I am not an artist, I would love to be one but have never been able to master all the techniques required.
Thursday through Friday I did hit my blue phase. I was very down. Then Saturday I was supposed to be drifting about above York for some stunning aerial views but the forecast was for mist, wind and rain. At the back of noon it was horrid, I called the job off. By three thirty the cloud broke and it would have been perfect for some late afternoon photography, scattered cloud and a low sun. I was not a happy bunny. The Met office in this country must be staffed by Muppets.
I consoled myself by going to the butchers and the greengrocer and then cooking myself a monster roast chicken dinner. I even did bread sauce and Yorkshire puddings. The latter were an egg short but they were still fine.
Today they were forecasting isolated thundery showers for late afternoon so I called in sick again. I watched the MotoGP, all three classes from Philip Island. What a fiasco. The track was so abrasive it was ripping tyres to shreds so they had a mini MotoGP with a bike and tyre change at a curtailed half race distance. A real cock up it was. At least it didn’t rain till the last minute. You Antipodeans…I don’t know!
I then got a comment from DOUGLAS. It has made a bad weekend into a good one. He recommended that I watch a BBC programme called CLICK. It was superb and inspirational.
This lady is doing her best to explain that the old oil painting of a dead frog has been brought to life by a studio of artists digitally modelling a few blue Bottles and then dozens of their maggots. I now realize what I never realised. Art takes a lot of people. I will model a maggot. I will put bones in the wire frame so I can make it wriggle a bit, I’ve never tried to use bones so that's another day down the pan. Yes they did duplicate the maggots but they all move in their own way. Brilliant.
It was only when prices fell that folk had to work fast on their own and we were subjected to crap. Spattered dots and strange cubist images. There are of course exceptions. If I had been involved in The Last Supper, I would have been painting the black bits under the table or stretching and priming canvases.
These digital artists are using AutoDesk looking at the screen grabs. Blender3D is also feature laden and it is free. I just can’t remember where all the features are or what they do. I am getting used to the funny names they call things and making sure that I remember short cut key strokes. Ploughing through the menus and sub menus would take longer than I have got left. I then have to learn to light the job. In 3D you pop a plane up give it an emission something then do a quick render, press escape move it, enlarge or decrease it, rotate it, fire more light into it. I can have a quick render screen but without it you are working in the dark. I need more screen room. I can see monitors hanging from the rafters. I don’t have roof beams so that’s another job.
Tomorrow I’m moving up to Castle Howard. Then Thursday I’m back here at Sherriff Hutton for a few days in an attempt to get airborne.
Have a great week.
Thought the frog would get you, I'm no artist but I really liked this episode of Click, would've never had seen it had been for the joke that was Moto GP this early am and the rubbish weather, of which I share your shame frustration of the inability of getting the weather right.
ReplyDeleteDouglas, I would love to see Cal on real terms on a factory bike. He wrings the neck out of his wheels.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link....it is geeky.... no more daft than birding, it's just different.
We have been looking at and paying for posh forecasts. Bloody disappointing are the Met Office. The RAF at Linton on Ouse will give weather out and put their prop driven trainers up just before lunch. They did suggest that the cloud level would rise and break later but with the risk of localised Cumuli Nimbus and associated lightning. It's the wind around Nimbus which is a pain.
Hi Adrian I am sorry that your plans could not be accomplished due to the weather. I never depend on the weather forecast as we can have all 4 seasons here in one day!!! I am glad Douglas was able to cheer you up. Hope the weather improves and you get airborne soon.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, a three hour forecast ought to be accurate. I'll get the job sorted.
DeleteI'll argue with your statement that you are not an artist. Of course you are. Apparently "Click" is only available in the U.K. It is just as well. I probably do not have enough usage left on my quota to watch it.
ReplyDeleteA good meal always helps my feelings too. Glad you are in better spirits.
David, I forgot that IPlayer is only available in the UK.
DeleteIt was a good if greedy evening.
I agree, the weather was difficult yesterday. Had a one hour sun window late in the afternoon in Corbridge. Had a look at most of this video & can't believe that people get passionate about whether this kind of material is on the wall in a frame or just on the internet. I fancy a trip to Castle Howard sometime.
ReplyDeleteJay, I was amazed at the amount of work involved.
DeleteCastle Howard looks a spectacular place.
HI Adrian... We don't have the likes of that that I know !! I can't even draw water (sick joke) anyway, I have something on my windows phone called paint brush, I goofed with it once and it took me half a day to find the app to pull it up again!! lol
ReplyDeleteHave to say that the meal you created is a "work of art" YUM!!
Grace
Grace there are dozens of graphics programmes.
DeleteThe meal was just what i needed.
So the only good thing here was the chicken dinner! I think your going to have to suck it up and work in miserable weather. So the hell with the rain. Get out there and do the job!
ReplyDeleteRed, flying around in a glorified kite is not funny in bad weather. I'm a chicken.
DeleteI also console myself with food Adrian!
ReplyDeleteMaria, what works, works.
Deleteja heel jammer dat je plan niet doorging maar een goede maaltijd kan wonderen doen.
ReplyDeleteWe zeggen hier in Engeland ..... Dat iedere wolk heeft een zilveren randje.
DeleteI notice that you prepared Yorkshire puddings!!! Please understand that they are named after me and may only be produced under licence. One of my inspectors will be along to visit you shortly. Please have your pudding pans and utensils ready for inspection. The fee for this service is 125 guineas - payable by credit or debit card. Please supply your PIN and unique reference number from the back of your card. It is vital that quality standards are maintained.
ReplyDeleteYP, I couldn't agree more.
DeleteI being a master baker use the traditional recipe. Equal volumes of egg, plain flour, and liquid the latter comprising milk and water half and half. The cooking fat is lard or preferably beef dripping just the top from the latter.
This time I was an egg short so I suspect I should call them campervan puddings.
It's your bank details I need. Card number, PIN, and the last three digits on the back of your card, expiry date and your post code and house name or number may be needed to allow me to transfer funds for my transgression.
A complete cock-up doesn't even begin to describe the travesty that was the Moto GP. Given that the outcome of the season could rest on that one afternoon of blunder I think many people will be well upset. As for the rest of the post I'm afraid I couldn't find an appropriate label in Google Translate so am not quite sure what it was about. I have a sudden yearning for the darkroom and smelly chemicals.
ReplyDeleteGraham, Philip Island is always a lottery but usually due to the weather. The ussies used to have sport off to a fine art. This was farcical.
DeleteThe programme was well worth watching.
I too would love the space to go large format and spend hours dodging and burning prints. I still covet a medium format pre-electric Hasselblad. Or better still a new ALPA with the choice of digital or 120 film backs.
Bela refeição...Espectacular....
ReplyDeleteCumprimentos
Fernando, obrigado.
Delete