Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How to go from sketch to finished painting?–part 4 –Lessons in masking - lettering in artwork

Stage 7

To be honest, I hate lettering!

Well, applying lettering in artwork that is. My style is more organic and flowing. I like movement and asymmetry. Letters require a degree of precision and a methodical approach!

Now, I ask you, does that sound even vaguely like me?

Precisely my point!

But, do you think I would change an idea which was essential to my art? Well, do you?

Absolutely, positively no! Which means I’ve got to face my demons and draw those fonts. Groan!

Which is why I spent most of today up to my eyeballs in frisket film! Drawing and redrawing lettering. Then the cutting out! So much cutting that I’ve no feeling in the tip of my right index finger. Try using a touchpad with a numb finger, weird. 

Anyway, I digress, the inspiration font is a complex design so I’m not quite ready to apply the black paint! Nearly but not quite. MaƱana!

Masking is always a slow job. It needs to be done precisely. But the painting should be done in a flash. So, without further ado,and realising that there’s a lot left to mask… and, of course, I haven’t painted it yet!

Here’s the panel!

CIMG4650

I just think it’s a shame I can’t leave the frisket film in place, I love the effect!

Next step, painting!

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

My New Blog [Renamed]

As people may have noticed, I haven't exactly been staying on topic in recent months in my blog posts. So to avoid discrediting this blog any further, I've created my own personal blog to talk about general stuff that's beyond the scope of this blog. It's called "Scootle The Anti-Skeptic" (I need to find a picture of some antiseptic spray and photoshop it haha!). It's called "Skeptic Denialism", I liked the name because its meaning is two fold ... I'm "denying" the existance of skeptics and I'm exposing their denialism!

Skeptic Denialism
http://skepticdenialism.blogspot.com/

Only one post at the moment - just outlining who I am, why I started the blog, what it will be about etc. My two domain names, http://www.myspaceisghay.co.uk/ and http://911-dis.info/, will redirect to the blog as well until I can think of stuff to do with them. Links to all my videos are down the side, as well as an unfinished list of links to some other sites I find interesting. From now on I'll probably do all my 9/11 posts there and then repost them here. And if JM happens to like any of my other posts he's welcome to repost them here too.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Oh Herb Where Are You?

Two weeks ago, I was on a planting frenzy. Spring was in the air and I felt compelled to start my first herb garden. I started with a few of my favorites: pink rosemary, German thyme, pineapple sage, sweet basil and Roma tomatoes. So far so good. My plants continue to look perky and if I look really close I can see a ton of new growth. Thanks Andrea for the tip about covering your plants. I bought some green tulle that’s working out great.  On a sad note my flowers aren’t doing so hot. One afternoon I had 10 fatalities, after Stella had an eating binge on zinnias and ranunculus. Not to mention she ate my “test” germination of sunflower seeds. Oh Vey.

Well I’m not going to let this minor set back ruin my dreams for a green thumb. This summer I’m determined to prove I can have an organic garden on my patio….. with a very curious dog.

Wish me luck and send me tips!



Day one with the herbs from Bonnie Plants. The biodegradable pots are made from recycle paper and the same peat moss that is used to supplement garden soils. The only pot of its kind available, Bonnie’s biodegradable Jiffy pots can be put into the soil “pot, plant, and all." As the pot disintegrates it becomes part of the soil. Pretty Cool!!



Stella sleeping after a long day of gardening...

9/11 Un-debunked Version 2.0

A new version of my "9/11 Un-debunked" series. I will be uploading new videos to the playlist from time to time.

To view the videos separately, please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/citizenfor911truth1

How to go from sketch to finished painting?–part 3 –Hand painting circles, the hard way.

Stage 6

The project continues from here and here

There must be easier ways of painting circles! I’m sure! But I’m not using them because…?

Well I’m not sure of that either!

Probably because I don’t have a computer controlled cutter that works. (I have an old one but no software compatible with Windows 7). I need to touch up the circles but there’s progress. Is it me, or does it look like an eye test? You know the which is clearer the red background or the green section! And the white shape reminds me of one of the six badges on brownie uniforms from the 70’s. I was a “Kelpie” – see image below right (Courtesy of ebay sales pages). There was a white one, but I can’t remember the name to search for the image.

Circles painted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I now need to cut masks for the letters. After mulling over the design some more, I’ve decided to work the letters in a trashco font style. Not exactly the same but close enough to get a similar effect. As access tomorrow is and issue, I’ll be working from home. I’ve measured the space and I’ll draw the letters and cut them out using frisket film.

Time to get my hammer and hole punches out. I’ve a feeling tomorrow will be very noisy!

Obama Invokes 9/11 Yet Again!

It's like watching a Hitler speech.



I guess Family Guy was right.

One day I would like to see Obama give a speech with a lie detector present. It would be interesting to see if he could even get past "My fellow Americans" haha!

Related Info:

Obama Plays The 9/11 Card Again - December 3, 2009

Obama Warns not to challenge Official 9/11 Story - June 6, 2009

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Traditional Costumes in the World of High Fashion

Fashion designers adopt typical clothes from different countries and add them to their collections. These garments are worn by famous models on the catwalks of Pars, London, New York, San Pablo and Buenos Aires.



Kimonos, for example, are traditional Japanese style clothes. "Kimono" meant "something you wear" originally. Long ago, people in Japan wore kimonos every day. Now, people only wear a kimono for special occasions such as formal ceremonies.

A kimono is a robe shaped like a "T". Normal kimonos reach to the ankles, and have very long sleeves. Kimonos for women usually have colourful designs of flowers and butterflies. People wear a wide belt called an obi with their kimono. Obi belts are also colorful.

Women's kimonos are all the same size. Ladies fold them and tuck them to make them the right size. People who are very tall or heavy have to have kimonos especially made for them.

There are different types of formal and casual kimonos. Kimonos are usually made of silk, but there are cotton and polyester kimonos as well.

Kenzo, the famous Japanese fashion designer, introduced the kimono in his fashion shows and John Galliano showed kimonos in one of his last collections for Dior.



A sari is a type of clothing for women. It is mostly used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is a very long strip of cloth which women wrap around their body. There are different kinds of saris for different occasions.

British model and actress Elizabeth Hurley wore a 4000 pound ($7800) pink silk sari for her traditional Indian-style wedding to Indian businessman Arun Nayar. The costume had been created by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani. She required her dames of honour to wear a pink sari too. Chanel also included saris in their last Paris collection.



A kilt is a traditional Scottish garment, usually in a tartan pattern. It is worn by men and its origin has to do with the heavy rains that fall in Scotland all through the year. By wearing skirts, men did not get their trousers dirty! In the XX century, the kilt began to be worn by women and fashion designers incorporated them in their collections as well. British designer Vivienne Westwood revolutionized fashion by adopting kilts and traditional elements of Scottish design such as tartan fabric in her collections.



A poncho is a garment designed to keep the body warm, or if made from a watertight material, to keep dry during rain. It was created by the Peruvians and is now known in over 150 countries over the world. Alternative ponchos are now designed as fashion items. They are the same shape but of different material. They are designed to look fashionable and provide warmth while remaining breathable and comfortable, rather than to ward off wind and rain. These are often made out of wool or yarn, knitted or crocheted. Some fashion designers have even created them in fine materials such as silk or velvet. Enchanted Emerald Forest offers bridal ponchos made in chiffon in a variety of delicate colours such as white, lavender, ivory, baby pink and mauve and some other audacious hues such as red, purple, powder blue, royal blue, black and fuchsia pink.



Espadrilles are casual flat or high-heel fashion sandals wich usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of rope or rubber material moulded to look like rope. They were typically worn by gauchos and by workers but today even most Hollywood celebrities have at least one pair of them in their wardrobe. Floral print espadrilles for men became a sensation last spring. High-heel canvas espadrilles have been popularized by Stella McCartney in momochromatic or tropical print versions.



Fans look typically Spanish but they really have an Oriental origin. Japanese and Chinese fans are made of paper on a bamboo frame, usually with a design painted on them. In the 15th century, Portuguese traders brought fans to Europe from China and Japan. Top fashion designers have used fans as accessories for their haute couture dresses. Victorian fans made of delicate lace are commonly incorporated in bridal collections. Fans made of white feathers are also used to complement wedding apparels.

Last year the French firm Louis Vuitton and Spanish actress Rossy de Palma co-designed limited edition fans. The actress is an ambassador to OrphanAid Africa to where a portion of the fans' proceeds were donated.


Why bother to use a sketchbook? – Works in development versus a record of travel and experience.

Every artist should ask themselves “Why use a sketchbook?” Is it as:

- a memory jogger, a working tool to aid the creative process?

- a nostalgic record which allows you to recall happy times?

- a means to experiment with a new media?

- a workhorse, with great swaths of pencil/ink showing the finer nuances of you creative process?

- a handy means to keep all you paintings in one place?

How you use a sketchpad depends on your answer to these and other questions. In many ways it is easier to just take a photograph! There are many transient moments that can only be recorded by a photograph. But a sketch is more personal, more intimate. It bestows some of the character of the artist in ways a photograph cannot.

In the past two days I’ve produced 2 sketches. This one last night during “Earth Hour”.

Earth hour

I had some time – about 20 minutes - enough to achieve a level of completion, however flawed I might feel it is.

Legoland

The second was a five minute creation while I was standing waiting for my children to go on a ride at Legoland in Windsor. I had to stop before it was anywhere near “completion” However it still had value as a thumbnail sketch. On this occasion I also took a photograph. Which is a backup practice many artist’s now use. But I still have this sketch. I took many photographs today. I may not remember all the details surrounding them in months to come. But this sketch is carved in my memory in a way no photograph can or will ever be! So yes, it may be incomplete, but it has so much more value than the corresponding photograph.

So why do you use a sketchbook?

 

Women of Easy Virtue in Art

It would be wrong to think that only respectable women inspired artists throughout history. The decadent and oppressive reality of prostitutes and brothels has lent its colours to writers, painters and musicians who used them as a source of inspiration for their works.

England

The obscure world of harlotry inspired the great English painter William Hogarth. In the series of paintings known as A Harlot's Progress (later published as engravings) he depicts the miserable fate of a country girl who began a prostitution career in town from its starting point to its tragic end: the whore's death of venereal disease and the following merciless funeral ceremony. The sequel of the series, A Rake's Progress, shows in eight pictures the reckless life of Tom Rakewell, the son of a rich merchant, who wastes all his money on luxurious living, whoring, and gambling, and ultimately finishes his life in Bedlam.

Holland

Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh is said to have had an unrequited love story (which later became an obsession) with a French prostitute, to whom he sent his dismembered ear.

Italy

Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio ultimately had to flee Rome for murdering the pimp, Ranuccio Tomassoni, in a botched castration attempt. The dispute evidently revolved around Fillide Melandroni, a coveted prostitute, who posed for many of Caravaggio's paintings, including Judith Beheading Holofernes and Saint Catherine. Anna Bianchini and Fillide Melandroni were two well-known courtesans who frequented powerful art patrons and who served as models for Caravaggio’s painting Martha and Mary Magdalene.

France

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was a French postimpressionist painter, lithographer, and illustrator, who documented the bohemian nightlife of late-19th-century Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec is well known for his paintings of prostitutes and courtesans. Lautrec used to hang around the Moulin Rouge and other cabarets of the Montmartre district of Paris . He also frequented the theatre, the circus, Parisian brothels and often dance halls along with prostitutes, who mingled among the clientele in search of business. The dance halls commissioned Lautrec to create advertising posters. After its opening, the Moulin Rouge dance hall reserved a table for Lautrec every night, and displayed his paintings. Prostitutes befriended, supported, and modelled for the unesthetically pleasing, crippled man who would one day be remembered as one of the great artists of 19th-century France. As a purchaser of their services, Toulouse-Lautrec also had more direct dealings with prostitutes. Indeed, sometimes he would pack up and move into a brothel for days or months on end. He enjoyed shocking acquaintances by giving the address of a brothel as his place of residence. He grew close to his prostitute models; he played games with them, brought them presents, and accompanied them to his studio, restaurants, circuses, or theatres during their time off.
Victor Marie Hugo (1802-1885), was a French poet, novelist, and playwright. In his very famous novel Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays the life of the less fortunate. One of the characters in this book is Fantine, the mother of Cossette, who, in order to support herself and her daughter turns to the only mode of bringing in greater sums of money for women at the time, prostitution.
Alexandre Dumas’ first novel, Camille, is about a courtesan who sacrifices her happiness for her lover's good. Camille was based on an affair Alexandre had with Marie Duplessis when he was only twenty-one. He described his camellia lady as "one of the last of those rare courtesans who had a heart". The story was finally immortalized by Giuseppe Verdi in his famous opera La Traviata.

United States

One of the most moving moments in the book The Catcher in the Rye, written by Salinger, is the one describing Holden Caulfield’s encounter with Sunny, a young prostitute girl in a green dress. On seeing she is so young and how innocent she looks, Holden gets extremely depressed. Therefore, Holden lies to Sunny that he just had an operation on his spinal cord and he does not feel like having sex with her. In the end, Holden lets her go and pays five dollars to her while she asks for ten.

Argentina

Painter Antonio Berni is well-known for two of his stock characters: Juanito Laguna and Ramona Montiel. Ramona Montiel, a very poor girl who grew up in the slums and who later turned to prostitution, is depicted in many of Berni’s works.

Women of ill repute in Rock Music

The hit song "Roxanne" by the rock band The Police was written about a prostitute in Paris. Police lead singer Sting wrote the song, inspired by the prostitutes he saw near the band's seedy hotel while in Paris, France, in October 1977 to perform at the Nashville Club. The name of the song, Roxanne, comes from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, an old poster of which was hanging in the hotel foyer.

"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States whose most successful version was recorded by the English rock group The Animals in 1964. Alan Price of the Animals has stated that the song was originally a sixteenth-century English folk song about a Soho brothel, and that English emigrants took the song to America where it was adapted to its later New Orleans setting.

In 1969 the Beatles recorded "Maggie May", a traditional Liverpool folk song about a prostitute who robbed a sailor.

Argentine pop-folk music composer LeĆ³n Gieco wrote a song called Love Song for Francisca about a woman who engages in prostitution to raise her daughter. Although the song is about an obscure topic, it contains plenty of visually powerful colourful images (black wine, cinnamon skin, dressed in green, dressed in pink).

Sources:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/
http://www.subcortex.com/
http://www.wikipedia.com/

* This blog post is also featured on the COLOURlovers Forum.

Neuschwanstein, A Fairytale Castle



Neuschwanstein Castle (in German Schloss Neuschwanstein) actually means New Swan Stone Castle. It is a castle that was made in the 19th century by the Bavarian king Ludwig II. The castle is in south Germany. It is one of the most famous sites among tourists.
The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
" It kind of worries me being the top seed and
seeing high seeds falling out of the tournament ."

" I hadn't even started playing yet and
two big names
are heading home , which is strange . "


- Roger Federer , his comment on th early exit of
the top seeds
Murray and Djokovic
from the Miami Masters .



As mentioned above , Andy Murray suffered a shocking defeat to Mardy Fish by 6-4 , 6-4 . Murray's difficult run of recent form continued with the British number one admitting he has not felt himself since losing in the final of the Australian Open to Federer in Melbourne earlier this year .

Besides that , Novak Djokovic of Serbia faced an early exit after being stunned by Olivier Rochus by 6-2 , 6-7 , 6-4 .

As for Federer , he cruised past his first opponent , Nicolas Lapentti 6-3 , 6-3 in little more than hour using 10 aces and winning 87 percent of his first-serve points to reach the third round .


In the women's section , Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin made it a good day all-round for Belgium as the former world No. 1s progressed into the third round .

Clijsters , the 14th seed but champion in Miami in 2005 , crushed 20-year-old Czech Petra Kvitova 6-1 6-1 , to earn a third-round clash with Israel's Shahar Peer .

Henin , seeded 33rd after receiving a wildcard , beat Elena Dementieva for the second time in her comeback season , winning 6-3 6-2 , against the Russian fifth seed .

Henin , the Australian Open runner-up , will face Slovakian 26th seed , Dominika Cibulkova .



I have no idea how you pronounce the name ' Cibulkova ' . Never mind . I'll just call her ' cibai-kova ' .



*******************





Before you start reading , load the video above but don't start watching yet .

I need not mention what's the video is all about . It says so above .

As you all should know by now , I am a Lady Gaga fan . So is Desmond Yong , to which I recently found out . Anyways , here is the official video of Lady Gaga's infamous Paparazzi hit.

Just to make things clear , I absolutely love everything about this video . I love her dance , her voice , her moves and heck , even her outfits .

The story is about this guy , who shoved Lady Gaga off the edge after realising she was being spied on by paparazzis . But , the fall did not kill her . So , the song is pretty much about her getting up on life and seeking revenge on the dude .

There are several things you need to notice before you start watching . So , pause the video and continue reading .

1 ) 0.49-1.31 is where she tries to arise from her injuries , fighting all odds .

2 ) I love this part . After that , watch her strut her stuffs from 2.05-2.38 . I'm telling you , I really need to dance like that . My absoulute favorite part of the video . A MUST watch moment .

3 ) Did I mention ? The dress she wore with the big ribbons are cool . Goes really well with the movements .

3 ) Just so you all know , the part where there's a bunch of people kissing and licking and doing all sorts of shit has a meaning behind it .
Quite some time ago , she admitted on the Ellen deGeneres show that she supports the rights of gay and lesbian . She also hailed Ellen as an icon for all gays in the country . So , it might seem weird and sick to you but it doesn't to her . Try putting yourself in her shoes , if you can fit them, of course .

4 ) 2.55-3.53 is the most enlightening part of the entire video as she gets her revenge . Besides that , who can pull off wearing a mickey mouse outfit with super big mickey mouse ear-ed sunglasses and still look amazing . She's the only one , I guess .
Both me and my sister agree that we MUST get her mickey mouse glasses . It's really cool .



Desmond and I agree that we shall now onwards call Lady Gaga as , LG ( after LG Electronics ) .

So , I pretty much don't give a damn if you think I'm weird for liking weird stuffs . Call me a pig for all I care !

Lady Gaga rules , without a doubt and without question .



*****************



As I should have known , Won Jin , the politician analyst of my class , broke the news of Dr Chua Soi Lek being the new MCA President to me just now .






Well , it stunned me for a while . I did not expect such a controversial figure to be named as President of MCA . Some world , huh ?

In case some of you neanderthals did not notice , Dr Chua here has been involved in a sex scandal video that made him resign from MCA .. for a while .

He later made a comeback , and eventually ran for top post . And to his and my surprise , he won the election , beating the current President Ong Tea Keat by a distant 578 votes . Dr Chua polled 910 votes , beating former President Ong Ka Ting by 68 votes .

Well , there's alot of ' Ong's ' in MCA . I guess it's time for a ' Chua ' to rise and rule the Chinese party .


Anyways . What will I do without Won Jin ...

Nothing , I guess . And I'm pretty sure Won Jin can sleep soundly tonight . Knowing his idol has won the elections .

Congratulations , Won Jin .



****************


Well , I guess that's enough ranting for one day .

I'll see you all some other time .




Oh , did I mention ?

I might be attending a tennis clinic at the National Tennis Centre , KL . Maybe , just maybe , I'll be able to go and learn maybe a few things .

Let's just hope my mum agrees to take me there , of course .






Signing off ,



- Jaden -

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Bride in Red: Hindu Wedding Ceremonies


Before the ceremony:

Before getting married, the bride at a Hindu wedding ceremony does everything to make sure her wedding day is a lucky one. A holy mam studies the horoscopes of the bride to choose the right day for the wedding, so that the marriage will be long and happy. Will the marriage be a happy one if the wedding takes place on Wednesday, or would it be better to wait until the full moon on Friday?

On the wedding day itself

After checking all the signs very carefully, the wedding day is chosen. There are the weeks of preparation and excitement that are common to all cultures, and then finally, on the wedding day itself, before helping her with her dress, the bride's sisters and female friends paint her hands and feet with henna. Henna is a reddish-orange dyestuff prepared from the dried and ground leaves of the henna plant. When she is ready, she puts on a red sari, the colour which will bring her good luck for the marriage. A sari is an outer garment worn chiefly by women of India and Pakistan, consisting of a length of lightweight cloth with one end wrapped about the waist to form a skirt and the other draped over the shoulder or covering the head. Red is believed to be a lucky colour since it is supposed to provide protection against the evil eye.

During the ceremony

During the ceremony, the groom's relatives place a small mark of red paste on her forehead to show she is a married woman. After decorating the bride with jewels, they cover both her face and and that of the groom with a veil. And then she is married. During the reception, the guests enjoy a feast of food and drink, while the bride and groom sit together and share their meal.

Did you know?

When an Indian bride first steps into her new home, she has to undergo the ritual of her having to dip her feet in red water and walk bare feet on the floor of the house. That custom symbolizes the beginning of her new role as a married woman.

Cool Link:

More about this topic at:
India - The Color Red: Simplicity, Purity and Candor

* This blog post is also featured on the COLOURlovers Wedding Forum.

How to go from sketch to finished painting?–part 2 –Transferring the Thumbnail to the board.

Can watching paint dry ever be exciting? Continuing from yesterday’s thrilling post. Ok so thrilling might be pushing it a bit, hey, a girl can try can’t she?

In any big project like this is there will always be some lengthy repetitive stages- i.e. the boring bits. Like painting a huge board all one colour and waiting for it to dry. It’s literally as exciting as watching paint dry! Early afternoon I painted a second blue coat to achieve a solid block of colour.

2nd coat

The plan was to return later and start the interesting stuff. Domestic chores nearly interfered with my return, but return I did.

Stage 4

Next, I marked out most of the main shapes. That was the plan before I ran out of masking tape – too late to buy anymore, curses! I continued with  pencil but the marks can’t be seen on the photograph here.

Masking out

Stage 5

I had enough time to apply some black paint, immediately removing the masking tape. It’s essential to remove the tape while the paint is still wet in order to get a clean paint edge. However fingers tend to end up very messy! I’m so glad acrylic paint is water based.

masking removed

The lines as they stand remind me of musical stave lines, I’m almost tempted to change my design to incorporate musical lines. I say almost, but I need to stick to my original idea.

Finally I tidied up so it’s all ready for the church service tomorrow.

I can’t get access tomorrow, so the next instalment will be on Monday. Then it’s  time to start playing with paint effects.

Bread Soldiers: Meant To Be Eaten, Not For War

We generally tend to associate the word "soldier" with war and military activities. However, the word soldier is also a cookery term which means a strip of bread or toast that is dipped into a soft-boiled egg.
What is the ideal width for a toast soldier? The answer, according to Mike Minton (who has just invented a new labour-saving toast-cutting device to make the perfect soldier), is 22mm. Although dipping toasted bread into a soft-boiled egg cannot be an exclusively English pastime, the nickname does seem to be a typically English whim. Why the English started calling the thin dipping strips of toast “soldiers” is anybody’s guess, but astonishingly, the term does not appear in the Oxford English Dictionary in its breakfast context until 1966. Some people think they are called soldiers because they are (or should be) uniform size, standing firm and straight like soldiers do.

Maternity Benefits in the UK and the US

Maternity is the state of being a mother:
Maternity suits you!
It is also a hospital department for the care of women before and after giving birth and for the care of newly-born babies:
Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.
As an adjective, maternity means “for pregnancy and giving birth”:
a maternity dress
the hospital’s maternity ward
Maternity allowance (also maternity benefit) is money provided by the British government to a woman before and after the birth of her child if she does not receive maternity pay.
Maternity pay (also Statutory Maternity Pay) is a benefit women receive in Britain. It is money paid to a woman by her employer before and after the birth of her child if she has worked for that employer for more than six months.
Maternity leave is the time a mother spends away from work immediately before or after the birth of her baby. Maternity leave is taken with premission from the employer and usually with part or full pay. In Britain, the law says that women who have worked for an employer for more than six months must be given maternity leave with some pay by the employer. In the US, maternity leave is decided by the employer, but many employers do not allow very much.

French-Canadian Influence in the Kitchen: Cajun Cuisine


Cajun is a member of a people living in Louisiana in the US, who were originally French-Canadian. Cajuns have their own language, which is related to French, and they are also known for their lively music, and for their cooking, which is spicy and uses a lot of fish and shellfish. Traditonal dishes of Cajun cuisine are gumbo (a stew or soup whose key ingredient is okra, the African plant okingumbo) and Jambalaya, which is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence consisting of rice.

Cool Link:

Learn more about Cajun Cuisine.

Animals in Britain: Foxhunting


Fox hunting is the sport of hunting foxes with foxhounds by people riding on horses.
Fox hunting takes place in the UK between November and early spring. The horse riders usually wear red coats, and the hunt is controlled by the Master of Foxhounds.
Foxhunting is thought of as a sport for rich people who own land in the countryside. Many people think that fox hunting is cruel and want parliament to pass a law against it, but foxhunters argue that it helps to control the number of foxes.

Did you know?

The term stirrup cup originally referred to a drink offered to a man mounted on horseback and about to depart for the hunt. Now, the phrase refers to the drinking vessel itself. Commonly connected with hunting, many of the cups are made of silver and engraved with mottoes taken from the chase. They are usually in the form of a fox’s head or, more rarely, the head of a greyhound or hare.

Friday, March 26, 2010

How to go from sketch to finished painting?–part 1 – Documenting a Church to Youth Centre Art project.

How do you change a church hall into a teen friendly social club? This how we’re doing it!

Our local Youth group needs help to counteract the look of churchy building where it’s moving to.  To help create a youth friendly feel, the working party have made 4 panels to cover the windows. I’ve been asked to decorate one as inspiration and the youth are going to be encouraged to decorate the rest. The panels are 6 feet high by 5 feet wide, a big project!

So, this is my “canvas”!

Undecorated board

Scary isn’t it!

Stage 1

Design!

The brief was for the design to appeal to young people i.e that it should be “Cool” sorry “kl”. It also needs to be accepted by the church.

OK, I need to find out:

1) What is the “in thing” with teenagers nowadays?

2) What would the church be willing to accept

In addition I need to consider

3)My budget is zero! So I’m relying mainly on freebies of household wall paint for the large areas and acrylics- Galleria system 3 – for the details. And anything I feel inclined to donate.

4)Where will it hang? In this case – quite high so needs to be visible from a distance.

So, back to first question- What is the average teenager interested in? TV programmes, computer games, Manga, Steam Punk or something else? I did some research into Manga and Steam Punk and decided they might be OK for a targeted group e.g. teenage boys who played lots of games. But it might not suit a generic youth group. The trouble is, it’s been a long, long, long time since I was a teenager!

Then my thoughts went to gaming consoles either the controllers or buttons. Would the buttons be better? As they weren’t going to be specific to one company – can’t be advertising, not in a church. (No, that wouldn’t do at all!)  I finally remembered the recent ipod adverts with figures dancing and that a silhouette would look quite effective from a distance. I’d also thought about urban text styles such as found here

Stage 2

After playing around with these themes and ideas for most of yesterday, I finally came up with the following thumbnail sketch. (Some of the detail has been lost in the photograph.)

Thumbnail

My plan was to stick with a bright colour, green was my first choice, and paint the rest of the design in black keeping lots of visual pattern – a distressed look.

Stage 3

Next I roughly pencilled in the design and painted the background.

As with many projects subtle things change between the design and the execution. Well they do with me as I think of refinements with the design or sometimes just change my mind. Which is why I’ve now gone for blue as the background colour. Purely from the practical point of view – there wasn’t enough green but plenty of blue and red - I preferred the blue. So this is the work so far. I’m letting it dry tonight and will continue the project tomorrow!

Base coat Completed basecoat

As usual I’ve practically obliterated all the preliminary marks. It looks a bit like a snow spirit dancing against a frozen sky.

So, that’s my progress so far. Tune in tomorrow to see the next exciting instalment. It’ll be as exciting as watching paint dry!

...because I wanted to go to bed

I wanted to go to sleep, but then I discovered this,
and I had to join both Vicky and Kasia.


5 Bands/Musicians I’ve been Listening to a lot (lately):
Gomez
Allison Hinds / Richie Spice
Kings of Leon
Shakira
Green Day

5 Things I’m Currently Addicted To:
My dog
Music
Facebook
Whiskey
Red Bull ( w/o Sugar)

5 ( 6,7...) Biggest Celebrity Crushes:
Marat Safin
Patrick Dempsey
Johnny Depp
Adrien Brody
Adam Brody
Ewan McGregor
Legolas Greenleaf
Ola Rapace
Joaquin Phoenix

Your Dream Future: 1 Job/1 City/1 Car/1 Pet/1 Spouse
General Secretary of the UN ( mwahaha)
Paris / New York
Ford Mustang
Horse and five wiener dogs
Marat Safin ;P

5 Things that Always Cheer Me Up:
Sunshine
My Dog
Mankell - books
The Seaside
Friends/ Family ( how nice 2 list them on the last place, huh?!)

5 TV Shows You’ve Seen Every Episode of:
Grey's Anatomy
The Simpsons
The Daily Show
Allo Allo
Wallender Series

Five Movies I could Watch Over:
Lord Of The Rings
Bridget Jones' Diary
Trainspotting
Wallander Series
Au revoir les enfants

5 Things About Me:
I
dunno
what
to
write

Five Places I want to Visit (or revisit):
Hawaii
Peru
Israel
Namibia
Turkmenistan


Strong enough

God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I'd be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Nothing's true and nothing's right
So let me be alone tonight
Cause you can't change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave

I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
It's try and love me if you can
Are you strong enough to be my man?

When I've shown you that I just don't care
When I'm throwing punches in the air
When I'm broken down and I can't stand
Will you be strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave


Isn't this like an ultimate anthem? :). I am too weak to write any story about Planica, but I promise to catch up with that tomorrow. A lot of things happened there, and I had a great time.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Animal Curiosities: Tarantulas, not dangerous to humans

Tarantulas represent a group of hairy and very large (approximately 3-4 cm in length) spiders which belong to the family Theraphosidae. There are many colour variations of tarantulas – from light-brown to dark-gray. Tarantulas live in deep and damp holes in prairies and desert places. In the dark of night tarantulas hunt their prey. The tarantula’s poison is not very dangerous to humans, and some people even keep them as pets. The worst of a tarantula bite to a human is generally severe pain in the spot of the bite, later changing into reddening and swelling. Within 5-6 hours the mild illness resulting from the bite passes.

Diesel: A Stupid or a Smart Campaign?


Diesel, the international jeans brand, has launched “Be Stupid“, a campaign that encourages consumers to take risks and move beyond the smart and sensible track for life. The campaign, developed at Anomaly London, includes online, press and outdoor advertisements featuring “stupid” acts, a digital recruitment campaign for the Diesel music video/2010 catalogue, and viral activity outlining the company’s Stupid philosophy.

Diesel Stupid Philosophy

Like balloons, we are filled with hopes and dreams. But. Over time a single sentence creeps into our lives. Don’t be stupid. It’s the crusher of possibility. It’s the worlds greatest deflator. The world is full of smart people. Doing all kind of smart things… Thats smart.

Well, we’re with stupid. Stupid is the relentless pursuit of a regret free life. Smart may have the brains…
but stupid has the balls. The smart might recognize things for how they are. The stupid see things for how they could be. Smart critiques. Stupid creates. The fact is if we didnt have stupid thoughts wed have no interesting thoughts at all. Smart may have the plans… but stupid has the stories.

Smart may have the authority but stupid has one hell of a hangover. Its not smart to take risks… Its stupid.
To be stupid is to be brave. The stupid isnt afraid to fail. The stupid know there are worse things than failure… like not even trying.

Smart had one good idea, and that idea was stupid. You can’t outsmart stupid. So don’t even try. Remember only stupid can be truly brilliant.

So, BE STUPID

Click on the link below to play the video in YouTube:

The Official Diesel Be Stupid Philosophy

Diesel Campaign Posters