On Streatham Common.
Saturday 29 August 2015
Arduino - Temperature and Time
Yesterday I soldered up the Real Time Clock for the Arduino project .
A Real Time Clock is just a digital clock without a display.
What's the point of that Awa Rich?
There's one in every computer, that's how it knows what time it is even when you switch it off. There's a battery that keeps the clock ticking.
I thot the innernet did that Awa Rich.
Nope, most computers set their internal clocks by getting a reference time from the internet, but they still need to know what time it is even when there's no internet connection. When you save a document it gets a time and date stamp from the computer's Real Time Clock.
The clock came as a bag-o-bits. Assembly was not a complex task as the circuit board was the size of a postage stamp (remember them?) and there were only 7 components. It was rather a fiddly job as the circuit board was so small and it kept moving around.
I plugged it into a spare breadboard, loaded up the example code and fired it up. It worked! So, the next step was to add it to the digital thermometer I built previously and modify the code so It would display the time on the Liquid Crystal Display rather than the computer screen.
There were a few problems getting the time to display in the correct format but I got there in the end. That's what programming is all about. Working out how to get the result you want, not quite getting there and figuring out what you have to change. Iterative improvements, slowly creeping up on your prey, solving problems and trying different strategies based on the information you got from the results.
Better than doing SuDoKu Awa Rich!
A project like this requires a lot of juggling as you need to know about the physical components, not only how to connect them together but also how to communicate with them. They all have their own peculiar requirements and idiosyncrasies.
Just like Peeps Awa Rich!
You need data sheets many and lots of tabs open in your browser.
I've heard Peeps say that about you Awa Rich - "That lad's got too many tabs open in his browser!"
I think you made that one up HurdyGurdy Dude!
Aynho, I got the thing working but it was a bit of a mess with wires everywhere and two breadboard connected together. So I ripped it all apart and rebuilt it on the one breadboard.
Where's the bread Awa Rich?
A breadboard is a thing for building temporary prototype circuits on, without having to solder bits together - you just plug and unplug components, move and replace them as you need to.
Once upon a time someone banged nails into a wooden breadboard, strung wires between them and soldered on components to test a circuit. The name stuck. That's how I built my first electronic circuits.
Here's the Arduino with Real Time Clock, temperature sensor and liquid crystal display.
Now that I have all the controller circuitry up and running I need to write some code that lets you set the cooking temperature and cooking time.
Marie said that some people might think it's a bomb.
Some Peeps watch too much TellyBox and read too many Noozepaypers Awa Rich! Aynho, Everyone know that barms have curly wyrs. That has streyt wyrs so it can't be a barm. Wunt take it through airport security tho Awa Rich!
Stay tuned...
A Real Time Clock is just a digital clock without a display.
What's the point of that Awa Rich?
There's one in every computer, that's how it knows what time it is even when you switch it off. There's a battery that keeps the clock ticking.
I thot the innernet did that Awa Rich.
Nope, most computers set their internal clocks by getting a reference time from the internet, but they still need to know what time it is even when there's no internet connection. When you save a document it gets a time and date stamp from the computer's Real Time Clock.
The clock came as a bag-o-bits. Assembly was not a complex task as the circuit board was the size of a postage stamp (remember them?) and there were only 7 components. It was rather a fiddly job as the circuit board was so small and it kept moving around.
Image from Oomlout who supplied the parts
I plugged it into a spare breadboard, loaded up the example code and fired it up. It worked! So, the next step was to add it to the digital thermometer I built previously and modify the code so It would display the time on the Liquid Crystal Display rather than the computer screen.
There were a few problems getting the time to display in the correct format but I got there in the end. That's what programming is all about. Working out how to get the result you want, not quite getting there and figuring out what you have to change. Iterative improvements, slowly creeping up on your prey, solving problems and trying different strategies based on the information you got from the results.
Better than doing SuDoKu Awa Rich!
A project like this requires a lot of juggling as you need to know about the physical components, not only how to connect them together but also how to communicate with them. They all have their own peculiar requirements and idiosyncrasies.
Just like Peeps Awa Rich!
You need data sheets many and lots of tabs open in your browser.
I've heard Peeps say that about you Awa Rich - "That lad's got too many tabs open in his browser!"
I think you made that one up HurdyGurdy Dude!
Aynho, I got the thing working but it was a bit of a mess with wires everywhere and two breadboard connected together. So I ripped it all apart and rebuilt it on the one breadboard.
Where's the bread Awa Rich?
A breadboard is a thing for building temporary prototype circuits on, without having to solder bits together - you just plug and unplug components, move and replace them as you need to.
Once upon a time someone banged nails into a wooden breadboard, strung wires between them and soldered on components to test a circuit. The name stuck. That's how I built my first electronic circuits.
Here's the Arduino with Real Time Clock, temperature sensor and liquid crystal display.
Marie said that some people might think it's a bomb.
Some Peeps watch too much TellyBox and read too many Noozepaypers Awa Rich! Aynho, Everyone know that barms have curly wyrs. That has streyt wyrs so it can't be a barm. Wunt take it through airport security tho Awa Rich!
Stay tuned...
Thursday 27 August 2015
Arduino Thermometer
Some time ago I decided to rekindle an old flame. Something I'd been mulling over for a fair while.
Time to fire up the old soldering iron.
I've been fascinated by electronics since I was a kid. At first it was the inscrutable bits and bobs inside the salvaged radios - what were they? What did they do? How did these things work?
My first serious foray into this mysterious, magical world was the Ladybird Book 'Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries'. A brilliant introduction to the wonders of electrickery.
As you can see from the cover, you get your sister to wind wire around a six inch nail and then you connect it to a bicycle lamp battery and it turns into a magnet that you can pick up smaller nails with! Un Be Leeevable! You acherly lookit like that in the 60s Awa Rich!
At school I built radio receivers and transmitters. Passed the Radio Amateurs exam (My call sign was G8VZP) built musical effects pedals, amplifiers, synthesisers and all manner of other stuff. Whatever sparked my curiosity.
Later, I got a job in electronics - that radio amateurs certificate came in useful. Later still I actually got some qualifications. Then I discovered computers - in the early 80s they became affordable thanks to good ol' Uncle Clive (Sinclair). I learned programming and - with my knowledge of electronics was able to use my Sinclair ZX81 to flash lights and whizz motors.
I ended up teaching computers, first to YTS kids then to adults. But this was all off the shelf software and I let the programming and electronics moulder in the glark.
As computers became appliances, employers and universities bemoaned the lack of hardware and software engineers missed out there dint you Awa Rich? and various plots were hatched to rectify this - the Raspberry Pi and Arduino being a couple of the better known examples. Now, even Mighty Microsoft are at it.
I was interested in the Raspberry Pi because it's British (and I believe some of the developers were involved with the early Sinclair computers). The only problem was that it requires a HDMI TV or monitor to display its output - much like the early 80s computers plugged into your telly. This was going to make it expensive as I haven't had a telly for over 20 years. The tellyboxes these days are brilliant Awa Rich. Shame there's nowt worth watching.
I went for the Arduino, partly because its needs are simpler but also, its primary function is to control things like motors, lights, relays, beepers and all manner of other magic stuff - That reminds me of a song Awa Rich, summink about a dragon. This seemed like fun.
I got me a starter kit from Oomlout - I like the name and they're in Yorkshire. - I worked my way through the book of examples then forgot about it for ages. Mostly because I didn't really have a practical application for it. I could think of a few things it would be fun to build but I got distracted by other shiny baubles (in my world that's an interesting idea rather than an amusing trinket).
One such shiny bauble was sous vide cooking - where you seal the food in a bag and dunk it in a bath of hot water for a few hours - the water baths cost a fortune and even the 'light sabre' devices you can put in a pan are pretty hairy prices. I just use a big pan of water on a very low heat on a regular electric hob.
Deedly doo, Deedly doo, Deedly doo (time travel music) back to 1976 when I was working in Croda lab. We had lots of such temperature controlled water baths for getting the knowing of edible oils and fats. They were pretty simple so why so expensive? (I'll leave you to work that one out).
I could make one. An analogue controller would cost a fiver at the most. I could probably knock the whole thing together for about 20 quid.
Then I thought...
This is a job for an Arduino!
This morning a package arrived in the post - Crystals of liquid! I assembled the components, loaded up the code and had a digital thermometer up and running in about 20 minutes!
The other thing in the package was a Real Time Clock (as opposed to those pretend time clocks - still working on that one Awa Rich?), so the next step is to get that assembled and running.
Stay tuned.
Time to fire up the old soldering iron.
I've been fascinated by electronics since I was a kid. At first it was the inscrutable bits and bobs inside the salvaged radios - what were they? What did they do? How did these things work?
My first serious foray into this mysterious, magical world was the Ladybird Book 'Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries'. A brilliant introduction to the wonders of electrickery.
As you can see from the cover, you get your sister to wind wire around a six inch nail and then you connect it to a bicycle lamp battery and it turns into a magnet that you can pick up smaller nails with! Un Be Leeevable! You acherly lookit like that in the 60s Awa Rich!
Later, I got a job in electronics - that radio amateurs certificate came in useful. Later still I actually got some qualifications. Then I discovered computers - in the early 80s they became affordable thanks to good ol' Uncle Clive (Sinclair). I learned programming and - with my knowledge of electronics was able to use my Sinclair ZX81 to flash lights and whizz motors.
I ended up teaching computers, first to YTS kids then to adults. But this was all off the shelf software and I let the programming and electronics moulder in the glark.
As computers became appliances, employers and universities bemoaned the lack of hardware and software engineers missed out there dint you Awa Rich? and various plots were hatched to rectify this - the Raspberry Pi and Arduino being a couple of the better known examples. Now, even Mighty Microsoft are at it.
I was interested in the Raspberry Pi because it's British (and I believe some of the developers were involved with the early Sinclair computers). The only problem was that it requires a HDMI TV or monitor to display its output - much like the early 80s computers plugged into your telly. This was going to make it expensive as I haven't had a telly for over 20 years. The tellyboxes these days are brilliant Awa Rich. Shame there's nowt worth watching.
I went for the Arduino, partly because its needs are simpler but also, its primary function is to control things like motors, lights, relays, beepers and all manner of other magic stuff - That reminds me of a song Awa Rich, summink about a dragon. This seemed like fun.
I got me a starter kit from Oomlout - I like the name and they're in Yorkshire. - I worked my way through the book of examples then forgot about it for ages. Mostly because I didn't really have a practical application for it. I could think of a few things it would be fun to build but I got distracted by other shiny baubles (in my world that's an interesting idea rather than an amusing trinket).
One such shiny bauble was sous vide cooking - where you seal the food in a bag and dunk it in a bath of hot water for a few hours - the water baths cost a fortune and even the 'light sabre' devices you can put in a pan are pretty hairy prices. I just use a big pan of water on a very low heat on a regular electric hob.
Deedly doo, Deedly doo, Deedly doo (time travel music) back to 1976 when I was working in Croda lab. We had lots of such temperature controlled water baths for getting the knowing of edible oils and fats. They were pretty simple so why so expensive? (I'll leave you to work that one out).
I could make one. An analogue controller would cost a fiver at the most. I could probably knock the whole thing together for about 20 quid.
Then I thought...
This is a job for an Arduino!
This morning a package arrived in the post - Crystals of liquid! I assembled the components, loaded up the code and had a digital thermometer up and running in about 20 minutes!
The other thing in the package was a Real Time Clock (as opposed to those pretend time clocks - still working on that one Awa Rich?), so the next step is to get that assembled and running.
Stay tuned.
Saturday 8 August 2015
A Payne in the Arts
Connections - The Route to Payne’s Grey
Nick sent me a link to a YouTube video showing his working process, made for Australian television. I thought it was interesting that he starts his paintings by blocking out the tones with Payne’s Grey.
You would usually work from light to dark with watercolours, though I’ve seen articles in The Artist magazine that advocate starting with the darks.
Establishing the tonal contrast early in the painting gives it depth that can easily be lost when concentrating on colour.
Lessons in Tertiary Greys (that should be the title of a book) at PSAD.
Grey is not just a mixture of black and white, and even if it was, the variations in black and white pigments allow you to create a wide variety of warm and cool greys. You can mix tertiary greys in many different ways but a good starting point is to mix a secondary colour with its complement (a primary) for example orange (secondary) mixed with blue (primary) or purple (secondary) mixed with yellow (primary), or you could mix 3 primaries (red,yellow and blue).
Tertiary greys make a painting interesting by their variety. You can mix any degree of warm, cool or neutral tones and create interesting effects by using mixtures of granulating and staining pigments.
The range of greys available is immense given the number of colours you can start with. Tertiary greys will always sit comfortably in the composition if they are mixed from colours used in the rest of the painting.
Experiments with Limited Palettes (another book title - the sqeaquel praps)
A few years ago I did a couple of summer schools at Putney School of Art and Design - painting classes with Ian Ellis and Graham Cole. Redcurrant themes in both were the use of limited colour palettes and mixing tertiary greys. Both techniques give a feeling of unity to a painting, although you can mix a wide variety of colours from your palette, the limited number of starting colours binds the picture together - the colours look as though they belong together.
Just Doodling
After watching Nick’s video I rummaged through my paints only to find the Payne’s Grey slot was empty. So, off to the shops I went.
I painted a few swatches in various dilutions and stared at them for a while. Winscale and Neutron’s Payne’s Grey is quite blue but leaning towards greenish.
Since I’d squeezed the new kid on the palette into an empty well alongside a couple of my limited Earth colour palettes, I thought I’d have a go at mixing it.
My latest colour scheme is based on what I thought Aaron Becker had used in his illustrated children’s book Journey - Prussian blue, alizarin crimson, burnt umber and yellow ochre.
I found I could get pretty close by mixing a bluish purple with Prussian blue and alizarin crimson then progressively adding yellow ochre. Along the way I made some rather nice looking greys.
Looking it oop on Wicky PDA.
I had a look on Wikipedia for information about Payne’s Grey and found it was named after the 18th century English watercolour painter William Payne who mixed this grey to give his paintings more luminosity than using black.
Guess what? He mixed iron (or Prussian) blue, crimson lake and yellow ochre or raw Sienna.
I looked on the tube for the pigment codes to see what Winscale and Neutron actually use. PB 15 - Copper phthalocyanine, PBk 6 - Carbon black, PV 19 - Quinacridone. So, a modern synthetic blue and crimson plus lamp black, but no yellow.
It’s amazing where a little thought or scrap of information can lead you.
iPad Sketch
I did this sketch on an iPad Air using a 53 Pencil and the Concept drawing app.
Marie reading her book in the sunshine somewhere isn Sussex.
Marie reading her book in the sunshine somewhere isn Sussex.
Thursday 30 July 2015
Watch
What you do next is up to you.
OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.
Check out the trailer for our feature film PLANETARY: https://vimeo.com/60234866
For more info about PLANETARY (formerly CONTINUUM) and how you can support & pre-order the film, check out: http://www.weareplanetary.com. Full website coming soon.
On the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph taken of Earth from space, Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside – a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect.
The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.
‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.
CAST
• EDGAR MITCHELL – Apollo 14 astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
• RON GARAN – ISS astronaut and founder of humanitarian organization Fragile Oasis
• NICOLE STOTT – Shuttle and ISS astronaut and member of Fragile Oasis
• JEFF HOFFMAN – Shuttle astronaut and senior lecturer at MIT
• SHANE KIMBROUGH – Shuttle/ISS astronaut and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army
• FRANK WHITE – space theorist and author of the book ‘The Overview Effect’
• DAVID LOY- philosopher and author
• DAVID BEAVER – philosopher and co-founder of The Overview Institute
———-
CREW
Producer: STEVE KENNEDY
Director: GUY REID
Editor: STEVE KENNEDY
Director of Photography: CHRISTOPHER FERSTAD
Original Score: HUMAN SUITS
Dubbing Mixer: PATCH MORRISON
———-
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Filmed with Canon 5D Mk ii.
Additional footage from NASA / ESA archives
Duration: 19 minutes
———-
Planetary Collective: http://www.planetarycollective.com/
Overview Microsite: http://www.overviewthemovie.com/
Human Suits (original score): http://www.humansuits.com/
For more information:
The Overview Institute: http://www.overviewinstitute.org/
Fragile Oasis: http://www.fragileoasis.org/
https://vimeo.com/55073825
Remember, these people are astronauts, scientists and the older ones would have been fighter pilots.
OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.
Check out the trailer for our feature film PLANETARY: https://vimeo.com/60234866
For more info about PLANETARY (formerly CONTINUUM) and how you can support & pre-order the film, check out: http://www.weareplanetary.com. Full website coming soon.
On the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph taken of Earth from space, Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside – a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect.
The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.
‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.
CAST
• EDGAR MITCHELL – Apollo 14 astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
• RON GARAN – ISS astronaut and founder of humanitarian organization Fragile Oasis
• NICOLE STOTT – Shuttle and ISS astronaut and member of Fragile Oasis
• JEFF HOFFMAN – Shuttle astronaut and senior lecturer at MIT
• SHANE KIMBROUGH – Shuttle/ISS astronaut and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army
• FRANK WHITE – space theorist and author of the book ‘The Overview Effect’
• DAVID LOY- philosopher and author
• DAVID BEAVER – philosopher and co-founder of The Overview Institute
———-
CREW
Producer: STEVE KENNEDY
Director: GUY REID
Editor: STEVE KENNEDY
Director of Photography: CHRISTOPHER FERSTAD
Original Score: HUMAN SUITS
Dubbing Mixer: PATCH MORRISON
———-
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Filmed with Canon 5D Mk ii.
Additional footage from NASA / ESA archives
Duration: 19 minutes
———-
Planetary Collective: http://www.planetarycollective.com/
Overview Microsite: http://www.overviewthemovie.com/
Human Suits (original score): http://www.humansuits.com/
For more information:
The Overview Institute: http://www.overviewinstitute.org/
Fragile Oasis: http://www.fragileoasis.org/
https://vimeo.com/55073825
Remember, these people are astronauts, scientists and the older ones would have been fighter pilots.
Wednesday 22 July 2015
Awa Nick on The Tellybox in Oz
Watch my super talented brother on Australian TV showing you how he paints his rather idiosyncratic dog pictures.
Pssst! it's better in full screen
from Graeme Stevenson's Put Some Colour in Your Life.
Pssst! it's better in full screen
from Graeme Stevenson's Put Some Colour in Your Life.
Saturday 27 June 2015
Bounty of The Earth
It’s farmer’s market day at our local pub The Railway in Streatham. It’s quite a bijou affair but there’s always a good assortment of provender to be had.
Last time we asked Andy from Gill Wing Farm to bring us a box of whatever vegetables were available. I’ve seen some of the organic boxes that the big suppliers (you know who they are) offer, and the prices they charge, but Andy's offering was a huge baker’s tray creaking with scallions, beetroot - with the tops still on! - kale, chard, cucumbers, aubergines, courgettes and lettuce.
That supermarket is getting further and further away.
This is more like my weekly order from Dr. Gwen Egginton when I lived up in Bridlington. She’d call me on Thursday night to take my order, and it would arrive the next day by WWOOFer courier. Occasionally I’d cycle over to Nafferton and pick up my order in person. It was always a joy to stroll around her smallholding as Gwen shared the deep wisdom of her little ecosystem “that plant - Limnanthes douglasii - attracts hover flies which eat the aphids” and so forth.
I’m glad I ambled a while along the path of life in her company. The world could learn a lot from Gwen and would be a better place for it.
Last time we asked Andy from Gill Wing Farm to bring us a box of whatever vegetables were available. I’ve seen some of the organic boxes that the big suppliers (you know who they are) offer, and the prices they charge, but Andy's offering was a huge baker’s tray creaking with scallions, beetroot - with the tops still on! - kale, chard, cucumbers, aubergines, courgettes and lettuce.
That supermarket is getting further and further away.
This is more like my weekly order from Dr. Gwen Egginton when I lived up in Bridlington. She’d call me on Thursday night to take my order, and it would arrive the next day by WWOOFer courier. Occasionally I’d cycle over to Nafferton and pick up my order in person. It was always a joy to stroll around her smallholding as Gwen shared the deep wisdom of her little ecosystem “that plant - Limnanthes douglasii - attracts hover flies which eat the aphids” and so forth.
I’m glad I ambled a while along the path of life in her company. The world could learn a lot from Gwen and would be a better place for it.
Sunday 14 June 2015
Se Voaras Mais Ao Perto
(I have no idea what that means but I love the song)
Today is the national day of Portugal and the Portugese are partying all over the world.
This year the English venue is just up the road on Streatham Common. Since 11am they've been celebrating.
It's a dull, overcast English summer day but sultry. We have all the windows open and the music is wafting through along with the barbecue smoke. The sardine is now an ofishially endangered species.
We strolled around earlier and I've never seen so many people on the common. Huge trucks laden with food and drink have driven from Portugal for today's hooley - and boy are they having a hooley.
http://www.dayofportugaluk.co.uk/
Monday 8 June 2015
Villains, Schnorrers and Ragamuffins Beware
There's a new crimefighter in da hood.
And today's dose of silliness is...
Well, it all began with this weeks brief for us illustrious members of the PSAD
Cue The Village People Awa-Rich!
Superstition.
I was thinking about the hand signs people make to fend off evil spirits. A really complex one could protect you from anything. Plus fancy prestidigitation comes in handy if you use an iPad a lot.
Then it got daft, so it was time to fire up Comic Life 3.
Linguistic note: The strange language is that of my stepfather (I always feel uncomfortable calling him that - let's just call him Dave, I do.) When he came into my life I couldn't understand a word he said and thought he was foreign.
"Nah then Wizzmob" was a traditional greeting of the menfolk of East Hull.
And today's dose of silliness is...
Well, it all began with this weeks brief for us illustrious members of the PSAD
Cue The Village People Awa-Rich!
Superstition.
I was thinking about the hand signs people make to fend off evil spirits. A really complex one could protect you from anything. Plus fancy prestidigitation comes in handy if you use an iPad a lot.
Then it got daft, so it was time to fire up Comic Life 3.
"Nah then Wizzmob" was a traditional greeting of the menfolk of East Hull.
Wednesday 3 June 2015
Out to Lunch
OMG! I can't believe I just said OMG!
(Sqweee! Upspeak? Vocal Fry)
This social networking has infected my brain cell. The next thing you know I'll be posting photos of my lunch!
Ho well, infra penny...
Brown sticky rice and homemade kimchi - utter bliss!
(and it don't half clear your channels)
Ey! What's brown and sticky Awa Rich?
(Sqweee! Upspeak? Vocal Fry)
This social networking has infected my brain cell. The next thing you know I'll be posting photos of my lunch!
Ho well, infra penny...
Brown sticky rice and homemade kimchi - utter bliss!
(and it don't half clear your channels)
Ey! What's brown and sticky Awa Rich?
A Postcard from Vector
I can't contain my curiosity any longer Awa Rich! There's not much to do around here.
OK, here's a sneaky peek at the postcard.
It all began with a silly game to better Olivia's name card at the Putney School of Art and Design Illustration class. I started drawing letters based on Victorian pub signs inspired by David Smith's amazing work.
I've a long way to go but it's something to aim for and a journey of a thousand miles starts with... You know the rest.
I tried drawing scrolls in iDraw some time ago for The Bear's Curry label but I didn't have enough experience with vector manipulation. After drawing the letters to spell out my name I felt more confident having another go.
Victorian pub mirrors often contain natural elements like birds, flowers and fruit. I have another project in the pipeline that has some of these elements in the design Oh you tease Awa Rich!
We were out in the country looking after Lucky the lucky Labradog last week and the wild flowers were blooming in great profusion. They were obvious subjects for some drawing.
I sketched a few roses and other wild flowers which became this vector drawing.
I also decided the sun in the needed some crepuscular rays which took a fair bit of tinkering to get them looking the way I wanted. Then, the great thing about vector drawings - they're just a bunch of building blocks - I assembled the components into one image. There's still a bit to do but here's the story so far.
You're supposed to say "Ta Dah!" Awa Rich.
You can say it then.
I just did Awa Rich!
D'ya wanna see it or not?
Show me the picter Awa Rich!
OK, here's a sneaky peek at the postcard.
It all began with a silly game to better Olivia's name card at the Putney School of Art and Design Illustration class. I started drawing letters based on Victorian pub signs inspired by David Smith's amazing work.
I've a long way to go but it's something to aim for and a journey of a thousand miles starts with... You know the rest.
I tried drawing scrolls in iDraw some time ago for The Bear's Curry label but I didn't have enough experience with vector manipulation. After drawing the letters to spell out my name I felt more confident having another go.
Victorian pub mirrors often contain natural elements like birds, flowers and fruit. I have another project in the pipeline that has some of these elements in the design Oh you tease Awa Rich!
We were out in the country looking after Lucky the lucky Labradog last week and the wild flowers were blooming in great profusion. They were obvious subjects for some drawing.
I sketched a few roses and other wild flowers which became this vector drawing.
I also decided the sun in the needed some crepuscular rays which took a fair bit of tinkering to get them looking the way I wanted. Then, the great thing about vector drawings - they're just a bunch of building blocks - I assembled the components into one image. There's still a bit to do but here's the story so far.
You're supposed to say "Ta Dah!" Awa Rich.
You can say it then.
I just did Awa Rich!
D'ya wanna see it or not?
Show me the picter Awa Rich!
Valentine Vector
One of my current forms of meditation is creating vector drawings using the iDraw app on my iPad. I can loose myself in the intricate and minute details of getting a line, fill or curve just right. Hours can fly by just like that. I believe it's called flow (according to a Hungarian chap with no vowels in his name - Mihály Csíkszentmihályi - i spy a vowel or two Awa Rich! It was for comic effect! Jeez, people are so literal these days!).
I'm working on a postcard at the moment, and learning a lot about how to bend this odd medium to my vision. Stay tuned for the result.
Last week I traced the Celtic Valentine. I've been meaning to do it since I drew it (I'm a poet and I didn't know it). It was quite a puzzling challenge, it took all day but I was pleased with the result.
The Putney School of Art and Design summer exhibition is on at the moment and I've entered a medley of vector drawings as I'm being encouraged to do more of these. I don't know if that's because Carolyn and Zehra think they have some merit or because I finish them.
There's a hint at the postcard in the bottom right.
I'm working on a postcard at the moment, and learning a lot about how to bend this odd medium to my vision. Stay tuned for the result.
Last week I traced the Celtic Valentine. I've been meaning to do it since I drew it (I'm a poet and I didn't know it). It was quite a puzzling challenge, it took all day but I was pleased with the result.
There's a hint at the postcard in the bottom right.
Tuesday 2 June 2015
Food Glorious Streatham
The Streatham Food Festival
gets under way on Thursday. Despite living here for over 7 years we haven’t been to this event. We’re often away when these local jukes are on but this weekend we’ll be around so I’d best get my eatin’ trousers on!I was noodling around the website and drooling over all the restaurants we haven’t visited - although I was delighted to see that our local pub The Railway was first on the list of great places to eat in Streatham.
There were so many places I’ve seen from the top deck of the 159 bus but never thought to visit, but now I’ve read about them I have a long list for payday suppers (Lamberts again this Saturday).
I was sufficiently intrigued by The Elephant Bakehouse to pay them a visit today. Hidden away in a cobbled mews I didn’t know existed, off Streatham High Road and surrounded by car repair shops (or was it the same car repair shop that had spilled over into the adjacent buildings?). I love it when I find some new place near where I live that takes me off my beaten tracks.
I rolled up around 1 o’clock and spotted Nicole toing and froing between the bakehouse and a car. “Are you looking for some bread?” she asked. I must be in the right place. The half stable door was open with industrial flyscreen strips obscuring the inside. Duncan peered out between them. “Wotcha got?” I inquired. “Just some white sourdough, want to give it a try?” I certainly did. After a brief chat I parted with some cash and went walkabout to explore the surrounding streets. I was surprised by how many large Victorian houses had ‘Sold’ boards outside and evidence of refurbishment going on. Looks like the gentry are moving back to Streatham.
I wandered home across the common to try the bread with some Italian cheeses and salami I’d bought in Lidl yesterday. It was utterly lovely.
I hope the ancient curse I alluded to in the previous post doesn’t scupper them.
Yin Yang
Success and Failure
I sometimes think I carry an ancient curse around with me. I discover something amazing and it promptly disappears. Perhaps it’s an aspect of that universal rule that fills the world with an abundance of something, until you want some, when it promptly vanishes from the face of the Earth.
My delight at discovering Korea Foods in Mitcham was short lived. On most of my visits I was the only person in the cavernous warehouse - apart from the staff. This did not bode well. On the last visit I was cheerfully and politely informed by the young woman at the checkout that they’d be closing on Sunday and I was welcome to visit them in New Malden. “But I’ve just found you!” I wailed.
Either the people of Mitcham have no taste or - I suspect - there were a lot of people like me who didn’t even know the place was there. I wonder how many other enterprises fail due to a lack of blowing their own trumpet. Now think on…
Oh My Seoul!
I can officially declare The Great Kimchi Experiment a success. It’s been doing its stuff for just over six weeks now and I’ve sampled it regularly during the process. It seems to have settled into a stable state - having gone through the “crazy” stage (as one Korean grandmother called it) when I thought it was destined for the bin.
On my last visit to Korea Foods I bought a pack of poggi kimchi to compare and contrast and the verdict was - as usual when homemade is pitched against manufactured - homemade triumphs every time.
The stainless steel milk churn container that seduced me proved to be impractical as long term storage - partly because it took up too much space in the fridge and partly because it’s not entirely airtight and the stench was tainting everything else in there - in the same way an over ripe Camembert does.
I was going to invest in some Kilner (Mason) jars but a brainwave had me heading for Lidl. I have a variety of dry ingredients stored in dill pickle jars but I didn’t have enough to house the kimchi. A jar of dill pickles is half the price of a Kilner jar and you get dill pickles free inside! Bonus! The pickles are now happily resident in the milk churn (which also makes for easy and healthy grazing) and the kimchi is in the pickle jars, in the fridge - which now smells like a regular fridge. Sorted.
Kimchi is great as an accompaniment but fantastic in soup. Plop it in a few minutes before you serve so it retains its crunch. The soup dampens the kimchi’s fire and is suffused with that certain kimchi je ne sais quoi.
I’ll definitely make some more once I’ve munched my way through this lot. It’s one of those things you can fiddle with until you have your own style.
Thursday 28 May 2015
Hoor des vogels
The title of a 7 inch record of birdsong I had when I was a kid - you can paddle across to Holland from Hull when the tide is out. hence the Dutch title.
We are at the Woodlands Retreat Centre again - looking after Lucky, the luckiest Labradog in the world.
Put your headphones on, kick back and relax for half an hour in the tree house in the oak wood at the bottom of Lucky's garden.
We are at the Woodlands Retreat Centre again - looking after Lucky, the luckiest Labradog in the world.
Put your headphones on, kick back and relax for half an hour in the tree house in the oak wood at the bottom of Lucky's garden.
Friday 17 April 2015
Seoul Food
This morning I made a bucketful of kimchi[1] or I hope I did. My first attempt at making sauerkraut was not too successful - not enough salt perhaps - but later batches were excellent. Much better than anything I’ve bought.
I read about kimchi years ago - probably on the Korea Foods website - and bought a small pack. I don’t remember being particularly enamoured of the experience, my abiding memory is of its incendiary nature.
Kimchi was on my shopping list when we visited the new Mitcham branch of Korea Foods, determined to give this legendary food another try. We were cruising the aisles when Marie pointed to a gallon sized clear plastic bucket containing what appeared to be anatomy. “What’s that?” she grimaced. “Just what I’m looking for!” I grinned, “Kimchi, the national food of Korea”. I picked up a smaller jar, just in case.
I don’t know what the last lot was but this was delicious, the rate it disappeared at was ample evidence. We both declared it addictive.
I had an infobinge on The WelkinReticulum[2] for recipes and discovered a few gems. Koreans have the same attitude to buying kimchi that I have to mayonnaise and humous (amongst other things) “You don’t buy it, you make it. The stuff in the shops isn’t even what it says on the tin!”. I’ve read every recipe and watched countless YouTube videos and I’ve assimilated the general process - resistance is futile!
Kimchi recipes vary from region to region and even from family to family. Everyone has their own particular wrinkle or ‘secret’ ingredient. I found that the jar I bought was Mat Kimchi, or easy kimchi. The cabbage was ready chopped into bite sized chunks for easy making and eating. Poggi kimchi is the more traditional form which uses quartered cabbage formed into little parcels. This is the method I chose.
I trundled along to Korea Foods again on Tuesday to buy the ingredients:
The next day I went to the place I felt sure would provide what I needed, big plastic mixing bowls and large glass jars. Destination Upper Tooting Road! There are so many diverse ethnic shops there, one of them must have what I was after. An Indian catering supplier had both.
The large plastic mixing bowls I’d seen people using on YouTube turned out to be dough bowls, and came with a bonus lid. They also had a goodly range of glass jars but what caught my eye was a large stainless steel milk churn, it was only two quid more than the largest glass jar and I couldn’t resist it.
I won’t bore you with the procedure (yet) as there’s so much on The WelkinReticulum. Here are a couple of the more interesting links I’ve come across:
I read about kimchi years ago - probably on the Korea Foods website - and bought a small pack. I don’t remember being particularly enamoured of the experience, my abiding memory is of its incendiary nature.
Kimchi was on my shopping list when we visited the new Mitcham branch of Korea Foods, determined to give this legendary food another try. We were cruising the aisles when Marie pointed to a gallon sized clear plastic bucket containing what appeared to be anatomy. “What’s that?” she grimaced. “Just what I’m looking for!” I grinned, “Kimchi, the national food of Korea”. I picked up a smaller jar, just in case.
I don’t know what the last lot was but this was delicious, the rate it disappeared at was ample evidence. We both declared it addictive.
I had an infobinge on The WelkinReticulum[2] for recipes and discovered a few gems. Koreans have the same attitude to buying kimchi that I have to mayonnaise and humous (amongst other things) “You don’t buy it, you make it. The stuff in the shops isn’t even what it says on the tin!”. I’ve read every recipe and watched countless YouTube videos and I’ve assimilated the general process - resistance is futile!
Kimchi recipes vary from region to region and even from family to family. Everyone has their own particular wrinkle or ‘secret’ ingredient. I found that the jar I bought was Mat Kimchi, or easy kimchi. The cabbage was ready chopped into bite sized chunks for easy making and eating. Poggi kimchi is the more traditional form which uses quartered cabbage formed into little parcels. This is the method I chose.
I trundled along to Korea Foods again on Tuesday to buy the ingredients:
- Napa Cabbage (a.k.a. Chinese leaf)
- Solar salt (a.k.a. coarse sea salt)
- more chilli powder than I’ve ever bought in one go
- green onions (a.k.a. scallions or spring onions)
- daikon radish - I was hoping for real Korean radish which is halfway between a daikon radish and a white turnip.
The next day I went to the place I felt sure would provide what I needed, big plastic mixing bowls and large glass jars. Destination Upper Tooting Road! There are so many diverse ethnic shops there, one of them must have what I was after. An Indian catering supplier had both.
The large plastic mixing bowls I’d seen people using on YouTube turned out to be dough bowls, and came with a bonus lid. They also had a goodly range of glass jars but what caught my eye was a large stainless steel milk churn, it was only two quid more than the largest glass jar and I couldn’t resist it.
I won’t bore you with the procedure (yet) as there’s so much on The WelkinReticulum. Here are a couple of the more interesting links I’ve come across:
- Interesting documentary on Korean national telly about the annual winter kimchi making - Gimjang - which was given UNESCO World cultural heritage status recently. This is a lovely insight into Korean culture, wonderful people and some stunning imagery. Watch out for the Buddhist monastery in the snow, and the pots, gorgeous pots! The Culinary Art of Kimchi
- This woman seems very popular on YouTube - 2 million viewers and counting - she made me smile. Traditional recipe
-
Korean pickled cabbage made using a lacto-fermentation process just like sauerkraut. ↩
-
The Internet - literally SkyNet (“I’ll be back” - oh, looks like you are Arnie!) I reckon if I use this term often enough others might pick it up and use it too, not as catchy as The InnerChoobs (one of Awa Nick’s) but hey. ↩
Printed Brochure for A Sense of Place
I mentioned in a previous post that I might create a printed brochure for the Sense of Place project. Here it is.
I decided to make it A6 rather than A5 so that I could print it on a single A4 sheet.
Working out where to place the pages and which way up they go was as simple as folding an A4 sheet into 4 and writing numbers on each page, then opening out the sheet.
I created the layout using Apple Pages on a MacBook Pro but you could use Microsoft Word too. The trick for placing the text and getting it to print upside down is to use text boxes. Unfortunately, Apple has removed the facility to link text boxes and have text flow from one to another. I hope they restore this feature soon. It wasn't a problem in this layout as each box is self contained, but it's a feature I used a lot and I miss it.
Disclaimer: The Woodlands Retreat Centre is a figment of my imagination created for this project. You can't go there. Other retreat centres are available - may the Google be with you!
I decided to make it A6 rather than A5 so that I could print it on a single A4 sheet.
Working out where to place the pages and which way up they go was as simple as folding an A4 sheet into 4 and writing numbers on each page, then opening out the sheet.
I created the layout using Apple Pages on a MacBook Pro but you could use Microsoft Word too. The trick for placing the text and getting it to print upside down is to use text boxes. Unfortunately, Apple has removed the facility to link text boxes and have text flow from one to another. I hope they restore this feature soon. It wasn't a problem in this layout as each box is self contained, but it's a feature I used a lot and I miss it.
Disclaimer: The Woodlands Retreat Centre is a figment of my imagination created for this project. You can't go there. Other retreat centres are available - may the Google be with you!
Sunday 12 April 2015
Korea Prospects
A Serendipitous Error
“Lucky’s already at Woodlands, we don’t need to pick her up”. Marie twigged that Mick was aiming for Fulham to collect the black labradog we look after while her owners are away. Mick took a different route to the A3 that takes us to The Woodlands Retreat Centre - via Mitcham Eastfields railway station, past the allotments and along Figges Marsh. As we skirted Mitcham town centre I chance to look left and noticed a large warehouse with a familiar blue sign. “Whoah! How long has that been there?” I yelled at Mick. “A couple of weeks? Dunno, not long”. It’s on my walking route to Colliers Wood but I haven’t been out that way this winter.
Korea Foods has a huge cash and carry in New Malden - which we passed half an hour later - a cornucopia of Asian food nestled between Halfords and The Big Yellow Storage place under the Shannons Corner flyover near the Northrop Grumman headquarters.
I learned about this place from Bea Young, who came to the Putney School of Art and Design Illustration class many moons ago. We used to talk food as it was a common interest. So, one day I rode the little 152 bus from Streatham all the way out to New Malden to scope this place out. I was in seventh heaven.
New Malden is “Little Korea”, it’s easy to get to from where I live but it’s a bit of a trek. Mitcham, however, is a 30 minute walk.
New Malden is “Little Korea”, it’s easy to get to from where I live but it’s a bit of a trek. Mitcham, however, is a 30 minute walk.
Today - a bright spring Sunday - we strolled out to Mitcham to investigate the new store. Wow! Asian food as far as the eye can see.
I stocked up on noodles (more than 57 varieties), seaweed, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, kimchi (the Korean version of sauerkraut - don’t get me started on sauerkraut!), Miso, tofu (if you buy fresh tofu in London it’s most likely made by Korea Foods), sauces and spices. That’s before we get on to the fresh vegetables.
That’s the menu sorted for the foreseeable future!
Monday 23 March 2015
Pen and Ink
Brown Paper Packages
Not tied up with string but a Jiffy bag with a self adhesive closure - doesn’t scan as well.Biting the Bullet
Someone in the illustration class at Putney School of Art and Design was asking if there is any kind of waterproof ink you can use in fountain pens - like the Rotring Art Pen. I’d asked this question of The WelkinReticulum myself and found two. Noodlers Bulletproof Black and de Atramentis Document Ink. I hadn’t tried either so couldn’t say how good they were or if they gunked up your pens like Indian ink does.I bit the bullet and ordered some Noodlers Bulletproof on Monday evening, it was waiting for me when I got home on Wednesday.
Testing, testing…
I filled up my ancient extra fine Rotring Art Pen and have done a couple of sketches with watercolour wash over the top and it is waterproof. Amazing! According to the blurb on Noodlers website, it reacts with the cellulose in the paper to work its magic, rather relying on shellac like Indian ink. It was originally created to thwart forgers. It can’t be bleached or washed out, and it’s those characteristics that make it attractive to artists.Time will tell what effect it has on the pen and nib. If there are no contraindications I’ll load up the TWSBI.
Galling
The other little bottle in the package contained Diamine Registrar's Ink. Made in Liverpool. I’ve been hankering after some of this for ages, partly because it feels like you have to be a member of a secret society to use it - like the Platignum Man from Uncle pen with invisible ink I had when I was a kid - and because it’s an iron gall formula that you can use in a fountain pen. Most iron gall ink would rot the guts out of it.The colour was a paler blue than I expected, just like regular blue ink, but it darkens as you write. After a minute or two it becomes a deep blue black. I have an old bottle of iron gall ink - made to a medieval formula - that writes a pale insipid grey but quickly darkens to black on contact with the paper and air, but you wouldn’t put it in a fountain pen. It does nasty things to steel nibs, Brother Richard of the (Parenthetic) order of St. Reatham in the Vale would have used a goose quill.
On the line which is dotted…
After Mam died and the formalities had to be taken care of, we all traipsed down to the registry office in Cottingham Green (which is actually black as it’s a car park) to do the reqwyrt and sign the official documents.The registrar had half a dozen Lamy Safari pens of different colours neatly laid out on her desk. She handed my Dad a form to sign and he picked up a pen. I like to think she gently slapped him on the wrist, but I’d be embroidering the story. She gently, but firmly explained that he must use this pen as it contained special ink that doesn’t fade.
So, my Diamine Registrar's ink is in a clear Lamy Safari Vista, just like the professionals.
I wrote a couple of lines with the Noodlers and the Registrars’ ink, let them dry then brushed water over them. Neither of them smudged or feathered.
I’m now using the Registrar's ink in my journals. In a thousand years when only my bones, my boots and my journals remain. Archaeologists (probably aliens, as we’ll have annihilated each other by then either by intent or neglect) will discover them and they will become known as The St. Reatham Codex.
So where can we get our mitts on some of these madjicke potions Awa Rich?
Noodlers Bulletproof Black
http://www.purepens.co.uk/acatalog/Noodler-s-Bulletproof-Black-Ink-798.html
Diamine Registrar's ink
http://www.purepens.co.uk/acatalog/Diamine-Registrars-Ink.html
deAtramentis Waterproof Document Ink
http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?brand=De+Atramentis&range=Document+Ink&cat=ink&subr=
Thursday 19 March 2015
A Sense of Place - continued
I finished the brief for tomorrow, as much as anything is ever finished. I've made a few minor edits to the text so I've included the first 3 pages again.
I created the page layouts using Comic Life 3 on an iPad Air then tidied them up on my trusty old MacBook Pro.
I'll probably look at it in a week or so and see lots of things I want to change.
I'd like to make it into an A5 brochure - as Olivia suggested - and leave them in places where brochures are.
I created the page layouts using Comic Life 3 on an iPad Air then tidied them up on my trusty old MacBook Pro.
I'll probably look at it in a week or so and see lots of things I want to change.
I'd like to make it into an A5 brochure - as Olivia suggested - and leave them in places where brochures are.
Friday 13 March 2015
A Sense of Place
Well, I did something for the Illustration class tomorrow. I cheated a bit by using photos - that's OK isn't it?
As I'm having a thing about Comic Life this week, that's what I used. I took all the photos in the mythical place described.
Spending Eostar there, sooo looking forward to it.
Oh aye, this is just the beginning...
Tuesday 10 March 2015
It's a Comic Life
This morning I was monkeying around with Comic Life 3 for iPad. Inspired by LindaH's barrage of questions and Brett Terpstra's talking dogs - he photographs his dogs and puts words in their mouths with Comic Life 3.
Where else can you have this much fun for £3.99? This may become my standard means of communication.
"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place" George Bernard Shaw
 |
| I came in here for something... |
Wednesday 25 February 2015
Celtic Hearts Entwined
I finished the Celtic Valentine card in a bit of a rush - like, while I was making the first cuppa on the morning of Valentine's day. I was reasonably pleased with it but the longer I looked at it the less happy I was.
So I started again.
Happy now Awa Rich?
Yeah, well, y'know... Get'n there.
So I started again.
 |
| Watercolour and coloured pencil on Fabriano Classico .5 HP 140lb. watercolour paper |
Yeah, well, y'know... Get'n there.
Tuesday 17 February 2015
Don't Call Me Shorty!
A diminutive Nordic character. Watercolour and coloured pencil.
No particular reason.
No particular reason.
Saturday 14 February 2015
Celtic Hearts
Last week's brief at the Putney School of Art and Design Illustration class was to create a bookmark or a Valentine's card.
Several people produced Valentines bookmarks so I was not being original. I removed some bits after the show and tell session as the general opinion was that they were unnecessary. I had to agree.
I was going to do more to it but this morning I decided it was done. There are more ideas germinating from this project.
There always are Awa Rich. Thing is to do summink about 'em!
(Watercolour and coloured pencil on 200gsm cartridge paper)
Several people produced Valentines bookmarks so I was not being original. I removed some bits after the show and tell session as the general opinion was that they were unnecessary. I had to agree.
I was going to do more to it but this morning I decided it was done. There are more ideas germinating from this project.
There always are Awa Rich. Thing is to do summink about 'em!
 |
| Can you see 6 hearts? |
Sunday 1 February 2015
John Singer Sargent
I did my daily dip into my favourite art blog - Charley Parker's Lines and Colors - and was delighted to see a collection of charcoal portraits by one of my favourite artists, John Singer Sargent.
I love the spontaneous appearance of his watercolours and charcoal drawings, but at the same time they seem so precise and considered.
There was a familiar looking face amongst them.
I made a copy of this drawing in watercolour, a few years ago, during a painting class with Ian Ellis at the Putney School of Art and Design. The exercise was to copy a painting or drawing by a well known artist using tertiary greys - mixing greys from primary and secondary colours.
And the winner is...
Not Awa Rich!
Shurrup, who asked you anyway?
I love the spontaneous appearance of his watercolours and charcoal drawings, but at the same time they seem so precise and considered.
There was a familiar looking face amongst them.
I made a copy of this drawing in watercolour, a few years ago, during a painting class with Ian Ellis at the Putney School of Art and Design. The exercise was to copy a painting or drawing by a well known artist using tertiary greys - mixing greys from primary and secondary colours.
And the winner is...
Not Awa Rich!
Shurrup, who asked you anyway?
Tuesday 13 January 2015
Old Thrubby Gets The Blows
I have picked up a bunch of microbes that find my trachea a convenient place to bring up their offspring. I can now do a passable impression of Paul Robeson or Lee Marvin.
When life gives you lebons, sig da blows!
When life gives you lebons, sig da blows!
Wednesday 7 January 2015
So, they're killing cartoonists now. That's brave
There are those who destroy.
There are those who stand and stare.
There are those who create.
Be a creator of things that make this world better for everyone.
It's the only chance we've got.
There are those who stand and stare.
There are those who create.
Be a creator of things that make this world better for everyone.
It's the only chance we've got.
Tuesday 6 January 2015
Anthem for 2015
When I was a teenager back in the early '70s me and Awa Nick (m'bro) would, every Sunday night, visit our place of worship The Magic Garden - a music venue in a converted warehouse opposite the Hull City Morgue. If you go in search of the place now you'll be disappointed as it was demolished years ago and a brand spankmenew shopping centre stands in its place (Like Hull needs another shopping centre).
The Magic Garden was part of The Hull Arts Centre which became The Spring Street Theatre which, in turn, evolved into The Hull Truck Theatre under the directorship of John Godber. The Hull Truck thunders on in a swanky new venue which is part of the St. Stephen's shopping experience.
Er, I may die before you get to the point Awa Rich.
We saw many bands some good, some amazing and some utter shite (the entire audience walked out, preferring the jam session in the bar - the main act went on to become a world renowned heavy metal band who are still on the go, I fear, and still shite).
One of the amazing bands, which we saw several times, was Esperanto - so called because of the mix of nationalities in their lineup - whose subtitle was Rock Orchestra. There were 10 or 12 in the band and could barely fit on the small stage (I don't know the technical term but it wasn't quite theatre in the round more like theatre in the 275 degrees) They made such a huge sound that people had to be peeled off the walls after the gig. They had two lead cellists and two drummers before it was fashionable. Their version of Eleanor Rigby was so far ahead of The Beatles (I was never a fan).
http://youtu.be/T2V1MTGWJgA
Cut to the chase Awa Rich!
A couple of years ago I heard a band on Mike Harding's folk programme on Radio 4 (I gave Mark Radcliffe a sporting chance but his voice - a cross between Keith Chegwin and Bruce Forsyth - and his Blue Peter presenter forced enthusiasm drove me nuts, so now I have to look elsewhere for musical inspiration.) They were called The Moulettes and they reminded me so much of Esperanto (apart from their vocals which are very sweet, Esperanto's singer was more gritty and suited to smokey jazz clubs).
Nearly there! You can do it Awa Rich!
Apple has added an evil new device to iTunes. When you're listening to an album there's a linky thing in the upper right of the title that says "More in the store" you click it and you see more music by the artist you're listening to.
I was listening to 'Revenge of the Bear' last night and I clicked and I bought The Moulette's latest album 'Constellation" and I've been playing it like I ate all that Devon fudge on our holidays this year.
And finally Awa Rich!
The opening track is called 'Glorious Year' and it's so infectiously happy and positive. I defy you to :-( or sit still.
Clamp your best German Kopfhörer (No, not those Dr. Dre Beats fashion accessories!) over your lugholes, crank up the volume and click play
All together now...
"This will be a glorious year, I can feel it in my fingers!"
more at http://www.moulettes.co.uk/
Go buy the albums The Revenge of the Bear and Constellations. Help pay their bills.
Come on Awa Rich, we all want to know who the World Famous Heavy Metal Band was that everyone walked out on!
OK, It was Judas Priest. Kingston Upon Hull - City of Culture 2017. We have taste 'Kay!?
I'll say more about this soon as I dare say you have no idea where Hull is.
Someone I occasionally help with puter problems asked me "Hull, City of Culture? Que?" Knowing his vulnerable underbelly, I suggested "Andrew Marvell"
I was quite surprised when he replied "The greatest poet of all time!"
Go Hull!
The Magic Garden was part of The Hull Arts Centre which became The Spring Street Theatre which, in turn, evolved into The Hull Truck Theatre under the directorship of John Godber. The Hull Truck thunders on in a swanky new venue which is part of the St. Stephen's shopping experience.
Er, I may die before you get to the point Awa Rich.
We saw many bands some good, some amazing and some utter shite (the entire audience walked out, preferring the jam session in the bar - the main act went on to become a world renowned heavy metal band who are still on the go, I fear, and still shite).
One of the amazing bands, which we saw several times, was Esperanto - so called because of the mix of nationalities in their lineup - whose subtitle was Rock Orchestra. There were 10 or 12 in the band and could barely fit on the small stage (I don't know the technical term but it wasn't quite theatre in the round more like theatre in the 275 degrees) They made such a huge sound that people had to be peeled off the walls after the gig. They had two lead cellists and two drummers before it was fashionable. Their version of Eleanor Rigby was so far ahead of The Beatles (I was never a fan).
http://youtu.be/T2V1MTGWJgA
Cut to the chase Awa Rich!
A couple of years ago I heard a band on Mike Harding's folk programme on Radio 4 (I gave Mark Radcliffe a sporting chance but his voice - a cross between Keith Chegwin and Bruce Forsyth - and his Blue Peter presenter forced enthusiasm drove me nuts, so now I have to look elsewhere for musical inspiration.) They were called The Moulettes and they reminded me so much of Esperanto (apart from their vocals which are very sweet, Esperanto's singer was more gritty and suited to smokey jazz clubs).
Nearly there! You can do it Awa Rich!
Apple has added an evil new device to iTunes. When you're listening to an album there's a linky thing in the upper right of the title that says "More in the store" you click it and you see more music by the artist you're listening to.
I was listening to 'Revenge of the Bear' last night and I clicked and I bought The Moulette's latest album 'Constellation" and I've been playing it like I ate all that Devon fudge on our holidays this year.
And finally Awa Rich!
The opening track is called 'Glorious Year' and it's so infectiously happy and positive. I defy you to :-( or sit still.
Clamp your best German Kopfhörer (No, not those Dr. Dre Beats fashion accessories!) over your lugholes, crank up the volume and click play
All together now...
"This will be a glorious year, I can feel it in my fingers!"
more at http://www.moulettes.co.uk/
Go buy the albums The Revenge of the Bear and Constellations. Help pay their bills.
Come on Awa Rich, we all want to know who the World Famous Heavy Metal Band was that everyone walked out on!
OK, It was Judas Priest. Kingston Upon Hull - City of Culture 2017. We have taste 'Kay!?
I'll say more about this soon as I dare say you have no idea where Hull is.
Someone I occasionally help with puter problems asked me "Hull, City of Culture? Que?" Knowing his vulnerable underbelly, I suggested "Andrew Marvell"
I was quite surprised when he replied "The greatest poet of all time!"
Go Hull!
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