Gaffer tape keeps on giving!
In the UK we had lots of art shows for kids while I was growing up including "Rolf's Cartoon Club" (I have long maintained that Rolf Harris should be the mascot for the creative commons movement) – but the undisputed king was Tony Hart, with shows such as "Take Hart" and "Hart Beat".
He, or his comely young art student assistants (one of which that I had a teenage crush on, I was to meet professionally in later life to my great amusement and embarrasment) would usually demonstrate a novel but accessible art technique which you could then impress your parents or teachers (never your peers) with at a later date.
I'm going to introduce one to you now, which I pioneered in San Franscisco earlier this month, while eating lunch at a conference/workshop.
I am a terrible doodler, and many a giant robot squirrel or rhino cocktail waiter has come to life from my pen during a meeting. This time a giant squid was born, and there happened to be a big roll of blue gaffer tape lying next to me, so I started assembling a mosaic/wash of blue behind the noble overlord of the deep.
Effective, no?
Why not try it at home kids? Gaffer tape keeps on giving!
Why, hello there!
Just another future song…
Lyrics are funny things.
Since I was a wee 'un I've loved the lyrics of "Diamond Dogs", which is high sci-fi-camp Bowie at it's nonsense best, but of course only when sung.
Not just by Bowie, but by Beck, even in my head, dammit.
But written down, they lose all life and power instantly. This is of course totally obvious to all you liberal arts types, but I still find it remarkable. Funny things.
A line from "Diamond Dogs" –
"Just another future song"
however, is a blog post title waiting to happen though – if I ever blog again.
Or a Warren Ellis graphic novella.
I’m such a nerd because…
What's the nerdiest thing about you?
See previous QOTD (i.e. my love of physics)
Time for a Handsome Looking Machine
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To break the silence…
QotD: Teacher’s Pet
What was (or is) your favorite subject in school?
Physics.
QOTD: Heavy Rotation
Comics: “Scarlet Traces”
Read and greatly enjoyed this short book by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli yesterday.
It's a ripping yarn set ten years after the martian invasion of Earth as described by H.G. Wells.
Visually-inventive and richly-coloured, it leaves you on a dark and foreboding cliff-hanger setup that left me searching for the next in the series (I guess the first was by Mr. Wells)
The widescreen nature of some of the art is intriguingly infomed by the fact it was orignally destined to be seen on the web as a flash/shockwave animated web-comic.
This from the popimage review:
"It's one-time status as a web-comic has impacted the art in the final book in many ways, some as subtle as the colour palette and some as important as the design ethic. The world's devices and machinery were given a more detailed structural underpinning because there were going to be sections of 3D animation featuring the alien vehicles on the web. These principles were applied to all of the cranes, fire engines and other devices that appear in the book, and the result is an enjoyable and plausible world. The design and spirit imbued in the Martian and Martian-derived technologies is delightful and inventive, but also classically literate as well."
As a result of the abortive start to their creation it took the duo behind this ten years to get it into print – hopefully the next installment won't take as long to see the light of day.
QotD: My First Car
Tell us a little something about your first car. Do you have any photos you can share?
Submitted by tamara.
The first and only car I have ever owned was a 1980 Mercedes 280SL pillarless coupe called "Rusty" – full name "Rusty Chrome, Crimefighter".
I was bought from Big Matt's mate Klaus in the pub (The Perserverence, Holborn, I believe) for £100. It cost four times that to insure it, and I probably put more petrol into it that it cost. That's what car-buying after five pints of lager gets you.
Rusty was navigated rather than driven, was berthed rather than parked, and had quite a lot of mildew in the upholstery, which discouraged casual passengers.
He eventually was turned into a small cube by Islington Borough Council.
Petafloptimism 