Critique Ettiquette Sequel

Foz just emailed us asking the 2nd years to give a small lecture in front of our work to the first years

He claims our pearls of wisdom are so great the first years must know them.

I have no pearls of wisdom.

I,

am,

an,

idiot

But I do have some additional rules for acceptable Critique Ettiquette.

18. Drawing during a crit to while away tedious hours is tempting but must be resisted at all costs.
To do this in front of Foz would be like eating peas with a knife in front of the Queen.

19. It is possible to amuse yourself instead by giving invaluable [hah!] feedback to thy peers.

20. Chewing innumerable packs of gum helps stave away both hunger and boredom. Thou shalt be rewarded by minty fresh breath as thou hurls venom at thy classmate.

21. Caffeine is not thy friend if thou art clumsy. This rules applies to any liquid.

22. Learn Indesign & Flash for it shall save thy lowly life when thou has not found freelance illustration work and have just realized paint is inedible.

23. ‘Nice’ and ‘cool’ are still forbidden words and thou shalt be socially ostracized and flogged for such heresy.

The Assessment

Self-absorbed post (when are they not?). Mostly about my own assessment and generally written for my benefit. I therefore strongly advise you to skip.

Just returned from my assessment at the Mall with Foz and Gary feeling dazed, breathless and slightly giddy.

I get out in a fog at Brixton, walk across to the other platform and sit on the train waiting expectantly. I’m surprised to find myself home already, I can’t recall changing tubes at Stockwell at all. I wander out in an absent-minded way, playing things over and over in my head. Sainsbury’s was a distant dream of buying random food I now won’t eat.

Foz & Gary both questioned me inside out and I tried to be as honest as possible without being self-effacing. There is a fine line that I can’t seem to locate between self-deprecating, fake modesty, overly critical, overly confident and being too cocky.

I have no idea how well or badly I did. I might have been so unclear and rambling I was none of the above. I did go off on a rant about hijabs at one point (god knows why).

Gary asks me if I think I try to see both sides of the argument.

“Yes.”

I say, I can. Obviously I’m biased towards my own views, but can still understand what the other sides argument is. (I just don’t agree with it)

They just came at me again and again, first Gary’s upper cut from the left, then Foz with a half nelson from the right both working together like Mexican wrestling tag team. I felt quite battered by the end of it.

With Foz at least, its all laid out there on the table - This is what I think, I like this, I hate that. He can’t really disguise his feelings well. It all shows on his face and in his eyes. Now perhaps if he was a thief, he’d probably be the kind of guy who would forget to wear a ski mask and mug you by jumping out in front of you in the middle of the afternoon. The police would be on to him like a shot.

Gary on the other hand is a sly fellow. You can never tell exactly what he’s thinking, there is this murky gray area within his opinion. Before you know it he’s sneaked up behind you and clonked you round the back of your head. He might say something which (being a thick head like me) takes some time to digest, and then it dawns on you….

“Wait a minute…he wasn’t being complimentary…. he was saying you’re rubbish!”

He would be the kind of mugger to grab you from behind in a dark alley, take your bag, purse/wallet, phone, ipod and then frog march you to the nearest cash point and empty your bank account. Strong words I know, but they both grilled me like a bitch.

I kept standing up or kneeling and doing everything but sitting in my appointed chair. Foz kept reminding me like I was a naughty school child. Sit still stupid, and stop fidgeting.

“You always talk about the aesthetic but do you feel that you think about your content enough?”

‘Enough’ is the word that really gets me. How do you define ‘enough’?

I got the feeling that they think I don’t consider my content enough.

And yes I think about content a great deal, but for me, on my MA colour and practicalities like reducing time it takes to finish a piece to satisfaction have been much more of a struggle. It was about more than just content.

A recurring theme I’ve noticed over the last 5 years in art school is the whole hoo-hah about the importance of content.

Content and good ideas are valuable assets but nothing is so easily destroyed as a great idea badly presented. There is always this thing in art colleges, and Camberwell (my old college) in particular, where they say

“We’re not here to teach you to draw, it’s about pushing your content and your ideas”

One of the major problems I have is the notion that substance is more important than how it’s represented. I think, personally, that you can’t separate technical development and content development. They work in tandem; sometimes one gains more priority, sometimes another.

The impression I’ve consistently got from Gary (and not just today) is that content is and always must be the priority.

But my agenda has to include both. If not equally then 60% aesthetic 40% content. Disagree with this as you will philosophers, dissertation lovers and information designers. I find nothing is so dull as interesting information plotted out on a tedious graph. (come to the our show and you’ll see what I mean)

Unfortunately I never said any of this. I have a persistent and malignant case of esprit de l’escalier. It’s damn annoying.

Worst question by far was right at the end of the CIA interrogation:

“What is it that you’ve mastered?”

Foz demands to know. I say ‘the worst question’ for a 2 reasons:

1. My answer could have been better (for a start)
I’m worn down by now so I just said ‘Colour.’ Colour is the thing that’s dramatically changed for me the most.
The thing I had to really get my head around and thing I struggled with and still struggle with the most. But it’s certainly not the only thing.
Sadly, none of this is discussed. Since they seem to be hurrying me out, I just mention colour.

“Is that enough?”

they ask frighteningly.

“No..”

I mutter, rattling off something else that I can’t recall.

There was something about being self-critical, writing the blog making me more coherent, sharper, remembering things better, which is clearly all rubbish because right now for the life of me I can’t remember half the things I was spouting.

2. The second reason why it was the worst question was because of the question itself.

‘What are you trying to master?’ and ‘What have you mastered?’ are two completely different questions that dictate two completely different answers.

‘What are you trying to master?’ is a good question. It suggests you’re trying to work something out, constantly moving towards a goal.

‘What have you mastered?’ suggests finality. It’s a bit poncy and meaningless. What does the word ‘master’ mean anyway?

To me it means you’ve done all that can be done, know all that you can know about a subject or technique and are at the top of your game. It implies others will come to you, humbly begging to be graciously allowed to apprentice under your phenomenal tutelage. (if only)

I’m bloody 25 I can’t possible have mastered anything and even at 45 can you say in all honesty (unless you’re an arrogant prick) that you have completely mastered any one thing? It’s always in flux (I’m fairly sure F&G will heartily disagree…or maybe not fuck knows. My brain is fried.)

Now an exception would be Yoda, he certainly was a Jedi master, but

a. He is 900 years old
b. He’s fucking fictional

(Foz disagrees, He’s not fictional, no he’s not, Yoda is real, he asserts. I get the feeling that I must at all cost, not shatter this fragile belief.)

Unfortunately I didn’t say any of this either. God I’m such a dolt.

Our Last Crit

Simeon & Mike the resident siamese.

I type this post as I return from the pub following our very last crit. Whiskey and pre-joint tension fueling me on.

It has been a momentous day. A day on which I finally discovered religion.

“Hah!” you say as I hear you scoff my sudden new found faith in the Zoroastrian gods, but it is no lie.

I have finally found Ahura-Muzda. Zarathustra be praised!

Sleep deprived and clumsy from last nights marathon Indesign editing session into the early hours of the morning, I split an entire cup of mocha on a studio table. A very large, very hot mug.

This in itself would be nothing had our studio tables not been filled with every body’s work made with sweat, blood and tears.

Simeon’s work that was near by unfortunately…merged with this as yet unsampled mocha.

Before my eyes flashed hideous images of my ruining Simeon’s entire body of work over a whole year, at the very eleventh hour! That’s 12 months, 365 days 52 weeks!! OH MY GOD!!!

Foz, should he read this, and I have a bad feeling that he just might, will perhaps strangle me next week for such wretched stupidity. (Or worse, fail me)

Thank god Simeon’s work was largely waterproof. I plan on going to the Agyari regularly now.

Ed ‘Gang-Bang’ Allan and Adam ‘United’ Brickles came to the rescue and we salvaged and repaired like mad.

Simeon was very kind, very polite and seemed to be forgiving, but I know from experience that he will not forget this.

I have often bitched about my legendary nemesis who left coffee stains on one of my drawings. This event took place nearly 8 years ago on a drawing I now couldn’t give a shit about, but neither my hatred nor anger towards her have been disseminated in the slightest.

In an ironic twist of fate I have now become a ‘Zasha’. (That evil woman I hate her.)

The rest of the day and crit was slightly tainted by both a sickening nausea and horrible guilt. Even Alex’s crit which I was looking forward to (purely because I’m a such mean sadistic bitch who loves gossip) was ruined.

To add insult to injury Simeon later asked me

“You didn’t do it on purpose…did you?”

Ouch.

Sigh. It was a difficult day all in all.

Foz swore, promised faithfully, that no matter what we would be done and dusted by 5 o clock, he said confidently.

If I had any business sense at all I’d have laid a 10 pound bet on it. Sadly I am entirely left brain impaired, a superb reason why I chose to do illustration instead of, oh I don’t know, accounting.

Our crit mostly covered the same ground we hashed out last week (frames, whats in the show whats out, what works, what doesn’t, various arrangements and layouts etc) which was all slightly tedious and repetitive.

Occasionally Foz and Gary would contradict themselves by saying:

“Well what you put up in your show is entirely your decision, we wont make up your mind for you.”

followed by

“Yeah that one’s rubbish it cant go in.”

followed by

“The show is entirely your shout. You need to do what you feel works for you. I can honestly tell you that you’d really regret it later when you’re putting your feet up, and your show was for me and Gary and what we had said and wasn’t what you really wanted….”

followed by

“….if you put that in it would be the wrong decision, it’s your shout….. but basically, you’re wrong (p s- we’re marking you).”

Gossip was flying around like crazy last week when Georgina finally put to use the stethoscope she bought for a fiver and overheard Foz telling Alex

“…it is my right to decide if you go in the show, and at this point, unless you work flat out next week, its a 99.9% chance that you’re not going to be in the show….”

That 0.1% was finally confirmed today in a horrific 10 minutes when Alex plonked this 4 spray painted MDF boards on the table followed by a chilling dead silence that can never bode too well for any artist.

What you want to hear and what you dream of hearing is

“Ooooooooooooooh!!” followed by “Waaaoooow!”

and then lots of sycophantic compliments.

Foz ends the day with a little speech about the end of our MA year and how it’s been a good laugh, prompting a selection of girls to burst into tears immediately. This was an apt closing note.

The first time I ever met Foz he made someone cry and on our very last crit he made people cry. So we come full circle.
I must admit I shall miss his charming ruthlessness.

(Foz if you are reading this, it is a blatant cue for you to comment, see what a shameless comment whore I am? Shocking really.)

We then all trundled off gratefully to the pub with Martyn’s ex tutor (also Foz’s ex flat mate) who was restrained enough not to tell us all the juicy tidbits about living with Foz. (Damn that Ed and his tact).

Athier joins us in the pub briefly. Well done Athier, you actually made it through an entire crit.

Uhr confided in me as we sat around drinking and chain-smoking, that my latest drawing made him feel like throwing up. He confessed didn’t want to tell me earlier because he knew it would make me too happy (and it does, it really does.).

Bruna told me I actually put her off having kids. If I’ve achieved anything at all these past 2 years, it’s that.

And now I’m left here, no more crits, no more M.A., no job, no dinner, typing away on the only thing that remains – This useless blog.

That’s it from me. Adieu and Goodnight to you all.

Second Last Crit Of My Entire Life. Ever! (Melodrama? Me? Never)

Foz is clearly an optimist when it comes to time. We were split into groups of 4-5 and spread out over the day.

My group was supposed to start at 3:15 pm. I was worried that my long, hot and sweaty walk down chancery lane, to search for an elusive Ryman’s that stocked an even more elusive out of date printer cartridge, would make me late.

I wasn’t (phew) but our crit was by about 2 hours.

By 9 pm we still hadn’t finished doing Lisa and the security guard threw us out after a grumbling scolding. (‘Finished doing Lisa’ sounds a bit wrong’)

Perhaps the beer I trotted out to buy mid-crit helped the time fly.

I had a dreadful feeling as I stood at the checkout that I would be ID-ed. Beer usually gets you ID-ed. I imagine it must seem like a juvenile, chugging sort-of drink or perhaps it was because a scruffy looking girl was buying 8 cans of Stella.

On cue she asked me for ID. In my mind horrible visions of not being able to buy the beer floated up in front of me and even more hideous visions of having to call Anna or worse Foz!! And be humiliated by having ask them to come to Sainsbury’s and pick me up from the checkout with their beer.

Luckily she let it go. Fuck me.

During the crit, again right on cue, Athier left early.

As he shut the door behind him Foz said to everyone (but aimed at me in particular)

“Just so you all know Athier told me he had a really bad bike accident earlier this day so he had to leave early…

…I thought I’d just tell you before it’s all over your blog tomorrow.”

(That was quite funny.)

Unfortunately I wasn’t sympathetic yesterday, and I’m still not sympathetic today.

What a fucking bitch you might say (Yes it is true. I am a horrible bitch.)

But firstly: Adam got hit by a car and he wasn’t fucking slacking off.

Secondly and much more importantly: This fucking-off early isn’t anything novel, in fact my griping about it is a constant feature on this stupid blog.

Thirdly and lastly: It’s too fucking convenient just as he comes back from holiday. (Yes that’s right, holiday)

During my crit (I got more than 10 mins for a change, unnecessary but quite nice I must say) I was discussing my blog and the book I’m making on it as part of my assessment.

Athier suddenly decided he wanted the details. This worried me for a minute, considering all the bitching about him I’ve done on here, and I was rather hesitant about giving him the URL.

But then I realized I was being a twit for the following reasons:

1. This blog is hardly a secret
2. My opinions (if you were to ask me for them, god help you) are hardly a secret
3. I think he should read it and quit fucking off early (although it’s a bit late now)
4. An irate comment from Athier would be quite amusing (if he bothered to leave one)
5. But lastly I’m certain he’s far too self-absorbed to even bother to read any of this. If he can’t be arsed to stay through a crit he certainly isn’t going to bother wading through half the tripe on this blog.

During my small crit presentation I realized that all the measurements I’d previously made of my work, where I assumed I could only fit in 4 landscapes in a grid, were entirely bogus. Apparently I can now fit in 6 comfortably.

I knew I failed maths so many times in school for good reason.

What was remarkable about the crit was that although we only had 4 hours of it to sit through, Foz sat through nearly 12 hours of it!!! 12 hours of talking and talking!!

What was funny was that we went off to the pub to finish Lisa’s crit and then sat there for another 2 hours drinking and he was still really chatty. Amazing.

We chose the darkest, dingiest, most cramped corner and passed around her A3 frames over our drinks. Then Foz’s laptop wouldn’t turn on.

I got the feeling that he was mildly relieved about that but you know, that’s probably just me projecting.

Update: I had a horrible recurring nightmare about Foz and Georgina all night after the little pub crit. They were doing or saying something really unpleasant to me and I woke up feeling tired and miserable.

Things to do before the show

Monday

• Before have a list to people to invite! (Do it now you lazy fuck!)
• Printout form for A5 postcards (done)
• Return library books (done)
• Pick up silkscreen prints (done)

Tuesday

• Cooker Hood to need fixing, call nick handyman and get quote. (do it bitch!)
• Buy A4 portfolio (black or pink or green? I love the green but maybe that’s too distracting, maybe just black?)
  for sketch work to display at the show, (done, bought brown)
• Buy Inkjet Cartridge R240 from (Cass Art Angel)
• Buy another frame Habitat (Regent Street)
• Layout Book to sell, calculate pages + cover and Back
• Prepare Tiff for A2 print of Tea Party to sell

Wednesday

• Buy 2 packs bockinford/watercolour paper (but not too thick), ink jet paper from John Purcell (Stockwell)
  (done bought from cass art 9)
• Cut A3 pack of paper from JP (College)
• Frame work for crit (College)
• Buy 6 mirror plates (Tool shop, College)
• Cull Mailout list, do research 20-30 people? (do it on Tuesday do it now!!!)
• SEND MAIL OUT INVITES TO JOYCE!!!

Thursday

• Crit all day

Saturday

• Print out 3 books for the show on , 1 for display 2 to sell
• Covers? Same as website I think. Clean
• Borrow R’s drill set and screwdriver: Use for mirror frames and also to bind your books? or get Michelle to stitch it? or call City for a quote for 5 books. Maybe just loose leaf set in a plastic pack?

Monday

• Get Ro to print 1 book,
• Call City Book Binders to Bind 2 books?

Guilt

Feeling slightly guilty and left out about missing college yesterday
L’s much more serious illness (kidney infection) certainly puts things in perspective.

Hanging Crit Sequel

Yesterday we had a little meeting on how much space we get in the show determined by last weeks hanging crit.

On one hand Foz said he dreaded this time of year because people tend to get paranoid and start reading into things too much (for example if someone gets more space in the show and someone else gets less.)

Unfortunately when he was later backed into an uncomfortable corner by an angry and overly emotional student he said quite frankly

“Well you’ve only got 2 meters instead of 3 because I don’t think you have enough work to put in the show”

So…..what shall I say? I feel paranoid already

Onnalin and Georgina accuse me of taking pleasure in other peoples misery.

I find this unfair in the extreme (partially true but still unfair). I do not consider getting stroppy about having 2 meters of space in the show as opposed to 3, reasonable grounds for ‘misery’.

Cancer is misery or perhaps losing someone you love (like a dog) but amateur dramatic were designed to be mocked. Of course this includes me missing my flight and burning down the kitchen. I was highly melodramatic at the time but in retrospect it was hugely funny, therefore logically I do not see why others should be spared.

I reminded Gerogina and Onnalin that many crits ago we (especially us 3+ Foz) all sort of made someone cry. Georgina looked absolutely aghast with horror,

“We made her cry?? No no! What are you saying??!! No I didn’t oh my god!!”

Now that was funny.

2

Someone told me this really funny story ages ago and I was thinking of it today and couldn’t stop laughing.

She was a bit drunk, walked into the men’s loo by accident, for some reason thought the urinal was a fancy wash basin, then naturally assumed (as you do) that the mothballs must be a fancy new soap and then tried to wash her hands.

Onnalin just told me this story about Foz I completely forgot:

A Japanese girl right in our first group project, had made this brochure thing on the movie ‘Catch me if you can’ and Foz said to her

“Frankly, that’s a really shite concept.”

Completely baffled. She turns to him and asks,

“So sorry, but please…what does ‘shite’ mean?”

For once one he didn’t know what to say.

He then asked the class if they all found this Greek guys work to be mediocre.

The Greek guy was fuming. He left the class and had a massive hissy fit followed by loads of abuse leveled at Foz.

“How dare he say that to me I can’t believe it oh my god I’m never speaking to him again never going to his class who does he think he is blah blah blah”

What a diva

It’s too bad Foz never gets to see all the ‘behind the scenes’ tantrum throwing.

Hanging Crit

1 of 120 postcards I screen printed like a fucking dynamo.

This does not imply any of the illustrators are growing suicidal.

No.

(For some it might be true, but still. No.)

It’s about hanging up your work in the gallery space, your plans for it, your space requirements, frames etc.

Foz had previously threatened the class that if we didn’t give him the right dimensions/or layout plans he just wouldn’t bother to crit the space/the body of work on display. If nothing else that goaded me into staying late last night and bashing my head in.

So it was particularly infuriating when a bunch of people seemed to have not bothered or were just being all fucking wishy-washy and still got a crit (Foz is a very forgiving master)……a very very lengthy crit. A crit of nearly ceaseless yawning, that lasted well past 8:30, during which for the last hour and a half I couldn’t stop gritting my teeth.

Although not going through with a threat does seems to devalue any future threats I suppose being forgiving is a good thing. Well actually, it is a good thing but thats not what bothers me. (As always, I shall happily discuss what bothers me later.)

At some point I had visions of hurling myself at particularly time-consuming students and throttling them. Fucks sake man. 6 and a half hours in a crit! You spend less time waiting for a Visa! For fucks sake.

* Beware!! Rant to follow *

I have some serious problems with this egg-timer business. The first 3 people and the last 3 people to go get a raw deal. They get 10 minutes flat and that’s it and the last 3 people don’t even get the same level of energy and attention because by then everyone is exhausted.

By the middle Foz or Gary’s strictness with the timer slips leaving the door wide open for some people who then fucking talk and talk and fucking talk some more but add absolutely nothing to the conversation.

I have no objection to extensive feedback but mostly time is just wasted by some people waffling on and on and saying nothing.

Why does anyone need 20 minutes to talk anyway? You’re not saying anything that can’t be condensed into 2 minutes. At least let people give you feedback properly and stop being so fucking vague. I don’t see why other people have to suffer for a wafflers inability to be concise or clear.

Perhaps you might think I’m being a bit mean or unfair? But this is the final term, on the second year of a communication course. There is no justifiable ground to be charitable at all for poor communication. It’s equally unfair to the people who go first or last.

* End of rant *

By the end of the hanging crit I did want to hang some people. The thought of the pub was the only thing that kept me driven. God bless alcohol.

Martyn, Georgina and Ed (who were the last 3) get no real attention from anyone except Foz and Gary who have an amazing unwavering focus. My teeth on the other hand, have been ground down to stubs.

Highlights of the day:

Alex:
Sigh. Alex makes me cringe. I know he’s going to get a bollocking every time, and every time he doesn’t nothing to prevent it. His entire attitude is one of a surly teenager.

I bet he’ll go on to write a book about how he went to St. Martins and everyone in his class was stuck up and he was like, ‘the outsider maaan’ and like, nobody ‘got him’ man. Whats there to fucking get? He just doesn’t seem to give a shit. He hasn’t for a while.

Gary was severe in his disapproval

“…. and personally I would like you to be in the show but your attitude seems to suggest you don’t really care, and if you don’t care then I’d say you’re just not going in the show…..because its everybody’s show… and if the work isn’t good enough it’s not fair to everybody else……I don’t know that’s just me …what does everybody else think?”

We all nod and murmur.

(For Gary that was pretty damn harsh)

Chris:

Foz goes on to ask,

“I think this large drawing looks a lot like a photocopy Chris…”

Chris replies

“but it is a photocopy Foz”

You know those cartons where the guy whips out a big frying pan and whacks himself on the head? That was Foz.

Tiphane:

Kept saying ‘shiiith’ instead of ‘sheet’ in her beautiful French accent and 1/8 of the class giggled quietly like nitwits (including me)

Tiphane is happily oblivious to such juvenile behavior.

PS – The studio has grown more and more like a tip and I can no longer give any credit to Ed alone for this.

I’d like to say I remembered more but all the yawning distracted me entirely.

Tuesday Core Time, Lecture & Silkscreen

Top Model

I was talking to someone in Information Design about their project today and they said oh I’m doing this I’m doing that and then suddenly said,

“I’ll never forget what Sardhna said to me …she said ‘Oh I’d never even bother looking at that I just find it so boring’… and I was like…wow! ok …. you know?…I mean AG just laughed and said don’t listen to Sardhna…but still you know I’ll always remember that…”

I think I muttered something vaguely about Sardhna not meaning it. Fuck knows. What do you say? What can you say? I felt horribly guilty because that cross-over crit was months and months ago but she still remembered that remark. I must admit secretly I thought the same as S. I just don’t get graphs.

So, I felt quite guilty and the feeling just nagged me all day for some reason.

Core time was a complete waste. That’s all I can say really. Geoff was all smiles however, whatever crisis he was facing seems to have passed and he is cheerful once again.

We then had a lecture with the Art director of the Guardian. She reminded me of one of those evil estate agents, who smile as they tell you they can’t fix your smashed window in the middle of winter and then takes all your deposit.

But perhaps that’s just because I imagine her rejecting many people being a powerful art director.

She informed us:

1. She hates getting CD’s
2. Hates oversize jpg’s, PDF’s, any attachments.
3. Prefers web links (yay!)
4. Prefers very simple uncomplicated websites, ones easy to browse lots of thumbnails so you get an idea immediately.
   (Boo hiss. Mine is easy to navigate, but no thumbnails as such but at least its not boring…I hope…)
5. Prefers getting sent a sample if not a web link.
6. No portfolios bigger than A2
7. Fast turn around time sometimes about 5 hours to finish a job, need to be quick
8. Work is more about a good concept
9. It’s about highlighting the article, the illustration is not the star
10. If an illustrator misses a deadline they never get used again.
11. If they argue back with the editor of a piece about the illustration etc they never get used again.

The last point raises Foz’s hackles immediately and he promptly interrogated her; says it’s a partnership blah blah it’s about communication but the communication dies if the editor says

“Well we can discuss it but at the end of the day I’m right.”

Gina defended her corner by saying sometimes it can be the illustrator saying that.

I imagine there is no solution to this problem aside from submission on one side at least.

Adam told me I could have his silkscreen place.

I am the worst silkscreen printer. Every time Gary tells me I need to use inks or acrylics I want to show him what a hideous mess I can generate with wet media.

For every print I did I would touch ink somewhere, my elbow, hands, face, jeans, hair, on the table, on the screen, all over the blade which kept dropping off the edge of the table paint and all. I forgot to mask the edges around the screen and only realized when purple paint started to drip down the back.

My postcards were damn unprofessional. Sigh. What a fucking mess.

Rachel, the lovely and nice French lady (I love her), is so comforting to clumsy idiots like me.