Speculative fiction and art from Thea Dee
Transmissions from the Asylum
The weirdness of the Internet, served fresh today. Monsters on a platter and chaotic good hamburgers.
In the weird but brilliant category, we now have — creepy horror food!
Not something I expected to show up in my Twitter feed today, but admittedly very well done. This guy ought to work as a speculative movie prop maker!
And then there was this… the hamburger alignment chart, Dungeons & Dragons style.
Read more about the restaurant that serves these burgers on That’s Nerdalicious.
Does art require a certain perspective to be appreciated?
This 3D illusion art by street artist Julian Beever got me thinking about perspective and point of view (POV). It is a piece of art that only looks impressive from one POV. You have to be standing in just the right spot (and ideally looking through a camera lens) for it to shine.
First of all, I’m deeply impressed that anyone can figure out how to draw something in a warped way so it looks right from a certain POV. Aside from that, however, let’s think about this for a moment. Doesn’t all art require a certain subjective position to be appreciated?
Art that expresses one lifestyle or emotional point of view may be distasteful to those who hold different values. Art that resists the established authority is courageous and true to the citizens but dangerous and threatening to the authority. Children’s books are shallow and simple when viewed by an adult. Speculative fiction is a waste of time to those who prefer fiction they can imagine might actually happen to them.
What art have we dismissed because we simply aren’t standing in the right spot to appreciate it? Maybe that art isn’t meant for us. That doesn’t mean it’s not art.
What do you think? What art have you rejected lately?
The relationship between the werewolf and the moon, in comic style
Delightful surprise today. I was tagged in a tweet that led me to this fantastic bit of art. Ah, the relationship between the werewolf and the moon!
El poder de la Luna by CareCOMICart on deviantART
This image reminded me of what my lycan (werewolf) friend Paul Conrad said about the moon:
I glanced up the sky, where the waxing orb hung, his pull and fascination never waning.
Most people thought of the moon as a “she”, but to me, that laughing bastard would always be male. The great, big alpha male in the sky. Jerking the strings and making all the lycans of the earth dance to his rhythm.
So arbitrary.
So brutal.
Hateful.
The comic style, with the moon glaring down, captured Conrad’s perception of the moon rather well, don’t you think?
in which I offer some links to photoshop brushes and research Creative Commons licenses
i like to create.
(duh.)
and just look! perfect timing! i was born in an age of global publishing technology.
gotta love that.
lately i’ve been browsing around the Net for photoshop brushes and patterns that i can use. some really quality work is being shared by the generous hearts of other creative people. how cool is that? take a look at some of these:
well, as rich as the Web is with resources, you can’t always find exactly what you need.
so the other day i created my own photoshop and illustrator brushes for a digital image project. everything i needed to learn was available in online tutorials. i finished the project, and now i can share my work with others so they can benefit from my creativity. it’s like the cycle of life. Internet-style.
i was all set to slap a Creative Commons license on my stuff and post it, when the voice of reason (this guy i know really well) popped up with the reminder that licenses are legal contracts.
and one should never enter into legalities lightly.
leap, originally uploaded by tricky â„¢.
so… you’ll just have to wait a few more days before i post any brushes of my own.
don’t hold your breath.
i hear that can cause respiratory problems.
but anticipate as keenly as you like!
enjoying the riches of the open-hearted Internet community
one of the absolute best things about the Net community is the (overall) willingness to share. sure, there’s some selfish folks out there, but overall, the brilliant ones are showing others how they did it. they enrich the whole world, adding to the library of articles and tutorials.
>steps onto the tangent train<
i admire that.
i admire people who are unafraid to show others how they did their “magic”. they share a technique for a special effect they use in their art, knowing that this does not lessen or dilute their value. these people realize a great secret of all art:
nobody else can truly compete with your art.
you are unique.
nobody, and i mean nobody can tell the stories that are in you exactly the way you can tell them. nobody can draw or paint exactly the way you will, if you follow the whispers of that creative Genius who wants to guide you into your true calling.
and the world is big enough to need all the creative people that exist.
i hope i remember this. when i start posting my work and someone asks me, “how did you do that?” it’s the perfect time to start a beautiful cycle.
some call it karma, but i believe it’s a lot older than that.
i think it’s the same thing that brings a 60-foot tree from a seed smaller than my fingernail. i think it’s the same power behind so-called “self-fulfilling prophecies”.
i think everything is a seed.
words. actions. even thoughts. decisions.
and you reap what you sow.
and the Net is one great, big field of rich soil. and the ones who are getting the best harvest are the ones planting the most good seed.
>toot-toot! now offloading the tangent train. all aboard the clue train!<
for example, this tutorial on Vector Polishing at Nick La’s WebDesignerWall.
the guy does nice work. beautiful.
someone asked him, “how did you do such-and-such? did you use Photoshop or Illustrator?” so he writes this tutorial, and right in the first paragraph he says,
“Here I will unveil all my secret techniques.”
it’s a good way to get people to read.
everybody wants to know a secret!
then he shares nine of his coolest Photoshop techniques. and suddenly i want to spend the day fiddling in Photoshop.
i love to learn. always have.
and i love to learn on my own, at my own pace.
the Net is my playground.
it’s my university.
abundant in mentors.
whether they know it or not!
and someday, i’ll do it, too.
enrich the world. share my techniques.
first i gotta have some, though.
>leaves the train station, marching into the cool depths of the asylum<
see ya ’round the Net!
