Tuesday, 15 May 2012

Edvard Munch Exhibit

The National Gallery of Modern Art is showing an personal collection of Edvard Munch of over 50 lithographs and wood cuts, including a rare lithograph of the infamous, "The Scream". Needless to say I was pretty excited to go to it, I have wanted to go to the Museum of Modern Art mostly because I have been to most of the major galleries in Edinburgh except this one, but previuos to this I didn't really have the inclanation to go. With the added draw of Edvard Munch I mostly mentioned it in every conversation with Caryn so I think she got the hint that I wanted to go, though I am pretty sure I can safely say she enjoyed it as well!

The National Gallery of Modern Art

 The Front Garden

Because we weren't allowed to take photos inside the actual exhibit, Caryn got me this shadow box. I should have taken a picture of the instructions, it was basicall cut, fold, glue haha what more could you need! It looks aweosme though!

I wish I could have been more brazen and took photos but I'm not so I don't have any. Seeing them was really exciting though! I also took fairly similar photos with the holga of the outside of the gallery so once I finish that roll undoubtedly you will see them again. Though I think this time it will be black and white.

I also did a wee postcard, hope Tiffany and Danny like it!

Monday, 14 May 2012

Holga 2; Edinburgh Zoo

I think I am getting the hang of this! Caryn was just here  so that meant that I get to go to the zoo! Which also meant great opportunity to take some more photos with my Holga and see if I can't figure it out some more! Unfortunately I had a slight disaster and the back fell off my camera and I think I lost most of my panda pictures. So now I keep a pony tail around the camera and that has seemed to keep it in place for now until I can find some gaffa tape. But I still got one great one and one pretty cool double exposure if not a little dark, I should probably invest in photoshop and then I could fix these things but thats a project for a later day I think.
So when I realised that the back was off I just finished up the roll so I could start a new one so there are quite a few pictures of the sunbears, I almost think that the back falling off made the pictures a bit brighter. Probably No but some came out awesome!

The Sun Bears just got fed so they were out and about getting their food!



  The black but in the centre is a Sun Bear I swear!


I was really impressed with the Panda exhibit, when they said that you would be going in with groups of 50 I really thought that it would be horrible to try to get a good photo or even a opportunity to see them but they did a great job!

Tian Tian

Yang Guang

The King penguins were awasy so there was no penguin parade, but the gentoos were nesting so watching them steal eachothers pebbles for nests was pretty funny, definately worth the trade off for the penguin parade.


And after all of that walking I felt about the same a the Sea Lion.


I really wanted to get this film developed so I ran on my lunch break taking photos along the way to finish off the roll and I got surprisingly good photos!





I have another film in the works, a black and white one this time! I am super excited to take more photos with this one, so far I took some at the National Gallery of Modern Art, we were there for the Edvard Munch exhibit of Lithographs but more on that soon!

Sunday, 6 May 2012

Holga

So very recently I got my first analogue camera that I know (mostly) how to use, I do have the Ensign Ranger II but I don't really know how confident I am with actually trying it out! So I decided to start small and work my way up to big! Introducing the Holga 120CFN..


Now I am chalking this up to inexperience cause I messed up quite a few of these photos! But it was my first film and I wanted to try a whole bunch of things on it!
So here are a couple of picture I really liked.

Double Exposure of Castle and Cherry Tree.

St Giles. 

I have two more rolls at the printers and this time I am getting it on CD as well so hopefully no more pictures of pictures.
So hopefully more from me soon cause Caryn is visiting so I am sure I will have lots to post about!

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Moley Moley

I have been fairly addicted to video games as of late and as such haven't been doing as much drawing as I would like to have done. I have completed a few sketches that I would like to turn into paintings but everytime I think to myself I want to paint today I find myself just sitting back and playing video games.


Procrastination is a bitch. That is until a couple days ago I stumbled on this blog Moleskine Exchange and it made me think about how little used my moleskine is and how I definately could do more with it! So I started sketching with pen again in my moleskine! I like the results so far though some could be more polished.



I was really hoping to be blogging more this month so lets see if I can keep up the sketching in my moleskin and get some painting done!

Thursday, 22 March 2012

A Lot Of Pictures Cause It's Spring!

The weather has been super nice here for the past few days and it made me feel all summery and happy (and a bit smug, I'm talking to you snow covered relatives out there)! 

But maybe I won't gloat too much so here are some pictures.










No drawings today, not that there aren't any but I haven't taken any photos of them yet but hopefully soon, March has been a pretty lax month for posting so I will leave with a lingering hope that the end of March will have more updates.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Birthday Hints

These are the three wee paintings that I made for Camille Caryn and Marsha, I wanted them to be hints for what they would be getting, but I think that only works for Caryn's and especially not Marsha's but they were fun!

Caryn also got Season One of Sherlock!

 
Marshy also got Howl's Moving Castle the novel and a set of cookie cutters!

And Camille got the new Winnie the Pooh movie! (Cause he's a bear.... its a hint right?)

Also this week I saw the new desgn for my arm and its awesome! Cheers Matt!

Saturday, 18 February 2012

Mysterious Paper Sculptures

I recently came across a post on facebook about these mysterious book sculptures, it showed one being found in the Scottish Poetry Library with a note saying,

"It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree.… … We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)"


That was March 2011, it seemed like a one off but in late June one appeared in the National library of Scotland aslo with a note,

"For @natlibscot – A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. (& against their exit)"


Soon after the Filmhouse recieved theirs

"For @filmhouse – A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. and all things *magic*"


In the Scottish Storytelling Centre found theirs well hidden, so they don't know how long it might have been there, but their message was the cutest so far

"For @scotstorycenter – A gift in support of libraries, books, works, ideas….. Once upon a time there was a book and in the book was a nest and in the nest was an egg and in the egg was a dragon and in the dragon was a story….."


Then two more appeared during the International Book Festival one addressed as such,was left on one of the signing tables in the Bookshop. The cup stating that there is nothing better than a cup of tea and a GOOD book

To @edbookfest ‘A gift’ This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…… & festivals xx



The other, addressed to @edincityoflit (UNESCO Edinburgh City of Literature), was secreted about their stand in the entrance tent.

To @edincityoflit ‘A gift’ LOST (albeit in a good book) This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…. “No infant has the power of deciding….. by what circumstances (they) shall be surrounded.. Robert Owen


The next was found in the Central Lending Library which I am at very regulary so maybe they have taken down the diorama but I am going to ask next time I am in if it is maybe somewhere else. Getting back to the point, their tag read,

"For Central Library ‘A Gift’ @Edinburgh_CC This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…. LIBRARIES ARE EXPANSIVE"



“It’s important that a story is not too long ……does not become tedious …….”
There was a flurry of excitement when someone at the Scottish Poetry Library spotted this note in their guest book, “Hopefully next time I’ll be able to linger longer – I’ve left a little something for you near Women’s Anthologies X. In support of Libraries, Books, Words and Ideas….”

“To @ByLeavesWeLive……. THE GIFTS “Gloves of bee’s ful, cap of the Wren’s Wings…….” Norman McCaig …. maybe sometimes impossible things… In support of LIbraries, Books, Words Ideas….”

Another one was left at the Scottish Poetry Library, but this one marked as 10/10


Did this mean that perhaps someone had found one earlier and not know what it was, discarded it or taken it from where it was left. But luckily that wasn't the end and soon This Tyranasaurus Rex bursting out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World was discovered in the National Museum of Scotland.

“For @NtlMuseumsScot A Gift Your friends at @edbookfest suggested you might like this. …. In support of libraries, books, words, ideas and those places that house our treasures……”


And finally, found brazenly sitting on the donations box in the Writers Museum, a depiciton of perhaps Jekel and Hyde,

@CuratorEMG A Gift “The stories are in the stones” Ian Rankin In support of Libraries, Books, Words, Ideas …… and Writers.”


An so that seems to be the end of the Art Attack in Edinburgh, with almost no explination or confession, just pieces to inspireourselves to appreciate and show appreciation for the things around us and what we hold dear.


Where I found all this This Is Central Station

A Study In Scarlet

Or more a study in roses...


Good thing I practiced so much...


(did't do the words)

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Two New Paintings

I thought I would try something a bit different with the colouration of roses, I think it came out pretty well, if a little messy. But I like it anyway.


 I really liked this drawing so I might just paint it again sometime, the hare on the left is my favorite.


Also I sent an email about my film and the guys at www.processc22.co.uk said that my film looks like it can be process from what they can tell from the age and the photos I sent.  I am going to send them off tomorrow and hopefully hear more from them soon. They did say it can take up to and perhaps more than 6 months so hopefully they keep me posted!