Thursday, December 31, 2009
Winter Solstice Time-Lapse
The Sun has now begun what will be its 6-month trek northward; this movie marks the spot where it dips below the nearby mountains our horizon before the beginning of every year.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Things I am thankful for:
1) A patient, supportive wife (she's much more patient than I give her credit for).
2) Good health.
3) An active mind.
4) An wide-open future (I'm considering relocating to Cleveland, Ohio with Emily in pursuit of a career that I began at Case Western Reserve University 10 years ago).
5) Those cans of cranberry sauce that Emily's mom got for us before we came back from America...they really tied our Thanksgiving dinner together!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Luna ≈ Day 7
39% Waxing Crescent. Nikon S6 (handheld) through Pentax 10x50 binoculars.
Prominent crater toward bottom: Maurolycus. This was named after Francesco Maurolico, an Italian mathematician and astronomer. Maurolico sighted a supernova in Cassiopeia in 1572, but Tycho Brahe got much of the credit, including the name of the supernova.
Two smaller craters toward top (bottom one first): Eudoxus and Aristoteles.
Eudoxus was a Greek astronomer/mathematician who studied under Plato. Eudoxus developed a type of mathematics that was a precursor to integral calculus.
Aristoteles is named after Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who was integral in the founding of Western philosophy. Yet another student of Plato, he believed that since women are "colder" than men, they are a lower form of life, even going so far as to say they are not fully human. Wow.
Lunar Geography note: Plato (a larger lunar crater) is located just to the east of this subordinate pair. I'm sure the geographic nomenclature of the moon has many more instances of this "teacher/pupil" coincidence.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Some perspective...
We all ponder the Universe now and again...Nikon came up with a way to attempt to visualize that pesky, infinite bugger, and everything that calls it home!
Nikon Universcale.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Recent Ink
Here's some stuff that's been keeping me busy for the last month and a half.
They're basically comments on the juxtaposition of Moroccan and American culture. I'm taking what happens here in Morocco and "imagining" it happening in America, with hilarious results...
Of course, you kinda have to know about both Moroccan AND American culture to understand these, so the prospective audience is pretty limited to American expatriates and Peace Corps Volunteers in Morocco....
Ok, the first one on top shows 3 Americans busting the chops of a Moroccan guy. Essentially, I've found that many Moroccans will try to "encourage" your language learning by saying that you don't know anything and that you're a "poor thing." From personal experience, I know that many Americans have a slightly "different" way of encouraging people...
The second one depicts a church giving a call to prayer. This, of course, is a normal fixture in Islamic societies. I don't think it would go over very well outside these societies, especially in America (and especially at 4:30am)!
The top one above illustrates how most Moroccans will greet each other in the streets, minus the cheek kissing. The greeting can take an unnecessary amount of time - in the eyes of Americans - and I find the exchange particularly funny in an American context.
The bottom one depicts the Moroccan version of a toilet. 'Nuff said.
Most Moroccans don't own their own cars, but rely on public transportation, especially taxis, to get from place to place. Each "Grand Taxi" has 6 seats, and doesn't leave without payment for those seats. Taxi stand workers here in Morocco try to expedite the filling and departure of taxis, as is depicted by the "subway guy" above. Trying to imagine this happening in America, a society based on concise time schedules, is funny to me.
Literally EVERYONE in Morocco has a satellite dish because the cost of satellite television programming is free. Anywhere you go, especially cities, you see these "parabols" stuck on the side of buildings like barnacles on a sea ship. I've personally seen many a mud house that has a satellite dish attached to its exterior. I've just taken this phenomenon one step further...
As mentioned above, there are 6 seats in a Grand Taxi: 2 people in the passenger seat and 4 people in the back. This is usually EXTREMELY uncomfortable, especially with bigger people in the vehicle. I've personally been in a station wagon taxi that had at least 12 people in it. In that particular trip, there were 2 people sitting in the driver's seat, 2 people in the passenger's seat, and several others crammed in the middle and back of the station wagon. I don't think police in America would view this as very prudent...
When Moroccans enter a room, they say "Peace Be Upon You," (in Moroccan Arabic). This will happen even in places where nobody knows each other. I find this as a funny contrast to the American response to this situation, which is not to cause any attention to yourself. I've seen a "business" situation interrupted in this manner here in Morocco, and it made me laugh as I thought about how this method of greeting would fail miserably in Corporate America.
Dental hygiene isn't as widespread in Morocco as it is in the US. The translation of "toothpaste" in Moroccan Arabic is "tooth medicine," and lots of people will apply it to their teeth when they hurt (and only when they hurt). It's not hard to foresee the results of this after, lets say, 30 years or so. This situation is compounded by Moroccans' love of sugary drinks and snacks, premiere among this being their amazing mint tea.
The last panel represents a funny situation regarding money here in Morocco. The unit of currency is the Dirham, but most of the merchants (and customers) will quote you in "Ryals," an antiquated currency that was last used in the early 1900s. 20 Ryals equal one Dirham, so when a merchant tells you 120 Ryals, they really mean 6 dirhams. In America, this would be the equivalent (sort of) of getting a price quote in nickels!
They're basically comments on the juxtaposition of Moroccan and American culture. I'm taking what happens here in Morocco and "imagining" it happening in America, with hilarious results...
Of course, you kinda have to know about both Moroccan AND American culture to understand these, so the prospective audience is pretty limited to American expatriates and Peace Corps Volunteers in Morocco....
Ok, the first one on top shows 3 Americans busting the chops of a Moroccan guy. Essentially, I've found that many Moroccans will try to "encourage" your language learning by saying that you don't know anything and that you're a "poor thing." From personal experience, I know that many Americans have a slightly "different" way of encouraging people...
The second one depicts a church giving a call to prayer. This, of course, is a normal fixture in Islamic societies. I don't think it would go over very well outside these societies, especially in America (and especially at 4:30am)!
The top one above illustrates how most Moroccans will greet each other in the streets, minus the cheek kissing. The greeting can take an unnecessary amount of time - in the eyes of Americans - and I find the exchange particularly funny in an American context.
The bottom one depicts the Moroccan version of a toilet. 'Nuff said.
Most Moroccans don't own their own cars, but rely on public transportation, especially taxis, to get from place to place. Each "Grand Taxi" has 6 seats, and doesn't leave without payment for those seats. Taxi stand workers here in Morocco try to expedite the filling and departure of taxis, as is depicted by the "subway guy" above. Trying to imagine this happening in America, a society based on concise time schedules, is funny to me.
Literally EVERYONE in Morocco has a satellite dish because the cost of satellite television programming is free. Anywhere you go, especially cities, you see these "parabols" stuck on the side of buildings like barnacles on a sea ship. I've personally seen many a mud house that has a satellite dish attached to its exterior. I've just taken this phenomenon one step further...
As mentioned above, there are 6 seats in a Grand Taxi: 2 people in the passenger seat and 4 people in the back. This is usually EXTREMELY uncomfortable, especially with bigger people in the vehicle. I've personally been in a station wagon taxi that had at least 12 people in it. In that particular trip, there were 2 people sitting in the driver's seat, 2 people in the passenger's seat, and several others crammed in the middle and back of the station wagon. I don't think police in America would view this as very prudent...
When Moroccans enter a room, they say "Peace Be Upon You," (in Moroccan Arabic). This will happen even in places where nobody knows each other. I find this as a funny contrast to the American response to this situation, which is not to cause any attention to yourself. I've seen a "business" situation interrupted in this manner here in Morocco, and it made me laugh as I thought about how this method of greeting would fail miserably in Corporate America.
Dental hygiene isn't as widespread in Morocco as it is in the US. The translation of "toothpaste" in Moroccan Arabic is "tooth medicine," and lots of people will apply it to their teeth when they hurt (and only when they hurt). It's not hard to foresee the results of this after, lets say, 30 years or so. This situation is compounded by Moroccans' love of sugary drinks and snacks, premiere among this being their amazing mint tea.
The last panel represents a funny situation regarding money here in Morocco. The unit of currency is the Dirham, but most of the merchants (and customers) will quote you in "Ryals," an antiquated currency that was last used in the early 1900s. 20 Ryals equal one Dirham, so when a merchant tells you 120 Ryals, they really mean 6 dirhams. In America, this would be the equivalent (sort of) of getting a price quote in nickels!
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Another Lindberg Family Caricature
I introduce to you: my brother Jacob, his wife Liz, and their illegitimate child, Bella.
I inked this bad boy with india ink and a brush. Also did washes to build up some value. I actually added the color with Photoshop, so as to "foresee" how it would look with some blue washes to distinguish the figures a little bit. Without this color, the composition is a bit confusing. So, now that I know what to do where, I'm gonna mix me up a nice blue wash and actually put it down!
I inked this bad boy with india ink and a brush. Also did washes to build up some value. I actually added the color with Photoshop, so as to "foresee" how it would look with some blue washes to distinguish the figures a little bit. Without this color, the composition is a bit confusing. So, now that I know what to do where, I'm gonna mix me up a nice blue wash and actually put it down!
warm epileptic glow
FIRST: A picture of myself with my better half, all hatted up in Asilah, a coastal city in northern Morocco!
SECOND: Remember when your Nintendo used to be on the fritz, flickering crazy lights and showing a whole bunch of crazy numbers. It was pretty frustrating at the time, but it's kind of a cool idea to experiment with (however, not for people that are prone to a seizure or two). Anyways, I figgered out how to do animation in Photoshop, so here goes:
THIRD: I've been drawing to be sure, but as I have no scanner here in Morocco (and dubious lighting conditions sometimes), it's not always easy to produce images to post. Let the aforeposted Frank Zappa be an indication of this fact. I have a desire to try to post daily, so I might have to use strange, non sequitir "fillers" such as these to bridge the gap, so they say. Maybe that's a good thing. It'll help me be more random.
PARMESAN CHEESE MONSTER!
SECOND: Remember when your Nintendo used to be on the fritz, flickering crazy lights and showing a whole bunch of crazy numbers. It was pretty frustrating at the time, but it's kind of a cool idea to experiment with (however, not for people that are prone to a seizure or two). Anyways, I figgered out how to do animation in Photoshop, so here goes:
THIRD: I've been drawing to be sure, but as I have no scanner here in Morocco (and dubious lighting conditions sometimes), it's not always easy to produce images to post. Let the aforeposted Frank Zappa be an indication of this fact. I have a desire to try to post daily, so I might have to use strange, non sequitir "fillers" such as these to bridge the gap, so they say. Maybe that's a good thing. It'll help me be more random.
PARMESAN CHEESE MONSTER!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
my buddy: FZ
I've never gotten the pleasure of meeting Frank (I was like 11 when he passed away), but if Frank Zappa were alive today, I'd probably ask him to be my buddy. He's nifty! Here's a sketch of Frank on the john! I saw him on the potty before (on the internet!), but not with the guitar. I heard that Jimi Hendrix used to shred while pooping, so I figure if Jimi did it, it's not inconceivable that Frank could do the same!
I just finished an inked, comic booky caricature of Frank, but I'm waiting to scan it so that I can add digital color. Here's a little preview:
I just finished an inked, comic booky caricature of Frank, but I'm waiting to scan it so that I can add digital color. Here's a little preview:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Alas, poor Lindberg, I knew him well...
30 minutes in photoshop (with mouse). I will work on it more (maybe).
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Double Digit July
Ok, I just wanted to get 10 posts in for the month of July...shameless, I know, but it's also a first! What can I say, I've got alot of time on my hands.
Anyways, I won't be updating for the next week, so I'd like to leave a snippet of the next project I'm working on.
Anyways, I won't be updating for the next week, so I'd like to leave a snippet of the next project I'm working on.
I AM NOT WORTHY!
I about fell out of my chair when mine eyes first glanced at the face of one Democratic Representative from California, Henry Waxman.
This man is what you call a "No Merit All Star." In the caricature world (or at least among us caricature artists when I worked at Cedar Point), this phrase is given to those individuals whose faces can be drawn well by even a blind chimpanzee...on the FIRST try! Hence, there's no merit to being able to draw Mr. Waxman, but I did it anyways, because his face is screaming to be drawn...and it's so darn fun!
I don't really know what's up with the strange light source. Or the Red Hot Chili Peppers references. I start drawing and I kinda lose touch with myself sometimes, leading to stream-of-consciousness-esque decisions. It annoys me, because I always curse myself afterwards, regretting NOT thinking more about each decision I make along the process.
I think, though, that I'm getting better at this. Learning patience with my decision-making is difficult for me because I like instant gratification. Anyone who's had the pleasure of dining with me knows this for certain! Ask my wife, Emily...she's starting to take after me. Of course, try as she may, she'll never have the wolf-like ability to swallow food like a Lindberg boy...it's just a gift of ours.
This man is what you call a "No Merit All Star." In the caricature world (or at least among us caricature artists when I worked at Cedar Point), this phrase is given to those individuals whose faces can be drawn well by even a blind chimpanzee...on the FIRST try! Hence, there's no merit to being able to draw Mr. Waxman, but I did it anyways, because his face is screaming to be drawn...and it's so darn fun!
I don't really know what's up with the strange light source. Or the Red Hot Chili Peppers references. I start drawing and I kinda lose touch with myself sometimes, leading to stream-of-consciousness-esque decisions. It annoys me, because I always curse myself afterwards, regretting NOT thinking more about each decision I make along the process.
I think, though, that I'm getting better at this. Learning patience with my decision-making is difficult for me because I like instant gratification. Anyone who's had the pleasure of dining with me knows this for certain! Ask my wife, Emily...she's starting to take after me. Of course, try as she may, she'll never have the wolf-like ability to swallow food like a Lindberg boy...it's just a gift of ours.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I Present to You:
John K....with massive PECS! This idea came from an interview of John K that I read online.
Here's the picture of John that I used as reference:
Unfortunately, I think my Faber-Castell PITT brush pen is now depleted...I'll have to figure out how to get re-supplied with some more of those bad boys...they're awesome!
Monday, July 27, 2009
John K and influences
Ok, got 3 goodies today:
First, here's a link to an old article on Animation World Magazine's website with John Kricfalusi, talking about his cartoon influences. It provides not only the names of animators and producers, but also the particular cartoon episodes that are of interest to him.
One he found awesome (as do I) is called, "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," with Daffy Duck. I'm sure anyone in my generation remembers this from their childhood!
Lastly, I have a link to a bunch of Spumco Flash Animations, included therein "Weekend Pussy Hunt," and "The George Liquor Show." These are pretty cool, but not as fluid as actual animations and a little burdensome to get through with a slow internet. Nevertheless, I think Spumco is amazing for what they've done with the medium.
I was looking for a good picture of John Kricfalusi to do a caricature, but I got distracted with all of this! My next post should be that caricature of John K.
First, here's a link to an old article on Animation World Magazine's website with John Kricfalusi, talking about his cartoon influences. It provides not only the names of animators and producers, but also the particular cartoon episodes that are of interest to him.
One he found awesome (as do I) is called, "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," with Daffy Duck. I'm sure anyone in my generation remembers this from their childhood!
Lastly, I have a link to a bunch of Spumco Flash Animations, included therein "Weekend Pussy Hunt," and "The George Liquor Show." These are pretty cool, but not as fluid as actual animations and a little burdensome to get through with a slow internet. Nevertheless, I think Spumco is amazing for what they've done with the medium.
I was looking for a good picture of John Kricfalusi to do a caricature, but I got distracted with all of this! My next post should be that caricature of John K.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
I'm not a painter, but...
I checked out a pretty sweet tutorial on Tom Richmond's blog about digital coloring, and gave it a shot (see my face at right). ------->
Here's the link.
I don't have a Wacom tablet, but hopefully will someday, as the process probably would have been easier than using my mouse.
Here's the link.
I don't have a Wacom tablet, but hopefully will someday, as the process probably would have been easier than using my mouse.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Jim Woodring
I've been researching cartoonists/animators, and I came across this fellow, linked off of Bill Plympton's facebook page. On Jim's site, there's some of the most bizzare, symbolic, and humorously cynical one-liner comics that I've seen in a long time. Some are easier to arrive to their conclusions, but others really make you scour each mysterious figure and scene for some type of meaning. I really like them, especially since some of them are so dark. Here's the link (www.jimwoodring.com) and I've also included it on the blogroll ---------->
I love the reference to Durer-esque woodcuts in this one! It just screams 1500s Europe!
I love the reference to Durer-esque woodcuts in this one! It just screams 1500s Europe!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wood Grain Background...
...just in case you couldn't tell...Also, our camera sucks! Picture the color being more vivid.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Several (Seven) Sketches
Ok, so I've been remaining sketching from my Time magazine (December 2008) over these past few days. I love it...it's like a high sometimes. I think this is one of the only things in life that makes me feel like this...I grab a cold liter and a half of water, throw on my earphones, crank up the music, keep the pencil sharpened, and sweat bullets as I ESCAPE into another world.
Sir Edmund Hillary is first on the lineup. I wouldn't have included the name, but he's kind-of an obscure celebrity...the first to scale Mt. Everest, I believe.
Another obscure celebrity: the political figure William F. Buckley
Tim Russert
Another one of Tim Russert, less exaggerated, followed by some more political celebrities
My friend Alex Clare as an "Alien." His idea actually, if I recall correctly. I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile. This is just the sketch. I'm currently working on the inked and colored version, which I'll have up soon.
Sir Edmund Hillary is first on the lineup. I wouldn't have included the name, but he's kind-of an obscure celebrity...the first to scale Mt. Everest, I believe.
Another obscure celebrity: the political figure William F. Buckley
Tim Russert
Another one of Tim Russert, less exaggerated, followed by some more political celebrities
My friend Alex Clare as an "Alien." His idea actually, if I recall correctly. I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile. This is just the sketch. I'm currently working on the inked and colored version, which I'll have up soon.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Comics, Caricatures, and Characters
Ok, I've been keeping a sketchbook and have been pretty busy recently. This first one is actually pretty old: from when we just arrived here in Morocco.
Sketch of Emily at the computer.
A few presidents, new and old: Sarkozy (France) and his wife and the departed "W"
My mug. Forehead needs to be bigger.
This is a little guy I created after watching alot of Spumco-based work. I think I'll keep running with him. I feel like putting him in different scenarios is a good way to try to understand his personalities. So far, this is what I know about him: he has an affinity for booze (and possibly smokes), has a New England accent, be it Boston or New York, has a short, and sometimes violent temper (a la Ren Hoek), and is periodically manic.
In completing these I've been putting myself outside of my comfort zone of black and white, and especially with watercolor. I'm not very familiar with painting, but I have a great respect for well chosen colors and I really like the immediacy of mixing them.
Sketch of Emily at the computer.
A few presidents, new and old: Sarkozy (France) and his wife and the departed "W"
My mug. Forehead needs to be bigger.
This is a little guy I created after watching alot of Spumco-based work. I think I'll keep running with him. I feel like putting him in different scenarios is a good way to try to understand his personalities. So far, this is what I know about him: he has an affinity for booze (and possibly smokes), has a New England accent, be it Boston or New York, has a short, and sometimes violent temper (a la Ren Hoek), and is periodically manic.
In completing these I've been putting myself outside of my comfort zone of black and white, and especially with watercolor. I'm not very familiar with painting, but I have a great respect for well chosen colors and I really like the immediacy of mixing them.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Logo Evolution
I'm continuing to work in Illustrator, giving myself little "problems" to solve. The latest was to develop a logo for my digital art.
My first few attempts, unfortunately, won't upload. It may have been the way I saved them.
This, above, is right after I nixed the "egg" like solid grey background that went behind the JL form.
These two are where I am right now. I'm pretty much sold on having the little triangle between the bottom of the "J" and the left side of the "L," but I've included the sans version below just for a visual comparison.
I feel like the design of the JL form is solid, but I'm not 100% sure about the color choices and the corresponding color of the text. I like the font choice but I'm not sure if I want the text to be larger. I still have to play around with that.
My first few attempts, unfortunately, won't upload. It may have been the way I saved them.
This, above, is right after I nixed the "egg" like solid grey background that went behind the JL form.
These two are where I am right now. I'm pretty much sold on having the little triangle between the bottom of the "J" and the left side of the "L," but I've included the sans version below just for a visual comparison.
I feel like the design of the JL form is solid, but I'm not 100% sure about the color choices and the corresponding color of the text. I like the font choice but I'm not sure if I want the text to be larger. I still have to play around with that.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Iconotastic
Standard Mac OSX Finder Icon. I felt like it needed a little more personality.
My slightly overworked and disgruntled Finder.
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