What's this, Effort?

[tealin]

I decided to put some actual effort into my sketchbook last night, as it had been far too long since such a thing was done. And because it didn't turn out half bad, I left them all BIG and everything, scanned at 75 dpi and not resized! So it's almost life-sized if you've got a 1024x768orwhatever monitor.

Page One - An attempt at caricature of a bus person from yesterday, another cat and another Blouse. But mostly: I had never been able to concieve how people could draw fan art of songs or bands, but The Decembersists have infected my brain. I just got Her Majesty the Decemberists* yesterday (to relieve pressure on poor Picaresque which was being played to death) and there's a song about a chimney sweep who is a bit of a rake, we discover. Anyway, even though I have only one way of drawing cads, I thought I'd doodle this guy up because usually chimney sweeps are adorable if emaciated young boys. And ... gee, does he look a little like that guy who bugs my sister so much? Gosh, that was completely unintentional. (Have I ruined that song for you now, Tula?) Anyway, when I get my life drawing pad back I have another one to scan, from the 'Mariner's Revenge Song.' Mwahahaha. No prizes for guessing who it is.

Page Two - FINALLY got a halfway decent drawing of a street in the Citadel (from Small Gods) ... there is a famous drawing or painting or something, I'm sure, with this composition, the street with the dome in the background, but ... yeah, oh well. And all this done with no reference at all! I need to look up, hmm, maybe Turkey or Spain or Morocco or Jerusalem (or all of them) and, y'know, actually do some work.
Oh yes, and Filler Cats. Hooray for Filler Cats.

*It should be called People With Their Pants Down because I swear every single song has a mention of de-panting or unpantedness in it. And that works for both British and American senses of the word 'pants.' The cover's nice, though.

Comments

[laridian.livejournal.com]

Both links go to the same image?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I just fixed that. Wow, you're quick.

[laridian.livejournal.com]

Haha! I have no life. ;) Plus i like looking at your sketchbook.

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Hmm, the castle on a rocky outcrop works, but the architecture is too sophisticated.

I honestly wasn't thinking of anything when I drew the finial ... just 'hmm, gotta put a spiky spire thingy on it.'

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[veronikamg.livejournal.com]

Gotta love a buy with an undershot bite!

Your cat looks a bit like one of mine. It got that same "don't bother me now" expression. Is it a tom?

The citadel is nice. How long did it take you to do it?

And I'm starting to get very curious about what kind of music it is you are listening to...

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Yup, tom. Or, er ... kind of. ;)

The Citadel took ... hmm, judging by how much of the radio show I listened to while doing it, probably about 20-30 minutes.

I didn't know this CD would have so much depanting in it when I got it ... I liked the melodies and instrumentation of the group, from what I'd heard in my sister's collection. I like Picaresque better, but having listened to it two or three times a day since last Wednesday, I thought I should mix things up a little.

[veronikamg.livejournal.com]

Mine is also "sort of" tom. He he.

What genre is the Decemberists?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Um ... welllll, iTunes calls them 'alternative' but that's such a broad category it almost doesn't mean anything. They're kind of ... if you took Simon and Garfunkel and put them in modern Seattle, added a bit more silliness and a dash of Coldplay, and shook it all up. Kind of. I don't know enough modern music to really say.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Even though they're from Portland, not Seattle. Just thought I should say.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

And also a bit of the Magnetic Fields, what I've heard of them. Probably more them than Coldplay, actually. Quite a lot, come to think of it. They use accordions. ;)

[veronikamg.livejournal.com]

I think I need to check out their music sometime. I'm like the queen of downloading-music-on-my-friends'-computers-that-nobody-has-heard anyway. :) (Can't download on my own comp, you see. Dial up...)

[thefordmustang.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! I love the street image with the Citadel. You really do a nice job showing the depth perception. It really made me remember the alleys in Old Town Ístanbul and Cappadocian towns like Avanos and Mustafa Pasha. I have to go back now... after seeing that drawing I want to go back. For some reason I always thought of Omnia as being a bit like a cross between Byzantian and Ottoman Turkey with Ancient Persia. I think that happened because I first read Small Gods when I was reading a book about Ancient Persia. I should try to dig up the doodles I drew from that experience.

I also like how you draw cats. You really capture that lazy arrogance that makes them so lovable.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

The fact that it's a fortified theocratic city in the middle of a desert is what brought Near/Middle Eastern images to my mind. I'm glad I'm not the only one. : )

[thefordmustang.livejournal.com]

That was a funny comment! That theocratic image is actually one that Turkey struggles with. I remember being amazed how very liberal things are there. I guess it is now a more post-Brutha Omnia.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

Since everyone's been commenting about the street sketch, I'll join in and say it reminds me a little bit of Beaux de Provence, in France. It has the narrow, sloping streets like that with taller (or technically, higher) buildings in the background. The whole town is built on the side of a hill with the remains of an old chateau above it.

Incidentally, I just bought Small Gods and a slew of other Discworld books I haven't read yet on a trip to Borders earlier this week, so the next time I comment I might have something interesting (or, at least, informed) to say.

[ari-enchanted.livejournal.com]

Hot chimney sweep. Weird...

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

... hot? What have I done wrong?

[ari-enchanted.livejournal.com]

Well, er, I think he's hot. Um.

[okiwan.livejournal.com]

I love The Decemberists. My favorite is "Engine Driver".

I had long suspected that you were kewl.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

That one makes me think of clacks towers, for no good reason at all. That is how uncool I am.

[azvolrien.livejournal.com]

Coo. I can never get the perspective right when doing streets scenes - they always end up disastrous. If you like, I could get you a photo of the Castle if you do more Monstrous Regiment stuff, because that is completely what I pictured at the description of Kneck Keep. It is on a crag, and it looms. Quite well. I could also try and take a photo up the Royal Mile. Actually, I'm thinking of just buying one of those disposable cameras and going on a photo-taking tour of the city centre.

Filler Cats would be a good, if strange, name for a band. Well, no stranger than Kaiser Chiefs, I suppose.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Reference photos are always - ALWAYS - accepted with joy and love. I just realised I still haven't posted my Kneck Keep 'painting' (colour key, really) ... I'll have to do that today, or tonight, or something...

Heehe, Filler Cats would be an interesting band name, indeed. Maybe they could do a double act with Bus People. ;) ... my favourite is still Dave Barry's suggestion of 'The Slippery Spleens.' ... come to think of it, that could be the title of a Snicket book.

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[azvolrien.livejournal.com]

I'll email them to you once I get the film developed.

[veronikamg.livejournal.com]

There is a Norwegian band (split up) called "The September When". I always thought that they invented that name by having seen part of a sentence and thought it was cool. They had rather peculiar lyrics, but Cries like a Baby is very very pretty. The lead singer, Morten Abel - not to be confused with Morten Harket - has made a few solo albums. His songs are even stranger.

How do people come up with names like "Barenaked Ladies", "Mental as Anything" or "Coldplay" anyway?

[(Anonymous)]

The composition of your street drawing reminds me a bit of a Van Gogh... can't remember which one it was though, I only ever saw it because I used Van Gogh as my style model for Art Class last year!
But the curve of the street and all that... very similar...

[tonks244.livejournal.com]

I love the Decemberists, although I don't own their CD yet do to lack of money... but they play "16 Military Wives" all the time on 89.3 The Current (branch off of MPR). Great drawings by the way, always fun to view!

I like things neat

[tonks244.livejournal.com]

Sorry, little grammar mistake and I can't leave it alone. "Due" not "do". Sorry.

[jesidres.livejournal.com]

Sweet mincemeats. I have a picture somewhere exactly framed like that of the old city of Elvissa on the island Ibiza in Spain (despite the legends of the island, there are other things to do besides dance and get STDs). I will find that picture eventually, and prove you are psychic.

ANOTHER DECEMBERISTS FAN?!

[(Anonymous)]

Awesome. Go to youtube.com, they've got the video for 16 Military Wives, it's hilarious. Personally, I like "As I Rise" best on that album. I should be getting "Castaways and Cutouts" soon, too. If you like them, you might like Neutral Milk Hotel, too.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Wow, they have a video? I'll have to check that out... Castaways and Cutouts is next on my list to look for (and such lovely cover art!). I'll keep an eye out for Neutral Milk Hotel, too. (where do they get their names?)

[nextian.livejournal.com]

Here's the 16 Military Wives video. (http://www.otaku-house.com/films/decdnload.htm) The Decemberists make everything better. *goes off to count the number of depantsed songs that I have*

Not that you know me; friendly art-stalker. *g* And I am so very sorry, but I also think the chimbley sweep is damn hot, and not at all unsuited to the song.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Ah, nifty little film! I like the video and I like the song but they don't exactly match up in my mind (even not counting the sometimes inaccurate synching, which is forgiveable) ... ah well, entertaining nonetheless. Thanks for the link!

As for the chimbley sweep, well, he's supposed to be suited to the song, but I, personally, don't find dissolute cads that attractive. (Some people have to, I suppose, or else they'd have change their tactics and no longer be dissolute cads.) 'Heeeeyyy baby, I am a poor and a wretched boy ... yeah.'

[jume.livejournal.com]

what resolution do you usually scan at? :o