Monday, 22 August 2011
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Flood!
In Bournemouth (where I live) disaster has struck and - in a freakish rain-storm (even by our English standards) - there has been the outbreak of a flood. Thinking about it, I'm not entirely sure if that is the correct term; perhaps floods do not 'outbreak' like diseases but, rather, 'slosh' or 'woooosh' on to unsuspecting towns. Anyway, I'm getting off of the subject...
Here are a few images I have collected:
Here are a few images I have collected:
Gormenghast Trilogy Tribute (Original Writing)
Without a doubt I would recommend the masterpieces of Mervyn Peake: Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone. Peake is a true word-smith and poet that - without fail- manages to perfectly combine whimsy, fantasy and a sense of reality. Here is my tribute to him and his characters:
Gormenghast Trilogy Tribute (Original Writing)
He is the high-shouldered youth
With a kaleidoscope of egos
A veneer of false perfection
that is, to the observer, a figure from a dream
A mask,
A facade,
A guise...
He is calculated, caustic and callous
Dark, decisive and deadly
Sharp, seductive...Steerpike
She is the lusty sister
The flat chested lady of Gormenghast
A virginal skeleton
In dresses that hug her figure like an extra skin
A stick,
A bone,
A cadaver...
She is carnal, crude but chaste
Decorous, deranged and desperate
Pitiful, prudish... Prunesqualler
It is the kingdom of Selpulchrave
The eternal province of spires
And the majesty of tradition
It watches as Steerpike brings the Monarch to his knees
A citadel,
A fortress,
A tomb...
It is eerie, endless and enduring
Crumbling, cobwebbed and corrupt
Glorious, Gothic...Gormenghast.
Gormenghast Trilogy Tribute (Original Writing)
He is the high-shouldered youth
With a kaleidoscope of egos
A veneer of false perfection
that is, to the observer, a figure from a dream
A mask,
A facade,
A guise...
He is calculated, caustic and callous
Dark, decisive and deadly
Sharp, seductive...Steerpike
She is the lusty sister
The flat chested lady of Gormenghast
A virginal skeleton
In dresses that hug her figure like an extra skin
A stick,
A bone,
A cadaver...
She is carnal, crude but chaste
Decorous, deranged and desperate
Pitiful, prudish... Prunesqualler
It is the kingdom of Selpulchrave
The eternal province of spires
And the majesty of tradition
It watches as Steerpike brings the Monarch to his knees
A citadel,
A fortress,
A tomb...
It is eerie, endless and enduring
Crumbling, cobwebbed and corrupt
Glorious, Gothic...Gormenghast.
 |
| Illustrations of Fushia and Steerpike |
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Insanity, Draw 30 and A Smug Teenager...
So, in a fit of simultaneous insanity and geniosity, I have decided to join a group of creatives for the Draw30 challenge. For someone that considers themselves more of a writer, I must admit that the prospect of producing 30 pieces of art (that will be subsequently posted on the internet amidst the brain-children of actual artists) was more than a little daunting, especially when one considers that most of them have been drawing since before I was born. But ho hum, pig's bum...what's life without a little bit of risk of pubic humiliation, eh?
On a happier note, I am pleased to announce that my efforts thus far have been deemed acceptable and I must admit that there is some part of myself (a rather smug part, to be honest) that is quite pleased. There you have it. I've gone and said it : I - the teenage so-called 'writer' with the oversized arse - am pleased with my own drawings.
I'll never hear the end of it...
On a happier note, I am pleased to announce that my efforts thus far have been deemed acceptable and I must admit that there is some part of myself (a rather smug part, to be honest) that is quite pleased. There you have it. I've gone and said it : I - the teenage so-called 'writer' with the oversized arse - am pleased with my own drawings.
I'll never hear the end of it...
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Knowlton (Original Writing)
Knowlton
If the Gods were to squint their eyes at England, the resulting image would look a lot like Knowlton. A mass, not only of green, but also of pale indigo peppered with white and fawn. Knowlton is a place that was made to endure : settled in its routine : stubborn and not prone to flights of fancy. And yet, to lie on the grass by the neolithic ruin is somewhat like being in the presence of something quite fickle. The landscape itself can be be a little tricky. The hills, if so small mounds of packed earth may merit being called hills, seem a gentle sweeping gradient from afar but - up close - are such a peevish mixture of steepness and holes it's a wonder I made it up here at all. Perhaps, you might argue, that - rather unlike my great stone friend (the ruin that is) I am far too fanciful and this description is prone to exaggeration. And you'd be absolutely right.
Where I'd love to describe the grass as a stunning blend of viridian and lapis lazuli, I must admit that it is a colour far less appetising to Thespians and entomologists. However, I'm sure any visitor would agree that Knowlton has a certain charm that is far more potent that all the fabrications of this overzealous storyteller.
If the Gods were to squint their eyes at England, the resulting image would look a lot like Knowlton. A mass, not only of green, but also of pale indigo peppered with white and fawn. Knowlton is a place that was made to endure : settled in its routine : stubborn and not prone to flights of fancy. And yet, to lie on the grass by the neolithic ruin is somewhat like being in the presence of something quite fickle. The landscape itself can be be a little tricky. The hills, if so small mounds of packed earth may merit being called hills, seem a gentle sweeping gradient from afar but - up close - are such a peevish mixture of steepness and holes it's a wonder I made it up here at all. Perhaps, you might argue, that - rather unlike my great stone friend (the ruin that is) I am far too fanciful and this description is prone to exaggeration. And you'd be absolutely right.
Where I'd love to describe the grass as a stunning blend of viridian and lapis lazuli, I must admit that it is a colour far less appetising to Thespians and entomologists. However, I'm sure any visitor would agree that Knowlton has a certain charm that is far more potent that all the fabrications of this overzealous storyteller.
The Creature (Original Writing)
The Creature
The creature - whatever it was - lacked definition; all its edges were blurred and seemed to bleed together. Where it ended and the darkness began it was unclear. The eyes - however - were in sharp focus: all points and edges: like a harsh line of charcoal against a watercolour: a comic artist that had doodled on Millet. 'The eyes should be red', she muttered. But as soon as she had, she realised she was wrong. Red eyes were the stuff of nightmares and hammerhead horror. These eyes - blue and cold like a fire that burns itself icy - were the colour of reality : terror in its most concentrated form.
It turned suddenly and , where the creature had seemed curious and enigmatic, it now gave a strong sense of deformity. From blackness there came a sharp whine that grated on the ears - a pitiful and weak sound that would have inspired sympathy if it had not caused every bone to twist against sinew and the skin - not to crawl - but rather drag its body in the opposite direction. A second whine - on the edge of human perception...louder and more desperate than the first. It was moving closer.
A cloud that continually changed shape; a giant that became a child that folded out into a shadow. A voice came from the heart of the creature, speaking without mouth or lips or tongue. To be shapeless is to be free.
She took a step back.
Don't you want to be free? It crooned, screaming a whisper across the few steps between it and the small red-headed girl.
She blinked (at least three times) before her brain could twist the sounds into words. 'Free?' she replied in a small voice. 'How dare you tell me...?' But what the creature dared tell her she never did say for - at that moment - the girl stopped in the middle of her sentence. Suddenly, she couldn't remember why children were afraid of the dark, why midnight was the witching hour or why monsters lived in the cupboard under the stairs and the space under the bed. She couldn't remember how the creature in front of her could be ugly. On the contrary, it was perfect. Imposing? Yes. Misunderstood? Maybe. But ugly? Never.
And - indeed - the creature seemed to agree, growing ever larger and more terribly beautiful with every step. Splendours shadow within shadow. The girl could smell its breath in front of her : a heavenly scent on the air. She grasped for a word to describe it but - no matter how hard she tried - her mind kept producing images of rotting flesh. 'Blood' she heard herself say. She frowned. 'No...no. That's not it.' This smell was wonderful; fresh and light, like burying your head in silk.
Come closer. The creature said. The girl immediately obliged. How could she disobey such a lovely, harmonious voice?
'Nails on a chalk board...' she heard herself say.
Very slowly, the creature seemed to bend into a low bow until its eyes were level with the soft brown irises of the red-headed girl. Up-close, the thin cat-like slits of pupils were far less horrible. More elegant, really. But - once again- she found her mouth acting of its own accord. 'No..' it mouthed. 'Please no.' She put her hand over her lips, silencing herself. How awful it was to be so cruel to this unique and irresistible animal.
Close your eyes, the creature murmured with a voice like wind chimes. Suddenly, the little red-head felt strangely sleepy - hot, sticky and so very heavy. She felt her eyelids sweep shut and - like a sudden eclipse - everything disappeared.
She took a step forwards - her final step - and embraced the shadow. It embraced her...and the little red-headed girl was gone forever.
The creature - whatever it was - lacked definition; all its edges were blurred and seemed to bleed together. Where it ended and the darkness began it was unclear. The eyes - however - were in sharp focus: all points and edges: like a harsh line of charcoal against a watercolour: a comic artist that had doodled on Millet. 'The eyes should be red', she muttered. But as soon as she had, she realised she was wrong. Red eyes were the stuff of nightmares and hammerhead horror. These eyes - blue and cold like a fire that burns itself icy - were the colour of reality : terror in its most concentrated form.
It turned suddenly and , where the creature had seemed curious and enigmatic, it now gave a strong sense of deformity. From blackness there came a sharp whine that grated on the ears - a pitiful and weak sound that would have inspired sympathy if it had not caused every bone to twist against sinew and the skin - not to crawl - but rather drag its body in the opposite direction. A second whine - on the edge of human perception...louder and more desperate than the first. It was moving closer.
A cloud that continually changed shape; a giant that became a child that folded out into a shadow. A voice came from the heart of the creature, speaking without mouth or lips or tongue. To be shapeless is to be free.
She took a step back.
Don't you want to be free? It crooned, screaming a whisper across the few steps between it and the small red-headed girl.
She blinked (at least three times) before her brain could twist the sounds into words. 'Free?' she replied in a small voice. 'How dare you tell me...?' But what the creature dared tell her she never did say for - at that moment - the girl stopped in the middle of her sentence. Suddenly, she couldn't remember why children were afraid of the dark, why midnight was the witching hour or why monsters lived in the cupboard under the stairs and the space under the bed. She couldn't remember how the creature in front of her could be ugly. On the contrary, it was perfect. Imposing? Yes. Misunderstood? Maybe. But ugly? Never.
And - indeed - the creature seemed to agree, growing ever larger and more terribly beautiful with every step. Splendours shadow within shadow. The girl could smell its breath in front of her : a heavenly scent on the air. She grasped for a word to describe it but - no matter how hard she tried - her mind kept producing images of rotting flesh. 'Blood' she heard herself say. She frowned. 'No...no. That's not it.' This smell was wonderful; fresh and light, like burying your head in silk.
Come closer. The creature said. The girl immediately obliged. How could she disobey such a lovely, harmonious voice?
'Nails on a chalk board...' she heard herself say.
Very slowly, the creature seemed to bend into a low bow until its eyes were level with the soft brown irises of the red-headed girl. Up-close, the thin cat-like slits of pupils were far less horrible. More elegant, really. But - once again- she found her mouth acting of its own accord. 'No..' it mouthed. 'Please no.' She put her hand over her lips, silencing herself. How awful it was to be so cruel to this unique and irresistible animal.
Close your eyes, the creature murmured with a voice like wind chimes. Suddenly, the little red-head felt strangely sleepy - hot, sticky and so very heavy. She felt her eyelids sweep shut and - like a sudden eclipse - everything disappeared.
She took a step forwards - her final step - and embraced the shadow. It embraced her...and the little red-headed girl was gone forever.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Camping (Original Writing)
Camping:
No-one's got lumbago, I'm not spending my time brooding over the locations of hidden horcruxes, and there is a severe lack of spellbooks in my not-so-small and unfortunately entirely bead-less bag. And yet - for some reason that I would guess has rather a lot to do with my own over-active imagination - I am sitting under this spider-encrusted canvas contemplating my role in an immanent if non-existent wizard war. Music from outside permeates the country sounds like my very own silver doe. A patronus against the busy timetabling dementors of my brain. A shield against my inner Dolores Umbridge that "will have order"!
No-one's got lumbago, I'm not spending my time brooding over the locations of hidden horcruxes, and there is a severe lack of spellbooks in my not-so-small and unfortunately entirely bead-less bag. And yet - for some reason that I would guess has rather a lot to do with my own over-active imagination - I am sitting under this spider-encrusted canvas contemplating my role in an immanent if non-existent wizard war. Music from outside permeates the country sounds like my very own silver doe. A patronus against the busy timetabling dementors of my brain. A shield against my inner Dolores Umbridge that "will have order"!
Victoria Milton (Original Writing)
Another bit of fun!
Victoria Milton:
Victoria Milton was not a woman to be trifled with. In fact, it was best not to exercise any action involving sweet pastries whatsoever when Victoria was around. Not that she didn't consider herself sweet; on the contrary, the woman could sing with all the vibrato of Doris Day on Richter scale 7.5 and took pleasure in collecting stuffed animals of varying degrees of fluffiness. No, that wasn't it. The simple fact was that, despite her efforts, Victoria was not an amicable lady and -whether she could embroider pinkish pillows or not - she had a heart of ice and a tongue sharper that her own darning needles. Some remarked that she spoke with such alarming, almost spiteful, accuracy that any elocution teacher would be stunned upon hearing her. The more observant would note that her forget-me-not-blue eyes never appeared to blink. There was one thing - however- which people would always fail to notice: that Victoria Milton and her husband had not spoken directly to one another for over five years.
--------------
Victoria lies in her four-poster bed and stares at the silken fabric above her head. From this angle, it seems as if the whole ceiling is a deep plumbish red instead of its current sickly puce. Victoria thinks it would be better this way. The maid pushes the door open with one shoulder, a tray of breakfast (bacon and eggs if you must know) in one hand and a pot of Lapshang Souchon in the other. The maid lies the tray across the bed and carefully reaches over her employer to place the china teapot on the bedside table. Victoria stays motionless.
"Emily?" she says with a downward inflection, as if the name was a statement instead of a question.
"Sarah, Ma'am." The maid replies with a soft northern accent.
Victoria continues to stare at the bed's canopy. "Repaint the ceiling."
Sarah takes two steps towards the bed and her employer's eyes slide to the side of her face to stare without moving her head. The maid finds the effect somewhat disturbing and retreats with a bow-legged shuffle. "Right away, Ma'am. Your painters are still downstairs in the ballroom as you asked. Shall I call in some more?"
Victoria stays motionless.
The maid leaves.
Victoria Milton:
Victoria Milton was not a woman to be trifled with. In fact, it was best not to exercise any action involving sweet pastries whatsoever when Victoria was around. Not that she didn't consider herself sweet; on the contrary, the woman could sing with all the vibrato of Doris Day on Richter scale 7.5 and took pleasure in collecting stuffed animals of varying degrees of fluffiness. No, that wasn't it. The simple fact was that, despite her efforts, Victoria was not an amicable lady and -whether she could embroider pinkish pillows or not - she had a heart of ice and a tongue sharper that her own darning needles. Some remarked that she spoke with such alarming, almost spiteful, accuracy that any elocution teacher would be stunned upon hearing her. The more observant would note that her forget-me-not-blue eyes never appeared to blink. There was one thing - however- which people would always fail to notice: that Victoria Milton and her husband had not spoken directly to one another for over five years.
--------------
Victoria lies in her four-poster bed and stares at the silken fabric above her head. From this angle, it seems as if the whole ceiling is a deep plumbish red instead of its current sickly puce. Victoria thinks it would be better this way. The maid pushes the door open with one shoulder, a tray of breakfast (bacon and eggs if you must know) in one hand and a pot of Lapshang Souchon in the other. The maid lies the tray across the bed and carefully reaches over her employer to place the china teapot on the bedside table. Victoria stays motionless.
"Emily?" she says with a downward inflection, as if the name was a statement instead of a question.
"Sarah, Ma'am." The maid replies with a soft northern accent.
Victoria continues to stare at the bed's canopy. "Repaint the ceiling."
Sarah takes two steps towards the bed and her employer's eyes slide to the side of her face to stare without moving her head. The maid finds the effect somewhat disturbing and retreats with a bow-legged shuffle. "Right away, Ma'am. Your painters are still downstairs in the ballroom as you asked. Shall I call in some more?"
Victoria stays motionless.
The maid leaves.
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