"I do not think that word means what you think it means..."

Okay, a really bad Princess Bride picture, but I was thinking about the movie a lot tonight, so thought I'd just goof around for a couple minutes in PS and do this.  Not at all the PB picture I'm planning on doing, but fun to scribble out.  Just shows I'm not ready to draw directly into PS. 

One of the greatest romantic movies of all time, of course.  And funniest.  And has one of the greatest songs ever written- there were only 5 songs of true love that were the most passionate, the most pure, and this one leaves them all behind. If you tell me you haven't seen it yet, well, that's just...

inconceivable. 

Music: "Storybook Love" - Willy deVille, of course. Check out an amazing acoustic performance of the song Here

man, i'm tired.

...on this winter's night with you

She and I never knew what we were supposed to be to one another.  We were friends from the first- meeting  through a common friend, finding each other in a common class, finding ourselves spending more and more time together.  We were easy friends- easy to talk with one another, easy to be quiet with one another. But it always felt like there was something else between us- deeper currents, maybe.  I never knew how I felt- when I finally did ask her out, she told me no- she didn't want to jeopardize our friendship.  Later, when she told me she felt something for me, she was half a world away.  Our relationship ebbed and flowed, sometimes one thing, sometimes another.  When she told me she was leaving, I found myself torn even more- I was by then in love with someone who loved me back- but she still held hold of part of me.  I said goodbye, for once with no other words to give her.  I remember listening to a tape she'd give to me, over and over.  We kept in touch through the mail, off and on, and I remember thinking, as I listened to that tape, that I knew how she truly felt.  I wrote her this long letter explaining how I felt, and how I knew how she felt.  Well, I was wrong.  I haven't heard from her since that last letter.  I think about her every so often- I wonder where she is, if she's happy, if she ever thinks of me... but I always think about her when I hear one particular song...

It was the middle of winter in State College.  We had made plans to go out that night, for dinner or something, and we found ourselves walking across campus.  It was later in the evening, and the snow was coming down- big fat flakes, drifting lazily down onto the walkways and grounds.  There was no wind, just the falling snow.  The whole campus was hushed, as though everyone had decided it was better to stay indoors. 

We walked across campus, just the two of us, and we talked.   We stopped to make snow angels- it was cold then, but we laughed so much it still felt warm.  We walked through campus, onto the streets of the homes near the university.  We walked under the streetlamps,the lights making halos of the falling snow.  Sometimes we walked arm in arm, sometimes we roamed back and forth across the streets, drifting in and out of each other's orbit.  We talked about things we'd never discussed before- some of it, I don't know if we'd ever talked about with anyone else.  I don't know if I'd ever felt closer to anyone before than I did that night.

I walked her back to her apartment.  We stood outside the door and kissed in the falling snow.  It wasn't a kiss of passion, or a kiss of love, or even just a kiss goodnight.  It felt like an unspoken acknowledgement that come what may, just this once, we both knew who we were to each other.  For a few short hours, we could be two people who had the whole world to themselves, and could just be with each other, on that winter's night.

The lamp is burnin' low upon my table top

The snow is softly fallin'

The air is still within the silence of my room

I hear your voice softly callin'

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter night with you

The smoke is rising in the shadows overhead

My glass is almost empty

I read again between the lines upon the page

The words of love you sent me

If I could know within my heart

That you were lonely too

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter night with you

The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim

The shades of night are liftin'

The mornin' light steals across my windowpane

Where webs of snow are driftin'

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

And to be once again with with you

To be once again with with you

--"Song for a Winter's Night", Sarah McLachlan

From the Crypt v.2, Item 7: Hell's Highway

June 7, 2009.

This one is pretty easy to describe. Much like my long-ago posting of 'breed', this one is directly inspired by a song. In this case, Ministry's "Hero". I was a huge fan of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails back in the day- nothing like some industrial music to get the outrage flowing. I'm not as much into it now- I guess my tastes have just changed a lot (go ahead, say it- I've gotten old :)- but my tastes have always changed. It's still fun to listen to every now and again, or better yet, catch on the radio.

But, this is just what came to my head when I would listen to the song. Also, it's inspired in large part by a story from 'Heavy Metal' called... "Friday", I think? About a clone trooper who doesn't think just like all his fellow clones. Wish I could remember the exact name.

And there you go.

Probably not going to post anything for this Friday, but you never know.

Music: "Hero" - Ministry (what, did you expect something else?)

From the Crypt v.2, Item 2: Please Don't Go Out On Me

March 4, 1993.

(Okay, so "Go" is actually off their second album, Vs., which came out in Late '93, but sue me- the title's good)

Speaking of overserious... Pearl Jam's frontman, Eddie Vedder. Couldn't tell you where I found the reference for it, but it was one of my better attempts at drawing a 'real' person. Hell, it's better than half the stuff I try drawing now.

Pearl Jam was THE band for me back then. They were the ones who really opened up my ears, musically, to all the different types of music out there, going beyond my limited interest in music back then (limited to B94- a top40/pop station). Through them, I found my way to all different types of music, and as so many teens do, started charting my own course in terms of musical tastes and, to an extent, helping me find my own way socially, as well.

The funny thing was, I'd gotten the Nirvana tape, not the Pearl Jam. I mean, I'd just started hearing PJ, but Nirvana was awesome. Then one day Joey came over with his Pearl Jam tape (sorry folks, this predates our owning CDs) and we listened to both tapes. By the end of the night, I'd decided Pearl Jam was more to my liking, and Joey ended up a bigger fan of Nirvana. Both were amazing, of course. I imagine every generation of kids comes of age with a particular group or type of music, one that really helps influence their formative years, or serves as a touchstone for them as they look back and remember. For me, and probably for a lot of my friends, it was bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana.

Wow- God help the kids who grew up in the early 2000's...

And yes, I wore the flannels, the ripped jeans with thermals underneath, and the kickers. It was the thing to do.

Music: "Release" - Pearl Jam

From the Crypt, 7: Do You See What You Hear?

May 29, 1992.

It was near the end of the school year, and our English Class had pretty much wrapped up by that point, so it was essentially a free period to do whatever. So naturally, I had out pencil and sketchbook. I popped Nirvana's "Nevermind" into the tape player, turned it up, and drew. "Breed" was the song that was on, and essentially made me draw what you see above. I had no idea what to draw until I actually heard the music playing- this is what came out. Sure, it's pretty typical of what I was drawing at the time, but I really liked the energy that came along with the music when I was drawing this. Nothing fancy, but pretty enjoyable.

This is one of the earliest pictures I can find that links my enjoyment of music with my love of drawing. I've drawn to music since then, but this rests most clearly in my mind. Since then, I've taken to thinking of music much more visually- not just in terms of how the music makes me want to draw, but actually drawing based on what I'm listening to- both in terms of the lyrics and the music (which can sometimes compliment, sometimes contradict, each other). One of many incomplete projects I've got on my plate is a number of pieces based around music. Some folks have helped with with ideas over the years, and I hope to get around to working on it. Time, Skill, and Energy willing, of course.

Next time- a surprise! (I forgot to look ahead)

Music: "Breed" - Nirvana

From the Crypt, 3: Sensitive Heavy Metal Artist

One of the first times I drew something not-comic-booky; and also one of the first times I drew something realistic for my own enjoyment, rather than an art class.

I admit it, back in the day I was a huge Queensryche fan. Of course it was because of 'Silent Lucidity'- you know, one of those counter-programming songs metal bands used to do back in the day to get lots of radio airplay, and make people think that was their typical sound (Extreme, I'm looking in your direction). Still, Empire was a great album of its day. In keeping with the 'seriousness' of the album, they had appropriately serious pictures in the liner notes. This one, of lead singer Geoff Tate, was particularly dynamic, and so I naturally wanted to steal the picture and draw it. I really enjoyed how it came out- 'stretching my wings', so to speak. But, I always remember this picture for my brother looking at it and complimenting me on it, then saying, 'You should've made all the lines going in the same direction.' Very true- it would've looked much better if I had. One of many head-smacking, 'duh' moments, in my artistic career.

---

My profuse apologies for the delay in posting. No, it has nothing to do with me secretly passing off current work as old work; instead, I blame the computer. Whether it's mortally wounded, or simply tempermental, it's been particularly difficult getting Photoshop and IE working. Today is a good day for it, so here you go. Come back Monday and we'll see if it continues to work.

Have a great weekend. I'll be working.

Music: "Empire" - Queensryche

The Sound of Music

A) One of the biggest and most instrumental bands of the late 20th century

B) A well-known and well-loved band known to the east coast for number of years

C) A little-known band from Germany only just now getting airplay in the U.S.

If I asked you, "which of these bands drew the loudest crowd?", chances are you're wrong, unless you picked 'C'. I know, I can't believe it either... Over the past two weeks, I've been to three concerts.

First up, The Police- a concert I never thought would come to happen, let alone one I'd attend. It was essentially a greatest hits show, performed with zeal and skill by three men who, as a band, contributed immensely to the landscape of pop, rock, and alternative music. They sounded fantastic, like the intervening years had just served to help refine their talents. There were about 13,000 fans there, screaming and cheering and clapping for, literally, the show of a lifetime. Good stuff.


Second, this past Saturday, I finally had the chance to watch hometown heroes The Clarks perform live, after what felt like decades of hearing their homegrown rock on local stations like DVE (I remember being amazed when I found out the rest of the country didn't know who The Clarks were- losers). They played like they still had something to prove, though the (what seemed like) several thousands of fans were more than supportive of the band. They played plenty of well-known favorites, as well as a lot of brand new music (all of which sounded great). The crowd left satisfied, a show well-done.

Third, yesterday, I took my fifteen-year-old niece Emily to see a group she'd been telling me about for a while now, Tokio Hotel. They're from Germany (which I guess explains the spelling?), and seem to be representative of the new wave (as opposed to New Wave) of alt rockers, with a heavy dose of Emo (as opposed to Elmo) and light nu-metal. I've been listening to their stuff ever since Em let me have their CD to sample. I figure hey, she could be on to something. I like the music well enough- like I said, they're alt rockers, they hit the right notes (figuratively and literally) and I can see how younger folks could really get into their music. I mean, they're not Pearl Jam, but they're not bad. So, when the opportunity presented itself for Emily to go to the concert, and her mom couldn't take her, I did the good uncle thing and offer to take her. To Cleveland. No big deal- it's funny how, after all these years of driving in Maryland, where to do anything fun, you always had to drive an hour (not to mention just go to work), a 2.5 hour drive to Cleveland from Pittsburgh didn't seem like much. I had no idea what to expect once we got there (other than hey, it's Cleveland)- I didn't know what kind of crowd it would draw- would they be a bunch of dark goth teens, standing around with their greasy black hair covering their faces? Would it be a bunch of college age kids, standing around with their too-trendy clothes and mall-bought rebellion, looking for trouble?

We got there, and it was worse than I imagined, much worse... It was 500 15-year-old girls... and their parents. Holy shit, I was one of the adults.

Then it got worse.

We went inside of the House of Blues, and I was stuck inside a (very freaking small) room full of screaming teenage girls, all of them chanting "WE WANT TOKIO HOTEL! WE WANT TOKIO HOTEL!" I wondered if this was some kind of karmic payback for earlier transgressions. I looked around at the other adults there, and they all must've seen the panicky, deer-in-headlights look on my face, because they only smiled sadly and shook their heads, as though acknowledging what was about to happen to me. The band came out. The girls screamed. My ears bled. I mean, seriously? You know those stereotypes of the spoiled little girl who squeals when she gets a freakin' pony or whatever? Take that sound, multiply it by a billion, stick it into a tiny (what's the maximum capacity in this place? 12?) room, and you about approach what it sounded like. So this, THIS is truly what it means to be responsible for a child. The pain...

But, it was a pretty good show, surprisingly. What I could hear of the band, over the girls, was pretty tight- they were obviously more than capable of playing live, and playing well. The girls all sang along, to every song, and all seemed to know what appropriate moves to make for each song (as did some of the moms). It was kinda fun to stand back (I was at the edge of the mob) and watch them. For them, this was the biggest thing in the world. So, it was fun. Emily had an excellent time, So it was all well worth it. She got to meet and talk with a bunch of like-minded girls (not always an easy thing) and I got to talk with some fellow "suffering" parental units- though when I saw the one girl throw her arms around her mom and tell her she was the greatest mom EVER for having driven 14 hours to the show, I could tell the mom thought it was a trip well worth taking. And really, it wasn't bad. I even offered to take her to the next concert. Which probably is just what she, and her mother, wanted to hear.

So, those are my recent musical adventures. Next, I think it's time to find some live music in a bar somewhere. There's nothing like hearing a small band perform for a crowd of about 50 in a smoky, smelly dive somewhere, while you're drinking and talking with friends. That, folks, is what makes music great.

(As you've noticed, these are also my first video posts. Hope they work...)

Next time around (hey, maybe even this Friday!) an actual art post. Maybe.

Music: "Message in a Bottle" - The Police; "Lock and Key" - The Clarks; and "Rescue Me" - Tokio Hotel

Possession

"She's got the most beautiful eyes... and her smile, it really lights up the room.
"She's just amazing- I've never known another woman like her.
"She understands me like no one else- she knows the real me, and I know the real her.
"We'll be perfect together...
"She'll see."

At some point in their lives, most folks have been smitten with someone who they are convinced doesn't even know they exist. Whether it's a coworker, classmate, or casual acquaintance, they come the focus for a harmless infatuation- usually lasting as long as it takes for the smitten to realize hey, they're just people, like everyone else.

But what if they really didn't know you existed? What if they'd never met you before, never seen you before, never heard of you before? And what if it wasn't a harmless infatuation- what if the object of your affection becomes the focus of your existence, the objective of your existence, to the exclusion of all else, often including morality, rationality, and reality? What have you become?

Welcome to the world of the stalker.

Everyone's familiar with the concept of the stalker; like described above, these folks become obsessed with another person, be it celebrity or next-door neighbor, and begin creating elaborate fantasies out of nothing. The idea of the stalker has been addressed by musicians for decades. Some of the most popular songs of the past few decades have been about these people:
"Every Breath You Take"- The Police
"Possession"- Sarah MacLachlan
"Creep"- Radiohead

The latest addition to this sub-genre of songs is one of my current favorite songs out there, "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie. Like many of these songs, the sheer malevolence of the content of the song is often masked by the tone of the lyrics; it's only after repeated listenings that you discover just how dark the lyrics actually are (look at all the folks who used to dedicate "Every Breath" to their loved ones- either they're a bunch of stalkers, or they didn't catch all the dialogue). "I Will Possess", unlike some of the other songs, lets you know from the beginning, somewhat unconsciously, that it's not a light song about puppy love- it has one of the most menacing basslines I've heard in a song. It's not particularly violent or loud, but there's something about the steady way it's played that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

In addition to the fantastic bass, the lyrics themselves are sung in a stumbling counterpoint to the rhythm and melody of the music, further drawing the listener into that stalker's headspace. The singer's light voice catches you off guard, particularly after the long musical introduction. You're humming along to the tune until you realize exactly what the song's about.

The video is the final ingredient to the mix, and one of the most subtle. It's essentially a 10-minute travelogue of a young woman's trip to various places around the world. The beauty of it is that you're just watching her go about her trip, but you're always watching her from a distance, and almost always from behind her. When you make the connection between the lyrics and the video, the video goes from a nicely shot long-form video to one of the scariest music videos ever.

Oh, the picture. Well, I was watching the video/listening to the song, and the image just occurred to me. I suppose it could take place just after the video ends or something along those lines. Not the most pleasant of pictures, I know, but the song really struck me, visually, and this is what I came up with. Originally just a sketch of the woman, I brought it into photoshop and created everything else.

I'm hoping this musical exercise will recur here more often; quite some time ago I'd asked folks for songs and/or lyrics that really struck a particular chord with them, or had some really nice imagery. I've not forgotten those, and coupled with my own ideas (music is GREAT for getting visual imagery), I'm hoping to visit that area again.

I'll possibly be back Friday; definitely be back next Wednesday.

Oh, I saw The Police in concert last night. Yes, it was great.

Music: "Wrapped Around Your Finger" - The Police

Angelic?

It's only a matter of time before I'm posting to LOLCAT.com. God help me. But seriously, isn't she cute? This is shortly before she pounced on me while I was trying to sleep. Then, seeing I was awake, came up to my face to be petted. Angelic, indeed.

Yeah, I know, it's not "art". I have a few things in mind, honestly- I just need the time to get to work on them.

Really.

In other news- the new Coldplay CD is amazing. It's a very different sound from the last couple they've put out, though they're all distinctly Coldplay. Most of this one seems to be a meditation on death, but it's surprisingly cheerful. Also, my living room now looks mostly livable, and it took me a month to finish the last book I picked up. It was only 400 pages. That's depressing. And there's a fly in my office the size of a small bird, to judge the sound. It must be destroyed.

That's it.

Music: "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" - The Police

Another Musical Interlude

Ryan Adams is one of these musicians I've heard before, but never realized the songs were "that guy's". I first really noticed him for his song "New York, New York" (not the one you're thinking of), which came to prominence right after the September 11th attacks. The video for it was shot on September 7th (I think) and the World Trade Center is prominently displayed. Instead of pulling the video, they kept it, and the lyrics and the video are a tour and a tribute to New York. Adams' music is pretty straightforward, modern, a bit bittersweet, but very enjoyable.

I drew this because a)I think it's a very striking pose and b)I was feeling musically inclined at the time and since I can't play an instrument or sing, I thought this was a good way to go. Expect more music-related pictures in the future.

Hope the weekend was kind to you. Mine was quite nice, having spent it with the 'rents and with my 'other' family, the Weavers. Lots of fun times spent watching movies, talking comics and movies, and learning Photoshop tips (thanks Joey!).

And now, back to work.

Oh- I'm going to see the Police in July. WOO!

Music: "Everybody Knows" - Ryan Adams

One Love, One Heart

Okay, I admit it. I never listened to Bob Marley in college.

There, now that I've gotten that out of the way... listen, it's not like I wasn't broadening my musical horizons in college, okay? I listened to plenty of different things, bands you'd be hard-pressed to find still in existence now, bands that'd been around since my dad was young, stuff you probably could only barely consider music. But I never listened to Bob Marley. I mean, I wasn't one of those kids- you know, the ones who were in a bit of a, shall we say, haze? throughout college. I just never was interested in that scene, and I kinda lumped Marley in with Phish and the Dead and all those other bands. (Though admittedly I liked what I'd heard of both Phish and the Greatful Dead at the time, but I never picked up any albums). And It's not like I had anything against the music, or the kids who were into it- it just didn't seem like it'd be my thing.

Cut to 10 years or so later.

A local radio station down here comes into being, playing all kinds of music. And I mean all kinds. In a given hour, I'd hear the Beatles (like 'love me do' or 'eight days a week', not just the later stuff), Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, Glen Hansard, and... yep, Bob Marley. It was a great mix of music- like someone you actually know and whose taste you respect is programming the music. I enjoyed the mix of music enough to listen to it at work, and often. So, I'd hear more Bob Marley. Instead of tuning away (too much work), I actually gave it a listen.

Damned if I didn't like it.

So yeah, I went out and picked up "Legend", and I've listened to it enough that I know what I like. It's good stuff- I really appreciate what he had to say, and I like how he said it. Simple doesn't have to mean simple-minded. Personal favorites include "Redemption Song" and "Could You Be Loved".

The picture- just the cover photo from "Legend". Originally drawn with pencil, then scanned and colored with many, many colors in Photoshop. I'm very pleased with the coloring job (made up, as usual, on the fly), but the little white bits around the outlines annoy me still. Could've been worse.

Cheers.

Music: "Get Up, Stand Up" - Bob Marley

Audio Visual

John Lennon.

I'm a relatively late convert to the Beatles. I remember my sister listening to cassettes of the "Red Album" and "Blue Album" back in the 80's, but not really paying much attention. I do distinctly remember liking "Revolution No.1", though. I also remember a fellow student in college telling me about a bootleg CD of Phish doing a complete cover of the White Album, but not really knowing what the "White Album" was...

Yeah, I'm not sure how I was so oblivious, either.

Needless to say, in the following years my musical tastes broadened and deepened a bit, and I was able to finally come around to understanding what all the fuss was about. Consequently, I've picked up the odd book and DVD with all kinds of behind the scenes goodies and info about the band- not a difficult task, considering they're probably one of the most written-about music acts in history.

Driving back to Pittsburgh one night I was listening to an audiobook of a Beatles bio and decided I REALLY needed to draw them in one way or another. So, lucky me, Borders is open late, and they had a nice Beatles photobook on sale cheap. It was a compilation of photos from one of the British newspapers, so it wasn't exactly filled with a bunch of glamourous shots, but it wasn't bad at all. I found 3 or 4 choice images, and decided to go with this one. If I remember correctlly (and since I just picked up the book, I do), this was John in 1964 on a TV show.

For the drawing itself, I really tried to get just the bare minimum of lines down to make it recognizable, but still a little stylized. Hopefully it worked. I came back much later and did the inking. The only photoshop work was removing the blue pencil and tweaking some leftover lines. I was thinking of coloring this, but decided I actually like the simplicity of the lines better.

End notes:

Casting for Junior Engineers:The Next Generation is now complete! Welcome to the world, kids.

'72 Dolphins: STILL the only unbeaten team in the NFL.

That which does not kill you, still leaves you pretty banged up.

That's it.

Music: "All You Need is Love" - The Beatles

Well, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time...

I love music. I love everything about music: how it sounds, how it makes a person feel, how it manages to find a way to convey emotions that I can't find words for, how it makes my foot tap (usually not in time), how it can make me feel better when I'm down, how it makes a springtime drive one of the best times on the planet... everything. Music is awesome, in the traditional and proper sense of the word. I have no musical ability whatsoever, other than the ability to listen to it, so music can have a somewhat magical quality to it, in my eyes (so to speak).

One of the many things I find so great about music is the ability to convey an entire range of emotions, to 'tell a story', if you will, just by the selection and arrangement of songs. You know, make a mixtape.

I can spend hours putting together these compilations, choosing the songs I want, and maybe even more importantly, the arrangement of the songs for he listener. I usually start out with a theme (driving, depressing, random, uplifting) then take it from there. Then, sort through the library, picking the songs I think best serve the idea, then arrange them so it sounds right to me. Then, my favorite part- the title. Usually something funny, or clever, or punny, or whatever. Remember, they're for me, so my standards are not your standards. Some past titles are "Sidelong Glances and Barroom Brawls" (mix of fast songs and slower, deeper songs), "LOOK OUT! I'm Dancing Like a Monkey!" (um, not so serious songs, like 'Kung Fu Fighting'), "Leadfoot" (Driving music, of course), and my favorite, "... in darkest night", which was an entire year of my life's story.

Anyway. As I got back into drawing, I thought it'd be worth making an attempt at drawing a title to one of the cds. Since they often have all kinds of different songs on them, with a bunch of different meanings, I wanted to try something like that with the picture. Something to convey an array of emotions, and would hopefully get across the theme of the cd.

I blew it. It pretty much fell apart from the get-go. The idea I was going with was a bit flawed, my drawing wasn't up to the challenge, etc., etc. But, in the interests of posting all the stuff that goes in the book, here you go.

This is why I'll stick to words from now on...

Music: "Love Song" - Sara Bareilles

Once Upon a Time

The Guy works part-time helping his father, who runs a small, vacuum cleaner repair business, but dreams of having his songs recorded and landing a record deal. His girlfriend has recently left him and gone to London, and he is still coming to grips with that loss and is emotionally vulnerable.

One day while busking on Dublin's Grafton Street, he meets the Girl, an East European immigrant who has moved to Dublin to start a new life for herself and currently works as a house cleaner in an upper-class residence. She is struggling financially, and cannot afford the piano she yearns for, while also being in the process of making crucial decisions about her personal life.

In a Dublin that has grown increasingly affluent and materialistic during Ireland's unprecedented economic boom, they are both outsiders, struggling with their art and their hearts. Through music, they find a common bond that brings them effortlessly together.

As the Guy and the Girl get to know each other over the course of an intense few days, their relationship blossoms as they share their music, put together a band to rehearse songs and record some demos, all of which results in them both bringing some much-needed impetus to their artistic and personal lives.

A few months ago I mentioned this song, "Falling Slowly". I first heard this song on VH1 (the one that still plays music videos) and was completely taken not only with the music, but also the video. I did some searching and found that it is the main song for a movie called Once, which has apparently been getting some amazing reviews (98% fresh from rottentomatoes.com). Anyway, you might be wondering why I'm so crazy about this movie... and I honestly can't tell you. It might be the music (which I've enjoyed), it might be the look of it (it has a very simple style), it might be the story (as quoted above from the website), it might be all the great things I've heard about it (the words "Oscar contender" have been used repeatedly)... it could be anything. The one thing it probably isn't though is the movie itself; I've never seen it. So you can now see that it's REALLY strange that I'm so taken with this movie. But, there you go. Can't help the things I like. It comes out on DVD next month, so I'll find out if the movie matches the hype. I somehow think it will.

The picture itself- This image is taken from a frame capture of the video (which is itself almost a paraphrasing of the movie). This image, of what looks like one of those rare and perfect, golden moments in your life- when everything just seems... right- really struck me, and reminded me of such a moment in my own life (which might make it to a posting), so I really wanted to try to get it onto paper. So there you go. The sketch itself went amazingly well; non-photo blue to pencils with nary an eraser in sight. I actually went back and copied the original drawing to go back and add shading- a chance to practice without messing up the original. I have at least 2 other versions rolling around somewhere, and will probably revisit this again to take another pass at it.

Anyway, there you go. more 'real' life drawings.

Music: "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Melancholy; or, a non-musical interlude, with music

I felt like posting again tonight (as I seem to be falling to Tuesday/Thursday/weekend rather than MWF), but not another set of HP sketches or something like that. So, here's a painting I did back in my previous attempt to rekindle the artistic fire, my watercolor class.

I found the original of this(and a number of other pictures) on Photo.net, a lovely place full of all kinds of pictures from many talented photographers. Something about this picture really struck me, and I thought it would be worth giving it a go in attempting to paint it. It is a deceptively simple photo- I mean, hell, it's snow, a guy, a tree, and water. But, it was exceedingly difficult to make look like it's meant to be seen. I'd say I've gotten about 70% of what I wanted out of the picture. The problem with the scanner is that it has a tendency to wash out the colors as seen on the page; this is probably why Dave suggests taking pictures of the pictures. But I am impatient and like playing with Photoshop. This image was orignally posted on my livejournal site.

As far as the picture, I really like it. It's a very stark and lonely image. This poor fellow, standing in the biting wind, wrapped up against the cold and the snow, is keeping watch out to sea, waiting for someone to arrive. There's a story in that picture. Maybe I'll tell you sometime. Maybe you already know it. Maybe you've told it yourself. That's what I saw in that picture.

That's all for now... see you on Friday.

Music: "Falling Slowly"- Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The music itself sounds very haunting, the lyrics perhaps even moreso, yet still I find them uplifting. It makes for a good companion piece to the art.