A soon to be former McDonald's at Village Plaza along 1065 Easton Avenue, pictured here in June 2020.

This oddly mint-capped McDonald's was likely once red-roofed and opened at Village Plaza in 1975, though official town records remain mostly obfuscated.

This location was planned to close in June 2024, after several decades of familiar operation, will now extend its long overdue expiration for a few weeks longer as its newer location puts finishing touches at its nearby Rutgers Plaza, nearly across the street.

The newly-built gray box will replace an equally aged and vacated, former 70's era Burger King, was demolished for its construction, which was approved in November 2022.

Very few "vintage" capped McDonald's that haven't submitted to gray kiosk hell can now be counted on one hand in the state of New Jersey.

Taken in the Black-Oak Savanna just west of the large marsh at the park's northern end.

Here I'm zooming in on the lower portion of the fascinating feral specimen that was the subject of Part 30.

It's going to come as a shock to gardeners, landscape architects, and botanic-garden administrators, but they've been laboring under a delusion. The main reason horticulture exists is not to prettify their properties or justify their six-digit salaries. Rather, it's to bring rare plant species from other continents to places where those of us who are taxonomically inclined can see them for the first time and study them. And thereby exult.

It was some former human resident who, freshly returned from the K-Mart garden department, set out this Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena') . It was a time many years ago when a house in a lakefront community still stood here.

The gardener assumed, in that typical human way, that this plant was his or hers alone. But over the course of decades it proved to be its own valid entity, which, no longer fed a diet of nitrogen-junkie fertilizer and lawn-sprinkler water, managed to come to terms with life in an alien land rapidly returning to wildness.

So it was, seventeenth springs ago, that I came across the Flowering Almond still blooming away among the dried Black Oak leaves. Not only was its cultivar new to me; so was its species. I hadn't happened to use it in my own horticultural days.

I carefully inspected its elegantly lanceolate and finely serrate leaves and their deeply impressed veins. After that I turned my attention to the blossoms' profusion of doubled, polyploid petals, as well as to the rest of the floral structure that told me the plant was, despite all the obfuscation due to genetic meddling, a member of the Rosaceae, the Rose Family.

And then I did something inexcusably fuzzheaded and nonscientific. I blessed this ragged little shrub for being such a survivor, and asked for its blessing in return. It seemed to be the thing to do, one not-so-distantly-related organism communing with another.

You'll find the other photos and descriptions of this series in my Botany of Illinois Beach State Park album.

This Nor'Wester (circa 2005) came with cantilever brake studs, but no through hole at the fork crown. I hand-drilled a 1/4" hole through the crown, although it didn't quite line up on center. Luckily the M-12 rack can be bent a bit to improve alignment.

This was an experiment with a 1-ft LED cold light with Airbox soft box, and a Nikon 28-105 macro zoom lens set at 105mm at close range with the aperture stepped down about mid-way (a lens adapter obfuscates the actual aperture number). I'm also experimenting with focus stacking, but haven't got it worked out well enough to share yet...

[Genoa, Italy. April 2009.]

Bull brigade - Strade smarrite

Passano i giorni e non capisce più

la strada presa dove finirà

quale destino in serbo c'è per lui

che cazzo ancora gli succederà

ha visto amici scivolare via

ha fatto cose immaginate mai

certezze diventare una bugia

ha visto gioie diventare guai

e invece un giorno poi si accorge che

ha un'altra faccia questa verità

conta gli amici ancora intorno a lui

pensa la vita quanti scherzi fa

e la vendetta inizierà così

ad abitare tra i pensieri suoi

mentre riascolta l'unico cd

che bastonava il cuore degli eroi

E ANCORA SOGNERà QUEL TEMPO CHE NON TORNERà

STRADE SMARRITE NELL'OSCURITà

ED OGNI LACRIMA VERSATA Sà CHE LASCERà

SEGNI CHE IL TEMPO NON CANCELLERà

DIETRO DI LUI SOLO LA NEBBIA

E DI NOTTE SOLO SARà

DENTRO IL FREDDO CHE FA

passa nel buio di periferia

l'ultimo treno se n'è andato già

come in una vecchia fotografia

rimane solo con la sua città

e allora pensa a quei momenti in cui

bastava la presenza della crew

sogna gli amici tutti intorno a lui

e il caldo abbraccio della sua tribù

E ANCORA SOGNERà QUEL TEMPO CHE NON TORNERà

STRADE SMARRITE NELL'OSCURITà

ED OGNI LACRIMA VERSATA Sà CHE LASCERà

SEGNI CHE IL TEMPO NON CANCELLERà

MAI PIù.

IF MY THINKERING TALENTS MAY BE OF USE TO YOU, DROP ME A LINE ;-) ... kruki99@hotmail.com

© Copyright John C. House, Everyday Miracles Photography. All Rights Reserved. Please do not use in any way without my express consent. As always, this is better viewed large.

This was taken from the top of Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains at 6,643 feet (2,025 m). When clear, it is possible to see for some ways, but that is an important caveat, since it is very often the case that the mists of the Smokies and the clouds themselves obfuscate the view. When seeking a sunset, it is a roll of the dice, with conditions often changing rapidly for the hour or so before the sun sets and the 30 minutes or so afterwards. Clouds roll in and engulf the peak only to move out and leave the promise of a little color. Color looks promising only to have clouds blot it out last minute.

This is out of sequence, since it is this cloud bank that created the loss of color in the previous photograph posted. This is looking north; the clouds are blowing in from the east, and looks like the whole bank is on fire, or is smoke from a fire. It is actually a cloud bank lit by the setting sun. It is still uncertain what the actual sunset will look like, but with the clouds coming in like this, odds seem slim at this point that there will be much of a sunset tonight.

obfuscated framing

Pelophylax is a genus of true frogs widespread in Eurasia, with a few species ranging into northern Africa. This genus was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843 to accommodate the green frogs of the Old World, which he considered distinct from the brown pond frogs of Carl Linnaeus' genus Rana.

They are also known as water frogs, as they spend much of the summer living in aquatic habitat; the pond frogs can be found more often, by comparison, on dry land, as long as there is sufficient humidity. Yet there are species of Eurasian green frogs – the Central Asian P. terentievi, or the Sahara frog (P. saharicus) – which inhabit waterholes in the desert.

Systematics and taxonomy

Most authors throughout the 19th and 20th century disagreed with Fitzinger's assessment. The green frogs were included again with the brown frogs, in line with the tendency to place any frog similar in habitus to the common frog (R. temporaria) in Rana. That genus, in the loose circumscription, eventually became a sort of "wastebin taxon".

Around 2000, with molecular phylogenetic studies becoming commonplace, it was discovered that Fitzinger's assessment was correct after all – not only is Pelophylax an independent genus, but it does in fact belong to a lineage of Raninae not particularly close to Rana. But it also turned out that these Eurasian green frogs might not form a monophyletic lineage. The sheer number of species involved in the group of Pelophylax and its closest relatives means that it will probably be some time until the definite circumscription of this genus is resolved.

The Pelophylax frogs belong to a group of moderately advanced Raninae – possibly a clade – that also includes such genera as Babina, Glandirana, Hylarana, Pulchrana, Sanguirana, Sylvirana, as well as Hydrophylax which like Pelophylax is suspected of being not monophyletic. These genera were formerly also included in Rana by most authors, and several of them have only been established in the 1990s. And as regards the possible paraphyly of Pelophylax, it seems that some species assigned there are very close to Hylarana, and thus it might simply be a matter of moving them to that genus. But hybridogenic speciation is running rampant in the Old World green frogs, and this obfuscates the data gained from DNA sequence analyses.

Species

Including named klepta (hybridogenic species), Pelophylax sensu lato contains 25 species:

Pelophylax bedriagae – Levant water frog

Pelophylax bergeri – Italian pool frog

Pelophylax caralitanus (Arikan, 1988) (formerly in P. bedriagae)

Pelophylax cerigensis – Karpathos frog

Pelophylax chosenicus – Seoul frog

Pelophylax cretensis – Cretan frog

Pelophylax cypriensis – Cyprus water frog

Pelophylax demarchii (validity and taxonomic status unclear; klepton?)

Pelophylax epeiroticus – Epirus water frog

Pelophylax fukienensis (formerly in P. plancyi)

Pelophylax hubeiensis (may belong in P. plancyi)

Pelophylax kurtmuelleri – Balkan frog

Pelophylax lessonae – pool frog

Pelophylax nigromaculatus – dark-spotted frog (may include P. tenggerensis)

Pelophylax perezi – Perez's frog

Pelophylax plancyi – eastern golden frog (may include P. hubeiensis)

Pelophylax porosus – Daruma pond frog

Pelophylax ridibundus – marsh frog

Pelophylax saharicus – Sahara frog

Pelophylax shqipericus – Albanian water frog

Pelophylax tenggerensis (may belong in P. nigromaculatus)

Pelophylax terentievi (taxonomic status unclear; klepton?)

Named klepta (hybridogenic species) of Pelophylax are:

Pelophylax kl. esculentus – edible frog (P. lessonae × P. ridibundus)

Pelophylax kl. grafi – Graf's hybrid frog (P. perezi × P. ridibundus)

Pelophylax kl. hispanicus – Italian edible frog (P. bergeri × P. ridibundus / P. kl. esculentus)

In addition, one species has been described that is sometimes assigned to Pelophylax, but must be considered a nomen oblitum:

My super-rant ahead: The common belief of how trees became petrified is a myth of science. Petrified wood, and all the formations of the US Southwest, are brimming with strong evidence of a world-wide flood that covered the earth several thousand years ago, and quickly burried these trees under mud and sediment. The cystalization process was quite quick, compared to accepted scientific timeframes. (Info for that here: earthage.org/EarthOldorYoung/scientific_evidence_for_a_worldwide_flood.htm)

There is ample evidence for this account, but that evidence is ignored, so you won't hear any of it in the media. Or if you do hear it, it's derided with all manner of logical falacies and strawman arguments to discredit, and make the other positions look weak and ill-conceived. It's no wonder that the common man doesn't give such arguments a second thought, trusting "the experts" instead.

However, giving attention to the other side of such arguments would expose the flimsy foundations of mainstream science (i.e. beliefs like: everything came from nothing, big bang, evolution, universe/earth are billions of years old, no god, we are insignificant specs of dust in an endless universe, this reality and all you see is just convenient coincidence, etc).

Mainstream science is very much a faith-based religion, albeit a well disguised one. They have woven a false belief system with just enough truth sprinkled in to keep people invested in it, as the one-and-only possible view of how the world works and our place in it. This system continues to push the mainstream narrative without question, ignoring evidence, obfuscating, leading public opinion away from questioning the version of reality they're given, and away from the overwhelming proof of there being One true Creator of all things, our significance and our purpose in His design.

Science has been built on a foundation of deceit through its heavily controlled and funded, but extremely dumbed-down egocentric legions of scientists (scientific priests) for centuries to give the public a form of stiffled scientific advancement, while keeping them ignorant, and dismissive of anything that stands to question the foundational beliefs of science. Scientists who DO question and consider exposing the problems with their "on the shoulders of giants" textbook assumptions, face ridicule in their industries and career suicide.

This is why I always say, if you care to get closer to the truth of earth's past, humanity's past, the purpose of life, and where we're going, you have to accept that truth is never given so easily. But since most of us want it to be that easy, the con artists running this world are only too happy to oblige, at your expense.

Truth has to be diligently sought out, outside of mainstream circles. media, academia and the well funded religion of science will never admit that they've been wrong. Too much is at stake, too many jobs and industries, cultures, false religions and manmade institutions would be disrupted or dissolve entirely. That won't be allowed to happen, so the chrarade will continue.

Yeshua (Jesus) said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me."

The road to the truth is in Him, and He reveals these things to us if we strip away the layers of nonsense we've been taught all our lives.

Crystal Forest,

Petrified Forest National Park

( ' Obfuscation . .. . ' )

NB>>PM!*!*!*

* ' Blue Grass ' * ~ ~ ~ ' Forget*ful.ness . .. . '

( After(the)Summer . . Blue.s . . Summer Shadows . . The Lingering Light . . The Shadow.s of the Fall . . Summer Blue . . Last Light . . )

et al etc . . * * * ! ! * ! * * . . ! ! . * . ..

I have tried really hard to clean this image up, at least enough to distinguish some of the surface detail obfuscated in the Original Scan / Picture.

Some interesting geometric shaped 'Wall's' to the central area on the 'Right Hand Side' of this Pan. Speculatively speaking of course.....

Feature(s):

DELPORTE, N WALL, LANGEMAK

Sourced From Flickr's "Project Apollo Archive" Scan of the Original : www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/21791071418

www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/apolloindex/apollo1...

It's easy to feel schadenfreude as Republicans react to Supreme Court Justice Scalia's death. He embodied conservative ideals with the ability to convey them with eloquent force. And he was positioned to codify these beliefs. During this contentious election year, his death is timely, one worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Donald Trump has already defied all conventional political wisdom, jeopardizing both conservative doctrine and the future of the GOP. And Republican leadership is in overdrive, attempting to spin this turn-of-events to their advantage in any way they can. Senator Mitch McConnell, along and other Republicans, has said the American people should decide the next nominee with their votes in the upcoming Presidential election. But, that already happened in 2012 when Americans re-elected President Obama. So, why is the GOP suggesting such a thing? For the preservation of those conservative ideals and for self-preservation as a functioning party. The Constitution clearly lays out the process for choosing Supreme Court Justices. And it's not by a direct vote of the American electorate.

While the United States is a representative democracy (we elect others to govern on our behalf), our two main political parties actually rule. That's a problem. Senator McConnell, the rest of Congress, and the President were elected to represent the American people, not their respective parties. But, retaining party power now takes precedence over governance. Many Americans are so angry at the way our government functions they are looking for leaders outside the system. But the system is more than just Washington gridlock. It's Wall Street. It's corporations. It's lobbyists. It's the 1%. In other words, the ruling system is a complicated symbiotic relationship between these interest groups and much more nuanced than just a dysfunctional Federal government.

While both the Democrats and the Republicans are responsible for this mess, the GOP is particularly vulnerable, finding obstruction and obfuscation much more critical to its agenda. Its majority in the Senate does not reflect a majority of Americans (it represents 20 million fewer voters than the Democrat minority) and the House owes its majority to gerrymandering, where Congressional boundaries have been manipulated to favor conservatives. These facts make them nervous.

Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley recently penned an op-ed in the Washington Post justifying their belief that no action should be taken to replace Justice Scalia until after the Presidential election by pointing out the Democrats' history of gridlock in similar cases. As if two wrongs make a right! But these two "wrongs" are not equivalent. Republicans are vowing to ignore any nomination President Obama brings forth. In the past Democrats have held confirmation hearings and votes on Presidential nominees. In this case, many liberals are calling on Obama to nominate a moderate to the bench. In a recent Salon article, writer Paul Rosenberg said, "There is a consistent constituency for moderation and compromise on the Democratic side, a view commonly held in contempt by Republicans."

If McConnell and Grassley truly believe the people should have a direct say in government, they should work to institutionalize a direct democracy, dismantle the Electoral College and end gerrymandering. Both institutions are walls between governance and the people. But, of course, this would undermine the party's power. Given this, their words seem hollow and manipulative —just the type of rhetoric that fuels voters' anger and disenfranchisement.

See all the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here. Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint), and electronic drawing.

An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman, or draughtsman.[1]

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[2] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

Drawing Outside of the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.[16]

Notable draftsmen[edit]

Since the 14th century, each century has produced artists who have created great drawings.

Notable draftsmen of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries include Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo and Raphael.

Notable draftsmen of the 17th century include Claude, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, Guercino, and Peter Paul Rubens.

Notable draftsmen of the 18th century include Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Antoine Watteau.

Notable draftsmen of the 19th century include Paul Cézanne, Aubrey Beardsley, Jacques-Louis David, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Edgar Degas, Théodore Géricault, Francisco Goya, Jean Ingres, Odilon Redon, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Honoré Daumier, and Vincent van Gogh.

Notable draftsmen of the 20th century include Käthe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, Jean Dubuffet, George Grosz, Egon Schiele, Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Oscar Kokoschka, Alphonse Mucha, M. C. Escher, André Masson, Jules Pascin, and Pablo Picasso.

The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[18] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[19] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[20]

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[21] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[22]

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[23]

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

Form and proportion[edit]Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive shapes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive shapes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[24]

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[25] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

Washington DC, The National Mall, July 13, 2014. Over 2,000 climate justice activists assemble for a rally and march to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in opposition to the expansion of a natural gas transfer and storage facility at Cove Point on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The looming 4+ billion dollar expansion of the Dominion Resources facility in Calvert County is largely seen by environmentalists as a dirty and dangerous enabler of the accelerated overseas export of fracked gas from nearby states and a prelude to the approval of hydraulic fracturing in western Maryland. Several speakers at the rally skewered Maryland's cowardly centrist democrat politicians who see Cove Point as a 'done deal' and have almost completely avoided taking any meaningful action for their constituents on this vital issue. Opacity, obfuscation, ass covering and capitulation to some of the very worst corporate bullies is what we've come to expect from our spineless elected officials. The marchers braved 93 degree temperatures and typically heavy DC summertime humidity. When I finally left the march at Union Station even the strap on my camera bag was soaked with sweat. That's Tim DeChristopher on the left, Reverend Lennox Yearwood second from the left, Mike Tidwell of Chesapeake Climate Action Network fourth from the left, author Sandra Steingraber on the far right.

Taken at the Three of Clubs club

on Vine Street in Hollywood, where

my friend Eliza Bane was performing.

This is

Delilah DeMilo, who

got my attention

even with all her clothes on,

and she allowed

me to take a close-up portrait of her

prior to the show. But this one,

in which she is in the midst

of her elegant burlesque,

is one of the most

erotic photos,

in my humble and

lusty opinion,

i have ever taken.

As they say in

old Roma when confronted

with a beauty like this,

"È piena

di dinamite

sessuale."

The multi-colored Spathi Eluder, formerly known as the Discriminator, remains the bulk of the Spathi fleet even 20 years after the War. Its construction, though seemingly chaotic, is carefully designed to mimic its crew's natural attributes: paranoia, elusiveness, and cowardice. From the outside, the Eluder consists of many bubble-shaped, solid-colored cabins joined together by smaller gray corridors. The intention of having so many large seemingly crew-filled projections is partly to obfuscate enemy into targeting the decoy cabins and to direct enemy fire away from the sections where the crew resides. However, in-game, enemy weapons incapacitate the same amount of crew no matter where the Eluder is damaged.

Not sure what this pair were up to. Didn't show on the map until they headed north on the down fast - and headcode was obfuscated - most unlike GBRf. I suspect they went to Peterborough as 0H06 but not sure.

66725 and 66735.

I have a confession to make: my friend request vetting process is a bitch. I know I'm not alone in this. I also know that it puts me among a legion of perceived dicks.

I'm aware that Second Life is a social platform and blah, blah, blah, but, I am not now, and will probably never be, a fan of giving someone the option of knowing my comings and goings in SL. You have to know me a pretty long time to get those keys.

But, sometimes I can be impulsive, and, well, let's just say that timing & context are everything.

[23:20] Anonymous Roleplayer: Hey Antimony.

[23:20] Antimony Battery: Hai Anonymous. How are you this fine...eh...morning?

[23:21] Anonymous Roleplayer: Hangin' in there, how about you?

[23:21] Antimony Battery: Definitely no complaints, though I'm a bit in a tizzy... I've not been here in awhile and this place has changed mightily

[23:22] Antimony Battery waves her hand around "When did all *this* happen?"

[23:23] Anonymous Roleplayer shrugged, rolling his broad shoulders back and flexing his inked chest slightly as he sized up the place. "Its only looked this way for about a week ... Welcome back?"

[23:24] Antimony Battery: Cheers, love your extremely high high-tops

[23:25] Anonymous Roleplayer: Love your extremely short shorts.

[23:26] Antimony Battery blushes slightly, scuffing the toe of her worn boots against the concrete and tugging her skirt down a touch "Heh. Thanks."

[23:27] Anonymous Roleplayer couldn't help but smirk, sinking further into the chair. "Nope. Thank you ..." Still sizing her up, unnoticed behind his thick pair of shades.

[23:30] Antimony Battery backs into the fire escape behind her a bit, bracing one foot on it and lifting herself, trying to get a better angle of view. She casually peers at him through sooty lowered lashes and studies his casual nonchalance, his wide, full mouth, and his tangible air of...danger.

[23:32] Anonymous Roleplayer held his ground, stretching slightly and forcing his tight hoodie to ride up slightly. He was slightly tempted to follow her, but too comfortable to move. He motioned her over, hoping she'd meet him at least halfway.

[23:36] Antimony Battery quirks her plump lips at the corner and narrows her eyes, as if to shrug off your beckoning gesture, but something impels her to move closer, even if it is just the siren's song of that low-slung table nearby, topped with soft looking pillows. So, she sidles closer to you, in spite of herself.

[23:38] Antimony Battery drops herself unselfconsciously onto her belly and crooks a thick thigh, settling into the velvety pillows with a comfortable "Hmmmh!"

[23:39] Anonymous Roleplayer took note of the hesitation and curiousity written all over her face, although that's not exactly where his eyes were. She was only a few steps away, and looked just, if not more comfortable than he was already. Finally shifting his weight forward, rising to his feet, shuffling his boots across the concrete, taking a stance behind her.

[23:42] Antimony Battery props her chin in her hand and lifts her eyes languidly, her hips wiggling as if to settle in more, but, really just to cover her slightly nervous jolt. "Stay calm" she reminds herself "You're the one with the knife." She offers a smile that is at once coy and guarded and asks in a low, slightly smoke-husky voice "So...are you here at this fine establishment for the scenery, or the intellectual stimulation?"

[23:46] Anonymous Roleplayer smiled, showing off his perfectly aligned pearly whites, "I'll have to admit Im guilty of both. As of right now, its definitely the scenery, I haven't had to come up with anything too witty just yet. So what do you wanna confess?"

[23:52] Antimony Battery lifts an eyebrow, an easy smile coming to her lips. Now *there's* an interesting question! She ponders it thoughtfully, blowing soft, perfect smoke rings, which she often does when she's thinking and admits: "Every single person I've ever met, the second I shake their hand, I imagine having sex with them, no matter how inappropriate and regardless of whether they're attractive to me or not. And sometimes it *makes* them attractive to me."

[23:53] Antimony Battery exhales a long stream of smoke, almost like a sigh of relief, and chuckles low in her slender throat "It's been that way for as long as I could remember."

[23:55] Anonymous Roleplayer grinned, surprisingly not even taken back by her brutal honesty, in fact, he loved it. "Sounds like my cup of tea." He offered his rather large hand to her for a shake, "Now that I know exactly what you'll be thinking when you take my hand, you might just have to share the details."

[23:57] Antimony Battery laughs with familiar ease, appreciating your humor and extends a small, freckled hand to meet yours, closing it around yours, well, half of it at least, and barely refrains from letting her eyes flick downward with a "My, what big hands you have!"...

[00:00] Antimony Battery 's surprisingly hot, dry hand meets yours and she wonders if she should tell you how she imagines raking off your glasses, peering into your exposed eyes confrontationally for a moment before shoving you backwards, back into that deep, plush seat still warm from your body as she shimmies her skirt up and lowers herself down on you. Instead her smile grows, getting toothy and slightly goofy as she laughs and murmurs "Now you're just putting me on the spot!"

[00:02] Anonymous Roleplayer easily encased her hand in his , offering a smile and his name. "Well, is it safe to assume your sizing up my other assets?" He didn't even bother to reach down and adjust his skinny jeans, besides ... if his shaft was visible, here eyes were already there. "Well, would you prefer to be on the spot, or somewhere else?"

[00:04] Antimony Battery laughs again, a musical peal graced with the barest notes of guilty pleasure as she "Mmmhs" at your cheeky innuendo and teases "My, my, but you are feisty, aren't you? But seriously, now I have to think of a fittingly prying question to follow up yours with."

[00:05] Antimony Battery still doesn't let go of your hand, instead peering at the glossy black blankness where your gaze should be as she thinks again, her thick lips pushing out perfect smoke rings

[00:06] Antimony Battery perks suddenly and clears her throat "Okay...if you had to reduce yourself to a single word to describe yourself...what would it be?"

[00:09] Anonymous Roleplayer inhaled one of her flawless smoke rings as it floated up to him. "With form like that, I hope rings aren't the only thing you blow ..." He shifted his weight from the heels to balls of his feet, subliminally thrusting towards her slightly. "Good question. You pick things up quickly .... One word, hm? I'll definitely stick with witty. Unelss you can think of something better?"

[00:12] Antimony Battery deftly plucks the slim, black cigarette from her lips and slyly puffs a large, perfect ring your way, licking her lips in a manner that is definitely *not* subconscious as she pointedly drops her green gaze to the neighborhood of your lap, travelling the steep hill of your zipper as she smirks "Forward!" then winks.

[00:15] Anonymous Roleplayer found it damn near impossible to turn down a command from a pair of lips like that. He paced forward, taking a shoulder-wide stance at the edge of the table. He glanced down through his dark rims, her lips still nursing the thin cigarette. "How's this?"

[00:18] Antimony Battery erupts in a sudden, short burst of laughter, before cupping her hand over her mouth to let you know she meant nothing mean-spirited by it. Her cheeks flare a little at the misunderstanding, and also at the little tickle of delight she feels seeing that you think this is a command and obey so readily. She starts to explain "No, I meant..." then smiles at you, kindly, and shakes her head "Nevermind." before letting a pause hang in the air, curious to see what happens next.

[00:19] Anonymous Roleplayer is offering friendship

Would you be my friend?

(By default, you will be able to see each other's online status.)

[00:19] Friendship offer accepted.

[00:19] Anonymous Roleplayer is offline.

[00:20] Antimony Battery laughs!

* Name obfuscated due to respect for more privacy than just my own. ;-)

halter: Sn@tch

thermal corset: Sn@tch

art belt: Manna (no longer available in this incarnation)

skirt: Luck Inc.

tattoo: Huz

smoke: Gentlemen Store

earrings: The Closet

finger tapes: Luck Inc.

manicure: Slink

necklace: Burroughs (free!)

wristband: Sey

lashes: FTL

eyes: Poetic Colors

skin: Curio

hair: Truth

eye makeup: Tik Tok

pose: Mela's

backdrop: Kyoot Photosphere

mole: Miamai

...but you better believe this sparks some conversations.

Done by Will Bledsoe, now of Lone Wolf Broadway in Nashville.

*EDIT*

Speaking of sparking conversations, I got this comment recently in a community on LiveJournal that I post in:

"As a Russian Jew, I find your tattoo about as offensive as a swastika. And the fact that you're so flippant about it actually makes it worse.

It's Poli Sci, btw. Because it's Political Science, not Polyamorous Science. [in response to me refering to my major as poly sci instead of poli sci]"

I thought long & hard about the point she was making and decided to include my response here as well because some viewers might have the same objection.

My response:

"Hmmm.

I am rather disappointed at the tone of your comment but so be it. In my mind, my comment to this post fulfilled the requirement of showing a picture of my tattoo and stating (succinctly) why it was important to me. In such a case as this, perhaps you are on the right track though...at least in requiring more of an explanation from me.

Firstly, to respond to the first part of your comment, I believe there is a distinct separation between philosophy/revolutionary culture and a leadership that killed millions. Not to mention, not every symbol has the same meaning for all people. Obviously that's why it is a symbol. Swastikas are almost universally accepted by society as a symbol of the holocaust and the Nazi regime, despite the fact that the swastika symbol has existed since the Neoliothic era and is commonly used in Eastern/Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In fact, the word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object.

The hammer and sickle is associated (globally) with communism or communist states. You are correct that some groups consider it to be an occupation symbol, given the history they suffered under the flag bearing the same symbol but socially speaking, it is more widely accepted than, say, a swastika. I do not claim that this makes it less offensive somehow, but less prone to offending.

I am not ignorant to matters of social, global history because as I stated, I DO and HAVE studied political (I mean really, how obnoxious was that?) science, before you even started high school it seems. My interest in these subjects is what led me to pursuing this tattoo in the first place. Not to be flippant or offensive. For me, my tattoo symbolizes the pure meaning of the objects...a union between the industrial proletariat and the agricultural peasantry. In essence, a rejection of pure capitalism and the unadulterated greed of the modern world. The old Bolsheviks, who first created the symbol prior to the Russian revolution, perhaps felt the same way. Indeed, many of the purveyors of the original symbol were executed for treason during the Great Purges of the 1930s, by the same Stalin the who oppressed the Russian Jews. Many communist opponents of Stalin, most notably the Trotskyists, cite this fact in support of their argument that Stalin betrayed the aims of the revolution for his own gain. Meaning perhaps that the original connotation of the symbol was obfuscated somewhere along the way by a charismatic leader who bent ideology for his own aims.

Really, though, my tattoo has done exactly what I intended it do, and that's start a conversation. I appreciate your comments, despite their overall tone, as I have not encountered anyone in the years I've had it that was offended in the manner that you were. It is a legitimate claim and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my beliefs. "

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint), and electronic drawing.

An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman, or draughtsman.[1]

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[2] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

Drawing Outside of the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.[16]

Notable draftsmen[edit]

Since the 14th century, each century has produced artists who have created great drawings.

Notable draftsmen of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries include Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo and Raphael.

Notable draftsmen of the 17th century include Claude, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, Guercino, and Peter Paul Rubens.

Notable draftsmen of the 18th century include Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Antoine Watteau.

Notable draftsmen of the 19th century include Paul Cézanne, Aubrey Beardsley, Jacques-Louis David, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Edgar Degas, Théodore Géricault, Francisco Goya, Jean Ingres, Odilon Redon, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Honoré Daumier, and Vincent van Gogh.

Notable draftsmen of the 20th century include Käthe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, Jean Dubuffet, George Grosz, Egon Schiele, Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Oscar Kokoschka, Alphonse Mucha, M. C. Escher, André Masson, Jules Pascin, and Pablo Picasso.

The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[18] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[19] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[20]

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[21] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[22]

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[23]

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

Form and proportion[edit]Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive shapes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive shapes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[24]

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[25] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to start getting some honest information from our candidates. I'd like to make some informed decisions and all this spin is only obfuscating that task.

See all the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here. Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.

Mission: To emulate the style of an iconic photographer.

The photographer for this assignment is Uta Barth (1958-)

Born in Berlin, Germany, Uta Barth now lives and photographs in Los Angeles, California.

According to wikipedia:

"Barth has used photography exclusively in her aesthetic projects, experimenting with depth of field, focus and framing to take photographs that are suggestive rather than descriptive, alluding to places rather than describing them explicitly[...]. Barth’s images of interiors, buildings, suburban roads or natural environments are often out of focus, cropped and apparently empty of any foreground subject. What emerges from this reduction and abstraction of subject matter is a body of photographs evocative of great moments in the history of painting, or of a cinematic ambience."

Uta Barth typically works in color. Many of her images take on an ethereal and dreamlike quality with her use of very shallow DoF and blurriness as a compositional element. She typically uses normal (everyday) saturation and always uses her light advantageously. She rarely shoots nighttime shots and prefers to use ambient environmental light. Compositional elements are extremely important and when viewing her photography, a big factor to consider is how she uses her negative space. She works in a minimal style, however, her out of focus elements are just as important as her "in-focus" subjects (if there is one).

For Uta Barth, the suggestion of the subject is more important than the subject itself. She tends to not work in a literal photographic sense, rather allowing the viewer to become an active participant in the "creation" of the photograph. Without the viewer, the photograph becomes a massive blur of light and shadows or a cut-off in-focus subject. The viewer adds to the photograph by taking the suggestive lights and shadows to "create" and "discern" the scene. This does not necessarily mean that you need to photograph something in an abstract way -- it means that your photograph should be suggestive rather than literal. The lazy photographer will click the lens to manual focus, blur out a scene, and press the shutter. The successful photographer will take all the abovementioned elements into account and "see" how the out-of-focus elements (and/or lights and shadows) interact with one another to create the image as a whole.

You are challenged to take a Uta Barth-style photograph using the elements outlined above (DoF, blurriness, negative space, saturation, ambient light, etc). Suggestion is the key to this assignment. Your submission needs to bring the viewer along for the ride as an active participant in creating the photograph (interesting trick, I know). A successful submission will look as if Uta Barth took the photograph while also retaining your own photographic style or voice.

Hopefully, we will all learn a new tool to pull out of the photography bag of tricks after this assignment.

WIT:

Held the puffball at arms length and manually set the focus. Found a nice spot of light filtering down through the trees and put the puffball right in it. Blew as hard as I could and depressed the shutter on continuous; I kept slowing things down until I got some motion blur w/o blowing things out too much (I went through several dandelions too ;)

DWIT:

1. which photo(s) inspired you:

2006.11 2006.9 etc. I really enjoyed her triptychs .

2. what you liked and/or didn't like about Uta Barth's style:

I like that she find beauty in the ordinary in the plain, in what is. She puts effect into those ordinary situations -defocusing, toning, motion blur, DOF etc. to make her photos something to contemplate from a balance and color point of view - her series installations are even more so. The part I didn't like wasn't even about her photos - it's about how pretentious and small minded some people seemed to get discussing her work or style. I think it is more accessible and aesthetic than some folks would like it to be ( if that makes sense)

3. your thoughts and/or thought process behind your assignment submission

I wanted to do something that used light to highlight a subject clearly and to introduce controlled blur that added to the image (instead of obfuscated) and i wanted to use colors to highlight the composition. I know my submission isn't a great emulation, but after a week of experimentation it felt like an extrapolation of her style into what I see and photograph. The center shot is what the camera recorded - that green is really the shot with AWB - the other two images are extensions of that strongly colored theme,

4. how your photo reflects elements of Uta Barth's style

See above.

5. what you gained as a photographer from studying Uta Barth's work.

More of an appreciation of the abstract and a stronger sense that photography isn't always representational and not always about a beautiful subject even if that's what we tend to be more comfortable with presenting to viewers.

This scheme shows how classes of typefaces may link to atmosphere values. I based the names of the typeface classes on those I have done for URW++ in 1995 and for the Scangraphic DIgital Type Collection in 1990. In both classifications, the idea was to link DIN 16518, BSA 2961 and ATypI Vox with the Noordzij Cube / Typographic Universe.

The aim of these schemes is to link atmosphere values with those typeface classes that include text typefaces. If one would add display typefaces, a linking system like this would provide links that are more obvious than the ones shown here. On the other hand, the obvious links would rather obfuscate the atmosphere value of text faces as display typefaces communicate their ‘values’ much louder than text typefaces. Also, the schemes shown here and here, which include a larger number of atmosphere values and typefaces, already look fairly complicated. Nowadays, tagging provides a solution for linking details and atmosphere values more accurately.

The question that remains unsolved is how to design a visual interface which both links values to classes and also shows how smaller visual details and single adjectives relate.

This is an updated version of the scheme of 1995

polaroid sx-70 alpha 1-se, polaroid type 600

Presented at the Conference of the Southeastern Society for Social Psychologists 2011 in Johnson City, TN

From my series 'between.nature.and.culture'...

Phleogena faginea - a wild guess.

Not on fagus, on dead, dryed abies alba

Details: agrozoo.net/jsp/Galery_one_image.jsp?id_galery_obfuscated...

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint) and electronic drawing.

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[1] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

In addition to its more artistic forms, drawing is frequently used in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering and technical drawing. A quick, freehand drawing, usually not intended as a finished work, is sometimes called a sketch. An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman or a draughtsman.[2]

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper/other material, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Galileo Galilei. Phases of the Moon. 1616.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling, free hand and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

History[edit]

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

Drawing Outside the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[20] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[21] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

Technique[edit]

Raphael, study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[22]

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[23] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[24]

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[25]

Tone[edit]

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

Form and proportion[edit]

Pencil portrait by Ingres

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive volumes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic volumes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive volumes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[26]

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.

Two-point perspective drawing

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[27] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

Artistry[edit]

Chiaroscuro study drawing by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans element placement in the art to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

Drawing process in the Academic Study of a Male Torso by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1801, National Museum, Warsaw)

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

Process[edit]

Individuals display differences in their ability to produce visually accurate drawings.[28] A visually accurate drawing is described as being "recognized as a particular object at a particular time and in a particular space, rendered with little addition of visual detail that can not be seen in the object represented or with little deletion of visual detail”.[29]

Investigative studies have aimed to explain the reasons why some individuals draw better than others. One study posited four key abilities in the drawing process: perception of objects being drawn, ability to make good representational decisions, motor skills required for mark-making and the drawer's own perception of their drawing.[29] Following this hypothesis, several studies have sought to conclude which of these processes are most significant in affecting the accuracy of drawings.

Motor function Motor function is an important physical component in the 'Production Phase' of the drawing process.[30] It has been suggested that motor function plays a role in drawing ability, though its effects are not significant.[29]

Perception It has been suggested that an individual's ability to perceive an object they are drawing is the most important stage in the drawing process.[29] This suggestion is supported by the discovery of a robust relationship between perception and drawing ability.[31]

This evidence acted as the basis of Betty Edwards' how-to drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.[32] Edwards aimed to teach her readers how to draw, based on the development of the reader's perceptual abilities.

Furthermore, the influential artist and art critic John Ruskin emphasised the importance of perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing.[33] He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficult in drawing what we see".

Visual memory has also been shown to influence one's ability to create visually accurate drawings. Short-term memory plays an important part in drawing as one’s gaze shifts between the object they are drawing and the drawing itself.[34]

The designation "Z-31" is a bit confusing (Ponder & Best seemed to want to obfuscate model names). We'd know this today as the f/1.5 version of the Mamiya 35 Super Deluxe. This is how the owner's manual names it.

>>Like the haunting chants and prayers to which I've never listened

thou shalt no longer live in chains or ever be imprisoned.

Ease my always throbbing heart, I shall no longer falter

as pupae to imagines all images must alter.

Let thy glory shine on me, disperse my obfuscation,

hide thy essence in myself, I need assimilation.

Stream thyself into my soul and flood it with thy yearning,

pour thy soul into my shell, erase my restless burning.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices of a stranger.

I hear voices in my head, echoing. <<

(A prayer for sanctuary by ASP

if you want to listen: youtu.be/QkJaCjtkSHo )

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint) and electronic drawing.

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[1] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

In addition to its more artistic forms, drawing is frequently used in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering and technical drawing. A quick, freehand drawing, usually not intended as a finished work, is sometimes called a sketch. An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman or a draughtsman.[2]

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper/other material, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Galileo Galilei. Phases of the Moon. 1616.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling, free hand and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

History[edit]

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

Drawing Outside the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[20] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[21] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

Technique[edit]

Raphael, study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[22]

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[23] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[24]

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[25]

Tone[edit]

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

Form and proportion[edit]

Pencil portrait by Ingres

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive volumes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic volumes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive volumes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[26]

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.

Two-point perspective drawing

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[27] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

Artistry[edit]

Chiaroscuro study drawing by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans element placement in the art to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

Drawing process in the Academic Study of a Male Torso by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1801, National Museum, Warsaw)

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

Process[edit]

Individuals display differences in their ability to produce visually accurate drawings.[28] A visually accurate drawing is described as being "recognized as a particular object at a particular time and in a particular space, rendered with little addition of visual detail that can not be seen in the object represented or with little deletion of visual detail”.[29]

Investigative studies have aimed to explain the reasons why some individuals draw better than others. One study posited four key abilities in the drawing process: perception of objects being drawn, ability to make good representational decisions, motor skills required for mark-making and the drawer's own perception of their drawing.[29] Following this hypothesis, several studies have sought to conclude which of these processes are most significant in affecting the accuracy of drawings.

Motor function Motor function is an important physical component in the 'Production Phase' of the drawing process.[30] It has been suggested that motor function plays a role in drawing ability, though its effects are not significant.[29]

Perception It has been suggested that an individual's ability to perceive an object they are drawing is the most important stage in the drawing process.[29] This suggestion is supported by the discovery of a robust relationship between perception and drawing ability.[31]

This evidence acted as the basis of Betty Edwards' how-to drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.[32] Edwards aimed to teach her readers how to draw, based on the development of the reader's perceptual abilities.

Furthermore, the influential artist and art critic John Ruskin emphasised the importance of perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing.[33] He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficult in drawing what we see".

Visual memory has also been shown to influence one's ability to create visually accurate drawings. Short-term memory plays an important part in drawing as one’s gaze shifts between the object they are drawing and the drawing itself.[34]

Kamera: Nikon F3 (1989)

Linse: Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 (1970)

Film: Cinestill BWXX (Kodak 5222) @ ISO 200

Kjemi: Xtol (stock / 8 min. @ 21°C)

Riad Awwad: Palestinian Revolution (1987) [2022 re-issue]

Just one week after the outbreak of the First Intifada in 1987, Riad Awwad brought his sisters Hanan, Alia and Nariman together in their living room and began recording The Intifada album on equipment he had made himself. One of the songs was co-written with their friend, the acclaimed Palestinian writer and poet Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008). Riad printed 3000 copies of the cassettes which he began distributing in the Old City of Jerusalem and across the West Bank. The Israeli Army immediately confiscated all the copies they could find, the vast majority of which remain in the military archives to this day. Riad was arrested, interrogated and detained for several months. Straight after his release, he formed a band, Palestinian Union, and put out a new album. He then founded a school, offering kids in the West Bank an alternative musical education, teaching them how to create their own electronic equipment. In 2005, Riad was tragically killed in a car accident. His legacy lives on through his family, his timeless music and his powerful story, which continues to inspire to this day.

Over several years, Mo’min Swaitat has amassed an archive of rare tapes and vinyl from Palestine and beyond. Many of these were acquired from a former record label in his hometown of Jenin, in the north of the West Bank. Majazz Project is a research project and record label borne out of the archive, focused around sampling, remixing and reissuing vintage Palestinian and Arabic cassettes and LPs, shedding new light on the richness and diversity of Arabic cultural heritage.

- The numbers as per 20 January 2024 -

Killed:

- Gaza: 24,927+ killed - including 10,000+ children, 7,000+ women, 678 elderly, 326 paramedics and medical staff, 135 UN staff (*not updated since 9 January 2024)

[* These are official numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry but in an obviously obfuscating attempt, Wikipedia now also includes numbers from two other sources; 1) Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor - Killed: 28,951 civilians + 2,546 resistance fighters and 2) Israeli government - Killed: 10,000+ civilians (as of 6 Dec. 2023) + 9,000 resistance fighters (as of 14 Jan. 2024)]

- Israel: 1,410 killed - including 810 civilians (*number now includes 695 Israeli civilians and 29 who were hostages), 529 IDF soldiers, 61 police officers and 10 Shin Bet operatives

- Hamas fighters killed inside Israel (Oct. 7): 1,000+ (+200 captured - where are they held?)

- West Bank: 368 killed

- Lebanon: 196 killed

- Journalists: 115 killed (*not updated since 9 Jan. 2024)

- Syria: 85 killed (*not updated since 9 Jan. 2024)

Wounded:

- Gaza: 62,388+ - 70% women and children

- Israel: 8,787+ (*not updated since 1 January 2024) [mostly IDF in Gaza] )

- West Bank: 4,000+

Hostages:

- Taken: 253 (*has previously been reported in an increasing manner as 239, 245, 248 and 250 on 1 January 2024) - including more than 133 IDF soldiers, 120+ civilians (32 children), of whom 52 are foreign or dual-nationals)

- Killed I: 60 (by Israeli bombing)

- Killed II: 37 («subsequently killed»; i.e. by IDF ground troops)

- Released hostages: 109

- Rescued hostages: 1

- Remaining hostages: 46 - Do the math

- Remaining hostages (Israeli claim): 108 living hostages and 28 dead bodies

- Recovered hostages (Dead bodies): 11

Missing:

- Gaza: 7,000+ - 70% women and children (in the rubble) [*number previously reported as 7,780+ / Not updated since before 1 January 2024]

- Israel: 2 - 1 Israeli, 1 foreign (*not updated since 9 Jan. 2024)

Displaced / Refugees:

- Palestinians: 1,900,000

- Israelis: 500,000

- Lebanese: 76,000 [*not updated since 9 Jan. 2024]

Houses in Gaza destroyed by Israeli bombing:

- 10 October 2023: 1,000 houses

- 19 October 2023: 98,000 houses

- 22 October 2023: 42% of all houses

- * No longer reported on Wikipedia.

Number of Israeli settlers in occupied Palestine since 1967:

- 1972: 10,531

- 1983: 99,795

- 1993: 269,200

- 2004: 423,913

- 2007: 467,478

- 2010: 512,769

- 2018: 645,800

- 2020: 671,700

- 2022: 733,000

- Sources: Wikipedia - Articles 'Israel-Hamas War' & 'Israel-Hamas war hostage crisis & ‘Israeli settlement’ & 'Killing of journalists in the Israel–Hamas war'.

After the ice storm I found this lost user ID encased in ice on the cement barrier around a light post at the train station.

Olympus OM1 + Expired Ilford Delta Professional 100 + Home Development.

13mins intermittent agitation in spiral developing tank with Ilfotec DD-X (1+4)

Thanks also to Tony Browne for very kindly loaning me the OM1 on this trip, taken last September. It's his fault that I now have one of my own.

Alice: Here we are… again? It seems like this time he wants us for the photostream cover photo. Quite flattering, I guess. Oh? Do I see new faces?

Executioner: Hiiiiiiii! I am the new girl in this shithole Wonderland! Nice to meet you! Please don’t be afraid to join our party! I will joyfully severe pat your head!

Queen: Why is that [redacted] child in blue rags still alive? That [redacted] of McGee should have hired FromSoftware to code the game, and not those [redacted] softies from Spicy Horse.

SinoAlice: Yay! I’ve been updated! I am so glad that someone still rememb…

Q: Stfu, bunny girl! What is a leftover from a failed gacha game like you doing here? I am his beloved heroine and this is my turf! Gtfo!

A: “His beloved heroine"?

Q: What do you mean, you malnourished, unnatural child? Of course I am his fated one. Look! Full body update! The poor guy is crazy for my bricks.

A: Don’t let your brainrot obfuscate you from the truth, granny. I got a brand-new doll. Can’t see yours. In fact, he didn’t even find you worth of scratching his credit card and give you a new 7068 octogonal ring.

E: Do not believe her, your Highness. And please, do NOT check his photostream.

Q: [Checking photostream] I AM GOING TO [redacted] THE [redacted] OF THAT PIECE OF [redacted].

E: Nnnnnnnnngh! Yesh!

S: Ladies! No foul language!

I just wanted to put my Wonderland girls as Cover photo. ♥♥♥♥

A treehopper, family Membracidae, order Hemiptera, in a typical treehopper position with its head pushed up against a plant stem, perhaps to obfuscate the visibility of potential predators to its physical outline

The first whole figure I did after my first figure drawing class. Still fairly awkward and further obfuscated by the heavy anime style, but I can definitely see a difference compared to earlier similar compositions.

On Wednesday 13 May 2009, Redi Direko was hosting her talk show on 702 Talk Radio. During the show, she took ANC Youth League Spokesperson, Floyd Shivambo, to task. He was on record accusing DA leader, Helen Zille, of 'sleeping her way to the top'. He also suggested that the male members of her cabinet were her 'concubines'.

Shivambo phoned the station, outraged at being taken out of context, and demanding the right to reply, to explain what he meant.

Listen to the podcast for the full version of his incompetent idiocy. Or watch this animated summary to get a sense of what listeners and Direko had to go through. Here's the podcast link: is.gd/zKir.

I made the caricatures using ArtRage 2.5. I used Audacity to edit the audio down to an acceptable length of time. The animation was made using a closed beta version of CrazyTalk 6 (I was asked by the developers to be one of the beta testers of the software).

The music used in the end credit is by Antony Raijekov. It's released under a Creative Commons 'Attribution, Share-Alike' license.

The computer I'm working on is sponsored by Rectron South Africa. It's an Asus R1E tablet pc.

[UPDATE: The 'Making Things Blatantly Obvious' blog has a full transcript of the Redi vs Floyd 'debate': http://bit.ly/17DHgw.]

[UPDATE 2: This 'Redi vs Floyd' animation is featured on p13 of Issue 60 of the online weekly men's magazine, 'Milk': http://www.milkmag.co.za/milkmag/v01/issue60/index.php.]

[UPDATE 3 (4 June 2009):]

After a comment I received on my FaceBook-facing distribution of this video, I've re-thought Floyd Shivambu's role in this. Here's my analysis...

I sense that Floyd isn't as airheaded as he came across. My guess is that he got really riled by Redi, and got stuck in an anger groove that he couldn't easily shake himself out of.

I also suspect that he was given a directive from the ANC or the ANCYL to say nothing substantive about the matter. So he found what he thought was a good way of obfuscating the issue without putting his foot in it too badly.

Of course, his strategy was really kinda kak. Cos it blew up in his face.

The trouble with being a spokesperson is that you've GOT TO remain calm, cool, engaging. At ALL times. Even when you're being lambasted on live radio. And he did NOT crack that. He didn't even remotely crack it.

I don't know Floyd at all. I haven't come across his poetry. And I've never been to any performances of his. So I can't comment on him as a person. What I CAN comment on is that he CAME ACROSS as a cynical bully who got very peeved!

The trouble with politics is that what's being SAID is never the agenda. It's what's UNDER the words that needs to be excavated.

This little edit of mine is an attempt at exposing what I believe to be going on in South African politics...

Obfuscation. Derailment. Refusal to deal with the issue. Ad hominem attacks. Secrecy. Trial by insult.

Floyd achieved a hell of a lot in the interview. He has indelibly linked Helen Zille's name to the idea of her as an owner of concubines. Long after the LOGIC flaws of his arguments have been forgotten, the emotional undertow will remain.

South Africans now think of Helen Zille and male concubines as one concept.

So Floyd is nowhere near as idiotic or silly as he pretended to be.