MONDAY START
Animated ASL Word of the Day.
WEEK DAYS
For the end of May and the start of June, I will be showing the ASL hand signs for each day of the week. (animated artwork from My ASL Dictionary, available now).
There is more than one hand sign for Sunday. This version is the one I was shown first. I would later make the visual comparison of its movements to the forward arcing motion of the hand sign for God.
CARTOON COMIX
As a cartoonist, I used cartoon illustrations to document my ASL lessons, the choice that led to the dictionary’s creation. As other students would scribble down notes in textbook corners, I took down my notes in pictures. Cartoons as a medium are easy to access, speaking to all ages, not just children. While a late entry to my dictionary, it was necessary to include this ASL sign. Cartoons are the tools my dictionary uses to teach this visual language. This Animated ASL word of Day is another cartoon of myself dressed up in a costume I wore for a Star Trek convention.
LOST SOLDIER
October 2021, my hard drive dropped from the shelf and stopped spinning. The original artwork and designs that created the dictionary were now lost inside the broken harddrive. I went to Memofix Data Recovery Service for help. Memofix did an incredible job retrieving the data, but some files could not be as they were permanently damaged. I use the original files of the dictionary to create the Animated ASL Word of the Day. While looking through this collection, I discovered that Army was missing. I chose to animate ARMY so I could rebuild and rescue this lost soldier. In 2014 we were taught the hand sign for Army represented the soldier holding his rifle. Remembering this lesson, I colored the hand sign again. In addition to a new camouflage outfit, I also added the rifle. I placed the gun on his back to enhance his hand’s movements instead of distracting from them.
VICTORIA DAY
After dedicating myself to using the Animated ASL Word of the Day to promote my dictionary’s artwork, I knew I had to prepare some pieces in advance. I completed the ASL hand sign for Victoria weeks before the May 22 holiday. This piece was the first time I added blinking. This small gesture added so much life to the image it’s now a permanent addition to all the ASL words I’ve done after. The animation also allows me to highlight the use the mouth memes found in these words. Ex. How I closed the mouth of the clown for Amazing first before I opened it wide for the hand sign.
All this was possible because I blinked Victoria’s eyes to give her some class. Happy Victoria Day!
SATURDAY SPECIAL
The plan was to wait until Monday before posting the animated days of the week, but this Saturday was exciting. A nasty rainstorm hammered the area causing extensive damage. Fallen trees, heavy rain, downed hydro lines, and power outages across the region for hours. I was working on the ASL hand sign when this happened and luckily saved it before the power went out. In celebration of the recovery of power, and gratitude my PC wasn’t damaged by the power cut, today’s Animated ASL Word of the Day. (I also made sure the extra pieces waited until the hand sign was completed before moving).
IT’S AMAZING
Here’s hoping everyone has an Amazing Day. The Animated ASL Word of the Day (more animated hand signs with Art from my book, My ASL Dictionary). *The more life I put into these still images, the longer it takes to fingerspell, the larger the gif file becomes. The animation will have to be shortened to fit on certain platforms. 
A ROOM
The Animated ASL Word of Day. An important piece in compound words like Bedroom and Bathroom.
SAD CLOWN
I was building up anticipation for my next ASL course in two days when the message from Conestoga College came in. There is no class in two days. Due to insufficient registrants, the course has been postponed until the Fall. Instead of a two-day wait, I now have four months. In the past, the longer the time I spent away from ASL study, the more of the language I would forget. If I don’t want this history to repeat itself, I’ll have to keep active in my studies in the time between courses.
I appreciate the College informing us of the cancellation and processing our course refunds, but I still feel bad. That is why I animated my sadness for Today’s Animated ASL Word of the Day.
