maya’s blog

couldn’t resist doing a couple more.

Sometimes I make Ukrainian Easter Eggs, and not just at Eastertime. It had been too long since my last batch so I decided to get out my dyes. Here is one rather traditional egg, with fish, and one medical-illustration-inspired egg, with kidneys!

(Instructions for the process can be viewed here.)

Today I spent some time playing around with Illustrator CS3. I’m usually a Photoshop girl, but people do need to make vector art sometimes, so I’m giving in and doing a little practice. Here is today’s fish.

How to make a delicious treat out of your everyday artwork!

Step One: Pick out an illustration you could re-create in two or three solid shades. Think black, gray, white (or brownie, powdered sugar, more powdered sugar). Don’t steal illustrations! It will be more fun if you use your own. (To be serious, for edible at-home projects, you can do whatever you want, but otherwise, try to develop the habit of getting permission in writing before you use someone else’s copyrighted property.)

Read more »

A kidney cake! This yummy confetti cake shaped like a kidney AND ureter was made for me for my birthday this August by the lovely and talented Erin. Thank you!

Here I am, almost finished with a graduate degree and starting a job search like an adult!

Since May, I’ve been working on my thesis project, and with any luck and a lot more work, I should be done in October. I’m pretty excited about the project, which involves video, animation, and a little illustration, all wrapped up in a tidy little interface. The whole ball of wax will be delivered on a data DVD that one could pop into one’s computer. It teaches surgical staging of endometrial cancer - basically, how to get lymph nodes out. I think it could be a really important aide for doctors learning how to do this properly and I’m excited to get it marketed and distributed when it’s finished.  How, I’m not yet sure but we’ll get to that later.

I’ve started looking at jobs, although only seriously looking at those in Dallas for now.  I don’t want to move away in the middle of the thesis project.  If I take a serious interest in an out-of-town position, it will have to be a job that can be filled in November or later.  What a very exciting and wide open time for me!  It’s a lot to think about.  I’m looking forward to settling in somewhere.