all manner of assorted creams and nuts ~

[lookingland]

for the 50bookchallenge:

no. 36 ~ The Story of a Bad Boy by thomas bailey aldrich. i loved this book. it's hard to explain why, it's just got all the qualities of 19th century writing that i really admire: naivete, floridness, and a complete disregard for political correctness or concern over the delicate sensiblities of the audience for which it is intended. when Binny Wallace gets killed (yeah, i know, i'm spoiling it, but tell me honestly, who on my list would ever actually read this thing?) it was such an immense shock. partly because you expect in a children's book that things will turn out all right, and partly because it's just so matter-of-fact. a good reminder of how much death was a part of the lives of people who lived in that era. anyway, a good read with some hilarious lines which i will no doubt share later.

NaNo count for the day: 1,778. grand total for the first 5 days: 13,825. i expect i'll make another sizable dent in it on monday and tuesday. so i'm still ahead and still in good shape thus far.


: D

lastly, in painting: i've spent most of today thinking about drawing and working on pages for the next issue of Eleison.

i've also taken to drawing on manila folders. i made this doodle, painted it in gouache (rather thinned to a more watercolor temperament), and then scanned it. aside from adjusting the contrast to make the black ink stand out and filling in the background, i didn't tamper with it. it's not bad for a sloppy run. dunno that it passes muster just yet. i still see dylan meconis's work and think: if i could just commit suicide without actually killing myself, i'm sure i would do it.



random image of lewis and amy (circa 1880s, i figger)
~ i found it amusing that he appears to be fending her off.
not sure that's what i had intended, but it works,
given the character.
anyway, there you have it and there it is. i don't hate the style or the physical thing itself (it's actually a lot cooler in person than the scan relates) ~ and all of that is the good news. i'm starting to play (very tentatively) with cross-hatching to try to harken that old etching style. i'm thinking of going heavier on the inks, but still am daunted. the nice thing about manila envelopes is that if they're just recycled old folders, you don't feel bad about "wasting" them while you practice. let's see how long i stick with it this time.

: o p

tomorrow: dentist. 7 a.m. ugh. oh ~ and i think i broke a spring in my ankle. my heel is numb and if i stretch my foot to a certain distance i get an excruciating pain. otherwise i can walk on it just fine. silly thing.

p.s. did you all: remember, remember, the 5th of november ~ ? mebbe i'll watch that tonight instead of going to see The Prestige. i just dunna feel like gettin' dressed t'day.

Comments

[lastremnant.livejournal.com]

ah, the real question is did YOU remember to wear a V costume for halloween? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Still waiting for a pic of Elena in V garb. ;)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

regrettably, i did not.

never quite got my act together to actually acquire the costume.

too sad.

: o (

[jamiekswriter.livejournal.com]

::applauds:: Great Nano numbers!!! Keep it up!!!!

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

thanks ~ !

i'm actually considering quitting ~ we'll see how the week goes.

: D