Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
As ‘The Monuments Men’ movie nears its opening, KC celebrates its ties – KansasCity.com
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/21/4767880/as-the-monuments-men-movie-nears.html
Hometown connection and I was already looking forward to this movie.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
Cute dinosaurs.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
http://io9.com/dresden-codak-creator-illustrates-each-chapter-of-the-s-1496454183
Interesting although not my preferred medium for mythic or epic art.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
Favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Covers of 2013 | Stainless Steel Droppings.
Reblogging via Tor’s Facebook feed. Lots of great eye candy.
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/12/how-to-make-a-fantasy-world-map-emperors-blades
I love maps. I spent hours as a pre-teen pouring over the maps of Middle Earth and the Land and Pern. I even bought atlases of them that I still have in my collection. Recently, I ordered a large format print direct from the author/artist of the map of Athera so I could scrutinize it in detail with my aging eyes. My dream home library’s walls would be covered with maps from every fantasy world I’ve ever immersed myself in.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
This wonderful drawing of the Moon popped up on ASOD a couple of days ago. I thought it worth share here.
Enjoy, Jon
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/passages-from-lord-of-the-rings-beautifully-recreated-in?s=mobile
Perfect way to start off my day. Gorgeous art inspired by scenes from Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
M3 (or my blog cubed) menu update: I decided to include a couple of cool links on my Astronomy menu.
I added the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), which I follow via NASA‘s RSS feed, as well as the Astronomy Sketch of the Day (ASOD) (also available via RSS). I especially liked today’s offering:
I started following ASOD a couple of weeks ago to inspire my own nascent sketching abilities. Many of the observing awards I want to complete require that astronomical sketches be submitted as part of the log entries to support the required observations.
To help expand my artistic horizons, I ordered a highly recommend book, aptly titled Astronomical Sketching: A Step-By-Step Introduction from BookDepository.com (free shipping worldwide). I received two books in the mail yesterday, one of which was the sketching book shown at right. I skimmed through a couple of the chapters over breakfast this morning. I will need to assemble a supply list before I take a lunch hour trip to the closest art supply store (just north of me on Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri). And per advice from my artist son, I should just start sketching daily to hone my observation skills and to get familiar with the media (pencils, papers, erasers, smudgers, etc.). I would like to start sketching double stars initially, but will have to experiment and practice quite a lot before I will feel confident in sharing any of my sketches here at my blog.
Tor surprised me (and many other Wheel of Time fans) yesterday by releasing Michael Whelan’s cover art for A Memory of Light, just one week after revealing Darrell K. Sweet’s color sketch for the same final volume of that epic fantasy series.
When I first laid eyes of Michael’s painting, I knew this is what I’d been waiting to envision for more than two decades.
First, let me share the front cover as you’ll see it next January:
Next, the entire panel, sans lettering, synopses or endorsements, and a bit of a spoiler, if you can guess (or know) who the other two figures are (besides Rand who is front and center above):
Michael cleverly hid Rand’s missing left hand, yet I love the stance he’s chosen and the determination and tension emanating from Rand. I’m curious about the eclipsed sun though, and hope the author(s) didn’t fall for that overused cliche’ for this pivotal moment in the Last Battle.
I am one step closer to knowing the answer (on January 8, 2013) to the question posed over two decades ago (on January 15, 1990) in Eye of the World. I plan to while away the remaining months re-reading the entire Wheel of Time series. The real challenge will come next January, when I should be re-reading Crossroads of Twilight, but may not be able to resist the undeniable pull of A Memory of Light.
Another place holder for my seventeenth day of ‘Thirty Days of Thankfulness‘ … I know, a day late, but I have a really, really good excuse. I had outpatient surgery yesterday that wiped me out for the entire day. The first time I’ve spent fifteen straight hours in bed in ages.
Anyway, sometime in the next couple of days I’ll circle back to this posting and explain why I’m thankful for art and all the artists in my life, both in the family and among friends.
