A Play Around With LMMS

Pen Tablet

So my pen tablet died around eight months ago and I haven't replaced it with traditional methods. The number of fantastic spit-paints out there really makes me want to paint again. Hopefully I will buy myself one of these in the near future! http://escape-technology.com/hardware/peripherals/wacom-tablets/wacom-intuos-pro-medium-detail

What the Hell is Punk?

Thought for tonight: What the hell is punk?

Googled it and watched a documentary on Crass. Whether that’s a good start point or not it certainly got me thinking. The first thing is that it's far from about a love for the sound that they make. The documentary talks about so many things that are hardly mentioned these days in any constructive sense.

The guy that formed the band was basically just an angry man who had some mates and started a band, he got slagged for being ignorant and sounding like an idiot so he worked on it, read his way through Dorian Gray and eventually ended up a poetic genius and an expert on globalisation.

They talked about things like:

Anarchism, which they were extremely organised about (no that’s not an oxymoron), they found the line between opposing the existing structures while being in it enough to spread their message. They talked about how they weren't into normal graffiti because it is too easy to denounce a message if it is presented in a medium which causes damage, so they only ever did it on things like promotional posters for war films which would be replaced fairly regularly. That was before the internet so messages against the system really had an impact. Its quite refreshing that they processed it that way rather than the black hoodie window smashing approach and infinitely more useful.

Pacifism, can you really be a pacifist with a pure conscience? Are you causing harm to others by not getting involved?

Consumerism, they were offered property deals by major UK labels that would make them rich "that you can spend on your hippie commune thing" they said but they turned it down. A lot of the focus of the band was on the way of living, two of them still run an open doors inn, home, dontcallitacomune which where they take anyone in (mainly artists) and teach things about permaculture and all that. The place is run down and in debt because they spend all the money that comes in on projects to make the world a better place. Pretty selfless.

If you were going to live and run a house as a base of operations for your work what would you do? If you were to have a steady income from your creative works and could spend it on anything what would you spend it on? Should more people have a social conscience and if so how?

A fan of theirs gave them classified information on events in the Falklands which they released in the background of one of their songs - they were offered a job with the KGB and turned it down because they didn't want to get involved in a mud slinging contest between superpowers. Whether that contradicts what they said about pacifism I don't know.

One other element which highlights a lot of things is that 'social class' is mentioned a lot. Some of them are very sure of their 'working class' background which is seen as a barrier to getting into any kind of expressive medium like music or art. To get over that barrier must be a big step for them and I suppose is a large part of the ethos – the documentary was called “There Is No Authority But Yourself”. For them to have the balls to say, look I don't care if you like me or my message or if you think I'm of the right caste to do this, and made a career from that... blindness? From that lack of care of their opinions is very novel/inspiring. I can see why they developed a following.

Their hate of Thatcher is pretty natural and obvious. Why is there not the same movement against Cameron?

It ended with the phrase "What happened to that voice? It's all sort of gone". Well I think it's just changed. It doesn't have the same amount of balls but It's stronger than ever and covering most of the world:

• https://www.facebook.com/TRAPTheRealArtofProtest
• https://www.facebook.com/anarchistmemes
• https://www.facebook.com/libcom.org
• https://www.facebook.com/OccupyWallSt1
• https://www.facebook.com/OffiziellAnonymousPage
• https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Acknowledge-Class-Warfare-Exists/196601040368145

When it comes to music, Rage Against the Machine and Enter Shikari (amongst others) seem to be the natural progressions - politically minded bands keeping the connection with activism and music.

Atop the Pyre

Creativity hits me at the most unwanted times. More so when I am tired and have to stay awake. Maybe that's a cure for writers block? Either way this is the first 'poem' I've ever written. It's not about grammar or stanzas or any of that. Have at it.

Colo(u)r IQ Test

Wow, tried this wee tool I found. Scored 17 which looks fairly good? Hurt my eyes trying to get it right though. Hoping that means my colour theory won't hamper me in the future!
Dale

Flash Fiction But Not Quite in a Flash

"Write now, right now" fantastic phrase, have at it. This was originally for a flash fiction challenge over on litreactor.com though I went two and half times over the word count. Feedback would be 'muy apreciada'! Enjoy
ps. If someone buys me CS6 or any photoshop for that matter I will illustrate it ;)

Exhausted They Pushed On, Towards the Cornflower Horizon.

His one remaining grey brow flickered in the coastal breeze. His seared flesh twinkled in the light of the blaze. 

“They came en mass,” he mumbled, as though through a mouth of grit.

“How many?” replied a spear toting serf. The old man paused and stared, long, and hard into the flames.

“Many”

He could feel the fear gripping all of them, old and young, weak and strong. A lone rider dropped his wood-axe and bags and fled as fast as his stubby pony could manage.

The night wore on with the locals huddled round the burning debris. The crackling timbers held the remaining temple wing together. “Get away from that you fool,” rumbled the priest, waving his staff “you people know nothing”. He began shuffling along the path, his staff wobbled as he leant on it heavily. The towns folk followed. “Watch the low and dark places,” he said “they seem more at home in the dark”

“So we all make a torch and wave them into the night.” resolutely declared a minute-man and drew a tinder block from his canvas sack. “We shall need... many.” and glowered at the priest.

The rough and dusty roads were tough going, they pulled the contorted and groaning survivors on wagons, the horses had all reared and fled during the raid. Their sweat ran cold and the growing wind froze them to the yokes. Hours passed and the sun began its ascent from the triple peaked Valentine Uplands. Exhausted they pushed on, towards the cornflower horizon. The path grew thinner and steeper. It wound its way up the forested slope.

A voice from the rear of the caravan threw out an agonising howl.

“The beasts have returned, my flock, hurry!” bellowed the old man and drew from under his robes a short crossbow, barely a cubit long and could probably shoot as far. More bodies came to the aid of the wagons, to lumber them on. Less joined the fray to the rear.

“We take the next gully and hold it”.

They were in clear view below, over the last crest line, those shadows from the dark, knarled and writhing they hacked apart the rear most wagons with grunts of delight. Approaching swiftly they lowered their heads, now only a bow shot away. Facing them were the men brave enough to look, their backs against those of the wagon pushers.

“Have we killed any yet?” Shouted the minute-man to the assembled defenders.

“I seen two slain,” retorted an invalid “skewered as they charge”

“Where is this gully!”

“Just by the saddle of these mountains” panted the old man. They all stopped and stared. It seemed an age away and it may as well had been. They were just too fast. Too brutal. The fear returned. Their shoulders ached and their feet throbbed. Their spears heavy and the wagons onerous.

“These steps will be our last” said the minute-man, melancholy dripped from every word. The ground rumbled as they approached, louder and louder. The group revenantly stared, bar one. The invalid looked round, quizzically.

“These beasts are light on their feet,” he thought “they were silent through the night”

Over the ridge below burst all manor of polished metal. The Knights of Valentine hurtled towards their foe. Their destriers, clad in dawn haloed barding punched deep through the sanity stripped horde. Beaten by the charge they crumbled. Within a heartbeat no beast stood.

A lone pony followed over the ridge, stumbling from exhaustion, the rider swung his wood-axe into the air and jeered before falling to the ground.

Dale

Paintings

Finally got some painting done, including the improved page header. Chuffed.

Tried motion blur for the rain, quite a quick rendering.

Still getting used to custom brushes. Learnt a lot.

Crippled wee soul.

*update* added some captions

'... Haymarket, Waverly, Burning and terminating at Charred'

New stuff. Theres lots of new things in this for me, mythical creatures, trains, night, transparent buildings... I like the way the lighting worked out.

Best bazinga ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CcVDfnsc2c&feature=related

Its good to have ambition

Although, can you have too much of a good thing? First off, my long term goal is to work in an artistic capacity full time for average or better wages. Harder than it sounds? I have one completed CG commission already, just waiting on the payment. I have a purpose bought guitar sitting waiting to be painted, it's been stripped down to the wood and built up again ready for the acrylic. I have a canvas painted and ready for Ebay.

Acrylic on canvas, of Che Guevara I like to call it 'Hasta La Victoria Siempre'.
I literally just set up a paypal and my bigcartel shop (http://untilthewavecomes.bigcartel.com/)

Aside from that I have a portfolio under way. Maybe not the most guided one out there, but the guidance for mini-portfolio (pre-application) from Edinburgh College of Art is a good enough start. Out of the 25 Images they ask for I feel I can make up one or two already, with a proper work through I'm sure it won't be hard. My commissioned work is what I would use as an example of economic viability, hopefully the guitar will be when complete. Already using quite a few mediums and subjects. I just need to get my head down and do it...

Time for some inspiration: Trivium - In Waves

Dale