Time-lapse test 2

Okay, now the first part of this project has the flaw of the one frame that was out of sync with the others taken out of it. And also the sound has been muted. I dunno, maybe I'll keep the sound in the next test....

Sleeplessness strikes back!

I have a new post! And it's been a few months now, eh? Well, I did work on this project awhile back, but my computer died before I could completely transfer everything online. So here is my time-lapse project test that I never got to post. It's a little flawed, but then again it was just a test. I had to clean the kitchen, so I felt like making something creative out of it.

Bummer and half!

Well... I wanted to do so much to this blog, but now I am on hiatus for awhile seeing that my computer is busted! Aaaah! I had all of my pictures and other projects I was working on. Around the middle of March, my computer couldn't keep itself from crashing constantly. I couldn't work on any videos, or watch them after I uploaded them without the computer freaking out and restarting itself. And then there were the issues with Firefox and the Flashplayer plugin not apporiately working together. Because of this problem, Firefox would crash and restart. I tried changing out to different web browsers, but the same results would ensue. When I think upon it, I guess that's what I get when I expect a seven year old computer to keep up with the constant changes and upgrades on the internet. I think it's weird how much dependency I have put into the computer when it comes to expressing my creativity. I have had fun with some of the projects that I've been piecing together, however I don't need this (as I'm ranting about it on my art blog...)as my complete tool for creativity. The computer just made it more convienient for me to be able to do things that would have required me to have a studio and and lots of equipment, and tools to produce say like animation, or photographs, or movies. Now with the loss of the computer, I've been reduced to making everything work out of necessesity. And your probably wondering what I mean by "necessity". As if I'm a pretentious jerk making this whole situation sound like some analogy about how it is important for me to create. Yeah, creating things is a necessity for me. When I'm not doing it I hunger. I'm starving for the art, rather than starving because of the art. So because of the lack of convienience that I don't have with the computer, I now will go forth and find the equipment, or other methods to be able make things. And when I have a running computer of my own, I will not become to dependent on it fully, but use it as a tool like all the other media. Until then, I'll do what I can! Peace!

McSweeny's is publishing a collection of comic artist Art Spiegelman's sketches. The book itself is titled: "Be A Nose". It looks amazing! If you are not familiar with Mr. Spiegelman, then I would get well acquainted with his work that awarded him a Pulitzer Prize called, "Maus". Which is based off of his Father's experience as a Holocaust survivor. However the twist with the characters, is that Jews are depicted as mice, Germans as cats, and The Polish as pigs, so it makes for a very interesting perspective that way. But it is an important piece of work. Here is a preview of what is to be expected from "Be A Nose".



The awesome music in the background was provided by the drummer of the band, Black Keys, Patrick Carney. Since I'm on a tangent about graphic novels, I want to also recommend: "Persepolis" I and II by Marjane Satrapi . It is an amazing piece of work. Also: "Palestine" by Joe Sacco Please read these, they are outstanding!

Stop Motion!

One of my projects for this year is to teach myself the art of animation. I've already put together this ugly goose/ostrich thing I made in ms paint. I used the video effect to make it look like a black and white cartoon from the '30s, and gave it only three frames of animation. So I just put in a continuous loop on windows media player and watch it move like one of those LCD character sprites you would control in an old Tiger Electronics games. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I'm not going to post it on here though. It's just too embarrassing to put up. After that I experimented with stop-motion animation with just using my little digital camera. I would take pictures of each motion and put the picture as a frame in the storyboard of Windows Movie maker. I did a test first with my hand (which at some point I need to expand on.).





Then the next idea was to do it with Lego men. And since they are from the medieval Lego set, I have a huge battle scene planned for the future.

Art vs. Sleep II

Here's the rest of the pics.

Art vs. Sleep

I say that I hate snow... but I'm a huge liar. Truth be told, I just hate all the adult things that are associated with snow. Snow represents things like purity, and wonder. Yet all those good feelings dissipate when one is encountered with their responsibilities. Every job that I have had, there was no excuse not to have us work. It didn't matter how bad it was outside, we had to make money. Eventually they would let us leave early after management spoke with their higher ups. I understand you need to have people there for the sake of business, but was it really worth my time being there for a few hours of pay? And then there's car trouble, such as my car tires being stuck in the snow. And no matter how fast I rev up my engine, the only progress made is the burning of rubber from my tires. The fumes created from them enter my nostrils and fill my mind with a mixture of fear, amxiety, and frustration.

Sunday night was the first time in a long time that I had seen any real snow in Richmond. Most people I know enjoy the snow during the day time, but I'm not like that. I love the snow during the night. There is just some sort of solemn beauty in watching the snow flakes descend from the dark sky, as they bathe in the street lamps light. I was inspired by the sight of this to make a video out of it. So I went out that night on a little adventure to record some footage on my crappy little digital camera(Which is why it looks kind of pixelated). This is actually my first amateur short film. I don't have any formal training in film, so please give any feedback on how what to do make it better. It's called: "Solitude In Snow".





The song, Gymnopédies 1, is what was playing through my head while I was watching the snow. It just seemed like the right song to put in the film.

These are also some photos that took along my journey that night.