Countdown to infinite crisis. The OMAC project

20. Countdown to infinite crisis. The OMAC project (Coundown to infinite crisis, The OMAC project #1-6, Wonder Woman #219) by Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns and Judd Winick; Artists: Jesús Saíz, Rags Morales, Ed Benes, Phil Jimenez, Ivan Reis, and various

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the book with the back story I was looking for which sets up the series that starts with Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman? Well, most of the back story. There's still 3 issues of Superman that are only summarized in this collection. Close enough I think for me.

I think I'm finally get a grasp of all the superheroes I'd never heard of until recently. Not sure what I think of most of them. I've long been a fan of DC's trinity: Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman.

I read things a bit out of order which is not a big deal, but if you'd rather read in order (I like to), it should be:
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Countdown to Infinite Crisis - The OMAC Project
Infinite Crisis
Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?

and on from there. There are lots of other tie in stories to the Infinite Earths/Crisis stories, so if you prefer other characters there's loads to choose from. It's basically hypertext, just in print.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #8

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Life of Art SitRep #60 A semblance of headway

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

Could've sworn I did more this week. Getting back on track after being laid out last week at any rate.

This week, I

Made 18 new stickers for my shop using some of the new shapes available including rectangles, ovals, squares, and hearts:

Double Arch by RocklawnArts
See more Double arch Stickers

Desert Wave by RocklawnArts
Design custom stickers using zazzle.com

Circle With Fire Escape by RocklawnArts
Become a part of Zazzle's artist affiliate program

Footprints in Snow by RocklawnArts
See other Footprints in snow Stickers

Made horizontal and vertical rectangle sticker templates.

Submitted links/products to 12 forum leads.

Watched "Create A Pop Art Effect," "Sharpening Images In Photoshop - Part 1," "Sharpening Images In Photoshop - Part 2" Photoshop tutorials.

Finished reading Popular Photography February 2011 and October 2010 issues.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: 3 days left until... no, not Easter

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi

19. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Geoff Dyer is one of my favorite authors, but his work is difficult to characterize. I've read nearly all of his books (own several) except the one that's a study of John Berger's essays and a new one I only recently discovered. There are the quasi travel memoirs, a more critical look at photography, a musing on jazz, as well as some fiction.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is a novel in two parts, just like the title. Having read many stories of the author's own adventures abroad, I recognized his voice in the character Jeff. Enough to make me think the Biennale in Venice and life in Varanasi have much in common with his descriptions of them.

I preferred the Jeff in Venice section of the book which transpires mainly in Venice, Italy during a biennial art festival aptly called the Biennale. His descriptions of the art parties made me feel like I was there while reminding me it's not my scene.

The Death in Varanasi section switches to a first person narrative that may or may not be Jeff from the first section of the book. It gave me a feel for the city Varanasi in India along the Ganges although no desire to visit.

The book is sort of the perfect vicarious experience of both cities.


A year ago on TTaT: Beyond: A Solar System Voyage

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Biggest Bear Yet

Despite not having a new or updated logo, BearWatch 2011 is already a success! Success in this case equals me getting to see a bear in my back yard. From a photographic standpoint, I'm trying to learn from my mistakes rather than continue to kick myself for them.

I've been a bit down for the count the past week so when the bear call came, I was not at my best. My first mistake was flipping the camera dial from manual to auto. I was afraid I'd miss out on shots by being too slow adjusting the settings.

As I framed up my first shot below, I debated whether or not to wait until the bear had cleared the sculpture. I decided it wasn't an issue because I could take multiple shots.

But then the camera decided it was too dark out and fired the flash.

A fucking eternity passed as I waited for the flash to recharge so I could subsequently shut it off and take more pictures. Time stamps on my photos say it was just a minute or two, but I lost my chance to photograph the bear in prime location. It was long enough for me to realize I could've changed my shutter speed and aperture several times over.

This is probably my cleanest shot of the bear this go round:

The other thing I forgot to take into account is that the camera typically opts for slow shutter speeds in low light. 1/8 of a second is not what you want if you want a sharp image of a moving subject. If I'd been paying attention to the shutter speed, I could've at least tried panning with the bear to keep him in better focus.

Nonetheless, I think this impressionistic bear photograph is my favorite:

In preparation for next time, I'm taking advantage of the fact that my camera will remember its last manual settings. My f-stop is wide open and my shutter speed is 1/250. I'd go to 1/500 to be sure to freeze the action, but chances are fair that the bear will turn up late or early in the day when it's darker out. If I have to go to a slower shutter speed I can, but I'll also know if it's worth giving panning with the subject a try. White balance I typically set but in this case, I'll take my chances with auto white balance to save myself the extra menu fumbling. Mainly I'm trusting myself to think quickly in the moment.

With any luck, the bear will stop by again sometime. If not though, that's OK. Last year I didn't see any bears, so I'm really happy I got the chance to see this one.


For better bear photographs I've taken in the past, check out:

Claire's Bears

I'll take a bear in my Easter basket any day

The moment I've been waiting for

To sum up

A year ago on TTaT: Pick me up flowers

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Life of Art SitRep #59 Human sponge

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

Hindered would be a good way to describe this past week, but where progress was impeded I substituted education. (Lest I seem overly virtuous, there was also a lot of Veronica Mars, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, some Wonderfalls, movies and stray tv.)

This week, I

Shot 10 photographs of a bear in the backyard! Not my best but more on that to come.

Watched nearly all of day 1 of Bambi Cantrell on Creative Live and all of Days 2 & 3. Great info!

Listened to GoingPro podcasts #32-34.

Watched "Copyright and the New Economy: Issues and Trends Facing Visual Artists" panel discussion.

Watched "Embellishing the Pentatonic Scale."

Sent thanks DMs to new twitter followers.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Final winter exhibits

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Permission

So I've started giving myself permission to do superficial things that put me at ease that would normally make my rational brain protest. You know what? Totally worth it.

For example, I might be stressed out about going to a doctor's appointment. Although intellectually I know they really do not care if I shave my legs, I might choose to do it anyway because it will relieve my anxiety that I will be judged for it.

Here's where the permission comes in. Despite my belief that being judged by arbitrary social conventions is ridiculous, often sexist, and unfair; I allow myself to abide by one of those conventions when it will make me feel more confident or relaxed.

I reckon my approach to shaving my legs generally meets that metric. It's something I enjoy the process of so long as I'm not crazed about it.

By allowing myself to shave my legs before a doctor's appointment when I would otherwise skip it without feeling guilty or mad at myself, it becomes a real choice. I choose to do it because it will make me feel better.

As I get less stressed out by the inciting incident, I can make different choices if I want to. Instead of shaving, I might just wear knee-high socks. After meeting the doctor, I might realize I really don't care what she or he thinks about me. Or I might find out that my legs don't get seen at all anyway. The choice, whatever the venue or superficial action might be, is all up to me.

The main thing is that I never have to feel bad about doing something (even if it's totally shallow) if it will make me feel more comfortable, particularly in situations I already find stressful. It's nice to give my irrational motivations some slack sometimes, and oddly it seems to make it easier to come around to the rational ones.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #6

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.

Life of Art SitRep #58 More inspiration from my closet

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

This week, I

Shot 73 photographs: receding snow, dog sculpture peeking out of snow, chairs, snow footprints, golf course.

Prepped Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle photograph, wrote product description, and created a line of customizable products:

Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle iPad case by RocklawnArts
Become a part of Zazzle's ipad affiliate program

Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle by RocklawnArts
View other Brown Postcards

Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle by RocklawnArts
Create a magnet with zazzle

Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle – Medium by RocklawnArts
View other Brown Postage

zblogged, tweeted, FB'd Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle link.

Made Rainbow Stripes shipping label:

Rainbow Stripes shipping label by RocklawnArts
Design your own return address labels at zazzle

Added related designs and did post quick create checklists for Rainbow Stripes, Rainbow Square, and Rainbow Squares.

Tweeted, FB'd, zblogged Flowing Blue Silk Fabric Abstract folder link.

Removed ornaments and calendars from featured items. Rearranged items a bit. Bit glitchy, redid once, so may take a while to show up/be correct.

Submitted links/products to 9 lenses/forum leads.

Tweeted, FB'd, zblogged, TTaT blogged Pi day sale. Also tweeted magnet sale.

Sent several thanks DMs to new twitter followers.

Listened to Going Pro Podcast Episode 31: creating related business for ancillary income.

Watched "How To Create Presets in Camera Raw" Photoshop tutorial.

Watched "“When you Travel, Bring your Passport!” with Seth Resnick" webinar. Mostly about Lightoom.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 13 <– really like this one!

If you liked this post, please share it using the links below.