So I was at Half Price the other day...
...long story short, I've been toying with painter Essentials for a bit now, and I finally have a few things to show off. What I can do with even this baby version of the professional toy just utterly blows away every previous digital piece I've done, EVER.
It's still not on level with what I can do traditionally, but I'm learning.

One of these days I might even watch the tutorials that came with the program too!

Pops
Yarn Porn
Love

Current Mood: amused

The diskdrive on the Wii started randomly flashing bluishness at me tonight while on standby.
I think it's lonely.

In other news, Thread of Valor's first issue/story is complete! It's hovering in cyberspace now (the files are HUGE), awaiting Ian's pleasure. Whew! What a relief!

Current Mood: drained

Father can you hear me?
How have I let you down?
I curse the day that I was born...
And all the sorrow in this world...

Let me take you to the hurting ground
Where all good men are trampled down
Just to settle a bet that could not be won
Between a prideful father and his son
Will you guide me now, for I can't see
A reason for the suffering and this long misery
What if every living soul could be upright and strong
Well, then I do imagine...

There will be Sorrow
Yeah there will be Sorrow
And there will be Sorrow, no more

When all soldiers lay their weapons down
Or when all kings and all queens relinquish their crowns
Or when the only true Messiah rescues us from ourselves
It's easy to imagine...

There will be Sorrow
Yeah there will be Sorrow
And there will be Sorrow, no more

There will be Sorrow
Yeah there will be Sorrow
And there will be Sorrow, no more

There will be Sorrow
Yeah there will be Sorrow
And there will be Sorrow, no more

Current Mood: contemplative

"See, he's not really a leader. He's more of a figurehead. Like, 'Sir! We've captured the figurehead!' and 'What? This isn't the yarn I asked for!' See?"

Current Mood: confused

Scanning and texting pages one through four. That makes 25% done! (Don't ask about the other 75%, dear gods have mercy.)

Current Mood: anxious

Why don't they make a Guitar Hero: Gods of Metal? or even Guitar Hero: Punch to the Face Tour (with all your favorites from the Vans/Warped Tours for the last decade!) How about a Rock Band: 10,000 Fists (political rock through the years)

I'd totally buy that.

Current Mood: curious

Alas, there is more to say than I care to stay up to say. Isn't that always the way? Cest la vie in this modern life, in which we struggle and weep and die.

In my absence from the net I have been reading, ill, tired, hungry, despairing, working and attempting to art. I would write out some of my reading material, but perhaps another night.

Three (?) weeks ago I began a painting, which is in the underlayment stage, but it is not going well and I have run out of tape. I do rather like the colorway, but the figures thwart me and this new way of working.

Last week, I got some studio time in, on fiber arts. I have re-cast-on the Sunset shawl, details to be had on my Ravelry.

Yesterday, I ruled up a workable template (at last!) and divided up three sheets of good paper for the final rendering of the twelve page beginning of Thread of Valor, which will print in an upcoming Mysterious Visions anthology. I then ruled up four pages, with frame notes, and roughed in one of those. I also checked out two new additions to the library: an eye-candy volume on drawing birds in colored pencil (I'm a sucker for manuals too) and a copy of The Little Green Handbook, which has surprised me in several ways.

First, I imagined it a fairly fluffy, mainstream version of "green": it has turned out to be heavy on reliable data and mathematical formulas used to understand the data. There is narrative, numbers, and charts. I might wish to have a slightly more visual curve-and-dots chart with some of them, but as a scholar I appreciate the value of hard data. Further it is organized on an elemental structure (population/mundane body, land/earth, water, atmosphere/air, energy/fire, social decline and conflicts/spirit body) along with an into, a summary and "landmarks of progress" (that is hope/spirit body). This, from a nuclear physicist.

Second, what I thought was a pleasure/personal study book has turned out to be relevant to my "main" projects right now: that is, Tapestry and Thread of Valor. In fact, especially Thread of Valor.

Today, I roughed in page 1 for Thread of Valor, and sketched page 1 of Tapestry: Unraveling chapter 2. I have a mental outline which takes us to chapter 4, I hope to type it soon. Very soon! This doesn't sound like much, but when you see the page, and know I spent a good 5 hours on it today alone from an original I spent 2 days on... Also, I read more of the Little Green Handbook, cast off the long edge of the Sunset Shawl and wrote 3 pages of notes relating to General Astricae, the population and distribution of Imperial citizens and other races, and calculations of the relative size and distribution of the Imperial Army.
Remind me later I need to calculate how much of the population is primarily involved in farming et cetera.

This is more than I've managed on any "weekend" for the past month - and all this without coffee!! Whoa!! It's sad and impressive, simultaneously!

Current Mood: contemplative

Yes, you heard me right - peas! Sweet peas, no less! In Texas! In May! They make all of an overflowing handful, but a whole handful in one harvest! And I grew them! Me, who forgets to water* and can never remember where she planted what, and has been waging a prolonged war against suburban parasites with hope and a handy rock.

This calls for a celebration. I think I even still have some fire rock beer to celebrate with!

I have been harvesting various greens and radishes from the garden for months and months (we had chard, arugula and kale all winter) but the peas were kind of a shot in the dark, being Texas and all. I hope to plant more in, oh, September, for a fall crop. I rather expect better success there, but a spring harvest at all is immensely gratifying. Oh, and the beets are alllllllmost ready. Talk about a long maturity rate. One beet is full size and awaiting.... something. I haven't decided what, but it is ensconced in a plastic bag in my fridge, and maybe by the time I decide, his friend will also be big enough to eat. Maybe a beet-carrot salad thing? it certainly would look festive. I hope it's tasty. I think the next crop will be seeded in August

*which means, of course, that Mark must be watering regularly, else everything would be dead.

Current Mood: accomplished

Thank you for your support for Thread of Valor!
You have the power to bring a new story to publication. You have the power to disrupt the status quo, to help bring a different voice to the industry.

We held our own yesterday in the 18th rank, thanks entirely to you!

We have 21 unique voters, and you know what? That's more than many of the higher-ranked projects. If every one of you voted every day for the remaining 6 DAYS of this contest, I think we will finish this round on a very strong note. If you can help us spread the word, and each bring even one friend to the party, I think we could even join the leaders of the pack!
So! You know what this means... WE NEED YOUR VOTE! We ask only that you take a small moment to drop into the forums and post your YES to the thread!


Please, drop by and vote for us if you have a spare moment today - and the next seven days as we race towards the end of the round! Tell your friends about this project and ask them for their support! It only takes a moment to register on the Dimestore forums, and post your reply of "YES" to our thread.

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36280.html

Thank you for your support of Thread of Valor! See you in the forums!

-Jacqueline Giraud, Illustrator and Co-Creator

*****FRIDAY 4/24 IDOL REPORT*****
[...] Ok! Let's get this back into action, here's the standings....

1.) 820 Votes (+44) - 98 Voters ( +2) Faction - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
2.) 481 Votes (+38) - 111 Voters ( +3) Maddie Scientist - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
3.) 370 Votes (+31) - 55 Voters ( +7) The Machine - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
4.) 352 Votes (+18) - 65 Voters ( NC) Hometown Heroes - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
5.) 331 Votes (+14) - 58 Voters ( +1) The Associate - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
6.) 329 Votes (+63) - 96 Voters ( NC) The Underground - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
7.) 274 Votes (+54) - 92 Voters ( +7) The White Rose - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
8.) 254 Votes (+19) - 58 Voters ( +2) Haxxor - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
9.) 232 Votes (+34) - 72 Voters ( +7) Steel Rising - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
10.) 206 Votes (+20) - 49 Voters (2NC) Varsity Squad - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
11.) 170 Votes (+14) - 36 Voters ( +3) Dogman and Lester - Judges Vote: 2 No.
12.) 162 Votes ( +6) - 29 Voters ( +1) Project Mercury - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
13.) 159 Votes ( +8) - 45 Voters ( +1) Mr. Man - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
14.) 126 Votes (+19) - 39 Voters ( +3) Diary of a Teenage Heroine - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
15.) 116 Votes (+15) - 39 Voters ( +4) Earthman - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
16.) 91 Votes ( +8) - 27 Voters ( NC) Dead Duck - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
17.) 84 Votes (+29) - 45 Voters ( +7) The Doorknob Society - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.

18.) 62 Votes (+11) - 21 Voters ( +5) THREAD OF VALOR - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.

19.) 50 Votes (+16) - 28 Voters ( +6) Monsters of Love - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
20.) 31 Votes (+14) - 17 Voters ( +5) Dinos - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
*************** *******The Dreaded Line**************** ************
21.) 31 Votes ( +8) - 16 Voters ( +1) Quick Draw - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
22.) 29 Votes ( +7) - 19 Voters ( +4) Boulder Colorado - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
23.) 24 Votes (+12) - 17 Voters ( +9) Chaoskind - Judges Vote: 2 No.
24.) 21 Votes ( +7) - 15 Voters ( +4) EAST - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
25.) 20 Votes ( +7) - 10 Voters ( +1) Nevil Von Dunst - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
26.) 11 Votes ( +2) - 7 Voters ( NC) APOC: Hel's Kitchen - Judges Vote: 3 Yes
27.) Parahero Will be a Back Up Feature in Mysterious Visions Anthology.


Numbers Explained: # Votes Total - # Voters Total (# in parenthesis is new since last count)

If there is a Tie: The numbers are used from left to right. So #votes is first, if that is a tie, then the (+#) is used to break it, if that is a tie, then the next...if a project moves into an absolute tie across the board, whichever project was lower in the previous count will be placed in the upper position in question, as they have more momentum in how they got to the tie.

NOTE: While you can only vote for a project once per day, you CAN vote for more than one project a day.

While I have your attention: VOTERS!! Don't forget to stop at the DISTRO site and look into becoming a GOLD MEMBER, you'll be able to download free PDF comics from lots of publishers! PLUS, we WILL be counting DOWNLOADS in the Round 4 vote. Get a head start seeing how it all works!
[...]

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36280-50.html

- - - -

Short “how to” on signing up.

1. Go to http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/signup.php
2. Verify you are over 13.
3. Fill out personal details (scrolling down). Don’t worry, this is just to verify you are a real person.
4. Click on “Register” button at the bottom of the screen.
5. You will be sent an email to the account you signed up with.
6. Find the activation mail and click on the link inside to activate your account. Note: if you don’t get the activation email (a common issue), email ian@dimestoreproductions.com and he will activate you.

Short “how to” on voting.
1. Go to http://www.dimestoreproductions.com.
2. Sign in using your logon information in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Click on the “Idol” button.
4. Click on the “Round 2” button. This will take you to the list of projects.
5. Click on the link that says “Click here to vote for project” to the right of the project(s) you would like to vote for.
6. In the top right of the forum, you will see a button that says “Post Reply”. Click that.
7. A new screen will come up with a window. Type “YES” in the window and click the button “Reply to Thread” beneath that. Note: if you get an error that says “Duplicate Post”, go back and try “YES!!!!!” or put “YES” and a comment. It should work then.
8. Repeat this process for as many projects as you would like to vote for. You can vote ONCE PER DAY PER PROJECT.

Note: Any log on issues, please email ian@dimestoreproductions.com

THREAD OF VALOR: http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36280.html

Current Mood: anxious

Shamelessly quoted from the official report, below are Thread of Valor's official standings!

OH NO! We have dropped one place since yesterday, (18 of 27) despite gaining another fan! Only the top 20 projects will move on to Round 3, and the presentation of sequential pages!

You know what this means... WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Please, drop by and vote for us if you have a spare moment today - and the next seven days as we race towards the end of the round! Tell your friends about this project and ask them for their support! It only takes a moment to register on the Dimestore forums, and post your reply of "YES" to our thread.

Thread of Valor FORUM

Thank you for your support of Thread of Valor! See you in the forums!

-Jacqueline Giraud, Illustrator and Co-Creator

*****THURSDAY 4/23 IDOL REPORT*****
[...] What's going on? Well, The Machine asserted itself today, jumping not one, but two projects up in the top ranks...though you'll note the numbers are a TIGHT RACE. The Underground, again, has the biggest + number...and has a solid shot at the top 5. Steel Rising, broke into the top 10. But I think most interesting, a project I once accused of giving up, Dogman and Lester, climbed in the ratings today, and that's no easy feat.

The real interest in now, however, firmly on THE LINE. Quick Draw just knocked Boulder Colorado out of it's place above the line. The action there, is going to continue to get tighter as the last 7 days of voting play out.

If the project you are supporting is not getting more votes a day than the project above it...it is at risk of sliding down. [...]

1.) 776 Votes (+54) - 96 Voters ( +2) Faction [...]
2.) 443 Votes (+30) - 108 Voters ( +4) Maddie Scientist [...]
3.) 339 Votes (+23) - 48 Voters ( +4) The Machine [...]
4.) 334 Votes (+16) - 65 Voters ( +2) Hometown Heroes [...]
5.) 317 Votes (+20) - 57 Voters ( +1) The Associate [...]
6.) 266 Votes (+63) - 96 Voters ( +9) The Underground [...]
7.) 235 Votes (+20) - 56 Voters ( +1) Haxxor [...]
8.) 220 Votes (+47) - 85 Voters (+12) The White Rose [...]
9.) 198 Votes (+39) - 65 Voters ( +8) Steel Rising [...]
10.) 186 Votes (+21) - 49 Voters ( NC) Varsity Squad [...]
11.) 156 Votes (+16) - 33 Voters ( +1) Dogman and Lester [...]
12.) 156 Votes (+13) - 28 Voters ( +1) Project Mercury [...]
13.) 151 Votes (+14) - 44 Voters ( +3) Mr. Man [...]
14.) 107 Votes (+16) - 36 Voters ( +4) Diary of a Teenage Heroine [...]
15.) 101 Votes (+14) - 35 Voters ( +1) Earthman [...]
16.) 83 Votes (+10) - 27 Voters ( +1) Dead Duck [...]
17.) 55 Votes (+28) - 38 Voters (+12) The Doorknob Society [...]

18.) 51 Votes ( +7) - 16 Voters ( +1) THREAD OF VALOR [...]

19.) 34 Votes (+19) - 22 Voters ( +9) Monsters of Love [...]
20.) 23 Votes (+12) - 15 Voters ( +6) Quick Draw [...]

*****The Dreaded Line [...] *****

21.) 22 Votes (+11) - 15 Voters ( +5) Boulder Colorado [...]
22.) 17 Votes ( +9) - 12 Voters ( +6) Dinos [...]
23.) 14 Votes (+12) - 11 Voters ( +6) EAST [...]
24.) 13 Votes (+11) - 9 Voters ( +4) Nevil Von Dunst [...]
25.) 12 Votes ( +6) - 8 Voters ( +3) Chaoskind [...]
26.) 9 Votes ( +2) - 7 Voters ( +1) APOC: Hel's Kitchen [...]
27.) Parahero Will be a Back Up Feature in Mysterious Visions Anthology.


Numbers Explained: # Votes Total - # Voters Total (# in parenthesis is new since last count)

If there is a Tie: The numbers are used from left to right. So #votes is first, if that is a tie, then the (+#) is used to break it, if that is a tie, then the next...if a project moves into an absolute tie across the board, whichever project was lower in the previous count will be placed in the upper position in question, as they have more momentum in how they got to the tie.

NOTE: While you can only vote for a project once per day, you CAN vote for more than one project a day.

While I have your attention: VOTERS!! Don't forget to stop at the DISTRO site and look into becoming a GOLD MEMBER, you'll be able to download free PDF comics from lots of publishers! PLUS, we WILL be counting DOWNLOADS in the Round 4 vote. Get a head start seeing how it all works!

[...]

<a href="http://www.dimestoreproductions/com/forum-t36280-0.html> Go to the Thread of Valor Forum and post YES! </a>

Current Mood: worried

Thread of Valor REALLY needs your help. I need more votes, I need more Voters. I need you to vote once a day by posting a "yes" in this forum thread if you'd like to see this story go any farther.
We've got 19 voters... and only 37 votes since we posted last Wednesday...

Please - if you want to read a fantasy-adventure story with elves and drama, if you want to see a comic that doesn't rely on torpedo-boobs to sell copies, if you want to support a starving artist who is committed to making luscious drawings of rich worlds, then storm the gates of the Dimestore Forums and flood them with your resounding YES

Current Mood: anxious

Yes, our graphic novel/comic Thread of Valor, a sword and sorcery adventure tale (now, with more elves!) has progressed into Round 2 of Small Press Idol*, and is now open for the general public to vote on! Please visit the forum and vote for us if you like what you see! Only the top projects move on to the sequential art of round 3, and you can help us get there. You can vote for any project once a day. You can vote every day if you'd like (we certainly would love to have more than one vote from you!) Help us improve the project by leaving comments about what you like, or what you'd like to see.
It is an exciting time! See you in the forums!

-Jacqueline, Co-Creator and Illustrator of Thread of Valor

*Small Press Idol is a comics competition, wherein the winner not only gets the origin comic published, but gets a publishing commitment of four issues beyond that, and a healthy prize purse.

Current Mood: excited

At long last, Round 2* is done.

I struggled with choosing the poses for the rotations and the action shots, trying and rejecting dozens before I settled on the versions I took all the way through clean-up.
I had thought to dress up a few more of the secondary characters, but the bios were problematic. How do you write a bio for redshirt #15? As long as the Imperial soldiers are exactly that - faceless instruments of the Empire - how can I write a bio? Ought I rotate each of the body types individually, or just the "average" one? What about the action shots? Two per body type? Two poses, but shown on each "type"?
I also had planned on printing the grayscale layouts and hand-coloring them. Unfortunately, the images you'll see in round 2 are hardly two weeks old, from wireframe to finished grayscale. I'd need another two days to color it - if the printing** goes right the first time, if I don't make any mistakes, if I had caught the layout problem BEFORE I printed ( I barely caught it before submission, and it took a good hour and a half to fix, and that was only digital.)
So - the colored poses got desaturated so they'd mostly match the others***. I figured, better to be consistant: The Machine's entry, while I found it interesting to look at, did end up a bit cluttered and raised questions as to which version of rendering would be the final cover style and/or interior style. I also borrowed a trick from Hometown Heroes, and put the logo on each final character page. I'm glad I did - having it there highlighted some layout issues, and helped me refine the pages further.
I'll be happy to show you the stack of drafts that went into the creation of this version, proof positive I have indeed been working on this round for almost two months. I decided for the purposes of the round though, that it would be better not to flood the judges and the voters with pages and pages of images that fall outside of the round's requirements.

It's not perfect, actually not even very close. If I refused to submit the work until it was perfect, it would never get to exist though. The desire for perfection must be transcended in order to reach enlightenment.
At least, that's what I tell myself every time I think of "just one more thing..."

As soon as the submission goes live, I'll be linking the thread directly here, trust me! We should be one of four projects to go in for judging today, which means it should be in the public vote tomorrow. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the judges' critique... Wish us luck, and be sure to drop into the forums and vote!

Oh, and why the Kitchen of Doom? In honor of a long weekend we moved forward on our kitchen remodel. There were all kinds of nasty surprises behind those ugly cabinets. Yuck! (But if you want more details, I'll be blogging about it tomorrow. Have to give me time to get the pictures processed and uploaded.)

* Small Press Idol 2009, just in case you've been under a rock.
** please bear in mind: I have no printer, so getting anything printed must happen during business hours and I lose at least an hour, generally two, in the travel and arranging with the copy center folks.
*** Yes, this is an indication that I Was A Dumbass, and Did Not Scan the Linework Before I Colored It.

Current Mood: accomplished

Halp, the internets are trying to eat me.

It's stave-off-the-taxman-day, so of course I've been chained to the machine for the duration of those particular mathemagics. The potential return has purposes for which it is earmarked (reduce debt, finish kitchen by installing countertops, potentially replace roof) so I want to make absolutely sure my numbers are right.

Also, because of Aggiecon I'm trying to make use of the things I have learned - networking, other conventions, researching other publishing houses and the cost of glicee prints (since that seems to be what the market wants, damnit all.) This is proving to be... very time consuming. Necessary, I am sure - I cannot count how many panelists/guests emphasized the necessity of self-promotion and networking, but it does cut into studio time.

This is especially bothersome because I need to devote these two days to absolutely, finally finishing the character pencils for round 2. I committed to a deadline of the 13th, but I want the pencils done now, so processing (ink and potential color) can happen gradually over the next week. I also have to tweak the character bios and forward the whole shebang to the other writers - and my somewhat-less-biased but trusted review parties. I am contemplating the ramifications of a few executive decisions in the character designs, in the interest of better and more easily drafted art.
You know what though? Two competing projects are up for judging today. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good things about them, but I have walked away to blog because I cannot look at them without working myself into a froth.
Why?
Their character rotations *are standing*. Not in dynamic, foreshortend motion (unless one counts one upraised arm as foreshortening). Standing. Slightly twisted. But standing. The judges and previous contestents have harped on dynamism until I am having hysterics over here about how to handle our "quiet" character - and the few judgements so far posted HAVE NOT MENTIONED THE STANDING. In fact, have had NOTHING to say about any lack of dynamism.
Gah!
Gahrghablarglejhfjl;artgfguiemllleeeeeiii..........

*pantpantpant*

I... am now going to go eat some chocolate. With coffee.
Carry on.

Current Mood: anxious

Can someone please inform the Ninja that I do not qualify as either a tree nor a piece of furniture nor a doorframe, even if I happen to be standing at the window? *rubs absently at the new set of punctures at the hip*

Current Mood: cranky

I'm back from Aggiecon, but I am not caffinated enough yet to write up a full con report. Oh, let's say it was good (DnD, good people, sold work), Bad (disorganization, logistical problems, communication malfunctions) and also Ugly (operating at a loss, drama, the Helm of Change Gender on a -6 charisma dwarf). I'll be going next year, but I'm going to see what I can do about influencing the set up of next year, and cadging some friends into doing the same. A good con for me makes a good con for others, and where the group prospers, so do I.

The Pirate's Dilemma has been a theme this weekend. You should go read it.

In other news, I am lusting after refurbished equipment to succeed my poor dying shuttleXPC.

Current Mood: bouncy

I am gearing up for Aggicon this year, getting my paperwork in good order, cueing up a few prints and culling the portfolio for stuff to drag along. I plan on updating my devart tonight with some of the stuff I'll be taking, as I have four (oh yes! four!) whole new paintings to show. Oh man oh man, it has been too long!
I'm sending a few test prints to the local Wolf camera even as we speak: they're definitely more than Kinkos or Target, but I have a few good reasons. First, Target's photo printing has changed hosting four times just since I moved to Austin, and the number of stores that even *do* enlargements dwindles every week, and none of them carry matte paper anymore. Second, the last batch of 4x6 prints I sent to them came out a touch pixely even though the source files were well over 4 megs. Third, Kinkos is no longer even FedEx Kinkos, they have done away with the manned print counter, and the shipping people are Not Very Helpful. Now, if you send the documents in digitally, maybe it turns out ok, but last time i tried the server was being particularly snarky, so I dragged my usb with me. Lo, to use the "digital print shop" you had to buy time to use the terminal in addition to buying the prints themselves - oh, and the prices have doubled. Fourth, and this may be paranoia talking, but three years ago I had two 11x17 matte prints pulled on good, coated paper. I was goiing through the stash for the convention and I think... they're a bit faded. I think. I certainly don't remember noticing speckles in the dark areas before... and the colors are nowhere near as bright as the originals... and I was quite happy with them at the time. Maybe I was just gidddy from the sale of a few pieces that week, and maybe I'm just being hyperneurotic now, but... I don't believe in coincidence.
Let us pray that Wolf will handle my prints more professionally, and they may just get my business hereafter.

Current Mood: busy

In the process of doing research for Thread of Valor, I picked up all three volumes of The Traditional Bowyer's Bible from the local library. Why they have such a thing when they can't stock a decent book on dynamic, anatomical renderings* is beyond me, but there it is.
Why these?
I've been putting serious thought into the design of Malia Leafwalk's bow in the early stages of the story, and what technological progressions/changes she'll make in the course of the story. This meant I've had to learn a lot, not only about historical bow development and use, but the very process of making the damned things. I say unto you, if you have ever had any interest in such a hobby as hunting with or making bows, this set is amazing. Also, if historical accuracy or believability in a fantasy setting is important to you, I reccomend at least a good skimming.
In volume two, though, I got something of a surprise.
Page 187 marks the beginning of an article on the importance and make-up of the string: something I hadn't really considered that I would need for the purpose of rendering one - except maybe how it slips into the nocks, and how often one might need to replace one in constant use. True to the technical nature of the work, the author quickly got into the principles of line strength and the relevance of twist to strength.
I'm not sure why, but I've never thought about the relationship of fiber-processing to archery.
Page 188 discusses basic spinning - and then the concept of plying! Oh, sure, he calls it "cordage," but we all know he really wants to say yarn**. The very principles that underlie all fiberwork are laid out in clear and simple terms, and cites the earliest known depiction of yarn cordage somewhere about 27,000 years ago. He then speculates that the intelligence, skill, and planning evidenced in some 300,000 year old hand axes would indicate that the relatively simple act of spinning making cordage must have already been common.
I liek in particular one quote:
"Once you twist fibers tightly all you have to do is get out of the way and string happens."

Is this not just another way to express the mystical/magical/intuitive aspect of spinning?

Deborah Bergman in The Knitting Goddess wrote about a workshop she led once, where she passed out hanks of Romney wool. Before she even finished passing out wool, the non-spinners were already teasing out and combing the fibers, rolling them between fingertips and upon knees. She attributes this to tribal memory - and I think she must be right.
Even these arguably masculine men are sitting around, talking, thinking, writing about spinning vegetable and animal fibers. They consider their relative strengths and appearance, their availibility and ease of acquisition. They wonder why exactly plying lends both strength and elasticity - why short fibers behave differently than long ones, why thick yarns cords can break more easily where they bend. They discuss the necessity of very tight twisting withing the component plies - and the need to balance the reverse-twisting.

"If fine enough, and if twisted enough, thread strength will approach the combined strength of its consituant fibers. This thread will have a very high strength to mass ratio..." as opposed, of course, to one which will snap at the weakest point - a point which has only the strength of the individual fiber.

Who among fiber-people has not had the agony of a broken yarn?

Page 193 has a lovely, photograph with balls of clay representing cross sections of yarn cordage.
"Ply diameter decreases as ply numbers increase. Smaller diameter plies will permit tighter twisting with less strain on surface fibers, but from four plies on, plies must be progressively more distorted as they attempt to fill an ever-larger hollow core. It seems likely that ply strength would be compromised by such distortion. With seven plies the problem solves itself: a single ply fills the void. This central ply becomes largely dead weight, but by equalizing the stresses on the six outer plies, higher net cord strength results. With eight or more plies the cord's hollow core is filled with ever more dead-weight central plies."
Try it: starting with one ball, and going up through and even past seven, watch what happens to the interior space. Also, follow the author's suggestion and test bundles of fiber and even grass in varying thickness: twist them and pull, and see what happens.

Who among you has not admired some soft, colorful, commercial, 8-or-more-ply yarn and then bemoaned the broken plies?

Starting on 196, the author actually teaches the reader how to spin - and how to make spinning tools.

And then!
A man (!) supports the superiority of hand spinning in irrefutable terms! Oh, nothing like we usually say, about intergity, or color, or character, or hand or even art.
"Pull a fiber-bearing plant from the ground, pull a twig from a tree - for use as a spindle - and with this cave-man gear, thread can be spun finer and stronger than the finest mahine-spun equivalent. Tell this to ten people and you'll get ten arguments, some suspiciously caustic an heated - modernism is a religion of the first order. Modern spinning methods are faster and cheaper but cannot equal the spinners of India, for example, whose Dacca muslims were woven of spindle-spun cotton so fine it measures 250 miles to the pound. Four-thousand five-hundred years ago Egyptian mummies were wrapped in cloth woven 540 threads to the inch. Silk cloth from the Han dynasty in China has been found woven 508 threads per inch. The best modern mechanical spinners and weavers can manage is 350 threads per inch."
Bear in mind, this book was published only about ten years ago.
Makes you wonder about the production of those 600-thread-count sheets now, doesn't it?

The rest of the arcticle proceeds to demonstrate drop spindle, rolling the spindle on the thigh, modifying a lathe for spinning, the mechanics of the spinning wheel, making a spinning wheel and (gasp) using a variable speed drill as your drive mechanism!

Several plying methods are discussed, including the laborious finger-plying, and the article continues to page 258 with even more technical information - and then proceeds to discuss the possibility of making yarn cordage from spider silk!

Truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

* a la Burne Hogarth or somesuch. I'm fed up with pansy-ass chalk renderings and How to Draw Crap Manga
** ah, the obstacle to clear thought that is testosterone!

Current Mood: thoughtful

I.. have achieved... very little today.
The series synopsis is kicking my butt.

Current Mood: cranky