Neil Gaiman interviews Stephen King

“I think the most important thing I learned from Stephen King I learned as a teenager, reading King's book of essays on horror and on writing, Danse Macabre. In there he points out that if you just write a page a day, just 300 words, at the end of a year you'd have a novel. It was immensely reassuring - suddenly something huge and impossible became strangely easy. As an adult, it's how I've written books I haven't had the time to write, like my children's novel Coraline.”

Whole article, click here.

History Bits : The Plague Doctor

Have you heard of this wonderful children song where everyone holds the hands of the person next to them and they move to their right, forming a circle then tumble down according to the song?

The song goes:

Ring around the rosy

A pocketful of posies

"A-tishoo, A-tishoo"

We all fall down!

Ring Around the Rosy Rhyme

Origins of "Ring around the rosy" in English History has its connections to the Bubonic Plague (Black Death).

The words to the Ring around the rosy children's ring game have their origin in English history . The historical period dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665 (bubonic plague) or even before when the first outbreak of the Plague hit England in the 1300's.

The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy). Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies! The death rate was over 60% and the plague was only halted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats which carried the disease which was transmitting via water sources. The English version of "Ring around the rosy" replaces Ashes with (A-tishoo, A-tishoo) as violent sneezing was another symptom of the disease. We recommend the following site for comprehensive information regarding the Bubonic Plague.

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/bubonic-black-plague-elizabethan-era.htm

The Plague Doctors!

The searching about the origin of the song lead me to greater findings...the existence of the bloody weird looking physicans known as...the plague doctors!
 
And looked how they inspired modern days...

Costumes by renowed Tom Banwell.

Vinyl toy of the plague doctor.

Last but not least...

Spy vs. Spy

Don't they looked like plague doctors??? I am sure the artist got inspired too.

Sources from here:
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ring_around_the_rosy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/bubonic-black-plague-elizabethan-era.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kintzertorium/2832992668/in/gallery-batgrl-72157622435907426/

Tom Banwell - Costume creator

To be very honest, there are much arguments about whether the song "Ring a ring a rosy" is related to the Black Plague or not. I will like to think it is related. Even though the first recorded printing of the song was much later than the black plague. But who knows? Children's been singing it even before the plague. It's been passed down by words of mouth until someone decided to pen it down.

Painting at Emerald Hill

This post is 2 weeks late.

I started off rather nicely but didn't gather enough patience and time to work it out...so it ended up like this...ugly......

Half done...

After

I got another plant from Mr Ong again. A tree this time. To cover up my screwed up perspective and half done windows...life sux...my work sux...but I like the staircase...but the background still sux...

Happy Sweet 16th Samantha

This girl bugged me shamelessly at 12am..."Hehe...It's an important day now!"

Bloody hell...msg me at 12am in the middle of my rest. I didn't reply but I was inspired, to do a portrait of her! And so I got up and immediately did a sketch of her...

So here's what I did...

She's a pink princess wannabe so I thought a gown is what she wants...and party hat and cakes and etc...only thing was...I didn't have time to draw her a Prince Charming.

The revised version did have her fav cousins - Limmy and Junny...but again...I ran out of time so VIOLA~

Final Output

I am pretty amazed at how fast I worked this time...also partly cos I stole some elements from Illustrator de default symbol library...woohoo! I will probably spend sometime to improve my illustrator workflow and also to create some unique symbol on my own.

Tutorial - by renowned illustrator Charlene Chua

Watercolor Painting @ Danish Seaman Church

Our location last week was Danish Seaman Church on Mt Faber.

As my camera was down, and I rebuked my husband's suggestion to carry his D200...I have to paint the remaining based on my memory and imagination.

This isn't so bad because it actually allow me to spend more time to think about the shadow, shades and color mixing...instead of bothering about the accuracy of the landscape.

Before
After

I suppose I am getting better indeed...although I honestly don't felt so. Each painting is as much gabara-ing as before...I really need to spend time to understand my colors. Mr Ong added the coconut tree in front to break the monotonous layout. Nice touch...then other than enhancing the shadows...and darkening some of the windows...that's about it. The only thing that puzzled me was that...where I thought I've screwed up, Mr Ong thought its nice. Maybe its because the highlight, shadows and midtones are in place...I supposed.

I still think my painting looked kiddish...oh well...

Will make it a point to understand my colors and reorganise my palette this week!

My husband replaced my old G4 with a G5 iMac...its pretty cool. See how nice it goes with my iPod nano...tehehehe...he's in the spare room right now, clearing up the place so I can work with more proficiency.

After class today, we went into Art Friend...

To reward myself for completing 5 paintings, I bought a short-haired kolinsky brush from Straits (for better detailed shadow control), cartridge papers for watercolors(for illustration) and Windsor & Newton Indian Ink and Cobalt Ink(for illustration as well. Outline and color)

The actual reason why I am getting the ink is because of the bottle. I had one years back when I was a art student...it was really hard to search for and I really treasured this little bottle of Indian Ink. It was used up and dried out...RIP...

*My husband paid for the above items...to show his support...woohoo...

First Time Writer and Illustrator

I attended the First Time Writer and Illustrator workshop again this year...again...yes...I attended previous years as well. All the while being ambitious and wanting to write and illustrate a book on my own.

But...you know when you aren't determine enough...your deadline is forever. Just like 'asap'...means no deadline...so I never got around to doing it. This year however, is different...I actually told someone that I am an illustrator(though I kept thinking that I am not qualified for that title yet. Maybe illustrator apprentice will be more appropriate) and then I skipped the session the next day and viola~ someone mailed me on monday for a collabration.

And it happened!
I completed the work in time and hand-submitted today! Which is the deadline! I actually met the deadline!!! Oooohhh...super happy...I finally did it!

Showing the snapshot of the binded dummy book from my husband:

It was a pretty good joint venture and I am probably going to complete the book whether selected or not. Just to build my portfolio...hehehehe...

But I felt the accomplishment by submitting already. Thank you for the energy to work through the nights, God! AMEN!