Bonsai off season / side hobbies ?

A little late to this party but I've been learning sumi-e for the past seven months or so. Definitely inspired by the complete inability to find small scrolls or paintings for table top displays

Some pieces from tonight's class. Various bamboo compositions and a couple practice pieces of grass sticking out of snow

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I used to do a bit of this some years back when I had a gallery. So I can fully appreciate the work here. Bamboo was probably my favorite subject.
 
I am very definitely still amateur at this. It's finally started to look decent, and only a handful of my subjects look decent. Struggling a lot with non-plant material, and my plum/tree trunks still look kinda junk. Definitely enjoying learning though
 
When I can't get my buddies together and jam, i like to make fishing lures out of wood.
Here are a few recent ones that made in the last few weeks. Some experimental shapes.
I'll test them in the springtime to see how they swim, if they don't, I will modify them and try again. If they still don't swim, they become cool keychain trinkets for my kids backpacks and such.
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Awesome
When I can't get my buddies together and jam, i like to make fishing lures out of wood.
Here are a few recent ones that made in the last few weeks. Some experimental shapes.
I'll test them in the springtime to see how they swim, if they don't, I will modify them and try again. If they still don't swim, they become cool keychain trinkets for my kids backpacks and such.
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Awesome paint job. My son is a fishing fanatic.
 
Hey everyone .. this is a cool thread glad I started it.. and fun to see what everyone does…. essentially we are all doing Bonsai and I think for me atleast besides snowboarding and hiking / physical activity .. it’s hard for me to find something that is comparable to how Bonsai makes me feel. This whole thread I think was about me exploring other side quests that I already don’t do outside of bonsai .. I think over the next few months I’m gonna share thoughts on how trying out this RC car stuff is and maybe another hobby .. if I could build something like this too some day I think that would scratch multiple Itches



And off season is winding down I really don’t have much time only another month and a couple weeks until I’m busy repotting and planning for another growing season.. also the studio has a lot of projects , so I start tomorrow.. I’ll post that stuff in my apprentice thread
 
Hi alll, hope your off season winter time if you’re in N Hemisphere is going well! Obviously I dedicate every day to Bonsai in some aspect and will continue on for hopefully many many years .. obviously it’s a big part of my life and a constant passion but besides my Dog , Family, Friends , Bonsai ,Phillies , working out/ hiking and Career pursuits .. what are some other hobbies and passions you all enjoy? I have some bonsai pots in collection some for future use , others idk I like them on the shelf !!
Also very recently taken up RC Cars I got one today and another one is on the way it’s a Traxxas with some customized parts I got for future mods ! So please share ! We won’t always have time to put in 100% to everything at once but it’s cool to mix it up
Hi - sounds like you’ve got plenty going on there…
One of my other hobbies is making miniatures - dioramas and room boxes - and I’ve got a few in the making right now.
This here is a tiny, store bought Zelkova Parvifolia, and the white space to the right is for a bookstore, I’m building right now / with tiny little bricks, mortar, etc.
Scale 1:24, which in this case was the scale that fits the little tree best.
There’s a lot of work involved, building the store, and then I’ll have to fill it up with desk, book shelves etc - and books by the hundreds. Each book will be around 7-8mm x 5-6mm.
For this little project, the time period will be the late sixties - my early teenage years 😊 - so I was very happy to find the little Velosolex in 1:24, the preferred transportation for all the cool kids back then…
The bonsai tree is sitting in a separate pot, and it’s easy to pick up for watering and maintenance.
I finished the little table and benches yesterday, made from 1 mm pine wood, weathered with iron vinegar.
 

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