Beetle Girl

       I really need help figuring out how to photograph images that were made in the physical world. Anyway, here is BeetleGirl! (Click on the image above to see a bigger version.)

       Today's prompts is to draw an alien.

Maquech

       In an effort to get my creative juices flowing and foster good habits of productivity, I have set up a host of drawing prompts that I intend to tackle, perhaps even one every day. The first set of twenty was inspired by the TV show "Face Off," which is special effects version of "Project Runway:" crafts and creatures instead of sewing and clothing. Day one, the challenge was to somehow combine a human being and a beetle.

       It would be at this point that I would insert the finished drawing, but the pictures I took were horrid, so I will leave it to tomorrow to post.

       Anyway, as I was searching for inspiration, I can across the fascinating phenomenon of "maquech brooches." Popular today in Mexico, while simultaneously being a centuries-old tradition, maquech brooches are simply live beetles, anchored to the fashionable with little chain collars. This in and of itself would be a trend that I, with my unabashed love of insects and honest appreciation for their robot beauty, would champion, but unfortunately maquech beetles have to suffer glued-on jewels, and therefore become disappointingly tacky.

       There is a story that goes along with the tradition: Once upon a time there was a girl in love. Unfortunately, her family, and the family of her boyfriend, were mush less enthusiastic about the union than she was, and put a definitive end to her dreams of bliss. Heartbroken, the girl refused to eat or drink. Matters remained sadly suicidal until a magician, great of heart but apparently not of imagination or skill, turned the girl into a beetle, so she lived out the rest of her days happy, able to remain, incognito, by her love's heart.

       ...It is actually a terrible story, once you think about it.

Singing Though My Face is Numb

Today was fairly overcast,
my pictures not as pretty,
and so instead of posting them
I wrote this little ditty.

I took my bike to the shore this time
(walking takes much longer)
but hills are harder when on wheels
so my legs need to get stronger.

Highlights: shells (the twisty kind),
sea glass, ruby berries,
virgin sand and fuzzy vines,
people in a hurry.

I brought warm gloves but still I froze-
it's so cold over there!
-but so far my trips improve my mood
so much I do not care.

Swimming Blind

       There is an image in my head that I want to draw, but I simply don't have the skill. I see it as an oil painting (I have never used oils) and it focuses on a small girl. Hands are emerging from all around her, clapped against her mouth, pressed against her ears, covering her eyes. It would be a typical "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" image, but stifling.

       Now, I would like to stress that I have a high appreciation for the practice of "guarding your senses." What you choose to expose yourself to not only shapes your personality, but affects what I consider the skeletal system of your character: your habits. I could write an entire book on the power of controlling your personal universe, but this image is not about how you manage your world, but how others manage it for you.

Cold Patterns

       I got out of the apartment early, today, in the hopes of catching the rising sun. I was in such a rush to make sure that I actually went and didn't talk myself out of it that I left in a sleeveless shirt and a fleece cape, which is not exactly the right attire for freezing wind, but I pushed through it, just letting myself experience the morning.

       Highlights include watching the sun rise over the cemetery, plenty of canine friends, and magnificent frost patterns. Most of the leaves are down, but those that are left blazed in the early light. I grabbed a twig that I want to make into a dream-catcher necklace.

       I need to trust my camera more. I didn't try to take many pictures of the sea or the sky because I thought they would turn out terribly. Instead, they are nice. I guess I have to go back, don't I?

       On my way back (en-route to a terrible sandwich from Dunkin Donuts - seriously, don't get them) I saw this lovely collection of colors.

       I am definitely going to do this more often. 

Halloween Stories

       I have noticed that there are two kinds of horror: First there is the fun horror, the horror you go to experience at haunted houses, the kind that develops a cult following. It is so much fun because you get the rush of adrenaline from the tension (the same reaction you would feel on a roller-coaster or other simulated danger), and then afterwards all the hilarity of remembering your reactions, mixed with a healthy dose of relief. However, there is another type of horror, what I think of when I hear the term, which leaves you unsettled and uneasy afterwards. It is not about zombies, or sharp objects, or being startled, but about the human soul.

       Horror is an involuntary reaction. It is not controlled by reason, but by the senses. Think about navigating a haunted house: there are sounds (the sounds of distressed human beings works the best), there is visual input (the sets, and also the darkness, which gets your imagination scrambling) and there is tactile input (things hanging from the ceiling that you have to push away, as well as the plain fact that you are physically present.) Your mind might know that there is no danger, but your body is being tricked into tension, a tension that explodes when someone jumps out at you in a plastic mask. Slasher movies use as many of these tricks as they can, as well: other distressed humans, worrisome sounds, visual cues, and sudden scares.

       However, since horror comes from the subconscious, people are horrified by different things. Personally, I find myself laughing at slasher movies simply because my response to fear is to get super analytical: to point out the terrible acting, the cheap special effects, the inaccurate wounds, or even just the fact that it's a movie. Want to set me on edge? Be subtle. Don't show me the monster, or, better yet, show me a monster I can worry about: human beings.

       Well, I am currently trying to scribble a little something of my own for Halloween, but I also have to prepare for Nanowrimo, a job interview, and life in general, so please enjoy a few dark stories, in honor of the season. These are all picture-stories ("comics" doesn't seem like the appropriate term) because, as I mentioned, all the best horror touches as many senses as it can, so visual is better than just words.

       First, I would like to recommend His Face all Red, a dark little story by Emily Carroll. I read this on Halloween in 2010, and the imagery really stuck with me.

        Did you like it? Here is another by Emily Carroll: The Prince and the Sea. It is similar, except it starts out nicer, and ends up worse.

       Okay, well, I understand that things like that aren't necessarily everyone's cup of tea, so here, have some straight Korean horror: 2011 Mystery Short. Unlike the other two, which get under my skin, this one makes my heart jump. Every time. Yes, I know it is in Korean. No, you don't have to be able to read it. Just keep scrolling.

       Mwahahaha!

Psychologies and Things

       Today I have landed a job and purchased chicken, and I am excited for both. These, as well as gorgeous weather, conversations with family members and informative video consumption, have ensured that I enjoyed my day fairly fully.

       What have I watched? Of note, I watched a video from the Fashion Week Internationale series highlighting Seoul. The series seems fairly interesting, despite it's superficial discussions, because it focuses much less on fashion than it does on the differences between cultures highlighted by the events, so I might watch more. This one taught me some surprising things about the beauty culture of South Korea, and subsequently sparked an interest in Asian history, since it occurred to me that I really don't know much about the individual countries that compose "Asia."

(Continues beneath the cut...)