New paintings and regular art updates.
I was recently diagnosed with golfers elbow, and should be resting my arm, but I think it’s partly being cause because of my shaking arm. I’m trying to hold it still but I think that’s causing the muscles on the inside of my elbow to tighten and clench. That being said it hurts when I hold my phone in my left hand, but I would have thought my right arm would be involved too? Anyway I think I will blog more on my pc and rest my arm. Isn’t life wonderful?!
As part of my illustration course I have to learn about narrative and storytelling. This weeks subject is about building tension in a story and we had to chose a book to look at:
I don’t have any graphic novels to look at, so I chose ‘Guards! Guards!’, by Terry Pratchett.
It tells the story of how Carrot, a human who was brought up as the step son of dwarves, and who may or may not be the heir to the throne, comes to join the City Guard of Ankh-Morpork and ends up fighting dragons to save the city.
The book cover is illustrated by Josh Kidby who helps raise the tension of one of the crucial scenes whilst including many of the cast of characters in the book. The illustration is full of drama but also emphasises the emotions of the guards.
Pratchett’s writing style is humorous and descriptive, he also uses the device of writing a continuous narrative, with no chapters, but swapping between different scenes which create a series of cliffhangers. His narrative carries you through the book with the images he creates almost visible to the mind’s eye:
The dragon accelerated. The drunken rooftops of Ankh-Morpork blurred as it passed over, wings sneering at the air. The neck stretched out straight ahead, the pilot flames of its nostrils streaming behind it, the sound of its flight panned across the sky.
Just reading that makes me want to read on. I can see the flames and smoke billowing around the dragon. Will Carrot and the guards overcome this monster? Does Carrot die in a blaze of heat and fire? Will a million to one chance with an arrow save them?
You can see how much I have enjoyed this fantasy story by the state of the well thumbed cover. I often look through the characters on the cover and try and match them up with those in the book. There is sometimes a mismatch between the words and the image but I think Kidby handles it well.
Oh hell!
I feel so stressed. I had a message a month ago from my Internet service provider that they were no longer supporting other applications that could be used to pick u your email. I thought a) it might be a scam, or b) it wasn’t that important. But speaking to a friend I realised I did need to sort it out. But when I tried today I couldn’t get it to accept my password? Why? I tried an old password, still no. And it kept saying it was sending a verification code to my land-line. So I needed to add my mobile number somehow!? Hair pulling ensued? What! I looked at my old password ( I know I shouldn’t write it down), and underneath the old password in tiny writing was another one. Could it be? Yes! Now what? Give us another email address to recover you email to. OK I could do that. Then find my email application and copy and paste a one off password (which I’ve made sure I wrote down)….
Done!
Suddenly a lot of the tension in my shoulders has dissipated. The fear that has been building up for weeks has reduced. All I can say is, that was very complicated and I hope I never have to do it again!
Tension, in my body. The more talk about covid the tender I get. Like a mad game of twister I’m tied up in knots. My shoulders, my neck. My hands are tense, even my toes are tense! I ache, I feel like I will explode sometimes. How do I relax. How do I let the tightness in my limbs unfurl. Knots, knotted, tied up in knots… Back, hands, neck, tight.
Going from something I love, to something I hate.
I hate this film, starring Tom Cruise. I admit its very good. But it’s so bleak. It’s a horror road movie, everyone running, panicking, and getting killed.
When I first watched it years ago I was mesmerised by the special effects. But now, it’s on during a pandemic, and I can see how people react to a tiny virus. How would they react to something larger and malevolent.
I don’t want to give too many details as people may not have watched it. But I guess I’ve pretty much explained what happens… Guy meets monster, guy runs away from monster, monster finds guy…. Guy escapes….
There was a version on BBC TV a few months ago. It was more directly based on the original book by H. G. Wells. Set in Victorian times, it was still chilling.
So I really want cheerful films, but hubby vetoed me.
X
This argument has rumbled on all day.
Like a storm gathering.
Like lightning about to strike.
No peace, just discord.
The tension mounts.
Even the cats are on edge.
Not a fight,
A disagreeable disagreement.
Sound and fury,
Irritation, annoyance.
Despair.
Repair?
The weight of the world,
making me creak,
making me break,
making me crumble and quake.
Pushing me down,
pushing me under,
finding a crack,
break me asunder.
Restricted and tight,
no room for movement,
shoulders so stiff,
I want to surrender.
Sleep is my safety,
sleep is my friend,
but like a lost child,
I cannot find peace.
Dreams do not come,
only a blackness,
to tired to think,
curled on my mattress.
One day I’ll wake,
free from this tension,
or I’ll be gone,
broken,
departed.
I wake on a cliff edge.
Teetering, tottering..
Tension racks my shoulders
Stiff, creaking joints.
Sleep does not touch the tightness.
I feel like bones will break.
Mentally I’m OK,
Physically I’m OK
But my mind is tying my body in knots.
Spine fused with tension.
Like a gathering storm.
Waves waiting to break,
Teeth ground to sand.
Life fights.
Thunder clashes overhead.
Will I fall?
Will I stand.
Still.
Standing on the bridge looking over into the turbulent waters of the stream. She did not realise that in a few hours the water would be flowing above it. Mud and rocks were being washed down from the local hills, trees had slipped down the hillsides, branches had been broken from their boughs by a storm.
She walked along the waters edge, seeing the beauty of the land, green and verdant. She heard the rumble of thunder but it sounded hushed and far away. She walked down stream into a narrow valley, the birds were singing loudly, the sound echoing from the rocks.
She felt a gust of wind and realised the storm was getting closer. She hurried along the path, the road was half a mile away….
Now the wind and rain were rushing past her, each minute the squall grew stronger. She heard a rumbling sound and turned to look. A wall of black mud, tree trunks, churned towards her. She started to run and climb up the steep sides of the valley. Would she reach high ground in time?
Mallaband-Brown