Staring

Posted on November 30, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Dragon, Fun, Hidden, Invisible?, Legend, Life, Mirrored, Myth, Painting, Very short story2 Comments

The dragon stared, it looked out at me, the forest had hidden it until I got close. I didn’t know what to think? Where was it from? How had it got there? Was it real, mythical, mystical or magical.

I stood quietly. Waiting to see what happened. I didn’t have to wait long.

It spoke!

Who are you human? Why are you here? Its questions were the same as mine. Then it said, how can you see me? I am invisible!

Of course I replied that it was not. That I could see it perfectly. Then it said I must be young, or believe in stories. Grown ups rarely see dragons!

That’s how we became friends. A chance meeting. We had many adventures. I might tell them one day.

Making a Zine

Posted on November 30, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged 64 pages, Art, College, Design, Editing, Fun, Learning, Life, Photos, Sketching, zineLeave a comment

Sixty four pages (32 images, 32 text) later. More glue and parcel tape than I can cope with. The parcel tape is white and has fragile written on it in big red letters.

I started by taping 32 a6 cards together with parcel tape, then gluing down an image and plain paper alternating with each other. My measurements were a bit off so some prints overlapped each other. The result works but is messy. I wrote on the blank sheets vaguely telling a story but it needs doing properly.

We will see what happens.

Christmas cactus crab?

Posted on November 29, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Clouds, Design, Fun, Pareidolia, Pattern, Pattern recognition, seeing shapesLeave a comment

Pareidolia, the ability to see creatures in patterns. Well I call it an ability. Some may feel its more a curse! I’ve always looked at patterns and shapes and seen things in them. Some of my earliest memories were looking up at clouds and seeing birds and animals, things like whales and elephants. The human mind is good at seeing patterns, that’s why Percival Lovell the astronomer seems to have seen canalli, I think he called them? on Mars (not canals).

The human mind recognises things and that visual ability must help our instinct for creativity and science. Concept design is probably aided by it too. I think that’s part of our success as a species…..

So I was looking at this Christmas cactus and noticed the flower buds. Then I decided to play with it and voila! A green crab shape..

Alien plant?

Posted on November 28, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged aliens, Creative writing, Digital manipulation, Fun, Humans, Photo, Sci fi, Short story, Very short story, Who?Leave a comment

Not a Triffid, more mobile and intelligent. The plants are spreading. Faster than a bird in flight. Trapping creatures and absorbing them. Think intelligent pitcher plant. The larger they grow the bigger their prey. Human victims have been caught out in the open, trapped in cars, trains and buses. Now the plants are surrounding our homes. Green walls with sinister intentions.

Against it? Nothing at the moment. Television and satellite signals have been cut. All countries are separate. Where the climate is warming the aliens grow faster. Only in the far north and south are possibilities of a fight back. Who will survive?

Snowing

Posted on November 28, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Freezing, Fun, Garden, Life, Memory, November, Photos, Snow, snowing, WeatherLeave a comment

A few shots of the snow outside in the garden. The snow is only a couple of centimetres deep but is continuing to fall. I don’t think this weather will last long, but it does seem strange that it’s falling in November. Most years we don’t get anything even at Christmas. It sometimes snows in the new year and can last a couple of weeks but generally it’s been mild for most winters. What does worry me is the cost of heating our house. Gas and electricity bills are skyrocketing. Ah well, that’s life.

Wish I was

Posted on November 27, 2021 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Bad rhymes, Black and white cat, Cat, Cat toys, Catnip, Fun, Playing, Poem, Poetry, Sleeping, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

Wish I was a warm fussy cat

Snoozing on the chair

Tucked up nice and snug

Feeling really very smug

Basking in warm air!

Wish I was a happy little cat

Eating till I’m full

As I’m feeling very fat,

I’d rest my paws and head

Sleeping on the bed.

Wish I were a contented cat

Dreaming of chasing mice

Never having to hunt for food

Playing with my catnip toys

When I’m in the mood.

Panto rehearsal

Posted on November 26, 2021November 26, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2022, Comedy, custard pies, February, Fun, Life, Panto, Pantomime, Silly, slapstick, StageLeave a comment

The stage is set. It’s been a few weeks since we started rehearsals but hopefully in February we’ll be putting on a performance of Beauty and the Beast. I don’t have a part, I’m just going to be in the chorus. I am struggling with doing dances, I don’t feel physically up to it. But I’m hoping to help with the scenery, although I’m hoping it won’t be as difficult as it was two years ago when I was a lot healthier.

The panto (pantomime), is a jokey, comedic play where an adventure happens but its funny and mostly for children. There are really ‘punny’ jokes, custard pies in the face, slapstick, kids telling silly jokes and basically mad cap fun. I’m looking forward to a great time next year.

Seaside colours

Posted on November 25, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Beach, Childhood, Fun, hovercraft, Life, mackerel, Rain, Sea, Storms, stormy sea, Sun2 Comments

Just drawing in these colours gives me memories of sunny days at the seaside. If the colours were greys and turq, with some white added I would think of wild stormy days.

I remember a seaside holiday in the summer that was very grey and wet. The rain started as we arrived and took a taxi from the station to the chalet we were staying in. I was about eleven and I remember staring out of single glazed windows down a steep hill. I can’t remember a beach? I do remember mom having to put coins in a box on the back of a TV so we could watch it.w

Eventually the weather cleared up m I remember a harbour with lots of sailing boats. I think we went mackerel fishing but all my family got seasick except for me. The fishing lines kept catching fish and I pulled them in. When we got back the fisherman tried to give mom all the old fish but she insisted we got the ones I had caught. I don’t know what happened to them.

I also remember a hovercraft trip on a very choppy sea and eating egg and chips in a rough cafe. Funny what comes back when you see an image..

Can you see a dragon?

Posted on November 24, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Dragon, Fun, Layout app, Life, Mirrored, Pattern, Photodirector, plastic dots, TextureLeave a comment

Messing about with plastic dots glued down, then worked on it in layout app (a mirroring app) and then photodirector to change the texture and twist the perspective. Back to layout to mirror the result. Different colours and patterns seemed to create a horned dragon at the centre. I can see his nose and eyes, although part of his face appears hidden…. Having fun…

Spinning Top

Posted on November 23, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, children's toy, Drawing, Fun, Life, Memory, Sketching, Spinning, topLeave a comment

Not feeling on top of the world today so just did a sketch from memory. Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Top. I tried to remember what a toy top looks like. I did a sketch with a black ink fine line pen. This is from memory. I can see a bright top spinning in my mind. The top had some holes in so as it span it had a rising and then descending musical tone. Edited in Photodirector to give a slightly abstract effect.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Fun