Hands Together

I am still (yes, still) working on the very first goal of The List: to fill a sketchbook with studies/artwork of one subject.
This ended up being a study of hands, and I am just fifteen pages away from filling the sketchbook!

In the meantime, I'm still drawing from references...

Most of these have been photo references, and I have had a few 'bad' days of drawing, where it all went to hell pretty quickly (eraser? What's that?)

To challenge myself, I also tried drawing 'from life'--using my own hand to draw from (except I was holding a stubby pencil rather than a cigarette! That picture was drawn after failing at drawing a character with a cigarette, and wanting to practice).

It's starting to get a little easier to draw hands, though given a blank sheet of paper and no reference it would probably still look a mess! But I'm definitely getting better!

Succulent Gals or Spiky Ladies?

After designing costumes for characters from Folk Tales of the Sea People as part of goal 53 (Design 50 outfits/costumes), I set my sights on designing outfits based on other subjects.

As I looked around my room for ideas, my gaze alighted on the sunniest corner, inhabited by a small family of succulents, and over the following days, these designs happened.

As usual, you can click to view them larger :)

Aloe Girl (37/50)
Inspiration: Aloe

+ Dress: Green halterneck with velvet bodice and skirt/collar formed of lightly padded matte vinyl 'leaves'.
+ Sandals: Light brown flat sandals lacing up to the knee.

Spiky Soft (38/50)
Inspiration: Cactus of unknown type

+ Dress: Green bardot/halterneck hybrid. Jersey bodice with long spikes on straps. Balloon-like skirt of moulded fleece (like bumps on cactus) to just above knee.
+ Boots: Green rubber thigh high heels.

A Mixed Bag of TED Talks

It's been a long slog that began at the end of 2014, but I've finally completed a longer goal from The List!

062. Watch 100 TED/TEDx Talks

I started off picking them at random, moved into watching selections on similar themes, and these final ten are once again a mixed bag!


Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender
Media researcher Johanna Blakley discusses how traditional demographics are still being used by media companies to understand their audiences, when online, with the ever-growing use of social media, women are outnumbering men--and these means changes are afoot.
Didn't know what to expect from this talk (because I never read the info section) but this was really enlightening!



Courtney Martin: Reinventing feminism
In this talk, blogger Courtney Martin talks about her upbringing by radical parents, and discusses how loaded the word 'feminism' is, presenting three paradoxes in attempting to define it.
I found this talk really interesting, as feminism is a word so muddied by negativity (on both sides).

And a Fried Egg on Top: Korean Bibimbap

On Tuesday I was shopping in Brighton with my fabulous friend Lianne, and being that she's as much a nerd for Korean culture as I am for Japanese, she suggested we have lunch at a bibimbap shop.

Bibimbap is Korean dish of warm rice with various things on top, which you mix together before you eat. Whilst Lianne opted for the spicy chicken version, I wasn't in the mood for something spicy, so opted for their aubergine one.

After picking what kind you want, you choose from the options of rice (or rice noodles) and sauce, and can pay extra for other additions. I went for rice noodles and soy sauce, and paid the extra £1 for a fried egg on top, because experience has taught me that fried egg and soy sauce is a Really Tasty Combination.


I wouldn't rush to eat this dish again, as I didn't like having cold veggies on top of warm noodles, and it was expensive for what you got.
But it tasted good, and eating it counted towards another goal on The List!

043. Try foods of 5 different countries

I'm 3/5 of the way through that goal now, and honestly none of the national cuisines I've tried so far are of countries I expected they'd be from. All very tasty, however (I really, really want more Xinxim).

Goodness knows what cuisine I'll try next!

Angsts, Agitations and Animals: 8 Sonnets

At the end of February, I decided that March would be the month I attempted one of my writing goals from The List:

027. Write 1 sonnet per day for 1 month

This is the most challenging of my writing goals - more challenging than haiku, or flash fiction, or short stories of 1000+ words!

Sonnets have so many rules with regards their form, and whilst pretty much every sonnet I studied in school was a love poem, I decided to throw that out of the window this month and write sonnets on all kinds of subjects (though I guess I ought to try writing something affectionate at some point!)

Today I'm sharing my first 8 sonnets of the month. Some are serious, some are ridiculous, and the last one is pushing it a little.

So here goes.

Survivor to the Fog

On this merciless shore of stones and sighs,

Where the wreckers shine their deceitful light

And await the spoils amidst dying cries,

You are deathly fog on this stormy night.

When darkness lifts her curtain to the gloom,

And when the sun to heaven makes her climb,

Her feeble glow reveals this frozen tomb--

You are the ice of endless wintertime.

Yet others walk upon this untamed shore,

To seek survivors of this fog and ice

And reach out to those in a state so poor:

You are but the patter of fleeing mice

For though your blindfold may once more descend,

All fog lifts, all ice melts at winter's end.

 (Bad day? Low mood? POETRY.)

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That

Heark ye all! That young fellow doth approach!

In verdant splendour upon a fine wheel

Oh how we curse for the subject to broach:

What driveth this boy and what is his deal?

And here dwells a fellow with wide-eyed gaze

His coat as pale and soft as summer sand

He sayeth much good, very boy, amaze!

As his worshippers await close to hand.

Though many more have passed along this way

A humble few remain in mem'ries strong

And though no heed to logic do they pay

So many more are yet to pass along

Should time escape ye all or so it seems

Remember this: these fellows are but memes.

 (Yes, I wrote a sonnet about dat boi and doge)

Hands Out

Just a little update on the first goal on The List:

001. Fill a sketchbook with artwork/studies of one subject.

That subject being hands, and me actually applying myself to sitting down and working on this goal, I have been drawing so many hands that I'm starting to get sick of the sight of them!

Despite that, it can be soothing to sit and draw from a reference, and as I'm listening to the History of the World in 100 Objects podcast whilst I work, I'm learning things as well!

Some of my sketches definitely come out better than others, and some poses are easier to draw than others, but the level of effort I put in certainly effects how well the pictures turn out.

It might seem as though I've drawn a million hands already (it feels that way to me!) but my sketchbook still isn't filled.

I have 28 pages left...

Guess I'd better go hunting for some more references!

Africa Again

As I wrote at the beginning of February, I've been working on my goal to learn all the countries in Africa.
It seems that repetition is definitely the key to success when it comes to memorising this stuff, because after countless rounds of label-that-country via the app I wrote about before, and several instances of scrawling-down-a-list-of-countries, I remember them all.

I can (and do) now watch the TV quiz show Pointless and rattle off a whole list of African countries when a related geography question pops up. And yes, some of those are 'pointless answers'.

So I can call this goal complete!

033. Memorise every country in Africa

Hurrah!

10 TED Talks on Mental Health

After watching a bunch of inspiring, creative TED talks, which I wrote about recently, I decided that with twenty more talks to go, I should grab the bull by the horns and watch talks about something a lot more serious. Something more personal, something closer to home and therefore, potentially a little uncomfortable, a little harder to watch: talks about mental health.

I ended up watching a variety of talks, some about intervention and serious mental health issues, some about dealing with stress (and we all know that stress can lead to more serious health issues, so it's better to nip it in the bud at the start, right?)

So here goes. Ten TED talks about mental health.


Andres Lozano: Parkinson's depression, and the switch that might turn them off.
A talk about deep brain stimulation, a technique in which electrodes implanted in specific areas of the brain can be used to suppress or enhance that area's activity, leading to incredible physical and mental results.
I had no idea that deep brain stimulation even existed - it sounds like something out of science fiction - but the video clips and examples in this talk really showcase what the procedure can do.


What's so funny about mental illness? | Ruby Wax
A short and entertaining talk in which comedian Ruby Wax reveals her experiences with depression, and calls for an end to the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Gadding About in Guildford

Last week, I ended up going to Guildford with my mum and midde sister, to explore and shop!

Aside from a shopping centre that housed the expected assortment of high street shops, Guildford has a nice long main street, with a whole bunch of more high-end high street brands.

Something I liked about the town was the architecture, and that in some cases, the old store fronts have been respected by the brands that have moved into them, meaning that this town with its modern brands has a quaint atmosphere.

Unfortunately I wasn't feeling my best on the day we went, and had sprained my knee the day before, which made walking up and down the hill somewhat interesting!
Still, I enjoyed looking around, and whilst I didn't buy anything exciting, I left feeling inspired by the architecture and window displays (and also the awesome candelabra above, seen in the window of Anthropologie!)

This little trip out counts towards another goal on The List:

039. Explore 30 towns/cities/villages

I'd like to go back to Guildford another day, when I have more money and better health, as it's a great town to do some shopping! 

Of Fins and Feathers: Four Costume Designs

I've been working my butt off to design more costumes for characters from my Folk Tales of the Sea People series, as part of goal 53. Design 50 outfits/costumes.

Then I skipped a few, because I didn't feel inspired by them.

Long story short, here are the last four costumes for those characters, bringing my total up to 36!

Shui (33/50)
From: The Fish Who Grew Legs

+ Full overhead mask: Blue sequins with black lips and 'goggles'. Shimmery yellow boned 'fins' around neck, spreading onto shoulders/chest, and down centre of head like a long trailing mohawk.
+ Tunic: Blue and black circular pailettes (black stripes on blue) with loose pailettes on sleeves and hem.
+ Shoes: High-top flat courts, blue and black sequins with black lacing at ankle and shimmery yellow boned 'fins' across arch (same fabric as mask).

Moana (34/50)
From: Fresh Water and Salt Water

+ Jacket: Red sequins with low hook and eye fastening. Dark blue crinkled 'fin' like high collar, cuffs and peplum hem.
+ Trousers: Same fabrics as jacket, 'fins' on lower half.
+ Shoes: Flat shoes, same fabrics as before, 'fins' covering toes and red sequins at heel.

Melanchor (35/50)
From: Fresh Water and Salt Water

+ Circlet: Silver feather 'hearts'.
+ Neck Corset: Black leather, laces up front.
+ Top: White stretch velvet with broad white feather sleeves
+ Corset: White leather with whote feather 'skirt'--like wings at front, curving around hips.
+ Skirt: White velvet asymmetric circle skirt, longer at back.
+ Boots: Thigh high black leather with high heel and lacing at back.

Nereus (36/50)
From: Fresh Water and Salt Water

+ Jacket: Blue neoprene with lighter blue crinkled cap sleeves, collar and deep hem. Hook and eye fastening.
+ Trousers: Same fabrics as jacket. Lighter blue from mid-thigh.
+ Shoes: Dark blue leather, curled toes and stitch detail at the sides.





Now I've done these, I likely won't be designing costumes for all of the characters in Folk Tales of the Sea People. It was fun at first, but became a bit of a chore, and I guess some of my designs have become kind of 'samey'.
I did purposefully design two similar outfits in this set, that of Moana and Nereus. With Shui and Melanchor, I wanted to design something a bit more 'out there' though both ended up a little tame! For those who haven't read the stories, Shui is the titular "fish" who grew legs, whilst Melanchor is one of the 'Swan People': an anthropomorphised black-necked swan. I wanted to incorporate this somewhat into their costumes!

As for what costumes/outfits I'll design next, I'm undecided whether to design more for characters from other stories, or whether to design more 'everyday' outfits for the last 14 of the goal!

You can see all my designs so far on my Goal 53 tag.