Post by f0n9 on Dec 4, 2006 22:48:25 GMT -5
In the beginning, the yard was a formless field of white and snow, and a mighty wind swept over the waste. Then Fnog said "Let there be sculpture!" and lo, there was sculpture. ...but it certainly took awhile.
Materials:
Tree limbs (2)
Small logs (4)
Pocketknife (1)
Hacksaw (1)
Carrots, large (2)
Large blue tarps (4)
Large brown trees (4)
Plastic Sled (1)
Wooden Toboggan (1)
Trashcan lid (1)
Twine (lots)
Snow (yes)
Chocolate (hot)
Fire (not hot)
Colored Sharpies (many)
The first thing Fnog had to find was a building site. Considering the clearing around the cabin had many trees, it wasn't hard to find four trees in a roughly square arrangement that were close to the cabin. Lucky him.
Next came the wind shelter. After all, the mighty winds were still sweeping over the waste, and threatening to destroy anything he put together. So Fnog set to work binding the tarps to the spaces between the trees. The end result was a roughly square shelter of sorts, which served the double purpose of keeping both wind and prying eyes out. Fnog saw that this was good.
Next, gathering materials and snow. Snow was easy; sticks were not. Most were still attached to the trees, and frozen solid as a result. He finally ended up raiding the wood stores of the cabin for suitable lumber, and dragged it back to the site. ...which, needless to say, garnered more than a few confused stares. But oh well.
Four of the larger logs were arranged in a cartoony campfire-esque formation. The next hour or so was spend piling snow atop parts of the logs, shaping and reshaping it in an attempt to make it look like fire. To a reasonable degree, he was successful. This was good.
Now, the hard part. Fnog spent the next hour shaping and tightpacking snow into a broad, three-foot-tall snowmen-esque shape. This in and of itself was not hard. Things got difficult when he pulled out his pocketknife and began whittling and carving away at the snow, carefully adding details and contours until the sculptures began to resemble two large Arctic birds. The two sculpturelets were huddled together near the "fire", apparently relying both on fire and on each other for warmth.
Now, the carrots. The smaller carrot, under the influence of a pocketknife, became the beak of a penguin; the larger carrot met both knife and Sharpies, the colors and contours forming the beak of a puffin. Each carrot found a home as the beak of one of the snowbirds, and Phase One was complete. This was very good, as the sun was setting and it was time for sleep. Off to bed with Fnog.
Night came, and morning followed; the second day.
Thankfully, the shelter had kept the sculptures intact and unharmed. This, needless to say, was very good. And so began Phase Two.
A large ring of snowballs around the snowbirds was quickly built into a cylindrical wall, atop which the trash can lid was set. The long plastic sled was placed atop the lid so one end could extend out past the edge of the structure. Then, snow was added. In large doses.
When the structure was completed, it greatly resembled an igloo. Which was very good, as this is exactly what it was supposed to resemble. In fact, this was an igloo, albeit a small one.
There was only one problem. The birds within the igloo were no longer visible to the outside world! ...but thanks to a hacksaw and a good knowledge of structural engineering, this didn't stay a problem for long. Fnog carefully sawed a small, square window out of a wall of snow, revealing the two small snowbirds and their mockup campfire. The two remaining sticks were inserted into the window as a cartoon-y sort of window frame, and the igloo was complete.
The wooden toboggan served two purposes. Firstly, it flattened the snow around the sculpture, which was good. Secondly, it was tied to a "post" next to the igloo's doorway, and covered in snow. The end result was a parked sled that looked like it had been through a blizzard. ...which would explain why the two snowbirds had taken refuge in the igloo. Score one for Fnogger.
Out came the pocketknife, and a few final touches were added. First the igloo's sides were carefully scored with the blade, the lines and spaces lending the classical igloo snow-brick appearance to the walls of snow. Next, a mail slot was 'carved' just next to the doorway, with the address "2 Artic Blvd." etched into the brick above it. A door of snow soon blocked the doorway; the door was soon scored to resemble wood grain and planks, with a tiny doorknob formed of a ball of ice and firmly pressed into the door.
Fnog finished his creation with a message of flowing script, etched into the snow before the igloo:
"Merry Christmas."
With that, he took the tarps down to await judging.
Finished product: "A wooden toboggan is tethered to a post outside this comfortable-looking igloo. Both igloo and toboggan are covered in loose snow drifts, apparently the victims of a blizzard. The door is closed, and yet the igloo's residents are still visible thanks to the sole window. A pair of arctic snowbirds, a puffin and a penguin, have cuddled together for warmth and comfort around a fire; the pair seem to be sleeping, apparently warm and secure in their wintry shelter. Outside the window, someone has carved "Merry Christmas" into a snowdrift in flowing script."
Materials:
Tree limbs (2)
Small logs (4)
Pocketknife (1)
Hacksaw (1)
Carrots, large (2)
Large blue tarps (4)
Large brown trees (4)
Plastic Sled (1)
Wooden Toboggan (1)
Trashcan lid (1)
Twine (lots)
Snow (yes)
Chocolate (hot)
Fire (not hot)
Colored Sharpies (many)
The first thing Fnog had to find was a building site. Considering the clearing around the cabin had many trees, it wasn't hard to find four trees in a roughly square arrangement that were close to the cabin. Lucky him.
Next came the wind shelter. After all, the mighty winds were still sweeping over the waste, and threatening to destroy anything he put together. So Fnog set to work binding the tarps to the spaces between the trees. The end result was a roughly square shelter of sorts, which served the double purpose of keeping both wind and prying eyes out. Fnog saw that this was good.
Next, gathering materials and snow. Snow was easy; sticks were not. Most were still attached to the trees, and frozen solid as a result. He finally ended up raiding the wood stores of the cabin for suitable lumber, and dragged it back to the site. ...which, needless to say, garnered more than a few confused stares. But oh well.
Four of the larger logs were arranged in a cartoony campfire-esque formation. The next hour or so was spend piling snow atop parts of the logs, shaping and reshaping it in an attempt to make it look like fire. To a reasonable degree, he was successful. This was good.
Now, the hard part. Fnog spent the next hour shaping and tightpacking snow into a broad, three-foot-tall snowmen-esque shape. This in and of itself was not hard. Things got difficult when he pulled out his pocketknife and began whittling and carving away at the snow, carefully adding details and contours until the sculptures began to resemble two large Arctic birds. The two sculpturelets were huddled together near the "fire", apparently relying both on fire and on each other for warmth.
Now, the carrots. The smaller carrot, under the influence of a pocketknife, became the beak of a penguin; the larger carrot met both knife and Sharpies, the colors and contours forming the beak of a puffin. Each carrot found a home as the beak of one of the snowbirds, and Phase One was complete. This was very good, as the sun was setting and it was time for sleep. Off to bed with Fnog.
Night came, and morning followed; the second day.
Thankfully, the shelter had kept the sculptures intact and unharmed. This, needless to say, was very good. And so began Phase Two.
A large ring of snowballs around the snowbirds was quickly built into a cylindrical wall, atop which the trash can lid was set. The long plastic sled was placed atop the lid so one end could extend out past the edge of the structure. Then, snow was added. In large doses.
When the structure was completed, it greatly resembled an igloo. Which was very good, as this is exactly what it was supposed to resemble. In fact, this was an igloo, albeit a small one.
There was only one problem. The birds within the igloo were no longer visible to the outside world! ...but thanks to a hacksaw and a good knowledge of structural engineering, this didn't stay a problem for long. Fnog carefully sawed a small, square window out of a wall of snow, revealing the two small snowbirds and their mockup campfire. The two remaining sticks were inserted into the window as a cartoon-y sort of window frame, and the igloo was complete.
The wooden toboggan served two purposes. Firstly, it flattened the snow around the sculpture, which was good. Secondly, it was tied to a "post" next to the igloo's doorway, and covered in snow. The end result was a parked sled that looked like it had been through a blizzard. ...which would explain why the two snowbirds had taken refuge in the igloo. Score one for Fnogger.
Out came the pocketknife, and a few final touches were added. First the igloo's sides were carefully scored with the blade, the lines and spaces lending the classical igloo snow-brick appearance to the walls of snow. Next, a mail slot was 'carved' just next to the doorway, with the address "2 Artic Blvd." etched into the brick above it. A door of snow soon blocked the doorway; the door was soon scored to resemble wood grain and planks, with a tiny doorknob formed of a ball of ice and firmly pressed into the door.
Fnog finished his creation with a message of flowing script, etched into the snow before the igloo:
"Merry Christmas."
With that, he took the tarps down to await judging.
Finished product: "A wooden toboggan is tethered to a post outside this comfortable-looking igloo. Both igloo and toboggan are covered in loose snow drifts, apparently the victims of a blizzard. The door is closed, and yet the igloo's residents are still visible thanks to the sole window. A pair of arctic snowbirds, a puffin and a penguin, have cuddled together for warmth and comfort around a fire; the pair seem to be sleeping, apparently warm and secure in their wintry shelter. Outside the window, someone has carved "Merry Christmas" into a snowdrift in flowing script."
