boil them for a few minutes.)

heaters, filters, and lights tend to be cheap if you just go for rudimentary adjustable ones. you can get shop lights and an outlet timer at any department store. plus if you know an aquarium hobbyist, chances are they'll have extras

same thing with plants, too ! if there's an aquarium hobby group near you then that's a great way to get free stuff. tanks are like little gardens so there's usually lots of plant clippings that would otherwise get thrown out. plus, free creatures that hitchhike on them !!!

another super cool way to get rocks, sand, dirt, wood, leaves, plants etc is to just ! go to a stream or lake ! preferably one that's distanced from roads and you know isn't super polluted. i picked up some water cress off the side of a hiking trail and now i have a really cute sprawling thing growing that i got FOR FREE!!!!!

testing equipment is gonna be expensive, but it's often a one-time purchase. liquid tests are more time consuming than paper strips, but more accurate. you might also need dechlorinator (more-so if your tap is treated with chloramine; chlorine evaporates but chloramine doesn't) (you can find that out by looking up your local water treatment report). other small items that r helpful: plastic tubes/hoses for siphoning water in/out, pipettes, tweezers, tiny scissors, buckets, and (depending on ur tank) liquid fertilizer, root tabs, and mineral mixes.

what's cool about this: setting up a tank with a layer of dirt covered by sand (you can do 1 inch dirt + 2 inches sand or 1.5 inches dirt + 1 inch sand) and then adding a bunch of plants will make a tank that needs less maintenance !! if you get the water parameters stable and have a good amount of plants and tiny creatures (worms crustaceans etc), then lots of fish (not all though) will be healthy and can mind their own better !! it's a balance ofc but once you strike it suddenly you can go a month without looking at it and nothing changes. life is beautiful

anyway thats!!! it. i love you <3

#fuck this is a lot of words #fishblr #fishkeeping #beginner fishkeeping #i could talk about this literally all day so if anyone wants me to elaborate: hiiiiiiii

[alchemistdetective]

"Oh no! Steve!!! HE'S GOING TO BE HURT! Look at him, so defenseless! All stranded, alone, and up against an intelligent paper clip! What do WE DO, CRESS???"

"̶T̵h̴e̵ ̷f̷u̵t̵i̸l̸i̶t̷y̸ ̴o̴f̵ ̵l̷i̴f̷e̷ ̶h̶a̶s̸ ̵o̸n̷c̵e̷ ̷a̷g̵a̸i̶n̵ ̸t̶h̶r̷e̸w̴ ̵o̸p̶e̶n̸ ̴i̵t̶'̷s̵ ̷m̴a̵s̶s̶i̸v̷e̷ ̵j̵a̸w̴s̴ ̵t̶o̶ ̶t̵h̸e̵ ̴w̴o̴r̴l̸d̸,̴ ̸w̸h̴e̸r̷e̷ ̷t̴h̷e̵ ̴w̷i̸s̸e̵ ̶a̷n̶d̸ ̸p̴o̷w̵e̵r̸f̷u̶l̵ ̷d̷e̷v̷o̸u̶r̷s̸ ̴t̴h̵e̵ ̶b̷e̶i̷n̷g̸s̸ ̴w̵h̷o̵ ̵c̴o̸u̸l̸d̵ ̸n̸o̵t̴ ̵a̷f̵f̸o̶r̵d̷ ̸p̷r̸o̶p̵e̴r̷ ̶e̸d̶u̵c̸a̸t̷i̴o̸n̷.̶ ̴T̴r̴u̸l̷y̵,̵ ̸t̴h̷i̶s̴ ̸i̸s̸ ̷a̴n̷o̷t̸h̶e̶r̵ ̴s̵i̸g̷n̸ ̷o̵f̴ ̸t̷h̸e̴ ̶u̵p̴c̴o̵m̶i̷n̷g̵ ̸r̴e̷v̵o̵l̷u̴t̶i̶o̷n̸ ̸o̵f̴ ̸t̸e̴c̸h̸n̷o̶l̶o̵g̸y̴ ̵t̷a̸k̷i̵n̴g̶ ̶o̴v̷e̶r̵ ̵t̶h̴e̸ ̴w̶i̴s̶d̸o̸m̵ ̶a̸n̸d̴ ̶i̸n̶t̷e̵l̵l̴i̴g̶e̷n̵c̸e̸ ̵o̵f̸ ̸h̶u̵m̸a̷n̷i̷t̷y̴,̷ ̸w̸h̴e̸r̶e̸,̶ ̶i̷n̵ ̸t̷h̷e̴ ̴n̴e̸x̴t̴ ̴f̶e̷w̴ ̷y̷e̶a̵r̶s̷,̷ ̵h̸u̷m̴a̷n̴i̸t̷y̸ ̵w̶i̶l̸l̸ ̵m̷a̸k̶e̵ ̴c̶o̸m̸p̷u̷t̴e̸r̸s̷ ̷t̸h̶i̵n̸k̵ ̸f̸o̷r̸ ̷t̶h̷e̸m̸ ̴w̴i̸t̴h̷o̴u̵t̶ ̴a̸n̶y̴ ̴t̸h̵o̷u̶g̶h̵t̶s̶ ̷o̸f̶ ̷t̴h̷e̵i̸r̸ ̵o̶w̴n̵,̸ ̴t̶h̸e̴r̷e̸f̸o̵r̴e̷-̷"̴

"I BELIEVE IN YOU, PAPER CLIP, WIN-"

#muse: crescent #muse: chloe #asgJLASGHSLGJAHSG FROZEN I'M LAUGHING

[mimiigrace]

did some more experimenting in the darkroom.

I used my negative thumbnails, treated with olive oil, which achieved this really grainy, static looking quality due to areas of the ink that the light has managed to escape through. I really like this as I am able to vary the strength of the grain depending on how much I zoom in using the enlarger and it add’s a really interesting, authentic texture to the prints. I found this quality, especially in relation to using the skeleton and mask illustration, reminiscent of the way monsters are introduced in thrillers, usually through vague, distorted clips from a video camera or photograph. It has quite a sinister, unknown feel to it, which draws you in.

 Furthermore, when laying objects onto the paper whiles projecting the image I can achieve a stark contrast in texture due to the flat, vaguely shadowed white areas which have been blocked out of light. I think this has worked best where I have paired objects up relating to the illustration. For example bottle caps with a bev and plants with the cress king. 

Additionally I also began to develop photographs from old film as I had not yet done this. I think it worked well as the image came out clearly however I would like to work on enhancing the contrast within the image. I also went on to create photograms on top of the photograph, using bits off stretched out fluff to create a smoky look over a performance photograph and using a cut out photograph to create a more collaged feel. 

Another thing that I would really like to spend more time on is developing images by painting or spraying on the developer. Unfortunately I ran out of time in my last darkroom session, which meant I only had time for one attempt. However the look of the print within the marks, rather than the marks on top of the print really appeals to me as you can be quite selective in what you allow to be seen.

#studioculture