2005-07-16
14:23
Created a new Wiki page on Drawing Techniques – contains Line and Wash and Ink and Pencil at the moment – both techniques that anyone who’s done a bit of drawing would probably be familliar with, but I’m just learning all this myself.
I used both of these together in my cooling towers drawing…
2005-07-15
21:35
According to Boing Boing, China is gearing up quite a successful oil painting industry.
his factory had 10 “designers” who do original paintings and 300 painters who copy these originals. Another 200 workers do the framing
2005-07-15
21:31
Latest Update: I’ve now updated this device to give access to Windows CE, and I’m using it for eReader as well as Medion Navigator.
Medion GPS
Originally uploaded by pigpogm.
My dad bought this for us recently, and we collected it when we visited. Nice – more useful than I expected. Imagine having someone next to you, holding a map up all the time, constantly pointing at where you are, and turning the map as you go. Imagine they can flick to different scale maps as you speed up and slow down, so you get to zoom in as you approach a junction. Then imagine they know where you’re going, and they’ve highlighted the route, so you can see where to go at each junction.
Oh, and they’ve worked out what time you should get where you’re going, and they’ve made a note of that on the map, which they keep updating depending on how badly you get held up.
Then imagine they’ll tell you each time you approach a junction, and which way you need to go when you get there.
Pretty handy, eh?
Then imagine it’s not a person, so they won’t keep hitting you for making them do all this – even better 
Oh, and it works out how fast you’re *really* going, so you can see how badly out your speedometer is.
Changing the route? Just turn a different way to the way it says, and it recalculates the route, and carries on. Hit really bad traffic, or a closed road? Same thing – just turn off, and it recalculates for you. If you go a *really* stupid direction, it’ll ask you to turn around, but if you ignore it, it’ll just work out another way.
Thanks, dad!
2005-07-11
14:19
Magazine Rack in Pen and Pencil
Originally uploaded by pigpogm.
The first drawing I’ve done that I really *like*. It’s not quite a style I’ve seen anywhere else (I’m sure there’s other people doing it, I’ve just not seen it and copied it), and it seems to work pretty well for me.
Cross Ion gel ink pen, with Staedtler Mars 780 Leadholder pencil for the shading (loaded with 4B lead).
If you want to see all the pics I’m doing, I’m uploading almost everything to my Flickr Photostream, but be warned – this one is probably the best so far, and the photostream also gets fed with pics of everything we buy to review on PigPog, along with any other snaps that appeal enough to process and upload.
2005-07-10
13:03
A couple of new bits in the Wiki…
2005-07-08
11:02
A range of stackable lidded plastic boxes in various colours and sizes.
They’re not overselling themselves with their name. These boxes are really useful. Ranging in capacity from 1 litre to a whopping 84 litres you can store just about anything in them. The lids are strong and sturdy, when held in place with the box handles that clip over the edge of the lids. They come in a range of translucent colours, solid colours, or just plain clear. The translucent colours give you the advantage of being able to see what’s in each box without having to open it.
That’s a rather personal question! Art supplies and guitar stuff. All this stuff we review has to live somewhere!
2005-07-07
20:10
(Thanks to Cowboy Caleb for the links. Yes, I’m in Nottingham, and I got the best sources for news from someone in Singapore. So much for geography.)
Bruce Schneier has been saying for a long time that it makes a lot of sense to spend our efforts and money on preparing to respond to an attack – it can be much more effective than spending to prevent an attack, because it can work for any attack that happens. Preventative measures tend to work against one specific attack. In this case, it looks like the time and effort spent preparing the emergency services to respond to an attack has paid off well. The emergency services responded very quickly and very well, and are working hard to minimise the disruption. The terrorists want to cause panic and lasting disruption. The less of these we give them, the better.
2005-07-06
21:00
Delivery from Granthams
Originally uploaded by pigpogm.
I’d only just got the previous deliveries photographed. Not GIMP’d or uploaded yet. Only one item reviewed.
When we got back tonight, *this* box was waiting with a kindly neighbor. Spent most of tonight snapping pics of all these. Just about got last nights pics GIMP’d now and uploaded. Same again and then some to do tomorrow night, and at some point we’ve got to start actually *writing about* all this stuff in our Wiki. And Sam’s on an art course all weekend. Fortunately, we’ve both got next week off, so we should get caught up then.
To come soon – Copic markers, and Lettraset’s ‘manga’ markers, a large set of Winsor & Newton watercolours, Pastel Tote bag, Art-Kure water brushes and Winsor & Newton’s answer to the Moleskine sketchbooks.
And maybe Sam can be persuaded to share some of what she learns on her course with us.
2005-07-03
16:55
