Insert bad tree pun* here

These photos from tonight's class were taken with my newish-but-I-thought-it-was-dead camera from eBay (I got the dreaded E18 error on the second test photo I took: ironic, as I bought it to replace my first Canon Ixus. Which had just died with the dreaded E18 error). I only pulled it back out to make a final decision on what to do with it before I binned it: switched it on and it seems to be working just fine...

A good thing, really, as I spent some time last week lurking in a camera shop taking trial photos with a $750 Leica C-Lux 3 (based on this recommendation), a Panasonic FX38 (which I was reliably informed was the exact same camera as the Leica just rebranded and $250 cheaper) and the Canon Powershot G10 (which has 1 cm macro shooting. As a miniaturist this makes me tempted to ignore the $800 price tag and buy one immediately. 1 cm! Just the thought makes me feel like hyperventilating.)

Anyway... Where was I? Oh yes, playing with bark in class tonight.

Admiring the texture:Checking to see if I could draw on it (I'd left my ink at home so a Fine liner and Sharpie has to suffice):Weaving it:Soaking it:Researching it:Plaiting it...Chewing on it (not shown. Also not shown: the Tutor's alarm when he noticed what I was doing. I figured I was pretty safe as I'd just read in one of my books that that's how you make brushes out of it...)

And, finally, experimenting with combining it with some printer bits:(*Stumped for a title? Branching out? Barking mad?)