Saturday, March 8, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Illustration Project
Its been raining on and off.
I'm probably starting a project at university on the character Rupert the Bear, has anyone heard of him? He is a 1950's children's book character:
As you can probably see the line work is superb and I am lucky enough to have a few old annuls of my mothers, albeit that they are falling to pieces and often have pages missing, and looking on the net I see I could make a few hundred dollars out of them if I were to put them up for collector's items- though I never would. This interesting bear spend his days on strange mythical adventures with mermaids, or in cities underground, and the authors use descriptive text and poetic descriptions to explain what exactly is going on in the pictures.
Another option is to do the character of Jesus as illustrated by Brian Wildsmith in the book The Bible story. He is also very well illustrated and uses many powerful and the bright colours of the late sixties, and the beautiful lines which are fluid but simple. Click on the image to see what I mean.
My final option is Tintin, a fantastic character, very close to my heart, and hugely influential in
many areas of illustration and narrative but possibly an overdone subject.
end.
I'm probably starting a project at university on the character Rupert the Bear, has anyone heard of him? He is a 1950's children's book character:
As you can probably see the line work is superb and I am lucky enough to have a few old annuls of my mothers, albeit that they are falling to pieces and often have pages missing, and looking on the net I see I could make a few hundred dollars out of them if I were to put them up for collector's items- though I never would. This interesting bear spend his days on strange mythical adventures with mermaids, or in cities underground, and the authors use descriptive text and poetic descriptions to explain what exactly is going on in the pictures.
Another option is to do the character of Jesus as illustrated by Brian Wildsmith in the book The Bible story. He is also very well illustrated and uses many powerful and the bright colours of the late sixties, and the beautiful lines which are fluid but simple. Click on the image to see what I mean.
My final option is Tintin, a fantastic character, very close to my heart, and hugely influential in
many areas of illustration and narrative but possibly an overdone subject.
end.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Book reviews
I have put a new book review up on my other blog on the book Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Also there is a few thoughts about C. S. Lewis' Narnia books. Check it out.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
a very strange and haunting true story
This is
http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2008/02/17/new-weird-contest-winner-divers-hands-the-pied-piper-of-the-parking-garage/
Something you should check out.
It piqued my imagination anyway...
http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2008/02/17/new-weird-contest-winner-divers-hands-the-pied-piper-of-the-parking-garage/
Something you should check out.
It piqued my imagination anyway...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Back from Africa
After a long bus ride, a flight to Thailand, a wait in the Bangkok airport for seven hours, another plane trip for over twelve hours, through customs and the NZ biological security check in Auckland airport, I arrived back in NZ. After I have written this post I'm going to read over my blog for the last three months, and I'm sure its going to be interesting to look back on all that I noted.
Its lovely to get back to the New Zealand summer, with its cool winds, occasional showers, cicadas, swimming at pools, having dinner on the veranda and even mum's many chickens clucking around the yard. The afternoons are sleepy, and at last I'm having my summer holiday sleep-ins. Mind you, although Africa was a little full on in some ways, it was definitely more relaxed on the whole, and as PC says in Kituo, "it's back to the rat race".
Anyways, I will be showing a sideshow some time soon, once I have my films developed, and have organized them a little. But here are some pictures I thought I might put up.
This is Patrick, a Congolese pastor married to an Australian lady who live together as newly-weds on the Joshua base, and I having a good go at mixing Ugali. Hard work actually!
We have a shredded tire on my second trip to Magugu to finish off the sponsorship photos (as you can see if you zoom in a little on the tire), and it was a bit of a mission to work out how to set the jack up as it was too small to lift the car high enough to replace the kaput wheel. A new experience in the Pit Stop for me :)
This is the whole en-gedi team while I was there, click on the image to get a better view.
A few friends I made.
Sunset on the beach of Zanzibar, a beautiful place. I'll put more photos up later of this exotic location
Yep, I held a snake at the Mezerani snake park!
These are some dear little girls from the Joshua pre-school with their mothers during 'music hour'.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
finale finale
Well, in the middle of a final week, the time seems to fly. Last night I had my last team dinner, which we have every week on tuesday nights. Everyone from all the different houses on the base get together at on families house, so its a full on feed, lots of kai from different countries etc.
It was nice because the team gave me some gifts (a Massai blanke, a kikoi, some african tea, and an nice African shirt) and said some kind things bout me and finally prayed for me and my future. Then we had desert as a bit of a finale'
Tomorrow I'm going to Magugu with Lynda, Patrick who is a Congolese pastor and his wife Rebbecca who is Australian. Its going to be great to have a last taste of Africa before bundling everything up, catching a bus, two planes, and (I guess) a van ride back to 13 Watea rd, Mt. Albert, Auckland, South Pacific, Southern hemisphere, the world, sitting in Gods hand.
This weekend I am going for a walk with Josh out to the village to visit Eframe (whom dad will remember). I will be getting up early Saturday morning to cook French toast for the Carstensens. By the way I have picked up a few African recipes which I will be trying out back home. Then after the morning at the base on Sunday, I will be catching the Impala bus up to Nairobi.
um, yup, so I don't think I will be updating my blog again unless I'm really bored, that is until I am back on Ateorua soil.
So, thanks for journeying with me, I'm sorry if the last few post have been a bit droll, thanks a million to those who posted comments and connected me with home etc.
-_- :D *) 8) (-_-")
It was nice because the team gave me some gifts (a Massai blanke, a kikoi, some african tea, and an nice African shirt) and said some kind things bout me and finally prayed for me and my future. Then we had desert as a bit of a finale'
Tomorrow I'm going to Magugu with Lynda, Patrick who is a Congolese pastor and his wife Rebbecca who is Australian. Its going to be great to have a last taste of Africa before bundling everything up, catching a bus, two planes, and (I guess) a van ride back to 13 Watea rd, Mt. Albert, Auckland, South Pacific, Southern hemisphere, the world, sitting in Gods hand.
This weekend I am going for a walk with Josh out to the village to visit Eframe (whom dad will remember). I will be getting up early Saturday morning to cook French toast for the Carstensens. By the way I have picked up a few African recipes which I will be trying out back home. Then after the morning at the base on Sunday, I will be catching the Impala bus up to Nairobi.
um, yup, so I don't think I will be updating my blog again unless I'm really bored, that is until I am back on Ateorua soil.
So, thanks for journeying with me, I'm sorry if the last few post have been a bit droll, thanks a million to those who posted comments and connected me with home etc.
-_- :D *) 8) (-_-")
Friday, January 25, 2008
saturday's a lazy day
Weelll,
I am totally over my stomach problems, and the sun is heating upi the atmoshpere here in Arusha. It was hot yesterday and it is proving to be hot today.
I've been giving guitar lessons, designing advertisements, working out new worship songs for the 'song book', spending time with my family over here, and reading.
I've been reading Katherine Mansfield's short stories and they are just fantastic, I highly recommend.
I have also been invited to go down to Magugu again at the end of next week(thursday and friday), which will be great. I will be finishing off the photos we didn't have time to complete last week, and it will really be the last thing I'll do before I leave.
Africa is such a huge place, but its easy to forget, because everyone is so local, and communal. When I look over the balchony in the evenings it seems such a normal landscape compared to the sight it seemed when I first arrived. I guess everything will look a bit different when I get back hoome, too.
I am totally over my stomach problems, and the sun is heating upi the atmoshpere here in Arusha. It was hot yesterday and it is proving to be hot today.
I've been giving guitar lessons, designing advertisements, working out new worship songs for the 'song book', spending time with my family over here, and reading.
I've been reading Katherine Mansfield's short stories and they are just fantastic, I highly recommend.
I have also been invited to go down to Magugu again at the end of next week(thursday and friday), which will be great. I will be finishing off the photos we didn't have time to complete last week, and it will really be the last thing I'll do before I leave.
Africa is such a huge place, but its easy to forget, because everyone is so local, and communal. When I look over the balchony in the evenings it seems such a normal landscape compared to the sight it seemed when I first arrived. I guess everything will look a bit different when I get back hoome, too.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Inescts, Africa, and only two weeks left!
Two weeks and I will be on a plane on the way home to NZ, God willing of course.
I'm really trying to make the most of my time here, especially spending time with the people here, like the Carstensens (who I live and eat with) and the Mooses (who live in the same house) and all the others. The training teachers are back to begin study tomorrow morning, and I can't wait to spend some more time with my African Brothers and Sisters. Hamisi, who I teach guitar to, has already organised a lesson for tomorrow via text message.
I saw a snake yesterday morning, the first I've seen in the wild here in Africa, although I've seen them before (in the wild) in China. It was just slipping into a rabbit hole as I saw it, brown and probably a harmless garden snake. I'm going to miss the lovely weather here I think, and the wild life, and the amazing smell after rain. But, before I get too sentimental, I better remind myself I have a whole two weeks left.
I am on antibiotics for this stomache problem, the doctor reckened it is bad bacteria. This is my third cycle of antibiotics since I have been here; One for every month!
The insects here are amazing. I was just sitting under a tree yesterday, reading The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White, and I began to notice the interesting insect life all arround me. The red earth was covered with browns crickets about half a fingers length in size, and they clicked their wings as the made huge leaps here and there. When they landed they often burrowed in the soft ground, or sat rubbing their legs together, looking constipated. I noticed a small bug that looked like a crayfish with no tail and it was perfectly camoflaged in the dirt but walking in my direction. I poked him with a stick and he immediately played dead, and stayed dead no matter what I did to him. I looked away for a minute and couldn't find him again as he looked so much like a piece of dirt. A centipede like insect with yellow stripes, and as small as a twinky fingernail, climbed up on a tiny clover and looked at me for five minutes. He was just building up the confidence to introduce himself when nature called me away. Pole sana
I'm really trying to make the most of my time here, especially spending time with the people here, like the Carstensens (who I live and eat with) and the Mooses (who live in the same house) and all the others. The training teachers are back to begin study tomorrow morning, and I can't wait to spend some more time with my African Brothers and Sisters. Hamisi, who I teach guitar to, has already organised a lesson for tomorrow via text message.
I saw a snake yesterday morning, the first I've seen in the wild here in Africa, although I've seen them before (in the wild) in China. It was just slipping into a rabbit hole as I saw it, brown and probably a harmless garden snake. I'm going to miss the lovely weather here I think, and the wild life, and the amazing smell after rain. But, before I get too sentimental, I better remind myself I have a whole two weeks left.
I am on antibiotics for this stomache problem, the doctor reckened it is bad bacteria. This is my third cycle of antibiotics since I have been here; One for every month!
The insects here are amazing. I was just sitting under a tree yesterday, reading The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White, and I began to notice the interesting insect life all arround me. The red earth was covered with browns crickets about half a fingers length in size, and they clicked their wings as the made huge leaps here and there. When they landed they often burrowed in the soft ground, or sat rubbing their legs together, looking constipated. I noticed a small bug that looked like a crayfish with no tail and it was perfectly camoflaged in the dirt but walking in my direction. I poked him with a stick and he immediately played dead, and stayed dead no matter what I did to him. I looked away for a minute and couldn't find him again as he looked so much like a piece of dirt. A centipede like insect with yellow stripes, and as small as a twinky fingernail, climbed up on a tiny clover and looked at me for five minutes. He was just building up the confidence to introduce himself when nature called me away. Pole sana
Friday, January 18, 2008
quick post
Hey, I have Only a quick chance to post today - Im going to dinner in a minute
i've been feeling decidedly sick today, and took the day off the work I'm doing.I'm going in to the medical center tomorrow...
Its really good to hear from Toni and Roger, I replied in the comments.
Ann and Grant Maxwell arrived at En Gedi today, whom some of you will know. I'm looking forward to meeting them again.
A black snake was seen and chased off yesterday, close to where I work everyday, possibly and spitting Cobra...nice huh?
Tensions and riots have increased in Kenya! Check out the NYtimes...
Ok, I'm off to eat some fried bannanas now, yum!
i've been feeling decidedly sick today, and took the day off the work I'm doing.I'm going in to the medical center tomorrow...
Its really good to hear from Toni and Roger, I replied in the comments.
Ann and Grant Maxwell arrived at En Gedi today, whom some of you will know. I'm looking forward to meeting them again.
A black snake was seen and chased off yesterday, close to where I work everyday, possibly and spitting Cobra...nice huh?
Tensions and riots have increased in Kenya! Check out the NYtimes...
Ok, I'm off to eat some fried bannanas now, yum!
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