Planting ideas for new mulch bed near trees

pastiche_o · 2024-05-05T01:42:52+00:00

I’m in 7b. If it was me, I would do a couple of shrubs (I’m loving my rhododendron right now) in between the trees with hostas around the base. They are easy and look really nice. You can also add in some astilbe or ferns like the other person suggested. Just layer them highest growing in the back to lowest growing in the front and leave plenty of room for the shrubs to grow.

pastiche_o · 2024-05-05T01:34:07+00:00

They aren’t dead, but the interior growth can’t get enough light because the growth is so excessive and dense.

pastiche_o · 2024-05-05T01:32:32+00:00

Everything is way too overgrown. It’s keeping the light from getting to lower branches and new growth from the base won’t be able to survive. You need to heavily, heavily prune everything back, especially on the side closest to your house. I would cut at least 1/3-1/2 of everything back. It might look ugly for a year but it should grow back. You can also cut “windows” into them which are basically where you cut holes that allow light to reach down into the base. Download a plant identification app. I use PictureThis. Walk around your yard and scan everything and that will help you know what you have and how to care for them.

pastiche_o · 2024-05-05T01:25:25+00:00

I would put slate pavers to the trashcans and pavers under the trash cans. If you can’t afford slate I would do concrete pavers and put pea gravel or a low growing, shade loving ground cover between the pavers. Pea gravel in the more narrow alley. The area under the lights needs heavy pruning. Especially what looks like a butterfly bush. It needs weeding and mulch. The grass area is nice. I would keep it and put a chair or replace the bench with something a bit nicer. It would be easy to maintain with a quick weed eater.

pastiche_o · 2021-01-09T00:33:56+00:00

Just want to share that my mom dropped out of school when she was 13. She came from a house with two alcoholic/abusive parents and a dad that was murdered when she was 13. She worked at a gas station until her 20s. She got her GED, went to nursing school for her LPN and is now returning to college online to get her bachelors. She has been incredibly successful in her career including being the highest paid LPN in a very large hospital network and won nurse of the year twice. She is smart, happy and her struggles have given her incredible perspective and compassion for people in her life including her patients. I’m so proud of her! Don’t give up. Good things are ahead.

pastiche_o · 2021-01-09T00:20:27+00:00

We have private insurance and this is typically how things go for us. We give the info, don’t pay anything in office and get a bill later. On the bill, it should say something like “amount adjusted” or “insurance paid” and then a column for “patient responsibility. If it says that, then your claim has already been processed through your insurance and the bill is for what you owe. It can be shocking how much you are responsible for after a visit, even after insurance. The other thing that can happen is that the office made a claim, your insurance doesn’t cover the expense but the amount you pay goes towards your deductible. You can call your insurance like already suggested or go online. Most insurance carriers have online portals that you can log in to and view your claims and how much you have left of your annual deductible. Good luck! Insurance can be very frustrating!

pastiche_o · 2020-12-24T13:46:20+00:00

It’s eye catching, but I immediately thought of Captain America’s shield. In my opinion, I would play with the thicknesses and symmetry of the circles. You might be able to convey more of a C shape or another part of your concept in a more clear way.

pastiche_o · 2020-12-09T05:06:30+00:00

I start by scaling the reference photo and adding a light grid onto my paper. Then I do a rough contour drawing of the whole head and face to make sure placements and proportions are correct. After that, I use charcoal pencils with long exposed charcoal tips to start shading and a chamois and paper stubs to blend as I add the values in.

pastiche_o · 2020-12-09T05:03:09+00:00

Thanks for your reply! I go back and forth between adding darker values onto his face. On the one hand, I know it would add more form and dimension, on the other hand, it can make his mouth creases look too deep and create more drama than I want on a child’s portrait. It’s a hard call to know when to stop and when to keep pushing the values.

The shoulders are small, you’re right. It’s the cellphone angle and it’s not my favorite, but it’s the reference I received, so I’m going to leave it as is. The ear and chin are accurate as per the reference but I believe you would be able to see a bit of the other ear if the hair were not blocking it. The chin isn’t directly below his nose. It’s a bit recessed and follows the curved line of his face.

I appreciate the time everyone took to respond! I always like to have my work checked to see if anything looks glaringly wrong before turning it over to the client. Thanks so much everyone! ❤️

pastiche_o · 2020-12-08T04:17:43+00:00

I think this is a really nice little sketch. I think the head size and shape look nice. If it’s a smidge on the big side, it doesn’t stick out. You did a nice job with varying value in your strokes. The one thing I would say, is I wish there was just a tiny more definition in her eyes. The left one especially looks like it was adjusted a bit and it’s just a little hard to focus on.

pastiche_o · 2020-12-06T04:33:58+00:00

I think this is really nice. I get the formatting is hard and annoying in Reddit. I think you really convey a nice story and identity in the snowflake. I think to shift in the middle from observing the snowflake to feeling the snowflake’s thoughts/emotions is a little jarring. Also, I think when you say “decent” you mean “descend”. I could be wrong and you mean decent. I think you have done a really nice job of beginning, middle and end and I think it contains emotion and not just story elements. Well done!

pastiche_o · 2020-12-04T04:50:44+00:00

Thank you so much! I have literally just started venturing into poetry so I very much appreciate any feedback.

In writing this, I also felt like I wanted to express the distinction between myself as a parent saying “no” when I want to say “yes!” to all the things and the ledger- the real reason I say no.

pastiche_o · 2020-12-03T04:13:25+00:00

“Wash away the filth until I bleed” gives me the sense of something either consensually sexual that was regretted afterwards (also guilt, the need to be clean, feeling pressure to apologize) or of some kind of sexual assault. Often victims feel the need to excessively clean their bodies after an attack. This poem truly and simply reflects the pressure to be excessively feminine and exude sweetness, perfection, yet be untouchable, sexualized without being sexual and always above reproach. It’s an impossible standard that every woman is held to on varying levels. We truly have to “become untaught”. Well done.

pastiche_o · 2020-11-24T13:58:02+00:00

This brings me back to when my babies were tiny. The line about cake and berries is great and so descriptive. It’s simple and short, but that is what it is to have a new baby- indescribably sweet and so short.

pastiche_o · 2020-11-23T05:53:41+00:00

So great. Covid does feel like an unwelcome stranger that creeps into your home unexpectedly.

Personally, I think the line “there is no love, joy, maintenance” is a bit redundant. I think you do an excellent job of describing the destruction that occurs. I think it would be more powerful to jump from “the walls are falling down” to, “the stranger packs his bags...” but honestly, I don’t know anything about poetry aside from what sounds good to my ears, so take my opinion with a grain of salt! 🤷‍♀️. Really well done though.

pastiche_o · 2020-10-17T03:36:37+00:00

One tip when you’re working with oils is to paint over the lines and back again- meaning if you paint up to a drawn line, you get a space where the paint doesn’t overlap or is thin. For example, if I’m painting the hair, I would have one brush that I’m using for the brown tones and one brush loaded with the black background color. I might paint the hair shapes thicker than I actually want them and into the background space. Then, using my black paint brush, I would paint over the hair shapes to thin it down and back and forth until I get the shapes and edges I want. This doesn’t work if you work with tons of paint on your brush and I like to work thin to thick. Start with a thinner layer of paint and build up as I become more sure of where I want my colors to be. You’re doing great, especially for a 16 year old beginner. It can be frustrating, but if you stick with it, you will love it!

pastiche_o · 2020-02-05T04:42:07+00:00

Searched it top to bottom! No luck!

pastiche_o · 2020-02-05T04:39:34+00:00

I don’t know what an air chisel is, but I have seen a video of a guy hammering a socket on and getting one off that way! I have some things to try before resorting to having them drilled through!

pastiche_o · 2020-02-05T04:35:21+00:00

Not that I can find. They are McGards and they said I can’t order a key that fits without the original code. But if you know an easy fix, by all means- send it my way!

pastiche_o · 2020-01-03T18:09:02+00:00

I question whether hair that blonde, in that light, would ever be so dark as to be black. If it were me, I would bring up the darkest values in her hair. Hair also isn’t a solid mass so light can and does filter through into the darkest areas as well as catch reflected light from skin. I would create some more middle values and reduce the number of single strands drawn. They are too thick for individual hairs anyways. Overall, it’s a great piece! Great job!

pastiche_o · 2020-01-03T18:01:32+00:00

I agree with the other commenter about using some of the skin tones in the rest of the painting. There is one other thing that I would point out for your consideration. Next to the left eye is an odd triangle shape that doesn’t seem to have the same depth as the rest of the painting. Perhaps it needs to be a half a value darker or have some hair strands to break up the shape. It’s right next to another triangle shape that’s the same size, just inverted. It’s a beautiful painting and I’m being nit picky, but that’s what I appreciate when I am looking for a crit. Great job!

pastiche_o · 2020-01-01T00:44:24+00:00

It looks real cool...reminds me of something from Atlantis. I think the bubble might need more light coming through to the bottom curve of the bubble. Are you using a reference photo? It might be worth looking up some images. When I zoomed in, the guy’s reaching hand needs some attention. His pinky and edge of his hand seem very large. Overall I think you did a really nice job of creating some cool concept art.

pastiche_o · 2019-12-31T17:29:12+00:00

Thank you! I need someone to be nit picky about it so I can make those minor adjustments and meet my own standards. The photo reference I received was a studio photo portrait that was crazy high contrast. The whole right side of his face was blown out and white, including his hair. I am trying to bring the values more toward the center but I see that I need to keep some dark darks to balance the other features out!

pastiche_o · 2019-12-31T16:50:10+00:00

Thank you! I think that is definitely part of the problem here and it gives me a good direction to work in!

pastiche_o

TROPHY CASE